FR2678704A1 - Device for supporting elongate objects - Google Patents

Abstract

- The invention relates to a device for supporting elongate objects, such as electric and/or optical cables, fluid pipes or the like, of the type including a length of strip (2) on which the said objects can be located transversely and in which are formed recesses (4) for the passage of means for clamping the said elongate objects. - Advantageously, it comprises a plurality of parallel teeth (3) connected via one of their ends to the said strip (2), whereas the other ends (3B) of the teeth, opposite the said strip, are free, the said teeth defining between them the said recesses (4) which are thus open on the side of the said free ends, and the plane of the said teeth (3) defines, with a face (2A) of the said strip (2), a bearing surface (5) for the said elongate objects.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for supporting elongated objects, such as cables and bundles of electrical and / or optical cables, fluidic lines or pipes, and the like, which makes it possible to hold and guide said elongated objects by relation to any structure.

A preferential, although not exclusive, application of the device according to the invention relates to the aeronautical industry. Indeed, the multitude of cables, pipes, etc.

intended for the transmission of information by fluidic, electrical and optical ways to control and control the various apparatuses of an aircraft requires the use of devices for supporting said cables and pipes to, on the one hand, fix them to the structure of the aircraft, and, on the other hand, guide them appropriately along the structure, avoiding interference which could damage them.

The device is obviously not limited to this particular application and, in general, it can be used from the moment when a plurality of elongated objects must be fixed and guided, according to a determined path, relative to a structure.

Devices of this type are already known, in particular from document FR-A-2 631 423. Generally, they comprise a section of profile comprising a flat wing, on which the elongated objects are arranged transversely and in which are recessively recessed, recesses with firm outline intended for the passage of the means for clamping said elongated objects on the wing flat of the profile section.

Although these devices are satisfactory as regards the maintenance and proper guidance of the elongated objects, they do, however, have drawbacks in terms of the positioning of the clamping means. Indeed, the latter are usually formed by clamps whose flexible band is intended to pass through two consecutive or not recesses of the wing to surround the elongated object and hold it firmly in position against said flat wing, by means of the retaining mechanism in which the free end of the strip is engaged.

However, since the recesses made in the flat wing have a closed section, generally rectangular, and since the flexible band of the clamps nevertheless has a certain stiffness, the passage of the latter in two neighboring recesses is difficult and tedious, both during the initial assembly of the collars and during maintenance operations.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks and relates to a device for supporting elongated objects, the design of which in particular allows rapid mounting of the clamping means around said elongated objects.

To this end, the device for supporting elongated objects, such as electrical and / or optical cables, fluidic lines or the like, of the type comprising a strip section, on which said objects are likely to be arranged transversely and in which are provided recesses for the passage of clamping means of said elongated objects, is remarkable, according to the invention, in that it comprises a plurality of parallel teeth linked by one of their ends to said bar, while the others ends of the teeth, opposite to said bar, are free, said teeth defining between them said recesses which are thus open on the side of said free ends, and in that the plane of said teeth defines, with one face of said bar, a surface of support for said elongated objects.

Thus, the support device according to the invention is advantageously in the form of a comb, so that the tightening means, such as flexible band collars, can be previously loosely mounted around the elongated objects to be fixed. , then easily introduced into the open recesses, consecutive or not, by surrounding at least one of the teeth integral with the bar section, to be subsequently tightened definitively.

More particularly, said teeth which are parallel to each other are perpendicular to said strip section. They are also identical in shape and may for example have a polygonal section. Advantageously, the section of the teeth is triangular with rounded tops, one of the lateral faces of the teeth then defining, with the corresponding face of said strip, said bearing surface for said elongated objects. In addition, the triangular shape of the teeth gives them good rigidity, allowing better resistance to bending.

In addition, the free ends of said teeth are each provided with an external rim. This arrangement avoids the possible sliding of the clamps towards the outside. Also, said strip section is provided with a plurality of orifices allowing it to be mounted, by means of fixing members, on a structure. These orifices can be arranged parallel or perpendicular to the support surface of the device according to its specific application.

In a particular embodiment, said strip section is capable of being connected to another strip section. In this case, at least one of the ends of said strip section may include a tab with which a corresponding tab of another strip section is capable of cooperating, an articulation connecting said tabs to each other. end. A double articulated support device is thus obtained which adapts to structures presenting significant profile changes (intersecting planes, etc.).

According to another characteristic of the invention, the device is preferably made of a moldable or injectable synthetic material which is advantageously elastically and plastically deformable. Thus, depending on the curvature of the structure, the device can be deformed either elastically if the curvature is not very pronounced, or plastically by means of a specific device if the curvature is pronounced, to match exactly that of said structure.

The figures of the appended drawing will make it clear how the invention can be implemented. In these figures, identical references designate similar elements.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the device for supporting elongated objects, according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view, along arrow F, of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse section of the teeth of said device, along line III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 represents a partial plan view of an alternative embodiment of the device according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial view along arrow F1 of the device illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 represents a first example of application of the device for supporting elongated objects, shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 7 illustrates a second example of application of said device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which two devices are associated with one another.

FIG. 8 illustrates a third example of application of the device shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 9A represents a fourth example of application of an alternative embodiment of said device illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Figure 9B is a section of the device along the line
IX-IX of Figure 9A.

FIG. 10 represents a fifth example of application of another variant embodiment of the device according to the invention.

The device 1 for supporting elongated objects, represented in FIG. 1, comprises a section of bar 2 and a plurality of teeth 3, linked by one of their ends 3A to the bar 2, while the other ends 3B of the teeth , opposite the bar 2, are free. More particularly, the teeth 3 are parallel to each other and arranged in a regularly spaced manner from each other, then advantageously forming open recesses 4 on the side of their free ends 3B. The teeth 3 are perpendicular to the bar section 2, so that the device 1 is in the form of a "comb".

Also, as will be seen later, the elongated objects, such as for example electrical and / or optical cables, hydraulic pipes, fluid lines and the like, are intended to be applied transversely on a bearing surface 5 of the device. 1, while being held there by clamping means, such as flexible band collars, which surround said objects and the corresponding tooth passing through two open recesses 4.

This bearing surface 5 of said elongated objects is advantageously defined by one 2A of the lateral faces of the bar section 2, of approximately square cross section, and by the plane formed by the teeth 3 and extending the face 2A of the bar. It can be seen in FIGS. 1 to 3 that the teeth 3 have a polygonal cross section with rounded vertices which, in this embodiment, is for example triangular. Also, one 3C of the lateral faces of the triangular teeth 3 extends the lateral face 2A of the bar 2, so that all of these lateral faces 3C of the teeth, forming said plane, defines the bearing surface of the elongated objects. supported.

Furthermore, the free ends 3B of said teeth are each provided with a 3D external rim, which prevents the clamp from sliding outwards. This 3D outer rim projects transversely from the two other lateral faces 3E of each tooth, so that the lateral face 3C, forming the bearing surface 5, is flat.

To fix the support device 1 for elongated objects on any structure, holes or orifices 6 are regularly provided in the bar section 2 and they allow the passage of fixing members, such as bolts, rivets, or analogues. These holes 6 are, in this embodiment of the device, perpendicular to the lateral face of the bar, so that the heads of these fixing members come to bear on this flat lateral face 2A or, as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the device, at the bottom of counterbores 6A which are practical.

In addition, the support device is preferably made by injection or by molding in a synthetic material, such as for example Rilsan (registered trademark). The characteristics of the synthetic material used are such that, when the device is subjected to a heat source, it can be easily bent so as to follow the profile of the structure to which it is to be attached. The length of the support device is of course variable and it is in particular adapted to the number of elongated objects to be supported and to the dimensions of the structures.

The device 1A represented in FIGS. 4 and 5 differs from that described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 only in that the ends 2B of the bar 2 comprise connecting means 7. In the embodiment, the ends 2B are bent and the connecting means 7, provided at one of the ends 2B, are constituted by a tab 7A extending the bar 2 and provided with a through hole 7B, while the connecting means 7, provided at the 'other end 2B of the bar, have two legs 7C spaced and parallel, which extend the bar 2 and which are provided with respective passage holes 7D coaxial.

It is therefore understood that, in this particular embodiment, by inserting the tab 7A of a device between the tabs 7C of another device and by introducing a hinge pin, not shown in these FIGS. 4 and 5, in the coaxial through holes 7B and 7D, a double articulated support device is produced, allowing it to be mounted against, for example, two transverse planes of the same structure or of two structures, as will be seen with reference to FIG. 8.

In the first application of the support device 1 according to the invention, shown in Figure 6, the structure 9 to which the device must be attached has a curved profile.

In this case, the support device 1, such as that illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, is previously heated on site using a heat-blowing gun to make it take the corresponding curvature. Obviously, if the curvature of the structure is not too pronounced, the material constituting the support device 1 makes it possible to adapt it to the profile of the structure by simple elastic deformation, without resorting to plastic deformation of said device.

The latter is fixed to the structure by the fixing members 10, such as rivets 10A, of which only the geometric axes have been shown and which pass through the corresponding bores 6 of the bar 2. Laminations 6A are provided in the bores 6, so that the head of the rivets or of any other fixing member is advantageously embedded in the bar 2, thus leaving the bearing surface 5 totally flat, and further constituting a reduction in the bars without harming their rigidity.

The elongated objects 11, such as electric cables or hydraulic pipes, are previously surrounded by clamps 12, loosely, then placed on the bearing surface 5 of the device, perpendicular to the bar section 2. The mounting of the clamps 12 around the corresponding teeth is made very easy thanks to the advantageously open recesses 4 on the side of the free ends 3B of the teeth. Each collar 12 straddles the corresponding tooth 3 on the side face 3C of which the elongated object 11 rests. The collars 12 are then tightened, in an appropriate manner, to guarantee reliable fixing of the elongated object on the support device 1.

We also note the role of the external 3D rim provided at the end of the teeth 3, which defines a stop, preventing a possible sliding towards the outside of the clamp.

It is also possible to provide a head-to-tail mounting of two support devices 1, as shown in FIG. 7. This arrangement makes it possible to offer two bearing surfaces 5 opposite one another and, therefore, to receive a large number of elongated objects, and to avoid the use of additional parts between the two structural elements 9A and 9B (for example frames, angles, etc.). The two support devices 1 are assembled by two fixing members 10, such as bolts, provided in the vicinity of their ends and cooperating with the respective structural elements 9A and 9B. The bolts LOB pass through the holes 6 of the bars, as well as through the passages provided in the structural elements 9A, 9B. The mounting of the elongated objects 11, against the bearing surfaces 5 of said devices, is carried out by means of clamps 12 in a similar manner to the application described with reference to FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 8, a double support device 1B, produced from two devices 1A, is then advantageously used when the structure 9C has a significant change in profile in cross section.

It can be seen in this FIG. 8 that the structure 9C, on which the double device 1B is mounted, is composed of a slightly curved part 9D and a straight part 9E, forming between them an acute angle in this case. Thus, two devices 1A are for example used and linked to each other by a hinge pin 14 passing through the through holes 7B, 7D provided in the connecting lugs 7A, 7C, which makes it possible to present at best the two bar sections against the parts 9D and 9E of the structure 9C, thanks to their articulation 14.

Also, if the curvature of the curved part 9D is large, one can plastically deform the corresponding support device 1A, hot, by means of a heat-blowing gun, to conform it exactly to the profile of the curved part. Otherwise, the elastic deformation of the support device is sufficient.

The elongated objects 11 are then fixed to the double device 1B, transversely to the surfaces 5, by the clamps 12, the introduction of which around the teeth 3 is greatly facilitated by the open recesses 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the device according to the invention is more particularly intended to allow the passage of elongated objects through an opening 9G made in a structure 9F, such as a partition. In this case, the device used, referenced 1C, comprises for example a strip section 2 which, instead of having an approximately square cross section, has a substantially flat rectangular section. This strip section then defines a flat wing 2C perpendicular to the teeth 3, so that the cross section of the device 1C is in L. The holes 6, provided in the strip section 2, are then parallel to the bearing surface 5 of said objects. Thus, the device 1C is fixed by its flat wing 2C against the partition 9F at the edge of the opening 9G by means of fixing members 10, while its bearing surface 5 is located in the opening 9G, which allows elongated objects to pass through it. Clamps 12 secure the elongated objects 11 (cables, pipes, pipes, etc.) against the bearing surface 5 by surrounding the corresponding teeth 3 of the device 1C.

In an alternative embodiment, the support device 1D, shown in FIG. 10, is substantially similar to that previously described, except that its flat wing 2C, corresponding to the bar section 2, has a crenellated profile, sinusoldal 2D. In the slots 2E are then provided the holes 6.

This arrangement makes it easy to conform the support device 1D along the circular contour of a structure, as defined by the opening 9G provided in the partition 9F. By elastic or plastic deformation, the device 1D is easily placed along the circular outline to be respected of the opening 9G, the spaces 2F provided between the slots 2E authorizing such a deformation.

It can also be seen in this FIG. 10 that one of the elongated objects 11 is applied against two consecutive teeth 3 of the bearing surface 5, so that the clamp 12 encloses these two teeth passing through the open recesses 4.

While in the embodiments described, the devices comprise a row of teeth arranged on one side of said strip section, one could obviously provide another row of teeth on its opposite side.

Claims (10)

1 - Device for supporting elongated objects, such as electrical and / or optical cables, fluidic lines or the like, of the type comprising a bar section (2), on which said objects are likely to be arranged transversely and in which are provided recesses (4) for the passage of clamping means (12) of said elongated objects, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of parallel teeth (3) linked by one of their ends to said bar (2) , while the other ends (3B) of the teeth, opposite to said strip, are free, said teeth defining between them said recesses (4) which are thus open on the side of said free ends, and in that the plane of said teeth (3 ) defines, with a face (2A) of said strip (2), a bearing surface (5) for said elongated objects (11). 2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said teeth (3), parallel to each other, are perpendicular to said strip section (2). 3 - Device according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said teeth (3) are of identical shape and have a polygonal section with rounded vertices. 4 - Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the section of said teeth (3) is triangular, one of the lateral faces (3C) of the teeth defining, with the corresponding face (2A) of said strip, said surface of support (5) for said elongated objects. 5 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the free ends (3B) of said teeth are each provided with an external flange (3D). 6 - Device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said strip section (2) is provided with a plurality of holes (6) allowing its mounting, by means of fixing members (10), on a structure. 7 - Device according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said strip section is capable of being connected to another strip section. 8 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that at least one of the ends (2B) of said strip section (2) comprises a tab (7A) with which is capable of cooperating a corresponding tab (7C) of another strip section, a hinge (14) connecting to one another said end tabs. 9 - Device according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is made of a synthetic material. 10 - Device according to claim 9, characterized in that said material, in which are made said strip section and said teeth, is elastically and plastically deformable.