IN-SITU ACOUSTIC SEDIMENT PROBE

• US 3,774,718 A
• Filed: 05/25/1972
• Issued: 11/27/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James R. Campbell, Richard L. Allman, Yoshiya Igarashi
• Original Assignee: James R. Campbell, Richard L. Allman, Yoshiya Igarashi
• Inventors: Igarashi, Yoshiya, Campbell, James R., Allman, Richard L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borchelt, Benjamin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doramus, J. V.
• Application Number:
  US05/257,022
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 181/.5BE,.5NP,.5A 340/7R,7PC 73/152,17R,17A,421,70 175/67,422,50,5
• US Class Current: 73/170.32
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 39/00 Devices for testing in situ the hardness or other properties of minerals, e.g. for giving information as to the selection of suitable mining tools

Abstract

An in-situ acoustic sediment probe which includes a barrel having a bottom cutting edge. An acoustic transducer is mounted on the barrel and means are mounted within the barrel for removing sediment adjacent to the cutting edge as the barrel penetrates the sediment. The sediment removing means may include an open-ended tube concentrically mounted within the barrel so as to provide an annular water passage between the barrel and the tube. The tube has a bottom end which is spaced above the bottom cutting edge of the barrel so that upon forcing water through the water passage the water will jet into the barrel space below the tube, remove sediment, and displace the sediment upwardly through the tube. In this manner, the sediment adjacent to the transducer will remain substantially undisturbed so that more accurate acoustic data can be obtained with the probe.

Claims

1. An in-situ acoustic sediment probe comprising:

a barrel assembly having a bottom cutting edge;

a transducer mounted on the barrel assembly outside the inner surface thereof;

means mounted within the barrel assembly for removing sediment adjacent the inside cutting edge and discharging the sediment through the barrel assembly as the barrel penetrates the sediment, whereby sediment adjacent the exterior of the barrel assembly is substantially undisturbed for acoustic transmission.

2. A probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sediment removing means includes:

an open ended tube concentrically mounted within the barrel assembly so as to provide an annular water passage between the barrel assembly and the tube; and

said tube having a bottom end which is spaced above the bottom cutting edge of the barrel assembly whereby upon forcing water through the water passage the water will jet into the barrel space below the tube, remove sediment, and displace the sediment upwardly through said tube.

3. A probe as claimed in claim 2 including:

the bottom end of the tube being flared so that water leaving the water passage will jet outwardly in the barrel space below the tube.

4. A probe as claimed in claim 3 including:

the inside surface of the barrel assembly below the tube first rapidly diverging and then gradually diverging to the bottom cutting edge of the barrel assembly.

5. A probe as claimed in claim 2 including:

said barrel assembly comprising;

a tube;

a cutting head concentrically mounted to the barrel tube and having a top end which radially extends from the barrel tube;

an elastomeric jacket mounted about the barrel tube and substantially coextensive with the exterior surface of the cutting head; and

said transducer being imbedded in the elastomeric jacket.

6. A probe as claimed in claim 2 including:

means closing the top end of the barrel assembly; and

the closing means having a water inlet which opens into the water passage between the barrel assembly and the tube.

7. A probe as claimed in claim 6 including:

said tube extending through the top closed end of the barrel assembly.

8. A probe as claimed in claim 7 including:

the bottom end of the tube being flared so that water leaving the water passage will jet outwardly in the barrel space below the tube.

9. A probe as claimed in claim 8 including:

the inside surface of the barrel assembly below the tube first rapidly diverging and then gradually diverging to the bottom cutting edge of the barrel assembly.

10. A probe as claimed in claim 9 wherein:

said barrel assembly comprises;

a tube;

a cutting head concentrically mounted to the barrel tube and having a top end which radially extends from the tube;

an elastomeric jacket mounted about the barrel tube and substantially coextensive with the interior surface of the cutting head; and

said transducer being imbedded in the elastomeric jacket.