WO2011073603A1

WO2011073603A1 - Cable conduit

Info

Publication number: WO2011073603A1
Application number: PCT/GB2009/051738
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Hall; Malcolm Cawkwell
Original assignee: Verve Industries Limited
Priority date: 2009-12-18
Filing date: 2009-12-18
Publication date: 2011-06-23

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cable conduit section (10) comprising a base section (12) and a walkway section (14). The base section (12) has first and second side walls (22, 32) that define a channel section (16) having an open upper face which is arranged for accommodating a cable. The walkway section (14) is removably disposed over the open upper face of the channel section (16) so as to restrict access to the interior of the channel section (16). A plurality of cable conduit sections (10) can be coupled together so as to form a cable conduit 1 in which the channel sections provide a continuous channel (2) and the walkway sections provide a continuous walkway (3).

Description

CABLE CONDUIT

The present invention relates to cable conduit section and a cable conduit comprising a number of cable conduit sections coupled together.

In various types of installation it is desirable to protect cabling, such as electrical cabling, for example. One such type of installation is a railway installation in which it is desirable to protect electrical and

communication cables from damage. This can be done by locating the cables within a cable conduit positioned alongside the railway track. The cable conduit typically comprises a number of conduit sections attached to one another, each section having a U-shaped channel and a lid. The cable conduit may be concrete or plastic and generally has a width of approximately 300mm.

In railway installations it is also desirable to provide a walkway alongside the railway track in order to allow maintenance workers to safely work alongside the track. A walkway alongside a railway track may typically comprise an arrangement of paving stones.

If a cable conduit and walkway are to be installed next to a railway track then the installation costs can be high .

It is therefore desirable to provide a combined cable conduit and walkway section.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a cable conduit section, comprising: a base section having first and second side walls that define a channel section having an open upper face, wherein the channel section is arranged for accommodating a cable; and a walkway section which in use is removably disposed over the open upper face of the channel section so as to restrict access to the interior of the channel section; wherein a plurality of cable conduit sections can be coupled together so as to form a cable conduit in which the channel sections provide a continuous channel and the walkway sections provide a continuous walkway.

The base section may comprise a walkway support located in the channel section between the side walls for supporting the walkway section. The walkway support may extend along substantially the whole length of the base section. The walkway support may be positioned on

approximately the longitudinal centreline of the channel section. The walkway support may divide the channel section into first and second channel sub-sections.

The base section may comprise discrete first and second side wall sections that are coupled together.

Preferably, the first and second side wall sections are substantially identical. The base section may further comprise a discrete support section comprising the walkway support which is disposed between and coupled to the first and second side wall sections. Each side wall section and the base section may comprise corresponding attachment elements for attaching each side wall section to the base section. The attachment elements may comprise a projection and a recess.

The walkway section may comprise discrete first and second walkway sections , each having a first longitudinal side supported by a side wall of the base and a second longitudinal side supported by the walkway support.

Preferably, the first and second walkway sections are substantially identical. The first and second walkway sections may comprise a corresponding projection and recess that are engaged so as to restrict relative movement between the first and second walkway sections.

The cable conduit section may further comprise a handrail mounting portion such that a handrail can be fitted to the cable conduit section. The first and second side walls may be provided with grooves for receiving and supporting a strengthening bar for strengthening the base section.

An upper surface of the walkway section may textured so as to increase the coefficient of friction of the surface .

Preferably, the cable conduit section is provided with coupling elements for coupling one cable conduit section to an adjacent cable conduit section. The coupling elements may comprise a projection and a corresponding recess.

The cable conduit section may be made from a plastics material .

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a cable conduit comprising a plurality of cable conduits, in accordance with any statement herein, coupled together so as to form a continuous channel and a continuous walkway.

The invention may comprise any combination of the features and/or limitations referred to herein, except combinations of such features as are mutually exclusive.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a cable conduit section according to the present invention;

Figure 2 schematically shows a side wall section of the cable conduit section of Figure 1;

Figure 3 schematically shows two perspective views of a support section of the cable conduit section of Figure 1;

Figure 4 schematically shows an assembled base section of the cable conduit section of Figure 1;

Figure 5 schematically shows a walkway section of the cable conduit section of Figure 1;

Figure 6 schematically shows an underside view of the walkway section of Figure 5; Figure 7 schematically shows an end view of the cable conduit section of Figure 1;

Figure 8 schematically shows three cable conduit sections coupled together end-to-end to form a cable conduit; and

Figure 9 schematically shows an end view of a second embodiment of a cable conduit section according to the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a cable conduit section 10 comprising five discrete modular parts that are fitted together. The conduit section 10 comprises a base section 12 comprising a first side wall section 20, a second side wall section 30, and a support section 40; and a walkway section 14

comprising a first walkway section 50 and a second walkway section 60. The side wall sections 20, 30, support section 40 and walkway sections 50, 60 are all formed from a plastics material by injection moulding.

A plurality of cable conduit sections 10 can be coupled together end-to-end so as to form a continuous cable conduit.

With reference to Figure 2, the first and second side wall sections 20, 30 are identical and therefore only the first side wall section 20 will be described in detail.

The first side wall section 20 comprises a first side wall 22 that extends in a substantially vertical direction and a first base wall 24 that extends in a substantially

horizontal direction. The first side wall 22 has a first upper edge 23 which in use supports the walkway section 14. The outer face of the first side wall section 20 comprises a plurality of ribs 21 that are longitudinally spaced from one another and adjacent ribs define therebetween recesses 21a. These ribs 21 act to strengthen the first wall section 20. The outer face of the first side wall section 20 also comprises a handrail mounting portion 25 (shown in Figure 1) in the form of two vertically extending openings that allow a handrail to be fitted to the first side wall section 20. An inner face of the side wall section 20 is provided with two grooves 25a which can be used to support strengthening bars.

The first base wall 24 comprises first coupling elements in the form of a first coupling projection 26 and a first coupling recess 27. These coupling elements are formed at opposing ends of the first base wall 24 and extend in the longitudinal direction. The first base wall 24 further comprises first attachment elements in the form of first attachment projections 28 and first attachment recesses 29. The attachment elements are formed at the side of the first base wall 24 and extend in the transverse direction .

As described above, the second side wall section 30 is identical to the first side wall section 20 and comprises the same features; namely, a second side wall 32 having a second upper edge 33, ribs 31 provided on an outer face that define channels 31a, second handrail mounting portions 35, second coupling elements in the form of a second coupling projection 36 and a second coupling recess 37 and second attachment elements in the form of second attachment projections 38 and second attachment recesses 39.

As shown in Figure 3, the support section 40 comprises a base wall 41 that extends in a substantially horizontal direction and a walkway support 46 that extends in a substantially vertical direction. The length of the support section 40 is substantially the same as the length of the first and second side wall sections 20, 30. The base wall 41 has first and second sides provided with first and second attachment elements respectively. The first attachment elements comprise first attachment projections 42 and first attachment recesses 43. The second attachment elements comprise second attachment projections 44 and second attachment recesses 45. The first and second attachment elements of the support section 40 correspond to the first and second attachment elements of the first and second side wall sections 20, 30 respectively, and allow the first and second side wall sections 20, 30 to be attached to the support section 40.

The walkway support 46 comprises first and second end portions 46a, 46b each having an upper substantially horizontal surface. Each end portion 46a, 46b is provided with two handrail fixing portions 47, in the form of vertically extending holes, and a locating recess 49 for the walkway section 1 . The first and second end portions 46a, 46b are connected together by two thin wall sections 48 that are transversely spaced and extend substantially in the longitudinal direction. The thin wall sections 48 are 'wavy' and have a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertical grooves 48a,

With reference to Figure 4, the base section 12 is formed by attaching the first side wall section 20 to the support section 40 and by attaching the second side wall section 30 to the support section 40. This is achieved by means of the corresponding first attachment elements of the first side wall section 20 and the support section 40 and the corresponding second attachment elements of the second side wall section 30 and the support section 40. The side wall sections 20, 30 are attached to the support section 40 by snap-fitting the parts together. The first attachment projections 28 of the first side wall section 20 locate within the first attachment recesses 43 of the support section 40 and the first attachment projections 42 of the support section 40 locate within the first attachment recesses 29 of the first side wall section 20. Similarly, the second attachment projections 38 of the second side wall section 30 locate within the second attachment

recesses 45 of the support section 40 and the second attachment projections 44 of the support section 40 locate within the second attachment recesses 39 of the second side wall section 30. This arrangement allows the parts to be fitted together without any tools or auxiliary fixing parts . The base section 12 defines a channel section 16 between the first and second side walls 23, 33 having an open upper face. The channel 16 is divided into first and second channel sub-sections (or compartments) 16a, 16b by the walkway support 46. In use, a cable, or a plurality of cables, can be located within each sub-channel 16a, 16b.

If necessary, the base section 12 can be strengthened by the use of a strengthening bar 18 (shown in dotted line in Figure 4) located at each end of the base section 12. Each strengthening bar 18 has a first end located in the groove 25a in the first side wall 22 and a second end located in the groove 35a in the second side wall 32. The strengthening bars 18 can help prevent the side walls 22, 32 from bending.

Referring now to Figure 5, the first and second walkway sections 50 are identical and therefore only the first walkway section 50 will be described in detail. The first walkway section 50 comprises a first longitudinal side 51, a second longitudinal side 52 and a walkway surface 53. The first side 51 is provided with two

handrail fixing portions 54 in the form of vertically extending openings and the second side 52 is provided with first projections 55 and first recesses 56. The walkway surface 53 is provided with a plurality of gripping

projections that increase the coefficient of friction of the walkway surface and provide a non-slip surface.

Lifting key holes are also provided in the walkway section in order to allow the walkway section to be lifted with a tool .

Turning to Figure 6, the underside of the walkway section is provided with first locating projections 57 that correspond to the locating recesses 49 provided on the walkway support 46 and a series of first outer ribs 58 and first inner ribs 59 provided towards the first side 51 of the walkway section 50. As described above, the second walkway section 60 is identical to the first walkway section 50 and comprises the same features; namely, first and second longitudinal sides 61, 62, a walkway surface 63, handrail fixing portions 64, second projections and recesses 65, 66, second locating projections 67 and second inner and outer ribs 68, 69.

Figure 7 (and Figure 1) shows a complete cable conduit section 10 with the first and second walkway sections 50,

60 (that form the walkway section 14) disposed (or located) over the open face of the channel section 16.

The first longitudinal side 51 of the first walkway section 50 is supported by the first edge 23 of the first side wall 22 and the second longitudinal side 52 of the first walkway section 50 is supported by the walkway support 46 of the support section 40. The outer ribs 58 of the first walkway section 50 are positioned on the outside of the first side wall 22 and are located in the recesses 21a between the ribs 21. The inner ribs 59 of the first walkway section 50 are positioned on the inside of the first side wall 22. The locating projection 57 of the first walkway section 50 is located in a locating recess 49 provided in the walkway support 46. The second

longitudinal side 52 of the first walkway section 50 rests on the first and second end portions 46a, 46b and on the thin wall section 48 of the walkway support 46 of the support section 40.

Similarly, the first longitudinal side 61 of the second walkway section 60 is supported by the second edge 33 of the second side wall 32 and the second longitudinal side 62 of the second walkway section 60 is supported by the walkway support 46 of the support section 40. The outer ribs 68 of the second walkway section 60 are

positioned on the outside of the second side wall 32 and are located in the recesses 31a between the ribs 31. The inner ribs 59 of the second walkway section 60 are

positioned on the inside of the second side wall 32. The locating projection 67 of the second walkway section 60 is located in a locating recess 49 provided in the walkway support 46. The second longitudinal side 62 of the second walkway section 60 rests on the first and second end portions 46a, 46b and on the thin wall section 48 of the walkway support 46 of the support section 40.

The second longitudinal sides 52, 62 of the first and second walkway sections 50, 60 meet along the longitudinal centre line of the cable conduit section 10 and the walkway surfaces 53, 63 form a continuous surface. The first projections 55 provided on the second side 52 of the first walkway section 50 locate within the second recesses 66 provided in the second side 62 of the second walkway section 60. Similarly, the second projections 65 provided on the second side 62 of the second walkway section 60 locate within the first recesses 56 provided in the second side 52 of the first walkway section 50. The arrangement of the various ribs 58, 59, 68, 69 and the projections and recesses 55, 56, 65, 66 result in the walkway sections 50, 60 being firmly held in place. The first and second walkway sections 50, 60 can be attached to and removed from the base section 12 with ease without the use of any special tools.

In use, and as shown in Figure 8, a plurality of cable conduit sections 10 can be coupled together end-to-end to form a cable conduit and walkway 1. In Figure 8 three cable conduit sections are shown, which will be referred to below as a cable conduit section 10, a first adjacent cable conduit section 10' and a second cable conduit section 10''. The first coupling projection 26 of the cable conduit section 10 is located in the first coupling recess 27 of the first adjacent cable conduit section 10' . The second coupling projection 36 of the cable conduit section 10 is located in the second coupling recess 37 of the second adjacent cable conduit section 10''. The second coupling projection 36 of the first adjacent cable conduit section 10' is located in the second coupling recess 37 of the cable conduit section 10, and the first coupling projection 26 of the second adjacent cable conduit section 10' ' is located in the first coupling recess 27 of the cable conduit section. This coupling arrangement helps to restrict relative movement between the cable conduit sections 10, 10' , 10" .

The channel sections 16 of the cable conduit sections 10, 10', 10'' form a continuous channel 2 having first and second sub-channels (or compartments) 2a, 2b and the walkway sections 14 of the cable conduit sections 10, 10' _r 10'' form a continuous walkway 3. The channel 2 may be used to house cables such as electrical cables whilst the walkway 3 is of a sufficient strength to withstand the weight of a number of people walking on the surface. In this particular embodiment the walkway surface can

withstand a weight of up to 6 tonnes. Each individual cable conduit section 10 may have a width of approximately 700mm and a length of approximately lm.

Although only thee cable conduit sections have been shown coupled together, as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, any suitable number of cable conduit sections may be used.

The cable conduit 1 may be installed alongside a railway line to house cables needed for the railway

installation. The cable conduit 1 is typically installed by digging a trench and locating within it a plurality of base sections 12 that are coupled together end-to end.

Cables, or other flexible lines, can be located in either the first of second sub-channel 2a, 2b formed by the channel sub-sections 16a, 16b of the cable conduit sections 10. If necessary, a cable can be passed from the first sub-channel 2a into the second sub-channel 2b. This can be done by creating a passageway through the walkway support 46 of a particular cable conduit section 10 by removing a portion of the thin wall section 46. A portion of the thin wall section 48 can be removed by sawing through the grooves 48a provided in the thin wall section 48 and removing the material. Once the cable, or cables, have been located in the channel or channels, the walkway sections 50, 60 are attached to the base sections 12 of each cable conduit section 10 to form a continuous walkway 3. This walkway 3 may be used by maintenance workers working alongside the railway line. The projections provided on the walkway surfaces provide a non-slip surface.

If necessary, handrails having vertical support members can be attached to the cable conduit 1. This can be done by locating the vertical support members in the handrail fixing portions 25, 35, 54, 64 provided one the side wall sections 20, 30 and one the walkway sections 50, 60. Since the handrail fixing portions of the walkway sections are aligned with the handrail fixing portions of the side wall sections, a single vertical handrail support is located in two handrail fixing portions, one provided on the walkway section and one provided on the side wall section .

If one, or both, of the walkway sections 50, 60 are removed from the base section 12 then a handrail can be located in the handrail fixing portions 47 provided in the walkway support 46 of the support section 40.

In addition to providing a walkway, the walkway sections also serve as lids for the channel sections and restrict access to the interior of the channel sections. They also help to prevent the ingress of dirt and water into the channel sections. If required, the walkway sections can be bolted or screwed to the base section.

As will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, the cable conduit sections may be used in other types of installation in order to protect cabling.

The individual parts that constitute the cable conduit section may be manufactured easily from a plastics material using injection moulding. Since the first side wall section and the second side wall section are identical, and the first walkway section and second walkway section are the same, only three separate parts must be manufactured. This reduces both the manufacturing and tooling costs.

In a second embodiment of the invention shown in

Figure 9, the cable conduit section 110 comprises seven discrete modular parts fitted together. The conduit section 110 comprises a base section 112 comprising a first side wall section 120, a second side wall section 130, a first support section 140 and a second support section 140'; and a walkway section 14 comprising a first walkway section 150, a second walkway section 160 and a central walkway section 170, As for the first embodiment, the aforementioned sections are all formed from a plastics material by injection moulding. A plurality of cable conduit sections 110 can be coupled together end-to-end so as to form a continuous cable conduit. All of the parts, except the central walkway section 170, are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The base section 112 is formed by attaching a first side wall section 120 to a first support section 140, a second side wall section 130 to a second support section 140', and by attaching the first and second support

sections 140, 140' together. The parts are attached in a similar manner as described for the first embodiment by using corresponding attachment elements. The base section 112 defines a channel section 116 between first and second side walls 122, 132 which is divided into three channel sub-sections 116a, 116b, 116c by first and second walkway supports 146, 146'.

The walkway section 114 is disposed over the channel section 116 defined by the base section 112. Specifically, the first walkway section 150 is supported between the first side wall 122 and the first walkway support 146 and the second walkway section 160 is supported between the second side wall 132 and the second walkway support 146'. The first and second walkway sections 150, 160 are attached and supported in a similar way to that described for the first embodiment. The central walkway section 170 is supported between the first and second walkway supports 146, 146' and bridges the gap between the first and second walkway sections 150, 160, thereby forming a continuous walkway section. The central walkway section 170 is provided with recesses and projections on both longitudinal sides in order to engage with the projections and recesses 155, 156, 165, 166 provided on the second sides of the first and second walkway sections 150, 160. The second embodiment of the invention provides a cable conduit having a wider walkway surface than the walkway surface provided by the cable conduit of the first embodiment.

As will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, any number of support sections may be attached together in order to increase the width of the walkway.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A cable conduit section, comprising:

a base section having first and second side walls that define a channel section having an open upper face, wherein the channel section is arranged for accommodating a cable; and

a walkway section which in use is removably disposed over the open upper face of the channel section so as to restrict access to the interior of the channel section; wherein a plurality of cable conduit sections can be coupled together so as to form a cable conduit in which the channel sections provide a continuous channel and the walkway sections provide a continuous walkway.

2. A cable conduit section according to claim 1, wherein the base section comprises a walkway support located in the channel section between the side walls for supporting the walkway section

3. A cable conduit section according to claim 2, wherein the walkway support extends along substantially the whole length of the base section.

4. A cable conduit section according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the walkway support is positioned on approximately the longitudinal centreline of the channel section.

5. A cable conduit section according to any of claims 2- 4, wherein the walkway support divides the channel section into first and second channel sub-sections.

6. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, wherein the base section comprises discrete first and second side wall sections that are coupled together.

7. A cable conduit section according to claim 6, wherein the first and second side wall sections are substantially identical .

8. A cable conduit section according to claim 6 or 7 when appended to any of claims 2-5, wherein the base section further comprises a discrete support section comprising the walkway support, wherein the support section is disposed between and coupled to the first and second side wall sections .

9. A cable conduit section according to claim 8, wherein each side wall section and the base section comprise corresponding attachment elements for attaching each side wall section to the base section.

10. A cable conduit section according to claim 9, wherein the attachment elements comprise a projection and a recess.

11. A cable conduit section according to any of claims 2-5 or any of claims 6-10 when appended to claim 2, wherein the walkway section comprises discrete first and second walkway sections, each having a first longitudinal side supported by a side wall of the base and a second longitudinal side supported by the walkway support.

12. A cable conduit section according to claim 11, wherein the first and second walkway sections are substantially identical .

13. A cable conduit section according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the first and second walkway sections comprise a corresponding projection and recess that are engaged so as to restrict relative movement between the first and second walkway sections.

14. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, further comprising a handrail mounting portion such that a handrail can be fitted to the cable conduit section.

15. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and second side are provided with grooves for receiving and supporting a strengthening bar for strengthening the base section.

16. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, wherein an upper surface of the walkway section is textured so as to increase the coefficient of friction of the surface.

17. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, further comprising coupling elements for coupling one cable conduit section to an adjacent cable conduit section .

18. A cable conduit section according to cable 17, wherein the coupling elements comprise a projection and a

corresponding recess.

19. A cable conduit section according to any preceding claim, wherein the cable conduit section is made from a plastics material.

20. A cable conduit comprising a plurality of cable conduits in accordance with any preceding claim coupled together so as to form a continuous channel and a continuous walkway.