Definition and Application Scenarios:
A cable tray is a cable support system composed of brackets, arms, and installation accessories. It is used to support and protect various types of cables—such as power, control, and communication cables—and is widely applied in construction, power plants, chemical industries, metallurgy, data centers, and rail transit systems.
Its core functions are to provide physical support for cable routing while meeting requirements for fire protection, moisture resistance, heat dissipation, and ease of inspection and maintenance.
Main Features:
- Diverse Types:
By structure: trough type (fully enclosed), tray type (semi-enclosed), ladder type (open), mesh type (perforated).
By material: steel, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP), etc.
- Standardized Specifications:
Common widths: 100–1200 mm; heights: 50–200 mm; non-standard sizes customizable.
Sheet thickness: 1.0–3.0 mm (depending on load requirements).
- Specialized Functions:
Extended product lines include fire-resistant trays, explosion-proof trays, anti-corrosion trays, and seismic-resistant trays (compliant with seismic design standard GB50981).
- Cross-Industry Applications:
Power industry: cable transmission;
Data centers: structured cabling;
Chemical industry: explosion-proof cable protection;
Rail transit: tunnel cable routing.
- Typical Types and Application Scenarios
- By Structure
- Trough-Type Cable Tray:
Features:Fully enclosed design, excellent dustproof and interference resistance.
Applications: Suitable for low-voltage signal cables such as communication and computer cables, or sensitive signal cables requiring strict shielding (e.g., medical equipment wiring).
- Tray-Type Cable Tray:
Features:Flat bottom with side barriers, better heat dissipation than trough type.
Applications: Mixed routing of power and control cables, ideal for factory workshops and vertical shafts in high-rise buildings.
- Ladder-Type Cable Tray:
Features:Open structure, lightweight, excellent heat dissipation and mechanical performance.
Applications: Large-diameter cables (e.g., high-voltage cables), heavy load scenarios (e.g., metallurgical industry), or circuits requiring frequent maintenance.
- Mesh-Type Cable Tray:
Features:Metal mesh structure with high ventilation, flexible installation.
Applications: Server room cabling in data centers, variable-frequency cables with high heat dissipation requirements.
- By Material
- Steel Cable Tray:
Features:High strength, low cost, but relatively poor corrosion resistance (requires regular maintenance).
Applications: General indoor and outdoor environments (e.g., office buildings, warehouses).
- Aluminum Alloy Cable Tray:
Features:Lightweight and corrosion-resistant without additional treatment, but higher in cost.
Applications: Coastal areas, high-humidity environments (e.g., swimming pools, laboratories).
- Fiberglass Cable Tray:
Features:Insulating, acid/alkali resistant, aging-resistant, and lightweight.
Applications: Corrosive environments in chemical and pharmaceutical industries, or flammable/explosive areas (non-conductive)
Precautions
- Load Calculation:
Select the sheet thickness based on the total cable weight and tray span (typically 1.5–3 meters per span) to prevent overload deformation.
(For example, when laying 30 YJV-4×120 cables, a 2.0 mm thick tray-type cable tray should be used.)
- Environmental Adaptation:
For outdoor or exposed environments, choose waterproof cable trays (e.g., trough-type trays with rain covers).
In high-temperature environments (e.g., boiler rooms), use heat-resistant materials such as stainless steel 310S.
- Fire Protection Requirements:
When passing through firewalls or floor slabs, the gaps between the cable tray and the building structure must be sealed with fireproof putty or fire-resistant boards to comply with the fire protection acceptance standard GB50166.
- Grounding and Bonding:
Non-galvanized cable trays must be bonded with copper grounding wires between segments.
For galvanized trays, bonding can be omitted if at least two connecting bolts are used and the contact surfaces are free of coating.
Conclusion:
As a core infrastructure for modern cable routing, cable trays offer significant advantages in cable protection, operational efficiency, and total lifecycle cost reduction through structural innovation and functional specialization.
With the ongoing development of smart buildings and the new energy industry, future cable trays will evolve toward
lightweight designs (e.g., use of composite materials),
intelligent features (e.g., integrated temperature monitoring sensors), and
eco-friendly solutions (e.g., increased use of recycled materials), further meeting the industry's needs for low-carbon and digital transformation.
