Patent ID: 9606027
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: E21B,G01F,G01N

Claim:
1. A method of collecting, preparing and analysing undisturbed soil samples for purposes of defining soil hydraulic conductivity, the method comprising steps acquiring on site a lump of soil to be tested; forming the lump of soil into an initial sample in a shape of a cylinder; cutting off protruding fragments of roots and removing fragments of a skeleton penetrating outer surfaces of the initial sample; impositioning a thin elasto-plastic coating on a side surface of the initial sample; placing the initial sample in a measurement container with a diameter greater than a diameter of the initial sample and having a bottom cylinder, a top cylinder and a middle cylinder situated between the bottom cylinder and the top cylinder having internal diameters equal to a diameter of the middle cylinder connected to the bottom cylinder and the top cylinder in a way allowing disconnection with a non-permeable tape closely adhering to external walls of the bottom cylinder, the top cylinder and the middle cylinder; filling with a watertight agent a gap between the side surface of the initial sample and an internal surface of the middle container; cutting the initial sample along planes defined by gaps between the middle cylinder and the bottom cylinder and the top cylinder to form a soil sample; cutting encountered fragments of roots protruding beyond the soil sample properly contained in the middle cylinder; photographing a bottom surface and a top surface of the soil sample; impositioning a brass mesh and perforated cover on a bottom surface of the soil sample; insulating a border between an edge of the middle cylinder and the perforated cover with a non-permeable agent; covering a top surface of the soil sample with a brass mesh and a grid; placing the soil sample in a socket made in a base placed in an external cylinder and provided with walls, a perforated bottom, a smooth ring situated around the socket and deaerating ducts connected to first grooves of the socket; attaching the base to a cylinder-shaped pressure column with a bottom edge turning into a flange furnished with holes for screws corresponding to holes made in the base; loading the soil sample with a perforated disc whose mass is similar to mass of soil overlying a top level of a soil stratum from which the initial sample was taken; saturating the soil sample from a bottom with water and simultaneously deaerating the soil sample; changing direction of filtration of the soil sample accompanied by continuing deaeration of the soil sample; measuring volume of water flowing out from the soil sample with a defined hydraulic drop being made as a function of time and temperature; and determining share of root and skeleton fractions in a volume of the soil sample.