WO2006076746A1

WO2006076746A1 - Cable tray

Info

Publication number: WO2006076746A1
Application number: PCT/ZA2006/000002
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Johansen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-01-14
Filing date: 2006-01-13
Publication date: 2006-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2007-07-14

Abstract

A cable tray (10) is provided that is stackable in a nesting manner. The cable tray (10) comprises a web (12) and two lateral rib formations (16), extending along the web's edges. Each rib formation (16) is V-shaped and comprises an inside flange (20) and an outside flange (22), orientated at angles, to provide for stackability.

Description

CABLE TRAY

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

THIS INVENTION relates to a cable tray.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Cable trays that are used to support electrical cables, telephone cables, computer cables and the like, are typically made from steel mesh or perforated steel sheets. These cable trays typically have wide channel profiles with a relatively wide, elongate web and two flanges extending perpendicularly from its edges. The flanges give the trays rigidity and the profile of the tray, with a recess inside the channel between the flanges, helps to locate the cables in the trays and to protect them.

When cable trays of the type described above need to be transported, each of them occupies a substantial volume and in order to economise on space, they are typically nested in inverted pairs, with a flange of each of the trays in a pair received inside the channel of the other tray in the pair. In this arrangement each pair of trays occupies little more space than what a single tray would have occupied, but there is still a waste of space.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for more space economical stacking of cable trays. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a cable tray which comprises a planar, elongate web of sheet material, having two lateral opposing edges and two rib formations, each rib formation extending along an edge of the web; wherein each rib formation has a V₇shaped profile and comprises an inside flange that extends at an obtuse angle from the edge of the web and an outside flange that extends from the inside flange at an angle.

The angle between the inside flange and the outside flange of each rib may be acute and the flanges of each rib formation may be configured so that they have opposite angular orientations relative to the plane of the web.

The sheet material may be wire mesh or may be perforated sheet metal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how

> the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of non- limiting example, to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a cable tray in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is an oblique top view of the cable tray of Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a side view of the cable tray of Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a cable tray in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10.

The cable tray 10 is made of a sheet material in the form of a mesh, preferably a wire mesh of hard drawn mild steel. Instead, any other suitably strong sheet material can be used, such as light duty or heavy duty sheet metal, which could preferably be perforated to reduce weight and to allow for attachment of objects such as cable ties, to the cable tray.

The cable tray 10 comprises of a planar, elongate web 12 of the sheet material, which has two generally parallel, opposing, lateral edges 14 and two rib formations 16 each extending along one of the edges. When the cable tray 10 has the orientation shown in the drawings, the rib formations 16 extend upwardly from the web, so that a channel recess 18 is defined above the web, between the rib formations.

Each rib formation 16 has an inverted V-shaped profile and comprises an inside flange 20 that extends at an obtuse angle from the edge 14 of the web 12 and an outside flange 22 that extends from the inside flange at an acute angle. The flanges 20,22 of each rib formation 16 are configured so that they have opposite angular orientations relative to the plane of the web 12, i.e. they are inclined equally steep, but in opposite directions, in the orientation shown in the drawings.

The cable tray 10 has an indeterminate length.

In use, a number of the cable trays 10 are connected together end-to- end and via joining pieces, corner pieces and the like, to form supports for cables that can run under flooring or above ceilings of buildings where they are out of sight and out of the way and where they are neatly and safely kept from water, human habitation, machinery, or the like.

The rib formations 16 give the cable tray 10 structural strength and rigidity and helps to locate the cables that are supported on the cable tray, within the channel recess 18.

When a number of the cable trays 10 are to be transported, e.g. before installation, the space that they occupy is reduced by packing them in a nesting arrangement on top of one another, with the upper apexes of the rib formations 16 received inside the V-shaped recess of the rib formation directly above it. The upper and lower profiles of the cable tray 10 are almost identical so that they are not likely to be damaged when transported in this nested, stacked arrangement, even when a number of cable trays have been loaded on top of one another. The strength that the rib formations 16 impart to the cable trays 10 helps to prevent them from collapsing or deforming under the load.

Claims

1. A cable tray 10 which comprises a planar, elongate web 12 of sheet material, having two lateral opposing edges 14 and two rib formations 16, each rib formation 16 extending along an edge 14 of the web 12; characterised in that each rib formation 16 has a V-shaped profile and comprises an inside fIange-20 that extends at an obtuse angle from the edge 14 of the web 12 and an outside flange 22 that extends from the inside flange 20 at an angle.

2. A cable tray as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the angle between the inside flange and the outside flange of each rib is an acute angle.

3. A cable tray as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that the flanges of each rib formation are configured so that they have opposite angular orientations relative to the plane at which the web is oriented.

4. A cable tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sheet material is wire mesh

5. A cable tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the sheet material is perforated sheet metal.