Spring-Biased Cable Tray Splice for Movement-Resistant Assembly
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable tray splices lack a secure mechanism to inhibit movement between adjacent cable tray sections, leading to potential disconnection and instability in cable tray assemblies.
Innovation Solution
A cable tray splice with a spring-biased fastener system that engages with the bottom walls of adjacent sections, providing a secure locking mechanism to prevent movement and ensure stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional plate and bolt splicing method is used, then the cable tray sections can be coupled together, but the connection lacks a secure locking mechanism allowing movement and potential disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener incorporates a spring element that provides dynamic biasing force to maintain continuous engagement between the splice and cable tray sections. The spring allows the fastener to adapt to slight variations in positioning while maintaining constant contact pressure, preventing movement and disconnection without requiring an overly complex rigid locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-biased fastener system is self-actuating, using the spring's inherent elastic energy to automatically maintain engagement pressure. Once installed, the system self-regulates the connection force without requiring external adjustment or additional locking components, achieving reliable connection stability with minimal structural complexity.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a secure locking mechanism is added to inhibit movement, then connection stability improves, but the splice structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a static rigid lock, the invention employs a dynamic spring-biased system that maintains stability through continuous adaptive pressure. The spring allows for controlled movement and adjustment while preventing excessive displacement, providing stability through motion control rather than rigid constraint, thereby reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element changes the physical parameter of contact force dynamically, maintaining optimal engagement pressure throughout operation. This parameter change approach allows the splice to accommodate thermal expansion, vibration, and settling without compromising stability, eliminating the need for complex adjustment mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The spring-biased fastener system effectively inhibits movement between cable tray sections, enhancing the stability and integrity of the cable tray assembly by maintaining a secure connection.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the fasteners includes a spring producing a biasing force against the splice body to inhibit movement of the cable tray splice relative to the adjacent cable tray sections
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a cable tray assembly comprising a cable tray splice, first cable tray section, and second cable tray section adjacent the first cable tray section with both sections having a bottom wall. The cable tray splice couples to the bottom walls. The cable tray splice may include at least two fasteners and a splice body configured to engage adjacent cable tray sections. The fasteners are configured to couple the splice body to the adjacent cable tray sections and include a spring producing a biasing force against the splice body. The disclosure provides a method to form a cable tray assembly including positioning the two cable tray sections end-to-end, positioning a splice body on bottom walls of the two cable tray sections, inserting a fastener through aligned openings in the splice body and the bottom walls, and applying a spring biasing force to the splice body.