The present invention relates to an assembly including a light alloy profiled section or member, and more particularly such a section made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, including one or more insulated electrical conductors, as well as to a process for formation thereof.
Profiled sections obtained by extruding or drawing aluminum or an aluminum alloy have a cross-sectional shape defined by their own function/application, e.g. structural elements such as beams and frames, rails, ducts, vehicle body elements, etc. For some of these profiled sections it is particularly desirable to have one or more insulated electrical conductors integrated with the sections to provide energy or signal transport circuits. Currently, this is obtained by introducing commercial electrical cables into such sections; namely, cables having one or more conductors with generally at least one insulating sheath. It is obvious that the insertion of such an electrical cable into a profiled section constitutes a time-consuming, fastidious and extremely expensive operation comprising several steps which cannot be entirely mechanized and automated.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,018 there is known an electrical supply track comprising a channel-shaped steel casing lined inwardly and outwardly with a synthetic resin and provided with a pair of supporting members molded integrally with the inner resin layer for embedding of exposed (bare) conductive members.
Obviously there is no possibility for an integrated in-line low cost manufacturing of supply tracks by the disclosed method comprising separate steps of bending of a steel plate into a channel shape, coating of shaped surfaces, providing integrally molded supporting members and finally insertion of the exposed conductive members into the supporting members.
FR No. 1,253,131 discloses, in connection with provision of an improved trolley line, a band comprising a series of parallel electrical conductors with exposed surfaces being cast into an insulating matrix and subsequently fastened by gluing to a metallic section. Once again, this is a laborious manufacturing multi-step process resulting in expensive products and probably also an inferior contact between the band and metallic section.