WO2009074772A2

WO2009074772A2 - Cable ducting

Info

Publication number: WO2009074772A2
Application number: PCT/GB2008/003989
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Döbbeler
Original assignee: Novar Ed & S Limited
Priority date: 2007-12-13
Filing date: 2008-12-01
Publication date: 2009-06-18
Also published as: WO2009074772A3; GB2455549A; IE20080980A1; GB0724338D0

Abstract

A length of cable ducting (101) made from sheet metal, the ducting (101) comprising a first cover portion (103) and a second cover portion (105). The first and second cover portions are arranged to form a duct having an interior space, wherein the interior space is divided into at least two longitudinally extending channels by a divider 117. The divider is integrally formed from one of the cover portions. The cover portions may be integral with one another.

Description

Cable Ducting

Technical Field

The present invention relates to ducting and more particularly to cable ducting made of sheet metal. The invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to cable ducting for use in a screed floor.

Background of the Invention

Cable ducting is used in a variety of applications. An example of a known screed-floor cable ducting arrangement is shown in Figure 1. The length of ducting L comprises a flat base B and an upper cover C connected thereto so as to form a duct having a generally rectangular cross-section. The length of ducting L also includes two dividers D which are spot welded to the base B along longitudinally extending flanges on the dividers D. As is well known in the art, the dividers serve to segregate different elements in the ducting and increase the functionality of the ducting. The ducting shown in Figure 1 has been found to have a number of drawbacks, and in particular, it has been found to be relatively expensive to manufacture in terms of material, time, labour and/or transport costs.

It is desirable to provide an improved cable ducting arrangement .

Summary of the Invention

The present invention seeks to provide improved cable ducting and seeks to remove or mitigate at least some of the above-mentioned drawbacks. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a length of cable ducting made from sheet metal, the ducting comprising a first cover portion and a second cover portion, the first and second cover portions being arranged to form a duct having an interior space, wherein the interior space is divided into at least two longitudinally extending channels by a divider, the divider being integrally formed from one of the cover portions. By providing a divider that is integrally formed from one of the cover portions, it is possible to reduce the number of working steps to create the ducting. For example, it is no longer necessary to spot weld, or otherwise attach, the dividers inside the duct.

According to an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the first and second cover portions may be integral with one another. Such an arrangement enables a further reduction in the number of separate components required to create the cable ducting. The second cover portion is preferably folded back on the first portion so as to form the duct. Such an arrangement has been found to inhibit, or even prevent, relative movement between the first and second portions in a direction along the length of the cable ducting. Such an arrangement may also be relatively straightforward to create .

The second cover portion is preferably arranged to connect to the first cover portion so as to form the duct.

The connection between the first and second cover portions may be in the form of a tongue and groove arrangement.

The divider that is integrally formed from one of the cover portions preferably contacts the other cover portion. The divider may contact a raised feature on the other cover portion (in some embodiments of the invention, the other cover portion may, for example, comprise a corresponding divider) , but the divider preferably contacts a substantially flat region of the other cover portion.

The divider that is integrally formed from one of the cover portions may be formed in a number of ways. The divider is preferably formed by a deformed region in the cover portion. For example, the divider may be formed by plastic deformation of the cover portion during manufacture; the divider may be formed by one or more folds or bends in the cover portion; the divider may be formed by a roll forming process during manufacture. The divider is preferably formed by deforming a flat metal sheet.

The divider is preferably formed from the cover portion so as to create a groove in the outer surface of the cover portion. Such an arrangement is especially advantageous where the cable ducting is surrounded by another material (such as screed) as the material can collect in the grooves so as to inhibit movement of the material in a direction that is non- parallel to the length of the grooves. This has been found to improve the stability of the surrounding material. The divider may be a number of different cross-sectional shapes (for example U-shaped) , but is preferably substantially V-shaped in cross-section. It will be appreciated that the cross-section in this context is taken in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable ducting. The sides of the divider preferably extend away from the second cover portion at an angle of less than 90 degrees.

The cable ducting is preferably arranged such that, during use, the base of the ducting comprises the second cover portion. The part of the ducting opposite the base preferably comprises the first cover portion. It will be appreciated that the ducting may be in substantially any orientation during use. However, during use, the second cover portion - A - preferably forms the lower region of the ducting and the first region preferably forms the upper region of the ducting.

The divider is preferably integrally formed from the first cover portion. The length of ducting is preferably arranged such that the sides of at least one of the longitudinally extending channels are angled towards each other. The sides of the channel are preferably furthest apart at the base of the ducting. The dividers may be arranged such that the longitudinally extending channels are of substantially trapezoidal cross-section. Again, it will be appreciated that the cross-section is taken in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cable ducting. The trapezoidal cross-section has been found to be particularly stable and strong. Not only is the improved stability and strength inherently advantageous, it allows the material thickness of the ducting to be reduced, thereby reducing the weight and cost of the ducting. The shorter of the two parallel edges of the trapezium is preferably on the upper surface of the ducting.

The interior space of the ducting may be divided into a multiplicity of longitudinally extending channels by a plurality of dividers, each divider being integrally formed from one of the cover portions. Some of the plurality of dividers may be integrally formed from one of the cover portions, and some of the plurality of dividers may be integrally formed from the other of the cover portions. Preferably however, the plurality of dividers is formed from the same cover portion.

Embodiments of the present invention may be used in a variety of applications, but the length of cable ducting is preferably under-floor ducting. For example the ducting may be cable ducting for carrying cabling to/from a floor box. The length of cable ducting is preferably screed floor ducting.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a building structure having a length of cable ducting as herein described mounted therein. The building structure may have a multiplicity of lengths of cable ducting mounted therein, the multiplicity of lengths of cable ducting being arranged end-to-end so as to form a substantially continuous section of ducting. The building structure may, for example, be a wall, roof or partition, but is preferably a floor, and more preferably a screed floor.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided an intermediate structure made of sheet metal, for forming a length of cable ducting as described herein. The intermediate structure comprises a first region for forming the first cover portion and a second region for forming the second cover portion, the first and second regions being integral with one another, wherein the first region comprises an element integrally formed therewith for forming the divider, and wherein the second region is foldable relative to the first region so as to be able to form the duct having an interior space and such that when the duct is so formed, the divider divides the interior space into at least two longitudinally extending channels. The intermediate structure may be transported (for example to the location where it is to be installed) and the length of ducting can then be formed on- site.

The intermediate structure is preferably arranged to be stackable with another identical intermediate structure. This facilitates transportation of the ducting and may also enable a reduction in transport costs. The second region is preferably foldable relative to the first region along two or fewer fold lines. The, or each, fold line is preferably defined by a line of weakness in the sheet metal. Such a line of weakness may, for example, be a scored line or a line of perforations in the sheet metal. The cable ducting can therefore be formed from the intermediate structure in only a few steps.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of forming a length of cable ducting, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an intermediate structure comprising a first region for forming a first cover portion and a second region for forming a second cover portion, the first and second regions being integral with one another, and the first region comprising an element integrally formed therewith for forming a divider,

(b) folding the second region relative to the first region so as to form a duct having an interior space and such that when the duct is so formed, the element divides the interior space into at least two longitudinally extending channels. The method may be a method of forming the length of cable ducting as described herein.

It will be appreciated that features described with reference to one aspect of the invention are equally applicable to the other aspects of the invention. By way of example, the intermediate structure may comprise a first region having an element integrally formed therewith for forming the divider, the element having a V-shaped cross- section.

Description of the Drawings Various embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings of which:

Figure 1 shows a length of known cable ducting;

Figure 2 shows a length of cable ducting according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 shows a length of cable ducting according to a second embodiment of the invention; and Figures 4a and 4b show intermediate structures for forming the length of ducting in Figure 3.

Detailed Description

An example of a known screed-floor cable ducting arrangement is shown in Figure 1. The length of ducting L comprises a flat base B and an upper cover C connected thereto so as to form a duct having a generally rectangular cross- section. The length of ducting L also includes two dividers D which are spot welded to the base B along longitudinally extending flanges on the dividers D. As is well known in the art, the dividers serve to segregate different elements in the ducting and increase the functionality of the ducting. The ducting shown in Figure 1 has been found to have a number of drawbacks, and in particular, it has been found to be relatively expensive to manufacture in terms of material, time, labour and/or transport costs.

Figure 2 shows a length of under-floor cable ducting according to a first embodiment of the invention. The ducting 1 is made of sheet metal and comprises a first (upper) cover portion 3 and a second (lower) cover portion 5.

The first and second cover portions 3, 5 are positioned opposite one another. The first portion 3 has a cross-section of a flattened, and inverted, U-shape and therefore forms the top and sides of the cable ducting. The second cover portion 5 forms the base of the ducting. The two cover portions 3, 5 are connected along two tongue and groove interfaces 7 extending in a longitudinal direction along the ducting 1. The grooves 9 are formed along each opposing edge of the second cover portion 5 and the tongues 11 are defined by opposing edges of the first cover portion 3. To inhibit relative movement of the first and second portions 3, 5 along the length of the ducting, the first and second cover portions are also spot welded along the tongue and groove interfaces 7.

The first and second cover portions 3, 5 form a duct 13 enclosing a generally cuboidal interior space. The interior space is divided into a multiplicity (three in this embodiment) of longitudinally extending channels 15a, 15b, 15c by two dividers 17. In the first embodiment of the invention the dividers 17 are integrally formed from the second cover portion 5. The dividers are of V-shaped cross-section and extend to, and contact, the first cover portion 3. The dividers 17 also extend along the length of the ducting 1. The dividers therefore divide up the interior space in the ducting 1 and serve to segregate different elements contained in the ducting (for example different types of cabling (not shown) ) and increase its functionality. The dividers 17 are formed during manufacture of the second cover portion 5 by plastically deforming the cover portion 5 by a roll forming process. Since the dividers 17 are integral with one of the cover portions, the ducting is able to be created from just two main components (the upper and lower cover portions 3, 5) . There are therefore relatively few manufacturing steps required to create the ducting. This enables the ducting to be manufactured more cheaply than some known arrangements, such as that shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows a length of cable ducting 101 according to a second embodiment of the invention. Where the features of the length of ducting in the second embodiment of the invention are equivalent to corresponding features in the first embodiment of the invention, the reference numerals are prefixed with a ^Λl' or ^Λ10' as appropriate. In the second embodiment, the first and second portions 103, 105 are integral with one another and the length of cable ducting 101 is a one-piece structure. The second cover portion 105 is folded back, underneath the first cover portion 103 and the opposing edges of the first and second portions are joined in a tongue and groove arrangement 107 (the edge of the second cover portion is bent back on itself to define a groove 109 and the edge of the first cover portion forms a tongue 111 that is received in the groove 109) . Such an arrangement is particularly advantageous since the manufacturing process to form the duct is yet further simplified. In addition, since the two cover portions 103, 105 are integral with one another, the duct is much less susceptible to relative movement between the two cover portions in a direction along the length of the duct.

Another difference between the first and second embodiments of the invention is in the arrangement of the dividers 117. In the second embodiment of the invention, the dividers 117 are integrally formed with the first (upper) cover portion 103. The dividers are of V-shaped cross-section such that the central channel 115b formed between the dividers 117 is of trapezoidal cross-section (the sides of the channel are angled towards each other and the shorter of the parallel sides of the trapezium is formed by the upper portion of the duct) . The side faces 118 of the ducting 101 are also inclined to the vertical such that the outer two channels 115a and 115c are also of trapezoidal-cross section. This arrangement is especially stable and strong and has been found to be beneficial in transferring loads within the ducting 101 (particularly compressive loads on the upper portion of the ducting) . The improved stability also allows the thickness of the sheet metal to be reduced. This reduces the weight of the ducting and makes the ducting easier to handle during manufacture and installation.

The dividers 117 are formed from the cover portion so as to create two grooves 119 in the outer surface of the first cover portion 103. The length of ducting 101 according to the second embodiment is installed in a screed floor (not shown) . The screed (not shown) collects in the grooves 119 so as to inhibit movement of the screed in a direction perpendicular to the length of the groove. This increases the stability of the screed structure.

The length of ducting when installed in the screed floor is coupled at either end to another identical piece of ducting (not shown) . The lengths of ducting have cable leading devices (not shown) between them to prevent cables from catching on the junction between each length as the cables are fed through the ducting.

Figures 4a and 4b show an intermediate structure for forming the length of ducting 101 according to the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3. The ducting when so formed is shown in phantom in Figures 4a and 4b.

Referring first to Figure 4a, the second portion 105 extends away from the first portion 103 at the lower edge of the right-hand side face 118. The intermediate structure is slightly weakened at this junction between the second portion 105 and the side face 118 (by a series of small perforations (not shown) ) such that the second portion may be folded back under the first portion so as to form the length of cable ducting shown in Figure 3. The intermediate structure is easily transportable. In particular, the structure is stackable (the dividers 117 of one structure being received in the groove 119 of the structure below) . This allows the ducting to be transported in a relatively small volume. The staked arrangement is also relatively stable.

Figure 4b shows an alternative intermediate structure for forming the length of ducting 101 according to the second embodiment. In this case, an additional step is required to fold the second portion 105 back under the first portion 103. The second portion 105 is first bent by just under 90 degrees to form the side face (such that the intermediate structure corresponds to that shown in Figure 4a) , and then folded back on itself so as to form the duct. The intermediate structure shown in Figure 4b is again easily transportable since it is stackable and allows the ducting to be transported in a relatively small volume.

Whilst the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention lends itself to many different variations not specifically illustrated herein. Where in the foregoing description, integers or elements are mentioned which have known, obvious or foreseeable equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth. Reference should be made to the claims for determining the true scope of the present invention, which should be construed so as to encompass any such equivalents. It will also be appreciated by the reader that integers or features of the invention that are described as preferable, advantageous, convenient or the like are optional and do not limit the scope of the independent claims.

Claims

1. A length of cable ducting made from sheet metal, the ducting comprising a first cover portion and a second cover portion, the first and second cover portions being arranged to form a duct having an interior space, wherein the interior space is divided into at least two longitudinally extending channels by a divider, the divider being integrally formed from one of the cover portions.

2. A length of cable ducting according to claim 1, wherein the first and second cover portions are integral with one another, the second cover portion being folded back on the first cover portion so as to form the duct.

3. A length of cable ducting according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the divider that is integrally formed from one of the cover portions, contacts the other cover portion.

4. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim, wherein the divider is formed by a deformed region in the cover portion.

5. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim, wherein the divider is formed from the cover portion so as to create a groove in the outer surface of the cover portion.

6. A length of cable ducting according to claim 5, wherein the divider is substantially V-shaped in cross-section.

7. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim wherein, during use, the base of the ducting comprises the second cover portion.

8. A length of cable ducting according to claim 7, wherein the divider is integrally formed from the first cover portion.

9. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim, wherein the sides of at least one of the longitudinally extending channels are angled towards each other.

10. A length of cable ducting according to claim 9, wherein the longitudinally extending channels are of substantially trapezoidal cross-section.

11. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim, wherein the interior space of the ducting is divided into a multiplicity of longitudinally extending channels by a plurality of dividers, each divider being integrally formed from one of the cover portions.

12. A length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim, wherein the ducting is under-floor ducting.

13. A length of cable ducting according to claim 12, wherein the ducting is screed floor ducting.

14. A building structure having a length of cable ducting according to any preceding claim mounted therein.

15. A building structure according to claim 14, the structure having a multiplicity of lengths of cable ducting according to any of claims 1 to 13 mounted therein, the multiplicity of lengths of cable ducting being arranged end-to-end so as to form a substantially continuous section of ducting.

16. A building structure according to claim 14 or claim 15 wherein the building structure is a screed floor.

17. An intermediate structure made of sheet metal, for forming a length of cable ducting according to any of claims 1 to 13, the intermediate structure comprising a first region for forming the first cover portion and a second region for forming the second cover portion, the first and second regions being integral with one another, wherein the first region comprises an element integrally formed therewith for forming the divider, and wherein the second region is foldable relative to the first region so as to be able to form the duct having an interior space and such that when the duct is so formed, the divider divides the interior space into at least two longitudinally extending channels.

18. An intermediate structure according to claim 17, the intermediate structure being stackable with another identical intermediate structure.

19. An intermediate structure according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the second region is foldable relative to the first region along two or fewer fold lines.

20. A method of forming a length of cable ducting, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an intermediate structure comprising a first region for forming a first cover portion and a second region for forming a second cover portion, the first and second regions being integral with one another, and the first region comprising an element integrally formed therewith for forming a divider,

(b) folding the second region relative to the first region so as to form a duct having an interior space and such that when the duct is so formed, the element divides the interior space into at least two longitudinally extending channels.

21. A length of cable ducting as herein described with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

22. An intermediate structure for forming a length of cable ducting as herein described with reference to Figures 4a and 4b.