METHOD OF DETERMINING A DIMENSION OF A SAMPLE OF A CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND ASSOCIATED APPARATUS

• US 20080249738A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Troxler Electronic Laboratories, Inc.
• Inventors: Troxler, Robert Ernest
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/156
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/20 for measuring contours or curvatures, e.g. determining profile
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2009/024 the volume being determined directly, e.g. by size of container
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/383 Concrete, cement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/42 Road-making materials G01N33/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/02 by measuring weight of a known volume

Abstract

An apparatus for determining a volume of a construction material sample is provided, comprising at least one sample-interacting device configured to interact with the construction material sample so as to determine at least one surface characteristic thereof. A computer device is configured to be capable of receiving the at least one surface characteristic from the at least one sample-interacting device, and to manipulate the at least one surface characteristic so as to form a three-dimensional representation of the construction material sample. The computer device is further configured to determine the volume of the construction material sample from the three-dimensional representation thereof. By determining the mass of the construction material sample, the density of the construction material sample can be provided. An associated method is also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus adapted to determine a surface texture of a construction material sample, the apparatus comprising:

at least one sample-interacting device configured to interact with a surface of a construction material sample so as to determine at least one surface characteristic thereof;

a computer device configured to be capable of receiving data representing the at least one surface characteristic from the at least one sample-interacting device, and the computer device being configured to manipulate the data to form a single or multidimensional representation of the surface of the construction material sample, and the computer device being configured to determine a texture characteristic of the material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface characteristic represents a micro-texture of the surface of the construction material sample.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface characteristic represents a macro-texture of the surface of the construction material sample.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface characteristic represents an average depth of surface voids of the construction material sample.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one surface characteristic represents a volumetric representation of surface voids of the construction material sample.

6. An apparatus adapted to determine a texture of a construction material sample, the apparatus comprising:

a laser device configured to interact with a surface of a construction material sample so as to determine a surface interaction profile of a point, a line or an area of the surface of the construction material sample; and

a computer device configured to be capable of receiving the surface interaction profile from the laser device, and the computer device being configured to record the surface interaction profile.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the laser is configured to interact with the surface of the construction material sample, and wherein the computer device is configured to record an image in progression with a scan, and wherein the computer device is capable of being manipulated by a computer program to calculate a texture characteristic of the construction material sample.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the laser scan is one of a point and a line.