GLOBETRAY® Cable Tray Carries Convention Center Cables With Less Hassle, Expense

The convention center is a huge building-it's one of the largest convention facilities in the country with more than 1,960,000 square feet. Within the walls, hundreds of power, security and low-voltage telecommunications cables are supported, carried and protected by GLOBETRAY® Cable Tray from GS Metals Corp.

Joe Tolmie, the independent representative for GLOBETRAY who supplied the project, said it's one of the biggest cable tray installations he's done.

"GLOBETRAY runs the length of the building, about seven football fields long, or 2,100 feet," Tolmie said. "Any type of system that runs throughout the building is carried by GLOBETRAY. Each tray holds a variety of different cables-everything from fire alarm to telephone lines."

As a rule, cable tray is hidden in walls and ceilings. Some may be exposed in places where cables need to be accessed, such as electrical control facilities like the main electrical distribution room on the convention center's third floor.

Ray Lambert, project manager and vice president of field operations for Coken Co., the electrical contractor, said the convention center job is an accomplishment for any contractor.

"We had to coordinate the elevations and cable loads with what type of tray we used," Lambert said. "We filled most [trays] with 12 multi- conductor cables and others were filled with 240 telephone cables." An Alternative to Conduit According to Tolmie, most of the original specifications for this job were for conduit (PVC tubing designed to hold cables).

Coken Co. changed almost every cable carrying specification to GLOBETRAY in the preliminary stages of construction which tripled the amount of cable tray used. However, the change to GLOBETRAY also amounted to significant savings for the contractor. In all, more than 50,000 feet of cable tray were installed, including accessories such as T's, cross sections and elbows.

"The biggest reason for choosing GLOBETRAY over conduit is the tremendous cost savings in labor," Tolmie said. "With cable tray, you don't have to pull the cables through the conduit. All you do is lay [the cables] on the tray and install it. GLOBETRAY installation is not rocket science. It becomes an Erector set for the builders because it comes in standard sizes and stock installation accessories are available from the same manufacturer (GS METALS)."

"Another reason for switching from conduit to GLOBETRAY is limited space between the finished ceiling and the roof", Lambert said.

"There are only 4 1/2 inches between the ceiling panels and the roof in the center of the building," Lambert said. "It would have taken too much work to try to fit 4-inch conduit up there, much less install it. The GLOBETRAY takes up less room."

Features of GLOBETRAY Cable Tray GLOBETRAY Cable Tray is available in four styles: ladder, solid bottom, trough and channel cable tray. This project used both ladder and solid bottom cable tray.

GLOBETRAY Ladder Tray has an open design that simplifies complicated cable or wire installations. It provides maximum ventilation by permitting liberal air flow between rungs. Wire can be dropped from the top or bottom of the cable tray.

GLOBETRAY Ladder Trays are manufactured in standard widths from 6 to 48 inches, depths of 3, 4 and 6 inches and rung spacings of 6, 9, 12 and 18 inches. They are available in steel, aluminum and stainless steel. Finishes for steel include: pre-galvanized, a cost efficient and corrosion resistant coating; hot-dip- galvanized-after-fabrication (HDGAF), a heavier coating for corrosive environments; and polyvinylchloride (PVC), a plastic coating for special applications.

The convention center GLOBETRAY system extends into the parking garage area, so Lambert chose the hot-dip-galvanized-after-fabrication finish, a finish resistant to chemicals (such as car exhaust), salt water and Atlantic City's high humidity.

GLOBETRAY Solid Bottom Cable Tray provides the best protection against damage for cables in hazardous environments. When combined with covers, it is ideal for instrumentation, control and computer cables that require continuous support.

GLOBETRAY Solid Bottom Cable Trays are available in stainless steel, aluminum and 16-gauge steel, in standard widths from 6 to 36 inches and nominal depths of 3, 4 and 6 inches. The trays are made in straight sections, with matching fittings to accommodate changes of direction and flexibility of different types of cables.

"The painted solid bottom tray is hardly visible in the main exhibition hall. It blends into the ceiling, which is what we wanted to achieve," Lambert said.

Tolmie says that Atlantic City isn't the only one with a convention center subtly equipped with GLOBETRAY Cable Tray.

"The New Orleans convention complex also uses a significant amount of cable tray," he said. "It's a convenient, cost-efficient way to carry such large quantities of cables and wiring in buildings that receive so many visitors throughout the year."