Cable tray material selection

The material of cable tray is another common problem in cable tray engineering design. According to the material, the cable tray is mainly made of steel, glass fiber reinforced plastic and aluminum alloy. FRP cable tray is characterized by light weight and only 1/4 of the specific gravity of carbon steel; good water resistance and corrosion resistance, suitable for chemical plants. It is not easy to burn, and the oxygen index of the flame-retardant fiberglass cable tray is ≥32. Long service life, the general design life is 20 years, but the price is 3 times that of steel cable tray. The advantages of construction lie in the convenience of cutting, flexible assembly, and no need for fire during installation. This is especially significant for chemical plant projects in explosive hazardous environments and with tight construction schedules, because in explosive hazardous environments, chemical plants must be shut down during hot installation, which is economical. Benefit will be affected. The aluminum alloy cable tray is also very light in weight. Due to the different proportions of aluminum and steel (Al=2.7, Fe=7.86), the ratio of aluminum to steel is about 1:3 by weight. The dimensions and load characteristics of aluminum alloy cable trays are basically similar to those of steel trays. In terms of cost, the cost of aluminum alloy cable tray is 20% higher than that of galvanized steel cable tray, and the service life is more than 5 times that of steel cable tray.