EP0976188A1 - Verbesserungen an kabelrohren und gehwege - Google Patents
Verbesserungen an kabelrohren und gehwegeInfo
- Publication number
- EP0976188A1 EP0976188A1 EP98917333A EP98917333A EP0976188A1 EP 0976188 A1 EP0976188 A1 EP 0976188A1 EP 98917333 A EP98917333 A EP 98917333A EP 98917333 A EP98917333 A EP 98917333A EP 0976188 A1 EP0976188 A1 EP 0976188A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- trough
- cover
- cable duct
- neighbouring
- elements
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
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- 230000006750 UV protection Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 2
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- 238000006731 degradation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005192 partition Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000000149 penetrating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920001707 polybutylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 2
- -1 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000011178 precast concrete Substances 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 1
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- 208000014674 injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G9/00—Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water
- H02G9/04—Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water in surface ducts; Ducts or covers therefor
Definitions
- This invention relates to cable ducts and walkways, especially combined cable duct/walkways that are suitable for use beside railway tracks.
- Cables may be hung above the ground beside a railway track but more commonly they lie in a partially-buried duct extending parallel to the track, for example set into a trench dug in an embankment that carries the track.
- the duct consists of a series of identical prefabricated elements disposed end-to-end to form a continuous protective channel, the channel possibly being made up of thousands of elements and thus potentially being of great length.
- Each cable duct element comprises a generally U-section open-ended trough and a removable cover that closes the top of the trough to form a generally rectangular box.
- the shape of this box is often very simple, being made up of plain, essentially flat rectangular walls disposed orthogonally with respect to one another.
- the cover is a slab held in place over the trough by its own weight.
- any damage to a cable duct compromises the protection that it can give to a cable because the cable may become exposed to the weather and susceptible to rodent damage. Damage to the duct may also cause a cover to wobble on its trough if somebody walks on it; this could be enough to cause that person to stumble and fall into the path of a passing train.
- the present invention seeks to overcome these and other defects of known cable duct elements.
- a related facet of the invention relates to walkways; so, a summary of the art of walkways now follows.
- a railway walkway is usually formed from compacted fill retained by kerbs of, for example, timber, concrete or concrete/steel.
- the kerbs may be retained by concrete benching or steel pins that anchor the kerbs with respect to the ground.
- a handrail and/or a retaining wall may also be needed in some situations.
- a handrail may, for example, be needed on the side of a walkway away from the track if there is a drop on that side of the walkway, or on the side adjacent the track if collision with passing trains is a risk.
- a retaining wall may be required to hold back a bank of earth where the track and walkway lies in a cutting. Again, these handrails and retaining walls require expensive building operations such as preparation of foundations.
- the concrete cable duct elements of GB 476316 define parallel longitudinal channels separated by partitions which help to support the lid or cover against downward loads.
- a thinner-section partitioned cable duct employing a similar principle is disclosed in GB 1214938; the duct therein is a collection of plastics extrusions, namely a U-section channel, a closure and a separating wall extending along the channel that supports and/or secures the closure.
- GB 1214938 is concerned with undemanding low-load applications such as domestic cabling.
- GB 1412648 is a heavier-duty evolution in which a shallow cable duct for fitting flush with a walkway is made of PVC plastics material. Again, partitions divide the interior of the duct and support a flat lid. Noting the readiness with which PVC expands with temperature, gaps are left between successive lengths of ducting and separate joint elements are provided for bridging the gaps while permitting thermal expansion and contraction.
- WO94/21018 discloses a buriable plastics cable duct element that is also usable as a walkway.
- a lid or cover wide enough to walk upon is attached to a trough by interlocking means, the lid simply fitting between vertical formations at the upper edges of the trough.
- interlocking means may be supplemented by hinges and locks connecting the lid to the trough.
- WO94/21018 is the most complete prior art proposal in terms of addressing the problems of traditional concrete cable ducts and separate walkways. Certainly, the combination of walkway and cable duct would save space and installation costs. However, the main emphasis of WO94/21018 is upon drainage of water that may enter the trough in use, and other aspects of the design are inferior in many respects to the traditional concrete duct.
- interlocking means connect one element to another in series but these means do not permit sufficient angular displacement between successive elements to cope with anything other than the gentlest curves. Even if the interlocking means could cope with sharp curves and undulations, gaps and irregularities would be created between adjoining covers at those points, possibly presenting a tripping hazard and admitting rodents to the cable duct channel.
- the present invention resides in a cable duct element connectable to another identical element to form a duct made up of such elements disposed end-to-end, the duct comprising a trough and a cover for covering the trough, wherein mutual angular displacement of neighbouring elements in the duct is allowed by limited gaps in or between the elements.
- Allowing gaps to appear in or between adjacent elements permits sufficient angular displacement to cope with sha ⁇ changes in line or level whilst limiting the gaps helps to exclude rodents from the cable path.
- a trough for the cable duct element includes a base; side walls upstanding from the base; first interlock means at one end of the trough; second interlock means at an end of the trough opposed to the first interlock means; the first and second interlock means being complementary such that each interlock means is capable of interlocking with the complementary interlock means of an identical neighbouring trough in a duct made up of elements disposed end-to-end; wherein the interlocks of neighbouring troughs cooperate telescopically and a gap between the telescoped interlocks permits angular displacement between the troughs.
- the first interlock means can be a male telescopic section and the second interlock means can be a female telescopic section capable of receiving the male telescopic section.
- the gap between the elements is limited by the difference in diameters of the male and female telescopic sections and preferably also by an outwardly-protruding stop on the male telescopic section and/or an inwardly-protruding stop on the female telescopic section which prevents the elements coming apart longitudinally.
- the outwardly-protruding stop is a flange at the end of the male telescopic section and the inwardly-protruding stop is a flange at the end of the female telescopic section. Gaps between the telescopic sections are limited along the whole length of the flanges.
- each side wall preferably includes a telescopic section and, to permit changes in level, the base preferably also includes a telescopic section.
- An arrangement permitting angular displacement in both line and level extends the telescopic sections around the base and side walls in a continuous band.
- the trough preferably includes a central wall upstanding from the base and extending longitudinally along the trough between the side walls.
- the trough preferably also includes means such as a latch or, to deter vandalism, a key lock for attaching the cover to the trough.
- the attachment means may be substantially offset towards one end of the trough so that cover of one cable duct element holds down an end of the cover of a neighbouring cable duct element situated at the end adjacent the attachment means.
- a trough is nestable within an identical trough so that a plurality of troughs can form a nested stack.
- the invention also resides in a trough for a cable duct element, the trough including fixing means for fixing an elongate member extending upwardly to support a handrail or a retaining wall and/or downwardly into the ground to anchor the trough.
- the elongate member can be a handrail post and/or an anchor pin.
- the fixing means preferably includes a collar that receives the elongate member.
- fixing means allows a handrail or retaining wall to be constructed with mimmal labour and materials.
- an anchor pin provides a low-cost method of locating the trough and its foundations against slippage.
- the invention extends to a cover for a cable duct element, the cover including flexible means cooperable with a neighbouring element and capable of accommodating displacement between the elements.
- Such displacement between the elements can be angular or linear, or a combination of these.
- the flexible means is a concertina or bellows-type arrangement in which relatively rigid transverse members are connected to each other and/or to a rigid portion of the cover by flexible joints.
- An end of the cover suitably terminates in a tab to fit under and be held down by an end of a cover of a neighbouring element.
- the tab is preferably at an end of the cover defined by the flexible means.
- a central longitudinal portion of the cover conveniently rests upon an upper bearing surface of the central longitudinal wall.
- relatively rigid transverse members extend laterally across the trough, free ends of the members may conveniently rest upon upper bearing surfaces of the side walls.
- Another aspect of the invention resides in a method of constructing a cable duct by progressively adding cable duct elements to a duct assembled from such elements, the method comprising transporting elements along the assembled portion of the duct.
- This aspect of the invention contemplates a trolley or other vehicle adapted to travel along the duct and to carry a plurality of cable duct elements.
- the invention encompasses a cable duct comprising a plurality of cable duct elements, troughs and/or covers as defined above or made by the method as defined above.
- the cable duct of the invention preferably doubles as a walkway and such an arrangement will be described hereinafter.
- Figure 1 is a schematic partial sectional view through a typical trackside installation consisting of a cable duct and a walkway side-by-side;
- Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a cable duct element in accordance with the invention.
- Figure 3 is a selection of schematic plan, elevation and sectional views of a trough forming part of the element shown schematically in Figure 2 but without full detail of its interlocking parts;
- Figures 4(a) and 4(b) are enlarged perspective views from above and below respectively, showing the interlocking parts of juxtaposed troughs in detail;
- Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the troughs of Figures 4(a) and 4(b) interlocked;
- Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view corresponding to Figure 5 but showing a cover attached to one trough and engaged with the other trough;
- Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view from underneath of the cover shown in Figure
- Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective view corresponding generally to Figure 6 but taken from a different angle and showing an element fitted with a post to support a handrail and an anchor pin or stake extending into the ground;
- Figure 9 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention on level ground;
- Figure 10 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention against a gently rising embankment;
- Figure 11 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention alongside an obstruction;
- Figure 12 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention against a steep embankment and supporting a low retaining wall;
- Figure 13 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention upon an embankment and supporting an external handrail;
- Figure 14 is a partial schematic sectional view through a trackside installation showing the cable duct of the present invention upon an embankment and supporting an internal handrail.
- an existing trackside installation of the type outlined previously comprises a walkway 20 situated beside and extending parallel to a partially- buried cable duct 21.
- the walkway 20 and the duct 21 are separated by a substantial distance from a track 22, in accordance with safety regulations.
- the cable duct 21 consists of a series of elements of rectangular box section. Each element is of precast concrete and consists of a U-section trough 23 capped by a cover 24. The cover 24 is held on top of the trough 23 only by its weight.
- the walkway 20 is of compacted fill retained on one side by a concrete kerb 25 between the walkway 20 and the duct 21 and on the other side by a concrete and steel kerb 26 supported by concrete benching or steel pins 27 that extend into the ground. It can be seen in Figure 1 how the surface of the walkway 20 is substantially level with the exposed top surface of the cover 24 of the cable duct 21.
- a combined cable duct and walkway element 28 comprises a body or trough 29, a lid or cover 30 removably attachable to the trough, and latches 31 for attaching the cover 30 to the trough 29.
- the trough 29 is generally oblong in plan, open-ended and generally U-shaped in cross section in that side walls 32 extend upwardly from a base 33.
- the central longitudinal channel thus defined can accommodate cables when the trough 29 is in use, disposed end-to-end with the troughs of other identical elements to create a cable duct/walkway.
- the trough 29 is largely conventional but there are many unconventional features which will now be discussed.
- the trough 29 is an integral moulding of plastics material such as polypropylene, although any suitable plastics may be used, treated as necessary with fire retardants and so on.
- plastics material such as polypropylene, although any suitable plastics may be used, treated as necessary with fire retardants and so on.
- a toughened, glass-reinforced polypropylene co-polymer is currently preferred. It is envisaged that with careful fireproofing design, for example by avoiding edges where possible as these can burn readily, a trough of this material would maintain adequate structural integrity if exposed to flame. Nevertheless, measures may be taken to avoid or at least to confine the horizontal spread of fire along the duct, for example by glass filling and flame-retardant additives.
- each trough in the preferred embodiment is approximately 12 kg.
- the proportions of the trough 29 are also unconventional, being unusually shallow and wide: the trough 29 is approximately 1 m long, 0.7 m wide and 0.27 m deep or high. These proportions sacrifice nothing in cable-carrying capacity - the cross-sectional area of the central channel is no smaller than that of a typical cable duct element which may be deeper but is correspondingly narrower - and have advantages of their own.
- the principal advantage is that the width of the element 28 is in itself sufficient to define a safe walkway on top of the duct; there is no need to add a walkway beside the duct, which allows a dramatic saving on installation costs and also saves space, thus making it easier to achieve the minimum safe distance between the walkway and a railway track in confined surroundings.
- the width of the combined cable duct/walkway would be at least 280 mm less than the combined width of the traditional adjacent cable duct and walkway used to date.
- Another advantage is that the shallow profile of the element 28 requires a shallower trough 29 to achieve a desired level, again saving installation costs by reducing the depth of the trench that must be dug.
- the channel is divided by a line of pillars 34A, 34B and 34C that together define an interrupted centre wall 34 that rises from the base 33 and extends longitudinally along the channel.
- the trough moulding has thin walls (ideally approximately 3 mm thick) to save material and reduce weight; adequate strength is assured by a liberal reinforcement of transverse ridges 35 in the base and side walls, combined with ribs 36 in the hollow underside. It will also be apparent that the side 32 and centre 34 walls taper inwardly moving away from the base 33; this provides a moulding draft and also facilitates nesting and stacking of multiple troughs during storage and transportation, thus saving space. Similarly, the pillars 34A, 34B, 34C are hollow, being open-bottomed at the underside of the base 33.
- the pillars 34A, 34B and 34C defining the centre wall support the central portion of the cover 30 against sagging under load and also allow for cables within the channel to be separated if necessary.
- power cables could go on one side of the centre wall and telecommunications cables could go on the other to reduce the possibility of interference from the power cables.
- the divided longitudinal channel makes recabling much simpler and gives space beside the cabling route for cable joints.
- the gaps which divide the centre wall 34 into pillars 34A, 34B and 34C provide a cable crossover path allowing cables to cross from one side of the centre wall 34 to the other when required; the ends of the pillars 34A, 34B and 34C on respective sides of the gaps are radiused for this purpose.
- the gaps or crossover points are spaced apart by approximately 0.3 m.
- An upright hollow post 37 aligned with the pillars 34A, 34B, 34C rises from the base 33 of the trough 29 at its end adjacent pillar 34A and opposite pillar 34C.
- the post is of circular cross-section and tapers upwardly like the pillars 34A, 34B and 34C.
- interlocking means are provided whereby juxtaposed troughs 29 in a row can be interlocked.
- the post 37 is positioned and dimensioned to fit loosely within the hollow pillar 34C of a juxtaposed interlocked trough 29 when the troughs 29 are interlocked in this way.
- the post 37 When positioned within the pillar 34C of an interlocked trough 29, the post 37 acts as a pivot point permitting pivotal movement of one trough 29 with respect to another about the pivot. This movement provides for angular misalignment of one trough 29 in relation to the other by pivoting about a vertical pivot axis, thereby allowing for changes in line while preventing separation of the troughs 29. Additionally, the loose fit of the post 37 within the pillar 34C permits angular misalignment about a horizontal transverse pivot axis, thereby allowing for changes in level, and about a horizontal longitudinal pivot axis, thereby allowing for longitudinal twisting of the line of troughs 29.
- the elongate pillar 34C accommodates relative longitudinal displacement of interlocked troughs 29.
- a through-hole 38 is provided at the top of the post 37, penetrating into the interior of the post 37.
- a corresponding through-hole 39 is provided in the pillar 34C, penetrating into the interior of the pillar 34C.
- a pair of tubular sockets 40 and a pair of collars 41 are moulded integrally on the outside of the side walls 32, one socket 40 and one collar 41 on each side wall 32.
- the longitudinal axes of the sockets 40 and collars 41 extend parallel to one another and orthogonally to the plane of the base 33.
- the pair of collars 41 are located substantially centrally, albeit slightly offset, with respect to the respective side walls 32 whereas the pair of sockets 40 are markedly offset, being situated close to one end of the trough 29.
- the collars 41 extend slightly above the upper edge of the side walls 32 whereas the sockets 40 terminate flush with the side walls 32.
- the sockets 40 locate the latches 31 and the collars 41 can accept upwardly-extending posts for handrails or retaining walls and/or downwardly-extending anchor pins or stakes to be driven into the ground.
- the open ends of the trough 29 are provided with mutually complementary interlock formations enabling a series of identical troughs 29 to be laid together end-to-end while being linked together without excessive gaps.
- a female interlock formation 42 at an end of the trough 29 has an inwardly-protruding flange 43 behind which there is a recess 44 that receives a complementary outwardly-protruding flange 45 of a male interlock formation 46 at an end of an adjacent trough 29.
- the detail view of the assembled interlock in Figure 5 shows that the outwardly- protruding flange 45 has considerable freedom of movement within the recess 44 of the female interlock formation 42 without leaving any substantial gaps between the troughs 29.
- a substantial gap may be regarded as a gap large enough to admit a rodent into the assembled cable duct, say a gap greater than 10 mm to 15 mm.
- the interlock is flexible enough to accommodate angular variations in line and level of at least 4° to 5° 5 from one element 28 to the next.
- a trough 29 can transfer load to its neighbour via the interlock, and the flanges 43, 45 limit separation of the interlocked troughs 29 to ensure that covers 30 can always be fitted to the troughs 29 with no gap, or at least a minimum gap, between them.
- Each latch 31 has a shank 47 and a cam-shaped head 48 offset with respect to the shank 10 47.
- the shank 47 is received in a socket 40 by a snap fit, screw thread or other suitable connection that holds the shank 47 within the socket 40 whilst allowing the head 48 to turn to the extent necessary to lock or release the cover 30.
- it is preferred that the latches 31 are attached to the trough 29 permanently so that the latches 31 cannot fall out of the sockets 40 and be lost.
- the head 48 is provided with a transverse 15 slot 49 for engagement by a suitable latch operating tool (not shown).
- the cover 30 is an integral plastics moulding which, in the currently preferred embodiment, is of toughened PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) which is naturally flame retardant, UV resistant and flexible. UV resistance is a particular issue but even if a row of covers suffers UV degradation over long periods in use, it is easy to replace the 0 covers without disturbing the troughs underneath.
- PBT polybutylene terephthalate
- the cover 30 is generally oblong so as to correspond to and close off the top of the trough 29.
- the cover 30 is wide enough to shade the buried trough 29 from the potentially damaging effects of ultraviolet light in use. This enables material to be selected for the trough 29 without undue reliance upon its UV resistance; 5 this is an important factor if a row of troughs 29 is to remain in place while new covers 30 have to be fitted due to UV degradation of the covers 30.
- a pair of shallow part-circular cut-outs 50 provided in the long sides of the cover 30 and situated approximately midway along the cover 30 accommodate the parts of the collars 41 that extend above the upper edge of the side walls 32 of the trough 29; this helps to locate the cover 30 longitudinally with respect to the trough 29.
- a pair of latch cut-outs 51 in the long sides of the cover 30 are situated close to one end of the cover 30 in positions corresponding to the sockets 40.
- Each of these cut-outs 51 accommodates the head 48 of a latch 31 and is large enough to allow the head 48 to pass through the cover 30 when the head 48 is in a release position, as shown at 48A in Figure 8.
- the head 48 engages in a recess 52 adjacent to the cut-out 51 to lock the cover 30 to the trough 29.
- the slot 49 in the head 48 facilitates this movement; more generally, all components of the present invention are designed so that necessary operations can be made in wet, muddy and cold conditions with gloved hands.
- the cover 30 Being of plastics material, the cover 30 is too light to remain in place under its own weight but, once locked in place on top of the trough 29, the cover 30 is held firmly against lifting or misplacement due to wind or knocks. Individual covers 30 and indeed individual troughs 29 can be lifted with minimal or no disturbance to neighbouring covers 30 and troughs 29.
- the upper surface of the cover 30 has an array of transverse recesses 53 moulded in to provide a slip-resistant walkway. Also, as best shown in Figure 7, the recesses 53 define transverse beams when viewed from underneath the cover 30; these beams impart extra stiffness to the cover 30.
- a major portion of the cover 30, including the cut-outs 50 and the latch cut-outs 51, is a generally planar solid panel.
- the remaining minor portion of the cover at the end opposed to the latch cut-outs 51 is an articulated portion defined by two transverse grooves 54 extending from one long side of the cover 30 to the other in a bellows or concertina arrangement.
- the grooves 54 define two relatively rigid transverse members 55 separated from each other and from the major portion of the cover by thin relatively flexible integral webs 56 of plastics material. Flexibility is imparted to the webs 56 by their thinness and by their U-shaped folded cross-section as best shown in Figure 7 which allows the transverse members 55 to move to a limited extent with respect to each other and with respect to the major portion of the cover 30. In this way, the cover 30 can shorten or lengthen either generally, in the sense of overall length, or locally, in the sense of one side lengthening and the other shortening. This latter possibility can be visualised as the transverse members 55 pivoting about a vertical axis orthogonal to the general plane of the major portion, thereby to accept changes in line in a row of covers 30 disposed end- to-end.
- the transverse members 55 can tilt above or below the general plane of the major portion of the cover 30. This is to accept changes in level in a row of covers 30 disposed end-to-end. Again, this tilting can be a general movement, in the sense that all parts of the transverse members 55 lie above or below the general plane, or a local movement, in the sense of twisting such that one end of a transverse member 55 is above the general plane and the other end is below the general plane. In other words, this twisting movement is about a longitudinal horizontal axis parallel to the general plane.
- the end of the cover 30 defined by the articulated portion terminates in a rectangular tab 57 which, on assembly of a cable duct, fits under the latch end of the abutting cover 30 of an adjacent element 28.
- the tab 57 is a heavily-ribbed open-bottomed box section that depends from the transverse member 55 at the end of the cover 30 in downwardly stepped relation.
- each cover 30 is connected to two troughs 29: at one end portion to one trough 29 and at the other end portion to a juxtaposed interlocked trough 29.
- the central longitudinal portion of the cover 30 is supported against downward loads by the centre wall 34 of the trough 29 on which lie the central portions of the beams defined by the recesses 53.
- the side longitudinal portions of the cover 30 are similarly supported by the upper edge of the side walls 32 of the trough 29, on which lie the outer ends of the beams defined by the recesses 53.
- the transverse members 55 are, however, free to slide upon the centre 34 and side 32 walls of the trough 29 while being supported thereby; they can therefore move as necessary to accommodate the variations in line from each element 28 to the next.
- a row of posts 58 (only one shown) is inserted into the collars 41 on one side of the duct, forming a support for a handrail or a retaining wall (not shown).
- the posts 58 can be of any suitable material, such as galvanised steel tubing.
- the collars 41 on the other side of the duct carry anchor pins or stakes 59 (again, only one shown) of similar diameter to the posts 58; these pins 59 extend downwardly into the ground to hold the cable duct elements securely in place despite their light weight.
- posts 58 and anchor pins 59 are both required on the same side of the duct, it is entirely feasible for the posts 58 to continue downwardly through the collar 41 and into the ground, the posts 58 thus also serving as the anchor pins 59. Indeed, this arrangement is preferred in any event because it strengthens the foundations of the posts 58, which may have to resist substantial side loads in use.
- Figures 9 to 14 are partial sectional views through various trackside installations including a cable duct/ walkway of the present invention in typical situations.
- Figure 9 is on level ground and Figure 10 shows the cable duct/walkway 28 next to a gentle embankment 60.
- Figure 11 shows the cable duct/walkway 28 is close to a wall 61.
- a safe distance to the track 22 has been maintained in this instance, but it will be clear how difficult that would be to achieve with the traditionally separate walkway 20 and cable duct 21 of Figure 1.
- posts 63 passing through the collars 41 can support a low retaining wall 64.
- the posts 63 also continue down into the ground to serve as anchor pins.
- Figures 13 and 14 show the cable duct/walkway 28 of the present invention upon an embankment 65 with posts 63 serving as anchor pins on both sides of the duct and supporting a two-rail handrail 66 on one side; the handrail 66 is internal in Figure 13 and external in Figure 14.
- the components of the present invention are lightweight thanks to their design and material and are compact due to the facility for nesting. This lends the invention to a novel delivery method in which components are simply delivered to the workplace along sections of cable duct/walkway that have already been laid. This reduces reliance upon engineering trains and so minimises disruption to rail traffic during installation.
- a development of this concept involves a trolley or other vehicle adapted to travel along the cable duct/walkway of the invention.
- cable entry/exit ports may be provided in each side wall of a trough to allow cables to be fed into and out of the cable duct at various points along the cabling route.
- These ports may be covered by removable plugs until required, or they may be defined by cutout or knock-out panels moulded integrally with the trough.
- a grommet may be employed to seal around a cable passing through such a port.
- the inventive concept may also be realised by T-section cable duct elements which allow cable runs to be branched, and the latches may be upgraded to locks for resistance to vandalism.
Landscapes
- Laying Of Electric Cables Or Lines Outside (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBGB9707495.9A GB9707495D0 (en) | 1997-04-14 | 1997-04-14 | Improvements in and relating to cable ducts and walkways |
| GB9707495 | 1997-04-14 | ||
| PCT/GB1998/001059 WO1998047212A1 (en) | 1997-04-14 | 1998-04-09 | Improvements in and relating to cable ducts and walkways |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP0976188A1 true EP0976188A1 (de) | 2000-02-02 |
Family
ID=10810743
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP98917333A Withdrawn EP0976188A1 (de) | 1997-04-14 | 1998-04-09 | Verbesserungen an kabelrohren und gehwege |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0976188A1 (de) |
| AU (1) | AU7057898A (de) |
| GB (1) | GB9707495D0 (de) |
| WO (1) | WO1998047212A1 (de) |
Families Citing this family (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB0901544D0 (en) * | 2009-01-30 | 2009-03-11 | Trojan Services Ltd | A combined cable trough and walkway |
| WO2011073603A1 (en) * | 2009-12-18 | 2011-06-23 | Verve Industries Limited | Cable conduit |
| WO2015136636A1 (ja) * | 2014-03-12 | 2015-09-17 | 古河電気工業株式会社 | トラフ、ケーブル敷設構造およびケーブル敷設方法 |
| US20160258554A1 (en) * | 2015-03-02 | 2016-09-08 | Vicent Ripoll Agullo | Cable management devices |
| IT201700040180A1 (it) * | 2017-04-11 | 2018-10-11 | Oscar Pirazzoli | Condotto carrabile |
| GB2562746B (en) * | 2017-05-23 | 2021-12-08 | Trojan Services Ltd | A combined cable trough and walkway |
| GB2569523B (en) * | 2017-10-03 | 2023-05-10 | Northstone Ni Ltd | Cable trough |
| GB2597102A (en) * | 2020-07-15 | 2022-01-19 | Trojan Services Ltd | A foundation unit |
| GB2627776A (en) * | 2023-03-01 | 2024-09-04 | Ev Charging Innovations Ltd | Cable duct |
Family Cites Families (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2578111B1 (fr) * | 1985-02-28 | 1988-03-18 | Plastag Sa | Element de protection de cables electriques |
| DE3606420A1 (de) * | 1986-02-27 | 1987-09-03 | Thyssen Plastik Anger Kg | Kippgelenkelement |
| GB9214950D0 (en) * | 1992-07-11 | 1992-08-26 | Integral Network Systems Ltd | Wedge ii |
| DE4307260C2 (de) * | 1993-03-02 | 1995-03-16 | Udo Wirthwein | Kabelkanalelement |
| JPH06284544A (ja) * | 1993-03-31 | 1994-10-07 | Idemitsu Petrochem Co Ltd | 合成樹脂製トラフ |
| ES2095561T3 (es) * | 1993-08-13 | 1997-02-16 | Zweva Holding Bv | Dispositivo de alojamiento para encajar en el pavimento. |
| DE9316988U1 (de) * | 1993-11-06 | 1994-01-20 | DMT-Gesellschaft für Forschung und Prüfung mbH, 44787 Bochum | Leitungsschutz für Kabel, Schläuche und Leitungen |
-
1997
- 1997-04-14 GB GBGB9707495.9A patent/GB9707495D0/en not_active Ceased
-
1998
- 1998-04-09 WO PCT/GB1998/001059 patent/WO1998047212A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1998-04-09 EP EP98917333A patent/EP0976188A1/de not_active Withdrawn
- 1998-04-09 AU AU70578/98A patent/AU7057898A/en not_active Abandoned
Non-Patent Citations (1)
| Title |
|---|
| See references of WO9847212A1 * |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| AU7057898A (en) | 1998-11-11 |
| GB9707495D0 (en) | 1997-06-04 |
| WO1998047212A1 (en) | 1998-10-22 |
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