US3234788A

US3234788A - Cylindrical jack for drill holes and combination thereof with a recording device

Info

Publication number: US3234788A
Application number: US245134A
Authority: US
Inventors: Talobre Joseph Antoine-Auguste
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-12-19
Filing date: 1962-12-17
Publication date: 1966-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 1983-02-15
Also published as: ES282488A1; FR1319311A

Description

Feb 1965 J. ANTOINE-AUGUSTE TALOBRE 3, 8

CYLINDRICAL JACK FOR DRILL HOLES AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A RECORDING DEVICE Filed Dec 1 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2oFlG.l

JOSEPH AN TOINE-AUGUSTE TALOBRE R W IT w m WW- 1 9 2 J .1 MS. //W, I b l 8 A 2 4 3 o III I 8 4' ATTORNEYS 1966 J. ANTOINE-AUGUSTE TAL RE 3,234,788

CYLINDRICAL JACK FOR DRILL HOLES A COMBINATION THEREOF WITH A RECORDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENI OR J OSEPH ANTQIN E AUGUSTE TALOBR E ATTORNEYS United States Patent 8 Claims. (cl. 73-152 This invention relates to a cylindrical jack for drill holes designed for geotechnical measurements. A cylindrical jack is of the greatest utility for checking the quality of a rock, and particularly that of dam abutments.

Various types of apparatus have been resorted to heretofore for conducting tests of this order, but they have the drawback either of being too heavy, requiring the prior excavating of an access gallery to the zone to be explored (such galleries being costly and also detrimental to the stability of the terrain to be explored), of calling for the execution of relatively large bore holes, of preventing exploration to great depths, or of being accurately applicable only to loose ground.

The cylindrical jack of this invention allows in particular for overcoming these drawbacks. This invention accordingly has for its object to provide a cylindrical jack adapted to be slipped into the usual types of bore holes, such as those necessary for geological survey or those used for geotechnical survey, or into bore holes specially prepared for strength tests and through which the desired point can be reached.

It is another object of the invention to provide a cylindrical jack usable for computing rock characteristics, so as to determine the degree of safety offered by the rock.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cylindrical jack adapted to furnish a number of figures sufficient to safely characterize the strength of a rock, and to do so both economically and rapidly.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a sturdy yet compact apparatus, by using a cylindrical jack which is preferably made of metal.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus which allows for measuring such rock characteristics as the modulus of elasticity, the cohesion, the angle of internal friction, the internal vertical compression of the rock, and the like, and which utilizes a flat metal jack set under pressure by a virtually non-compressible liquid that does not attack metal and wherein the volume of liquid used is reduced to a minimum, thereby eliminating for all practical purposes the usual causes of error as well as the corrections normally made to allow for the compressibility of liquids and for their thermal expansion.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type cited hereinbefore, wherein said apparatus is filled with liquid once and for all in a workshop and can be lowered into a drill hole without being emptied, yet without being in danger of becoming jammed in the drill hole.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an apparatus comprising a cylindrical jack of the aforementioned type combined with an apparatus located above ground which automatically records the test data.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for measuring rock characteristics, which is characterized by its mobility, convenience and high speed operation.

A cylindrical jack according to the invention can be built to an outer diameter of about three inches and can be utilized very effectively in rock, since it enables very high pressures to be applied, for instance of the order of 200 kg./cm. it also enables zones as deep, say, as 100 meters, to be explored.

3,234,788 Patented Feb. 15, 1966 Other objects of the invention, together with other advantages, will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is given by way of example and not of limitation, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of a cylindrical jack embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section taken through the line IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a schematic perspective view of a recording device connected to the cylindrical jack of FIGURES 1 to 3.

The apparatus according to the invention basically comprises a generally cylindrical shaped cylindrical jack proper, the nominal diameter of which is three inches, say, designed to be lowered into a drill hole of slightly larger diameter and adapted to exert a high radial pressure against the sides of the bore hole, and a device for reading and preferably recording the deformations of the walls of the bore hole. This latter device linked to the cylindrical jack is installed in the open air and its function is to render visible and preferably record, in graphical form, such displacements of the wall of the drill hole as are occasioned by the pressure exerted by the cylindrical jack.

The cylindrical jack is itself divided into two parts (see FIGURES 1 through 3). It comprises a pressure applying member generally designated by the reference numeral 1 and positioned in the lower portion of an enclosure 2 containing equipment for converting the displacement detected into electrical or pneumatic signals or into further mechanical motions calculated to actuate the recording devices of the apparatus installed in the open air.

The pressure applying member 1 is composed of a certain number of segments or staves 3 made of some hard material such as wood or metal, which together substantially form a hollow cylinder. The number of staves is preferably even and greater than two, six for instance. Said staves are separated by pressure generating members (the number of which is consequently equal to the number of staves), such as flat jacks or bellows 4, inflated to an equal but variable pressure. The flat jacks 4 can be made of metal or not, but their walls are preferably thin, being made of stainless metal possibly strengthened by a network of thin, very-heavy-duty steel wires. The deformation that can be withstood by these special jacks thus greatly exceeds normal service requirements. The bellows or flat jacks are set under pressure by a virtually non-compressible liquid that will not attack the metal used, in accordance with a flow diagram to be described hereinafter.

As illustrated in FIGURE 3, said bellows 4 comprise a flat portion bordered on each side by rounded portions, one of which is in contact with two successive staves in the internal space left by the several staves, and the other lodged in recesses which are formed at the outer joint between two staves to prevent the bellows from projecting externally from the cylindrical contour formed by said staves. The length over which the pressure is appliedwhich is also the length of the flat bellows 4-is equal, for example, to five times the diameter.

The staves 3 and the bellows 4 are retained by upper and lower springs 5 and 5' respectively. Said springs are calibrated springs which prevent the cylindrical jack from inflating under the weight of the column of liquid when it is lowered into a drill hole. The staves are drilled with longitudinal bores 6 inside which are disposed tie-rods 7 having stud like threaded extremities. Said tie-rods confine the staves between a terminal piece 8 and a further piece 9 forming part of the enclosure 2. Suitable clearance is provided between the tie-rods and the bores to allow for radial deformations of the staves.

The device for detecting radial deformations of the staves comprises, for example, horizontal rods 10, each of which is rigidly connected to the middle portion of a stave. Said rods extend through the staves and their extremities a are rigid with the outer stave faces in contact with the sides of the drill hole into which the cylindrical jack is lowered. With an even number of staves, the horizontal rods can be associated in diametrically opposed pairs. The inner extremities 10b of two opposed rods co-operate with a beam-lever 11 supported by a vertical shaft 12, in such manner that the radial displacements sustained by the staves in contact with the wall of the drill-hole, when pressure is applied by the bellows 4, are converted into rotations of the vertical shafts 12. The tie-rods 7 penetrate into enclosure 2 via flexible and leakproof seals 13 (see FIG- URE 2).

Inside said enclosure 2, the very small rotations of the shafts 12 are amplified by a multiplier 15 and transmitted in the form of rotations either to electric telemetering means 16, or to a mechanical transmitting device such as a flexible connection.

The flexible connection or the electric output leads from the device 16 pass through a duct 17 which extends through the top of enclosure 2 via a leakproof union 18. A flexible line 19 conveys the oil or other convenient fluid under pressure to the flat bellows 4. A flexible sheath 20 protects both the flexible line 19 and the flexible connection or electric lead means. The oil line 19 is connected to a conventional pressurizing pump installed above ground. Said pump is capable, say, of imparting a head of about 300 kg./cm. to the oil.

A cable 21 is provided to raise the apparatus to the surface, even in the event of its becoming jammed in the drill hole.

The flexible connections or electrical leads are connected to a surface apparatus which gives readings of the values of the radial deformations of the drill hole. Said apparatus should preferably be a recording apparatus, similar for example to that illustrated in FIG- URE 4.

The device for recording the deformations is contained in a casing 23. The apparatus is of the transportable type and its function is to plot automatic graphs of diametrical deformations of the drill hole versus pressure. To this end, it comprises recording cylinders 24 equal in number -to the number of shafts 12, each of which is pivoted in response to the action of two rods 10. Fresh sheets of paper are rolled onto said cylinders for each experiment. The graphs are plotted by styluses 24' which are displaced parallel to the cylinder axes through amounts proportional to the pressure transmitted to the flat bellows 4 of the cylindrical jacks. Said styluses are operated by bellows device 25 which are connected to flexible line 19 between the pressurizing pump and the cylindrical jacks. In turn, each cylinder 24 revolves about its axis by an amount proportional to the angular displacement of the corresponding shaft 12 and is controlled by one of the strain gages formed by two opposed rods 10. The cylinder can be rotated either by mechanical means or by an electric remote control device 26. The link between component 26 and the transmitter 16 contained in enclosure 2 is achieved through the wiring running through duct 17.

The casing 23 further contains a chronometer 27 complete with bell, for facilitating the conduct of the pressurizing operations in accordance with a scheduled program. It is further equipped with

accurate pressure gages

28 and 29 to indicate the pressure in flexible line 19. Said casing 23 is preferably supported on a table equipped with adjustable legs 30.

Thus, in operation, when the cylindrical jack staves are deformed under the action of the pressurizing members 4 and exert pressure against the sides of the drill hole, this results, on the one hand, in styluses 24 mov ing parallel with the axes of cylinders 24 and, on the other, in said cylinders revolving to an extent dependent upon the deformations sustained by the walls of the drill hole. Graphs are consequently obtained directly, in which the wall deformations are plotted against the pressure exerted and form which it is possible to determine various geotechnical characteristics of the terrain in which the drill hole is made.

It will be seen therefore that the apparatus can be lowered into a drill hole, moved, set under pressure, relieved of pressure, etc., as desired, merely by operating a few levers. It can be used anywhere, remote from any water point or electric line. It requires no supervision other than monitoring the pressures to be varied in accordance with a preset program and the depths at which the cylindrical jack is to be fixed. All the other operations are performed automatically. In addition, no complex operation is necessary for setting up the apparatus. It can be set under pressure at heightened speed and no special operation is required to record the results, it being suflicient to change the recording drurn at the appropriate time.

By reason of this mobility, convenience and rapidity, great time savings are insured and the operating cost is considerably reduced. By virtue of the time saving effected, the measurements can be virtually multiplied as desired, at any depth, while the low cost of the tests permits a large number of measurements-a hundred or so, for exampleto be made at any given site. The measurements can even be renewed, if need be, without the resulting expenditure being unduly increased. Thus all the requirements are ideally met to permit thorough and effective exploration of the rock sites studied, and hence to insure the success of such projects under 0ptimum conditions of safety, quality, time and cost.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made to the specific embodiments herein before described, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

By way of example, it will be manifest that the figure of six cited by way of example for the number of staves was given chiefly for illustrative purposes. However, as stated precedingly, it is preferable to have an even number of segments, greater than two, in order to permit a plurality of simultaneous and independent diameter meas urements, by cumulating the spacings of two segments located symmetrically with respect to the cylindrical jack axis.

What I claim is:

1. A cylindrical jack for bore holes, comprising a pressure applying member consisting of segments numbering more than two and disposed to substantially form a hollow cylinder, pressurizing means positioned between adjacent segments for setting the same under variable pressure, detecting means disposed within said cylinder for detecting diametrical displacements of said segments when said pressurizing means are operative, and means to convey a signal related to said displacement to a remote display device.

2. A cylindrical jack according to claim 1, wherein said segments are even in number.

3. A cylindrical jack according to claim 1, wherein said pressurizing means are flat metallic bellows which are inflatable under the action of a liquid under pressure.

4. A cylindrical jack according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means comprise members which convert the radial displacements of said segments into rotations of a shaft disposed axially within said cylinder.

5. A cylindrical jack according to claim 4, wherein said members comprise, in respect of each pair of segments, a pair of opposed rods having one of their extremities respectively rigid with the outer faces of said pair of segments, and a beam-"lever supported on said axial shaft and rotated by the other extremities of said pair of rods.

6. A cylindrical jack according to claim 1, wherein said signal conveying means comprises an upper substantially cylindrical enclosure from which said pressure applying member is dependent, and apparatus disposed within said enclosure for amplifying the values detected by said detecting means and for transmitting said signal related to said values to the surface through a flexible connection.

7. An apparatus for measuring the rock characteristics in a drill hole, comprising, in combination, a cylindrical jack adapted to be introduced into said drill hole and comprising a lower pressure-applying member composed of a plurality of segments numbering more than two and arranged to substantially form a hollow cylinder, deformable pressurizing means disposed between adjacent segments for setting the same under variable pressure in response to the action of a pressurized liquid, detecting means disposed within said cylinder for detecting the displacements of said segments when said pressurizing means are energized by said liquid, a substantially cylindrical upper enclosure from which said lower pressure-applying member is dependent, amplification means disposed within said enclosure, a transportable recording apparatus set up in the open air and connected to said amplification means through a flexible connection, and means connected to said deformable pressuring means for supply ing liquid under pressure.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said deformable pressurizing means for setting said segments under pressure are flat metallic bellows which are inflatable under the action of said liquid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,150,070 3/1939 Kregecz 33178 2,638,168 5/1953 Parks 166-187 X 2,957,341 10/1960 Menard 7384 RICHARD C. QUEISSER, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT L. EVANS, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CYLINDRICAL JACK FOR BORE HOLES, COMPRISING A PRESSURE APPLYING MEMBER CONSISTING OF SEGMENT NUMBERING MORE THAN TWO AND DISPOSED TO SUBSTANTIALLY FORM A HOLLOW CYLINDER, PRESSURIZING MEANS POSITIONED BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS FOR SETTING THE SAME UNDER VARIABLE PRESSURE, DETECTING MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER FOR DETECTING DIAMETRICAL DISPLACEMENTS OF SAID SEGMENTS WHEN SAID PRESSURIZING MEANS ARE OPERATIVE, AND MEANS TO CONVEY A SIGNAL RELATED TO SAID DISPLACEMENT TO A REMOTE DISPLAY DEVICE.