Horizontally polarized shear-wave vibrator seismic source

• US 6,119,804 A
• Filed: 05/13/1999
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Owen, Thomas E.
• Original Assignee: Owen, Thomas E.
• Inventors: Owen, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US09/311,001
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 181/101, 181/102, 181/104, 181/105, 181/106, 181/108, 181/111, 181/112, 181/113, 181/114, 181/121, 181/122, 367/25, 367/912
• US Class Current: 181/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/02 Generating seismic energy G01V1/003 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/047 Arrangements for coupling the generator to the ground

Abstract

A dynamic force transducer for generating horizontally oriented shear forces and motion at a surface of a solid medium. A rigid frame is placed in direct contact with the surface of the solid medium. At least one pair of identical dynamic-force driver units is mounted on the frame to impart horizontally oriented forces to the frame. Symmetrical pairs of compliant springs support the force drivers, but the compliances of each pair of springs may be adjusted or interchanged with other similar springs to introduce different predetermined mechanical resonances. The driver units are excited to produce the horizontally oriented forces with one or more driver units imparting a pushing force and one or more driver units simultaneously imparting a pulling force.

Claims

1. A dynamic force transducer for generating horizontally oriented shear forces and motions at a surface of a solid medium for purposes of producing dynamic shear stresses and radiating associated horizontally polarized shear waves in said solid medium, comprising:

a rigid coupling frame for direct contact with said surface of said solid medium, said coupling frame being in uninterrupted contact with said solid medium during vibrational operation of said dynamic force transducer;

at least one pair of identical dynamic-force driver units mounted on said coupling frame to impart horizontally oriented dynamic forces having prescribed amplitude and time dependence to said coupling frame, said prescribed forces transferrable to said solid medium;

at least one pair of identical compliant springs supporting each said pair of identical dynamic force driver units mounted on said coupling frame, compliances of each said pair of springs introducing different predetermined mechanical resonances when acting in combination with the masses of said supported pairs of identical driver units and said coupling frame when excitation energy is applied to said driver units;

a means for exciting said dynamic force driver units in a manner to produce horizontally oriented forces on said coupling frame whereby one of said paired driver units imparts a horizontal pushing force and the second of the said paired driver units simultaneously imparts a horizontal pulling force equal to the pushing force, both of said forces being oriented to act along a common collinear horizontal direction; and

a means for electrically exciting said paired dynamic force driver units in a manner which imparts either continuous or pulsed oscillatory forces to said coupling frame, said continuous or pulsed oscillatory forces being prescribed in amplitude and time dependence to produce corresponding prescribed seismic shear waves in said solid medium.

2. The transducer of claim 1 in which said coupling frame has a contact surface containing gripper teeth or spikes or fins or other similar means for penetrating substantially into said solid medium to promote intimate and uninterrupted contact with said solid medium and to achieve horizontally oriented vibrational coupling with said solid medium.

3. The transducer of claim 1 having sufficient weight to achieve firm and uninterrupted contact with said solid medium.

4. The transducer of claim 1 in which an anchoring device provides positive attachment of said coupling frame to said solid medium.

5. The transducer of claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary force generator for urging said transducer into contact with said solid medium.

6. The transducer of claim 1 in which at least one pair of said identical compliant springs supporting each said pair of dynamic force driver units is adjustable in compliance to permit said mechanical resonance associated with said pair of dynamic force drivers to be changed as a means of modifying a frequency range of seismic shear waves radiated into said solid medium.

7. The transducer of claim 1 in which at least two pairs of said dynamic force driver units mounted on said coupling frame and supported by said pairs of identical compliant springs, each combination of said pair of dynamic driver units and said pair of support springs having a mass and a compliance, respectively, which act in mechanical resonance at a prescribed frequency, said mechanical resonance frequencies of the said at least two pairs being different from one another to constitute stagger-tuned resonance operation of said dynamic force transducer.

8. The transducer of claim 1 in which said dynamic force driver units employ piezoelectric force generating elements, said elements being excited by a prescribed electrical voltage waveform to produce either continuous or pulsed dynamic forces.

9. The transducer of claim 1 in which said dynamic force driver units employ magnetostrictive force generating elements, said elements being excited by a prescribed electrical current waveform to produce either continuous or pulsed dynamic forces.

10. The transducer of claim 1 in which said dynamic force driver units employ electrodynamic members comprising a movable coil in a static radially oriented magnetic field, said magnetic field being produced within a body of each said dynamic force driver unit, and said coil carrying a prescribed time-dependent electrical current waveform to produce either continuous or pulsed dynamic forces.

11. The transducer of claim 1 in which said compliant springs supporting said reaction masses are incrementally adjustable either by hydraulic means or mechanical means to change their compliance according to a prescribed predetermined function of time so as to systematically change the mechanical resonance frequency associated with the said adjustable springs and the mass of said coupling frame in a corresponding prescribed function of time, said prescribed change in mechanical resonance frequency being synchronized to equally track said prescribed excitation signal having a continuously changing frequency, said vibrator being mechanically resonant at said time-varying excitation frequency.

12. The transducer of claim 1 in which at least two of said dynamic force drivers are mounted on an elongated coupling frame and baseplate to impart horizontally oriented dynamic forces to produce intentionally directional radiation of shear waves in said solid medium in a direction generally broadside to said elongated frame and baseplate.

13. A dynamic force transducer for generating horizontally oriented shear forces and motions at a surface of a solid medium for purposes of producing dynamic shear stresses and radiating associated horizontally polarized shear waves in said solid medium, comprising:

a rigid coupling frame in direct contact with said surface of said solid medium, said coupling frame being in uninterrupted contact with said solid medium during vibrational operation of said dynamic force transducer; and

at least one electrodynamic force driver unit mounted on said coupling frame to impart horizontally oriented dynamic forces having prescribed amplitude and time dependence to said coupling frame, said electrodynamic force driver further comprising;

a horizontally oriented movable coil located axisymmetrically in a radially oriented static magnetic field produced within a body of said electrodynamic force driver unit, said coil carrying a prescribed electrical current waveform to produce either continuous or pulsed dynamic forces;

a rigid horizontally oriented shaft for transferring said generated dynamic forces to reaction masses attached to each end of said horizontally oriented shaft;

each said reaction mass being supported by at least one pair of identical compliant springs attached to said coupling frame, each of said springs having a compliance value which, when acting in combination with a mass of said body of said electrodynamic force driver unit and coupling frame, is capable of introducing predetermined mechanical resonances when excitation energy is applied to said dynamic force driver unit;

said electrodynamic force driver body capable of producing said static magnetic field radially oriented relative to an axis of said shaft and coil and rigidly mounted on said coupling frame;

said body of said force driver unit having a generally hollow cylinder surrounding said rigid horizontally oriented shaft and coil, said hollow cylinder allowing the ends of said surrounded shaft to extend out of ends of said hollow cylinder body and attached to said reaction masses to impart dynamic forces to these reaction masses, thereby causing said body of said dynamic force driver unit to experience equal and opposite dynamic forces relative those transferred to said reaction masses through electrodynamic force generation, said equal and opposite dynamic forces being transferred to said body of said dynamic force driver unit and, in turn, to said coupling frame to which said body of said force driver unit is attached.

14. The transducer of claim 13 in which said movable coil and said rigid shaft and said reaction masses attached to said rigid shaft form a unitized component of said dynamic force transducer which vibrates as a result of forces associated with a magnetic field produced by prescribed oscillatory electric current flowing in said coil in reaction with said static magnetic field in said hollow cylindrical body surrounding said coil component.

15. The transducer of claim 13 in which said body of said electrodynamic force driver unit contains a permanently magnetized ferromagnetic member producing said radially directed static magnetic field against which a magnetic field produced by time-varying current flowing in windings of said movable coil acts to generate said dynamic forces by which said transducer operates.

16. The transducer of claim 13 in which said radially oriented magnetic field is produced by a coil and ferromagnetic member in said body of said electrodynamic force driver, said coil carrying a direct current.

17. The transducer of claim 13 in which said coupling frame further comprises a contact surface having means for penetrating substantially into said solid medium.

18. A seismic shear wave vibrator source system utilizing a dynamic force transducer for generating horizontally oriented shear forces and motions at a surface of a solid medium for purposes of producing dynamic shear stresses and radiating associated horizontally polarized shear waves in said solid medium, comprising:

a rigid coupling frame in direct contact with said surface of said solid medium, said coupling frame being maintained in uninterrupted contact with said solid medium during vibrational operation of said dynamic force transducer;

at least one dynamic-force driver unit mounted on said coupling frame to impart horizontally oriented dynamic forces having prescribed amplitude and time dependence to said coupling frame, said prescribed forces transferrable to said solid medium;

at least one pair of identical compliant springs supporting the said dynamic force driver unit and its associated components mounted on said coupling frame, compliances of each said pair of springs selectable or adjustable introducing different predetermined mechanical resonances when acting in combination with the said supported driver unit and said coupling frame when excitation energy is applied to said dynamic force driver units;

a means for exciting said at least one dynamic force driver unit in a manner to produce simultaneous horizontally oriented pushing and pulling forces on said coupling frame, said pushing and pulling forces being oriented to act along a common collinear horizontal direction;

a means for electrically exciting said at least one dynamic force driver unit in a manner which imparts either continuous or pulsed oscillatory forces to said coupling frame, said continuous or pulsed oscillatory forces being prescribed in amplitude and time dependence to produce corresponding prescribed seismic shear waves in said solid medium;

a power amplifier capable of delivering electrical excitation voltage and current to said at least one dynamic force driver unit; and

an electrical excitation signal generator capable of generating predetermined continuous or pulse waveforms to be applied to input terminals of said power amplifier, said continuous waveforms to be either a linear or a nonlinear frequency-modulated sinewave sweep signal having a predetermined amplitude versus frequency characteristic and frequency versus time sweep range, or said pulse waveforms to be either periodically repetitive or randomly timed bursts of a sine wave having a predetermined amplitude, frequency, and burst duration time, or said continuous or pulsed waveforms to consist of random noise signals having predetermined statistically determined amplitude, frequency, and time duration parameters.

19. The system of claim 18 in which said dynamic force transducer is operated to deliver a dynamic shear force of up to approximately 500 pounds force to said solid medium.

20. The system of claim 18 in which said dynamic force transducer is operated to produce a dynamic shear force having a useful frequency spectrum covering the range of at least 100 Hz to 1,600 Hz.

21. The system on of claim 18 in which said dynamic force transducer is operated to deliver a dynamic shear force of up to approximately 500 pounds force to said solid medium and having a useful frequency spectrum covering the range of at least 100 Hz to 1,600 Hz.