Cable-raceways
A cable-raceway providing electromagnetic shielding has rectangular channels defined by longitudinal-folds of a tape which comprises mesh having a warp of bare wires running lengthwise and a weft of a single, bare-wire. Metal brackets support it with the base of each bracket extending transversely under the raceway. The channels nest between arms upstanding from the base, and a plastic insert fits over the tape to enhance electrical contact between the mesh and bracket for electrical ground-bonding of the raceway. The insert provides teeth down the walls of each channel for engagement by cable-retainers to push them down into the channels for retaining underlying cables. Further support in the channels is provided by plastic straps that extend under the raceway and to which the channels are secured using inserts and cable-retainers corresponding to the inserts and retainers. One face of the mesh is covered by an electrically-insulating sheet.
1. An elongate cable-raceway having an open-top channel for support and routing of cables, wherein:
the open-top channel has a bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls upstanding from the bottom of the channel;
the open-top channel is defined by an elongate tape comprising an electrically-conductive mesh; and
longitudinal folds in the elongate tape delineate the bottom of the channel and the mutually-spaced sidewalls upstanding from the bottom of the channel; and wherein
the cable-raceway includes brackets secured to the bottom of the channel at spaced intervals from the one another lengthwise of the cable-raceway for supporting the channel nesting between upstanding arms of the brackets.
2. The cable-raceway according to claim 1 , wherein the mesh comprises a woven mesh, and the woven mesh comprises a weave of electrically-conductive strands.
3. The cable-raceway according to claim 2 , wherein the woven mesh has a warp that extends longitudinally of the channel.
4. The cable-raceway according to claim 3 , wherein the woven mesh has a weft comprising a single electrically-conductive strand.
5. The cable-raceway according to claim 2 , wherein each of the electrically-conductive strands is one of a plurality of individual wire-filaments and a plurality of wire-filaments twisted together.
6. The cable-raceway according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically-conductive strands are bare strands establishing electrical contact between all of them in common in the mesh.
7. The cable-raceway according to claim 2 , wherein the woven mesh comprises a weave of electrically-conductive strands and additional strands of one of metal, plastics and fibre.
8. The cable-raceway according to claim 7 , wherein the additional strands are grouped together in at least one location within the weave of the mesh.
9. The cable-raceway according to claim 2 , wherein the woven mesh has a covering of electrically-insulating material at least within the channel.
10. An elongate cable-raceway having a plurality of parallel channels extending side by side with one another in a plural-channel configuration for support and routing of cables, wherein:
each channel has a bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls upstanding from the bottom;
the plurality of parallel channels are defined by an elongate tape that extends lengthwise of the cable-raceway,
the tape comprises an electrically-conductive woven mesh folded into the plural-channel configuration, the electrically-conductive woven mesh comprising a weave of electrically-conductive strands; and wherein
longitudinal folds spaced from one another widthwise of the elongate tape delineate the bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls of the plurality of channels respectively of the plural-channel configuration of the electrically-conductive woven mesh.
11. The cable-raceway according to claim 10 , wherein the woven mesh has a warp that extends longitudinally of the channels.
12. The cable-raceway according to claim 11 , wherein the woven mesh has a weft comprising a single electrically-conductive strand.
13. The cable-raceway according to claim 10 , wherein the electrically-conductive strands are bare strands establishing electrical contact between all of them in common in the woven mesh.
14. The cable-raceway according to claim 10 , including straps located at intervals along the raceway, wherein each strap extends transversely of the channels under the electrically-conductive woven mesh, and the bottom of each channel is secured to the strap for retention of the electrically-conductive woven mesh in the plural-channel configuration.
15. A cable-raceway having a channel for support and routing of cables, wherein:
the channel has upstanding mutually-spaced sidewalls;
the channel is defined by an elongate tape comprising an electrically-conductive mesh; and
longitudinal folds in the elongate tape delineate the upstanding mutually-spaced side-walls of the channel;
wherein ratchet teeth extend down the sidewalls of the channel into the channel, and at least one cable-retainer engages resiliently with the ratchet teeth for step-wise insertion down into the channel onto underlying cables in the channel for retention of the underlying cables in the channel.
16. A cable-raceway having a plurality of parallel channels extending side by side with one another in a plural-channel configuration for support and routing of cables, wherein:
each channel has a bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls upstanding from the bottom;
the plurality of parallel channels are defined by an elongate tape that comprises an electrically-conductive woven mesh folded into the plural-channel configuration, the electrically-conductive woven mesh comprising a weave of electrically-conductive strands; and
longitudinal folds in the elongate tape delineate the bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls of each channel in the plural-channel configuration of the electrically-conductive woven mesh;
wherein brackets are located at intervals along the cable-raceway, each bracket comprising:
a base that extends transversely of the channels with the bottom of each individual channel secured to the base of the bracket, and
arms upstanding from the base supporting retention of the woven mesh in the plural-channel configuration.
17. The cable-raceway according to claim 16 , wherein the base of each bracket is electrically conductive, and the bottom of each individual channel is in electrical connection with the base of each bracket for electrically grounding the woven mesh to the base of the bracket via the bottom of each channel.
18. The cable-raceway according to claim 17 , wherein the channels defined by the elongate tape nest between individual pairs of arms upstanding from the base of each bracket.
19. The cable-raceway according to claim 18 , wherein an individual insert fits resiliently over the elongate tape at each bracket, the insert bearing on the elongate tape throughout the transverse contour of the elongate tape into each channel at the bracket.
20. A cable-raceway having a plurality of parallel channels extending side by side with one another in a plural-channel configuration for support and routing of cables, wherein;
each channel has a bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls upstanding from the bottom;
the plurality of parallel channels are defined by an elongate tape that comprises an electrically-conductive woven mesh folded into the plural-channel configuration, the electrically-conductive woven mesh comprising a weave of electrically-conductive strands; and
longitudinal folds in the elongate tape delineate the bottom and mutually-spaced sidewalls of each channel in the plural-channel configuration of the electrically-conductive woven mesh;
the cable-raceway further including ratchet teeth extending down the side-walls of each channel into the channel, and cable-retainers engage resiliently with the ratchet teeth of respective ones of the channels for step-wise insertion down into those individual channels for retention of underlying cables therein.