Subsurface soil conditioning
US6018909A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE01C13/083
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
Soil profiles of sports fields, such as those in stadiums and golf courses, are treated by injecting or suctioning gases and water by means of buried horizontal pipe arrays or by vertical penetrators. The extent of soil treatment is controlled by measurement of subsurface gas composition and pressure at locations remote from the point of gas injection or removal, preferably by using a special probe. Penetrators and probes form seals within shaped holes in the soil profile, to control the depth of the layer at which gas is exchanged, and to inhibit atmospheric air flow vertically along the bodies of the devices. For example, a conical penetrator section forms a seal within the hole by compacting the shoulder of a stepped hole and it forms a second seal at the surface of the soil by means of a plate and gasket. In other penetrator installations, a radially expansible material forms the seal. Penetrators of one or two part construction may be removably installed in fields, to facilitate re-treatment. Vertical penetrators are also permanently installed and connected by an subterranean pipe array.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.