GB2508101A

GB2508101A - Frangible coupler for cable trays

Info

Publication number: GB2508101A
Application number: GB1320794.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nigel Leaver; David Atkinson
Original assignee: Legrand Electric Ltd
Current assignee: Legrand Electric Ltd
Priority date: 2012-04-30
Filing date: 2012-04-30
Publication date: 2014-05-21
Anticipated expiration: 2032-04-30
Also published as: GB2502769B; GB2508101B; GB2502769A; GB201320794D0; GB201207478D0

Abstract

A coupler for joining cable tray sections at their bases comprises a metal plate with a plurality of snap lines distributed along the length of the metal plate, wherein the metal plate is breakable at each snap line to produce coupler segments of different lengths. Given a plurality of identical couplers, one or more can be broken into coupler segments and used to join cable trays at their bases, and one or more others can be used to join cable trays at their bases without snapping into coupler segments.

Description

CABLE TRAYS

Cable tray assemblies are used for routing cabling.

Cable tray assemblies are constructed by assembling cable tray sections of standardized configurations, such as straight sections and corner sections.

The inventors for the present invention have Identified the challenge of further facilitating the assembly of cable tray sections.

There is hereby provided a coupler bracket for joining cable tray sections at their side walls, which coupler bracket defines a pair of bolt holes of different shapes located symmetrically about a snap line, and Is snappable at said snap line into two portions, which two portions are reconnectable in a different configuration by securing a bolt in said holes of different shapes, to thereby provide a coupler for joining a first cable tray section to a second cable tray section at an angle to the plane of the first cable tray.

In one embodiment, the coupler bracket further defines bend lines about which said coupler bracket Is bendable by up to 90 degrees for use in connecting two cable tray sections at an angle in a common plane, and/or for use In connecting two cable fray sections of different widths in a common plane.

In one embodiment, the coupler bracket defines sufficient bend lines for connecting two cable tray sections having any width difference selected from 25mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm end 200mm.

In one embodiment, the coupler bracket defines sufficient bend lines for connecting two cable tray sections having any width difference selected from 25mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, and 150mm.

In one embodiment, the coupler bracket comprises a planar strip and flanges at both lateral edges of the planar strip, which flanges define a space having a dimension matching a dimension of the side wall of the cable tray.

In one embodiment, the side wall of the cable tray section has a width of 25mm or 50mm.

In one embodiment, the coupler bracket defines, in addition to said pair of bolt holes of different shapes, at least two further bolt holes on either side of said snap line for use in securing said coupler bracket to the side walls of cable trays.

In one embodiment, said pair of bolt holes of different shapes comprises a circular hole and a square hole.

There Is also hereby provided a method of joining cable tray sections using a coupler bracket as described above.

There Is also provided a method comprising providIng a plurality of identical coupler brackets as described above; using one or more of the plurality of identical coupler brackets to connect one cable tray to another cable tray at an angle to the plane of said one cable tray; and using one or more others of the plurality of identical coupler brackets to connect two cable trays of differing wids in a common plane.

There is also hereby provided a coupler for joining cable fray sections at their bases, which coupler comprises a metal plate defining a plurality of snap lines distributed :.

along the length of the metal plate, wherein the metal plate is snappable at each snap Pine to produce coupler segments of different lengths.

There is also hereby provided a method of joining cable tray sections at their bases using a coupler as described directly above, the method comprising snapping the metal plate at one of said plurality of snap lines to generate coupler segments, and using one or more of said coupler segments to join two cable tray sections at their bases.

There Is also hereby provided a method comprising: providing a plurality of Identical couplers as described two paragraphs above; snapping one or more of said plurality of identical couplers into coupler segments and using said coUpler segments to join cable trays at their bases; and using one or more others of said plurality of identical couplers to join cable trays at their bases without snapping into coupler segments.

An embodiment of the present Invention Is descdbed below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 illustrate examples of cable tray sections for use with coupler brackets according to embodiments of the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates a coupler bracket according to embodiment of the present invention for joining cable tray sections as Illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 4 Illustrates a coupler bracket according to embodiment of the present invention for joining cable tray sections as illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 5(a) illustrates examples of combinations of cable tray sections of differing widths that can be connected together using the coupler brackets illustrated in Figure 1; and Figure 5(b) illustrates different ways of bending the coupler brackets at the bend lines to accommodate various differences in cable tray widths; Figures 6 and 7 illustrate the use of the coupler brackets of Figures 3 and 4 to generate couplers for joining a first cable tray section to a second cable tray section at an angle to the plane of the first cable tray section; Figures 8 and 9 further Illustrate the plurality of bend lines defined by the coupler brackets of Figures 3 and 4, and also illustrate the use of the coupler brackets to Join cable tray sections of differing widths in a common plane; Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the use of the coupler brackets of FIgures 3 and 4 to fix a vertical cable tray section to one side of a horizontal cable tray section; Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the use of the coupler brackets of Figures 3 and 4 as end brackets for fixing cable tray sections to support wails; FIgures 14 and 15 both illustrate the use of the coupler bracket for joining two cable tray sections in a common plane to form a 90° turn; and also illustrate the use of an additional coupler according to an embodkuent of the present invention for further joining the two cable tray sections at their bases; All dimensions stated In the drawings are expressed in mm.

The cable tray sections of Figures 1 and 2 are formed from a single steel plate, which is cut and bent so as to define a base 2, opposing side walls 4 extending from the edges of the base 2 at 900 to the base 2, and flanges 6 extending Inwards at the ends of the side walls 4. Holes/peiforations are punched into the part of the steel plate defining the base and the side walls to: (a) reduce the weight and cost of the finished cable tray section; (b) provide bolt holes for securing cable fray sections to one another via couplers as described below; and (c) securing cables to the cable trays. The resulting ste& plate may then be subjected to hot dip zinc galvanisation.

The holes/perforations punched into the ste& plate have a minimum dimension of 5mm to avoid them fHling with zinc, The cable tray sections iHustrated at the upper portions of Figures 1 and 2 are provided in widths ranging from 450mm to 900mm; the cable tray section iUustrated at the lower portion of Figure 1 is provided in widths of 75mm, 100mm, 150mm, 225mm and 300mm; and the cable tray section iustrated at the lower portion of Figure 2 is provided in widths of 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 150mm, 225mm and 300mm; wherein the widths here refer to the distance between the opposing side walls 4.

The coupler brackets of Figures 3 and 4 are also formed from a single steel plate which is cut and bent so as to define a planar strip 8 and flanges 10 extending at 900 from both lateral edges of the planar strip 8 at the longitudinal end portions of the planar strip 8. No flanges are provided at the central portion of the planar strip 8.

Holes/perforations are punched into the part of the steel plate defining the planar strip 8 to: (i) reduce the weight and cost of the coupler bracket 7; () provide bolt holes for securing the coupler bracket to cable tray sections; and (iii) define a snap line 12 and bend lines 14 to facilitate the snapping and bending of the coupler bracket 7 at those locations. The snap line 12 and bend lines 14 are each defined by a combination of (a) a set of perforations extending in a straight line at 90 degrees to the lateral edges of the planar strip 8 and (b) indentations in the planar strip at the points where the lateral edges of the planar strip 8 lie on an extension of the line of perforations. c.

A single snap line 12 is provided at the exact rnidpoht of the planar strip 8; and bend lines 14 are provided at a pluraUty of locations between the longitudinal edges of the planar strip 8 such that the coupler bracket can be bent into a number of different shapes of differing dimensions. The distances between pairs of bend lines 14 is shown in Figures 3 and 4, and the set of separation distances includes distances matching afi the various differences in widths of the different cable tray sections with which the coupler bracket 7 may be used.

Figure 5A iHustrates different ways of connecting cable tray sections of differing widths; and Figure 5B iflustrates how the coupler bracket 7 can be bent in different ways (i.e. at different bend lines 14) to accommodate a range of differences between the widths of the cable tray sections to be coupled using the coupler bracket 7.

Figures 6 and 7 Hustrate the use of the coupler bracket 7 of Figures 3 and 4 for joining a first cable tray section to a second cable tray section at an angle to the plane of the second cable tray. The user first snaps the coupler bracket 7 at the snap line 12 into two portions. The user then secures the two portions together by securing a bolt in a pair of bolt holes 16, 18 located symmetricafly about the snap line 12. The user secures the two coupler portions together at a pivot angle corresponding to the angle at which the first cable tray section is to be arranged relative to the plane of the second cable tray, which angle can be any angle up to 900. One of the pair of bolt holes 16, 18 is square and the other is circular. The use of a non-circular hole for one of the pair of bolt holes 16, 18 facilitates the fastening of the two coupler portions together. A bolt with a square shank portion (below the bolt head) matching the dimensions of the square bolt hole 16 is inserted in the pair of bolt of holes 16, 18, and a nut can be tightened onto the bolt using only a single socket wrench.

Figures 8 and 9 iflustrate the use of the coupler bracket of Figures 3 and 4 for joining two cable tray sections of differing widths in a common plane. Figure 8 iHustrates the joining of a cable tray section of 300mm width to a cable tray section of 150mm width in a symmetrical (straight) configuraUon, and Figure 9 iflustrates the joining of a cable tray section of 150mm width to a cable tray section of 100mm width in an offset configuration.

Figures 10 and 11 Hlustrate the use of the coupler bracket 7 of Figures 3 and 4 to fix a first cable tray section to a second cable tray section in a configuration in which the base 2 of first cable tray section lies paraHel to a side wall 4 of the second cable tray.

The user snaps the coupler bracket 7 into two portions about the snap line 12; bends one of the two portions by 90 degrees about one of the bend lines 14; secures the two coupler portions together in a 90 degree configuration using the bolt holes 16, 18 mentioned above; secures one of the coupler portions to a side wafl 4 of the second cable tray; and secures the other of the two coupler portions to a side wall 4 of the first cable tray.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the use of the coupler bracket of Figures 3 and 4 as an end bracket to fix a cable tray section to a support fixture, such as a support wall.

The user snaps the coupler plate 7 into two portions about the snap line 12; bends both coupler portions by 90 degrees about corresponding bend lines; secures one of the coupler portions to the support wall and one of the side waHs of the cable tray; and secures the other of the coupler portions to the support wall and the other of the side walls of the cable tray, Figures 14 and 15 illustrate the coupling of two cable tray sections in a common plane to form a 90 degree turn. In addition to using the coupler bracket of Figures 3 and 4 to secure join the two cable fray sections at their side walls 4, a further coupler Is used to join the two cable tray sections at their bases 2. The same coupler 20 is used In each of the examples illustrated in Figures 14 and 15. The coupler 20 comprises a steel ship that defines bolt holes and snap Ones 22 of the same kind as coupler bracket 7 of Figures 3 and 4 at a plurality of locations along the length of the steel strip. In the examples illustrated at Figure 15 and the left-hand section of Figure 14, the coupler 20 Is snapped in half about one of the snap lines 24 to form coupler segments 24, and the one or both of the coupler segments are used to secure the cable tray sections at their bases 2. in the example illustrated at the right-hand section of Figure 14, the whole of the coupler 20 is used to secure the two cable tray sections together at their bases 2 wIthout snapping the coupler 20 into coupler segments. The additional couplers 20 can also be used for joining cable trays at their bases in the applications illustrated In Figures 6 to 11, with some bending of the additional coupler about one or more of the snap lines 24 in the case of Figures 6, 7. 10 and 11.

As illustrated at the right-hand section of FIgure 14, the coupler bracket 7 of Figures 3 and 4 can also be bent about the snap line 12.

In addition to the bolt holes 16, 18 of different shapes, the coupler bracket 7 of Figures 3 and 4 also defines at least two further bolt holes (rectangular bolt holes) on either side of the snap line 12 in order to ensure that there are at least two locations for securing each half of the coupler bracket to a cable tray section in the uses illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 10 to 15.

The applicant draws attention to the fact that the present invention may include any feature or combination of features disclosed herein either implicitly or explicitly or any 0.

generaHsation thereof, wfthout hmftation to the scope of any definitions set out above.

n view of the foregoing descripflon it wifi be evident to a person skifled in the art that vahous modificaUons may be made to the abovedescribed embodiments within the scope of the invention. 0.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A coupler for joining cable tray sections at their bases, which coupler comprises a metal plate defining a plurality of snap lines distributed along the length of the metal plate, wherein the metal plate Is snappable at each snap line to produce coupler segments of different lengths.
2. A coupler substantially as hereinbefore described for joining cable tray sections at their bases with reference to Figure 14 or FIgure 15 of the accompanying drawings.
3. A method of joining cable tray sections at their bases using a coupler according to claim I or claim 2, the method comprising snapping the metal plate at one of said plurality of snap lines to generate coupler segments, and using one or more of said coupler segments to join two cable tray sections at their bases.
4. A method comprising: providing a plurality of identical couplers according to claim 1 or claim 2; snappIng one or more of said plurality of identical couplers into coupler segments and using said coupler segments to Join cable trays at their bases: and using one or more others of said plurality of identical couplers to join cable trays at their bases without snapping into coupler segments.
5. A method of joining cable tray sections substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 14 or Figure 15 of the accompanying drawings.