Low-Profile Cable Armor Structure for Smooth Stud Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armored cables with pronounced metal armor profiles cause frequent hang-ups during installation, especially when routed through wooden or metal studs, leading to inefficiencies and excessive adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile armored cable assembly featuring a metal sheath with helically wrapped sections, including curved, planar, and angled free ends, minimizing the depth of valleys between peaks to facilitate easier installation and reduce tangling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional pronounced metal armor profiles are used, then the cable provides adequate mechanical protection, but the cable experiences frequent hang-ups during installation through studs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the metal armor profile by reducing the depth of valleys between peaks and adjusting the curvature radius. This parameter change creates a low-profile design that minimizes interference with surrounding structures during installation while maintaining adequate mechanical protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces curved transitions between the peaks and valleys of the metal armor profile, replacing sharp angular transitions with smooth curved surfaces. This curvature reduces stress concentration points and eliminates snagging issues during cable installation through studs and conduits.
2Stability of the object's composition
If deeper valleys are created in the metal armor profile, then the cable maintains flexibility, but the cable causes excessive hang-ups when routed through studs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the depth parameter of valleys in the metal armor profile, reducing it to a minimum value that still allows adequate cable flexibility. This controlled parameter change eliminates excessive hang-ups while preserving the necessary bending capability of the cable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies curved surface transitions at the valley regions of the metal armor, replacing sharp edges with rounded profiles. This curvature maintains the flexibility needed for cable installation while preventing the cable from catching on studs and other obstructions.
3Ease of operation
If the metal armor profile is flattened, then installation smoothness improves, but crush-resistance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls the flattening degree of the metal armor profile by setting specific parameter ranges for peak height and valley depth. This optimized parameter combination achieves smooth installation surfaces while maintaining sufficient crush-resistance through the preserved structural integrity of the helical winding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved surface designs in the metal armor profile that distribute mechanical loads more evenly across the cable structure. These curved transitions prevent stress concentration that would otherwise occur at sharp edges, thereby maintaining crush-resistance while achieving a flattened, smooth installation profile.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an armored cable assembly which may include a plurality of conductors and a metal sheath disposed over the plurality of conductors. The metal sheath may have a plurality of revolutions extending helically along a lengthwise axis, each of the plurality of revolutions including a first section having a curved profile, a second section extending from the first section, the second section having a planar profile, and a third section extending from the second section. The third section may include a free end angled towards an interior cavity of the metal sheath, the free end extending past a plane defined by a bottom most point of the first section of an adjacent revolution, the plane extending perpendicular to the second section.