Patent ID: 9551188
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: E02D,E21B

Claim:
1. A split tube soil sampling system, comprising: a sample tube having an upper end and a lower end; a drive head attached to the upper end of said sample tube; a cutting shoe attached to the lower end of said sample tube; said sample tube comprising a first generally semi cylindrical tube segment comprising a first pair of longitudinal edges, and a second generally semi cylindrical tube segment comprising a second pair of longitudinal edges, said first and second tube segments being configured to be joined together along their respective longitudinal edges to form a cylinder having a through bore, said longitudinal edges of said tube segments comprising interlocking fingers that are mated together to hold the first and second tube segments together; wherein each of said interlocking fingers extends at a non-zero angle relative to a longitudinal direction of said sample tube, said fingers each include a first end that defines a trough, a second end that defines a crest, and a sloped surface extending between said first and second ends that engages a corresponding sloped surface on the other tube segment to provide a means for forcing the tube segments laterally apart when the tube segments are slid longitudinally relative to each other.