FR2853464A1 - Direction changing unit for raceway network, has section in continuous wire defining base wall, two blades, and two extreme sections of connection, on both sides of continuous wire - Google Patents

Abstract

The direction changing unit has a section in a continuous wire (2) defining a base wall (3), two blades, and two extreme sections of connection, on both sides of the wire. The blades are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the base wall. The blades are inclined towards an exterior portion with respect to the perpendicular plane at the base wall. An independent claim is also included for a process of changing the direction of a raceway network.

Description

MEANS FOR CHANGING DIRECTION FOR CABLE ROUTE NETWORK

  The invention relates to the technical field of cable trays.

  Cable trays are gutter-shaped structures making it possible to support, guide and protect cables such as in particular electric cables, telephone cables, fiber optic cables, computer network cables, pipelines.

  Cable trays can be wire or perforated or not, the expressions "cable tray", "wire cable tray", "perforated cable tray", "solid base cable tray" being used here with particular reference to the international standard published in September 2001 under the number IEC 61537.

  By "wire cable trays" is meant here cable trays produced by assembling two series of wires, namely, a first series of wires, commonly called warp wires, running longitudinally, typically straight or almost straight over their entire length; and a second series of threads, commonly called weft threads, established transversely, from place to place, along these warp threads.

  The warp threads and the weft threads are most often made of metal alloy 20 and their assembly is conventionally carried out by welding. The weft threads are typically U-shaped, so that the trellis cable tray comprises a bottom panel and two side panels, commonly called wings. By "wires" is meant here both solid sections of substantially oval or circular cross section, as well as sections of square or rectangular cross section. The weft threads may in particular be in the form of narrow strips, of rectangular cross section.

  The wires are of identical or different sections, the longitudinal wires of the bottom panel other than those closer to the lateral wings being for example of smaller section.

  In order to resist corrosion, the wire mesh can be coated or even galvanized or hot galvanized. The welding of the wires is conventionally carried out flat, the trellis being deformed by folding or bending, after welding, so as to take the form of a gutter.

  Examples of cable trays of the type presented above can be found in the following documents: - French patent applications published under the numbers 2017070, 2376539, 2576158, 2599906, 2613146, 2617341, 2628904, 2634600, 2645359, 2652206 , 2652142, 2669708, 2686393, 2687207, 2691590, 2697313, 2697690, 2698416, 2706973, 2716242, 2716768, 2723270, 2725772, 2725846, 2727186, 2728649, 2734503, 2737355, 2750754, 27668 - European patent applications published under the numbers 0191667, 0229544, 0275185, 0352191, 0355081, 0390668, 0418167, 0553039, 0556137, 0718944, 0818862, 0905843; - international patent applications published under the numbers 96/08063, 99/06746; - German patent applications published under the numbers 2036325, 4037412, 4336168.

  By "sheet cable trays" is meant here cable trays formed by the assembly of sections, most often metallic, comprising at least one wall forming the bottom and two wings, these sections having in particular U-shaped cross sections or in C. The walls of the sheet cable trays can be solid or perforated, and are sometimes configured on their free edge to receive a cover, for example by snap-fastening.

  In order to resist corrosion, the sheets conventionally undergo a surface treatment such as painting, zinc plating or hot galvanizing.

  If necessary, in the event of a very aggressive atmosphere, stainless steel is used for the sheets. These cable trays can also be made of composite material, such as for example reinforced polyester, in particular obtained by pultrusion.

  Examples of sheet cable trays of the type presented above can be found in the following documents: - patent applications in France published under the numbers 1471497, 2290063, 2306552, 2313786, 2365902, 2383539, 2395449, 2406327, 2435844, 2478389, 2481015, 2536219, 2610145, 2610769, 2615587, 2683403, 2686142, 2689605, 2691227, 2691228, 2712831, 2734956, 2749912, 2749913, 2749914, 2769761, 2481015 - European patent applications published under the numbers 0054456, 0113981, 0208924, 0278923, 0292389, 0315531, 0348285, 0403440, 0518404, 0570272, 0657672, 0695009, 0813012; - international patent application published under number 93/23694.

  Cable tray networks include changes in direction, horizontal bends, vertical bends, outside bends, inside bends, crossings in particular.

  Several means exist in the prior art for carrying out these changes of direction.

  According to a first prior design, the changes of direction are carried out using preformed non-articulated elements. Reference may be made, for example, to documents US 2891750, US 3022972, US 3351699, US 3618882, US 6313405, 15 EP 0315023, EP 0521536, WO 90/131164.

  According to a second prior design, the changes of direction are carried out using articulated elbows, as presented for example in documents US 2,656,999 and GB 2,106,214.

  According to a third prior design, the changes of direction are obtained using bent or articulated fishplates: see for example the documents EP 0994321, EP 1026802, NL 742503, GB 1050742, US 4232845.

  According to a fourth prior design, changes of direction require cutting of wires from the cable tray to wire (EP 0399790) or the installation of a specific connection piece (FR 2800835).

  Finally, according to a fifth prior design, the change of direction is obtained by the production of corner joining pieces formed by bending a sheet, for sheet cable trays: see for example the documents GB 2268838, EP 0578459 , WO 93/07665, the document FR 1351262 describing a bendable gutter comprising slots extending alternately on one and the other side of the gutter, so as to facilitate bending.

  The difficulties encountered by operators on the laying site for bending, or the installation of articulated or preformed elements have led some manufacturers to give up the use of cable trays in conventional wire mesh or sheet, for offer more easily deformable cable support structures.

  Thus, in the prior art a cable support structure 5 is known comprising a single longitudinal wire and several transverse wires, this structure being easily foldable to form bends in the plane or out of plane: see documents DE 16074, US 5839702 (Figure 3A), US 6019323 (Figures 3A, 6 and 10), US 6361000, WO 99/39416, US 6364255.

  We also know, in the same spirit, a support structure for 10 cables comprising a single wire bent so as to form a series of successive stitches defining folds in an arc, in a U or V shape on the lateral sides, the wall bottom being formed by transverse or inclined portions with respect to the transverse direction of this single folded wire: see document FR 2517799.

  The Applicant has found that the means described in the prior art for carrying out changes of angles on networks of cable trays all had significant drawbacks.

  The production of non-articulated preformed parts requires the manufacture of as many bent parts as the desired angles. In practice, these non-articulated preformed parts are only manufactured for a small number of predefined angles: elbows at 900, elbows at 450 in particular, these angles not necessarily corresponding to an optimum installation of the cable tray network on construction site.

  The production of articulated preformed parts as described in documents US 2656999 and GB 2106214 is costly, as is that of articulated splints.

  These articulated parts require skill for their installation, as well as clearances for the passage of assembly tools.

  Cutting wires from cable tray sections is a tedious operation. In addition, when the operator commits an error in this cutting, for the realization of a turn, this error may require replacing the wrongly cut section.

  Supporting cables using a single folded wire (FR 2517799) or a single longitudinal wire and several transverse wires (DE 16074, US 5839702, US 6019323, US 6361000, US 6364255, WO 99 / 39416) certainly facilitates folding in any direction but seriously harms rigidity, and the support capacity of these 5 systems is very reduced, so that they have little commercial success.

  In addition, these cable support systems are incompatible with conventional wire mesh or sheet systems.

  The production of corner joining pieces by bending a sheet, for sheet cable trays requires a high physical force.

  If no bending template is used, there is a risk of poor bending, the bending times being more and more difficult due to the work hardening of the material, and the regularity of the curvature obtained is often poor. The use of bending jigs certainly solves some of these problems, but it is not economical and practical to provide as many bending jigs as bends in the plane or out of plane to be made on site.

  The Applicant has therefore sought to provide means for the change of direction in cable tray networks, these means providing a remedy to the problems mentioned above, the implementation of these means: - not necessarily modifying the structure of the sections of cable trays existing on the market, these means being assembled with the sections of existing cable trays; - allowing the realization of angles in the plane or out of plane for a very wide range of angles; - not requiring specific tools or significant physical effort; - not requiring the precise cutting of the cable tray sections, during installation; - ensuring good cable support; these means also being inexpensive.

  To these ends, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to a direction change means for a cable tray network, comprising a section in a continuous wire defining a bottom wall, two wings and two end sections of connection on either side of the single continuous wire section.

  According to various embodiments, this means has the following characteristics, where appropriate combined: - the continuous wire section is produced by bending a single wire of round or polygonal cross section; - The bottom wall of the continuous wire section is formed by portions of wire inclined relative to the direction transverse to this section; - At least one of the wings comprises folds substantially in a U or V or in an omega of the continuous wire; at least one of the wings comprises folds of the continuous wire extending along at least two planes offset relative to one another; - The two wings are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall; the two wings are inclined towards the outside relative to the plane perpendicular to the bottom wall, so as to facilitate the stacking of several means one on the other; the bottom wall comprises at least one longitudinal wire on its external or internal face; - The bottom wall comprises only a longitudinal wire placed midway between the wings; - The means are developed according to a method comprising: 20. a step of constituting a continuous wire defining a bottom wall and at least one wing, the parts of wire defining the bottom wall being substantially in contact with each other or at a short distance from each other, the continuous wire section being in a compact state, 25. a step of stretching the continuous wire section, during the manufacture or installation of the direction change means, with or without placing, in this deployed state, one or more longitudinal wires on the bottom wall or on the wings; - It comprises, between two extreme connection sections, at least two sections of continuous wire connected by a section of conventional cable tray; - The two end connection sections include assembly means such as fishplates, or connection means that do not require fishplates.

  Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear during the following description of embodiments, which description will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a perspective view of a means of change of direction for cable trays, according to one embodiment; - Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 of an alternative embodiment; FIG. 3 is a partial side view of an alternative embodiment; - Figures 4 and 5 are side views of two other embodiments of direction change means; - Figures 6 to 9 are views similar to those of Figures 4 and 5, of four other embodiments of direction change means for 15 cable tray; - Figures 10 and 11 are views similar to Figure 3 of two other alternative embodiments; - Figures 12 and 13 are schematic views of a method of manufacturing a direction change means or a section of cable tray. First, reference is made to FIG. 1.

  In this figure 1, as for the other figures, the direction change means is seen in the non-curved state.

  The direction change means 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a bent wire 2, defining a bottom wall 3 and two wings 4,5, substantially parallel to one another and perpendicular to the bottom wall 3.

  The wire 1 can be of round, square or polygonal cross section.

  As it appears in FIG. 1, the wire forms sections 6 inclined with respect to the transverse direction T, these sections 6 being connected by V-folds of the wire, these folds 7 forming the wings 4,5 of the changing means direction 1.

  In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a longitudinal wire 8 is assembled on the wire 2 halfway between the wings 4,5, on the upper face of the bottom wall defined by the folds of the wire 2.

  When viewed from above, the bottom wall 3 may include one or more folds in N or M for the wire 2.

  In one implementation, the folds of the wire 2 are joined on the bottom wall 3 (see FIG. 3) so as to be stretched if necessary before fixing a longitudinal wire 8 as shown in FIG. 2.

  When an elbow is to be produced for a network of cable trays, the operator can manually fold the means 1, so as to bring the folds 7 closer to one of the wings 4,5, at the same time separating the folds 7 of the wire for the opposite wing.

  The means 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 being symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal plane P, a left or right turn can be obtained either, the bottom wall 3 remaining substantially flat.

  A concave or convex out-of-plane bend can also be obtained by manual folding of the means 1. This out-of-plane folding results in bringing the ends 9 15 of the folds 7 together for the two wings 4, 5 until these folds 7 come into contact.

  The means 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 thus allows folds in the plane and out of plane, for making turns to the right, to the left, or for climbing or descending, according to the angle desired by the installer, this angle not being imposed, unlike previously known preformed corner joints.

  In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the folds 7 of the wire extend in two planes substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall 3.

  In other embodiments, not shown, the wings 4,5 defined by the folds 7 are not perpendicular to the bottom wall, but inclined towards the outside, the means 1 having a transverse V-shaped profile allowing the stacking for 25 storage.

  In certain embodiments, not shown, the folds 7 of the wire are obtained by localized thinning, facilitating the installation on site of these folds, at the desired height relative to the bottom wall.

  As a variant or in combination, the folds 7 can be arranged on each wing 4.5, in two offset planes, as shown in FIG. 3. This embodiment allows in particular the folds out of plane according to a very wide range of angles, the cables remaining well supported laterally unlike the support means described in documents US 5839702 or FR 2517799 for which the wings of cable trays have a very low density of wires.

  The folds 7 are substantially triangular with rounded upper edge 9, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, thus forming an omega curvature, the wire sections 6 defining the bottom wall being substantially parallel to one another and transverse.

  We now refer to Figures 4 and 5.

  In these embodiments, several sections of folded wires as described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are arranged alternately with sections 10 of sheet cable trays, the end sections 101, 102 being provided with means of assembly of a type known per se in the prior art and described in particular in French patent application FR 0215371 filed on December 5, 2002 by the applicant.

  In the variant of FIG. 5, one or more longitudinal wires are attached to the bottom wall 3 of the means 1.

  As shown in Figures 6 and 7, a single section 12 of the type described in Figures 1 to 3, can be disposed between two end sections 101,102 of the type described in patent application FR 0215371 of the applicant, section 12 whether or not comprising one or more longitudinal wires it on the underside of its bottom wall 3.

  We now refer to Figures 8 and 9.

  As it appears in these figures, a section 12 with or without longitudinal wire 11 on the underside of its bottom wall 3, is arranged between: - an end section 13 of the type described and shown in document EP 1195870 of the Applicant, a document the content of which is incorporated herein by reference; - A splice plate 14 complementary to a conventional section of cable tray.

  We now refer to Figure 10.

  In this embodiment, at least one of the wings 4,5 of the direction change means 1 is formed by the folds 7 of a wire 2 also defining the bottom wall 3, these folds 7 forming loops 20 for passing through. a wing edge thread (not shown). This wing edge wire improves the rigidity of the means 1, the loops 20 sliding on this edge wire, when bending the means 1 to form a bend.

  We now refer to Figure 11.

  In this embodiment, the single wire 2 forming the bottom wall 3 and at least one wing 4.5 of a direction change means 1 comprises loops 21 for the passage of a bottom wire (not shown), this wire bottom improving the rigidity of the means 1, the loops 21 sliding on this bottom wire, during the bending of the means 1 to form a turn.

  The loops 20, 21 define substantially transverse openings.

  The loops 21 for the bottom wire can be arranged on the internal face of the means 1 as shown in FIG. 11, or on the underside of the bottom wall 3.

  As a variant, loops can be arranged on the internal face and on the external face of the bottom wall, for placing two bottom wires.

  In a variant not shown, the loops 20 arranged on at least one wing 4.5 and the loops 21 are present on the same means 1.

  Where appropriate, the loops 21 are arranged along at least two substantially parallel longitudinal lines for the establishment of two bottom wires.

  The expressions "border wires", "bottom wires" are used here to denote solid sections of substantially oval, circular, square or rectangular cross section, for example narrow strips.

  We now refer to Figures 12 and 13.

  According to the process shown diagrammatically in these figures 12 and 13, the sections of wires 22 are first of all bent substantially in an L or in a U then welded to at least one of the ends side by side (FIG. 13) or so as to form an angle with each other, on the bottom wall 3.

  The means 1 which has just been described can be installed on a pre-existing cable tray, under repair, or be used for the realization of new sites, its assembly with conventional cable tray sections not posing any difficulty in the operator.

  Wire 2 can be a single wire folded in a flat zig zag and then arched or be formed by crimping or welding a succession of wires folded in U or L shape. By its very geometry and by the possible use of steels or metal alloys with high elasticity, the sections 12 shown in Figures 4 to 9 have a spring behavior which can be tempered, if necessary, by fixing a longitudinal wire.

  The turning angle can be adjusted on site by the installer, without excessive physical effort or cutting.

  The fixing of the continuous wire sections 12 to the intermediate sections 10 and the end sections 101, 102 can be carried out by welding or interlocking, the wire 2 being able to be introduced, for example, into the upper edge hemmed with a wing of a 10 section 10 of sheet cable tray.

  As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the direction change means can, in the unfolded state, serve as a small section of cable tray, extendable or not. - 12

Claims (12)

  1. Means for changing direction for a cable tray network, characterized in that it comprises a section in a continuous wire defining a bottom wall (3), two wings (4,5), and two end sections of connection on either side of the single continuous wire section.   2. Direction change means according to claim 1, characterized in that the continuous wire section comes from bending a single wire of round or polygonal cross section.   3. Direction change means according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bottom wall (3) of the continuous wire section is formed by wire portions (6) inclined relative to the direction transverse to this 15 section.   4. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims t to 3, characterized in that at least one of the wings (4,5) comprises folds (7) substantially U or V or omega of the wire continuous (2). 20 5. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one of the wings (4,5) comprises folds (7) of the continuous wire 2 extending along at least two planes offset from each other.   6. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the two wings (4,5) are substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom wall (3).   7. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the two wings (4,5) are inclined outwards - 13 relative to the plane perpendicular to the bottom wall (3 ), so as to facilitate the stacking of several means one on the other.   8. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims 5 1 to 7, characterized in that the bottom wall (3) comprises at least one longitudinal wire on its external or internal face.   9. Means for changing direction according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom wall (3) comprises only a longitudinal wire disposed midway between the wings (4,5).   10. Means for changing direction according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is produced according to a method comprising: a step of constituting a continuous wire defining a bottom wall and at least one wing, the wire portions defining the bottom wall being substantially in contact with each other or at a short distance from each other, the continuous wire section being in a compact state; a step of stretching the section in continuous wire, during the manufacture or the laying of the direction change means, with or without placing, in this deployed state, one or more longitudinal wires on the back wall or on the wings.   11. Means for changing direction according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises, between two end connection sections, at least two continuous wire sections connected by a section of conventional cable tray .   12. Direction change means according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two end connection sections comprise joining means such as fishplates or sections of cable trays without fishplates.