Patent Application
20180297827
The present disclosure generally relates to extracting devices and related methods.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Soil or other materials on which construction is to take place typically are evaluated for specific density and moisture in order to prevent settlement and failure of structures during and after construction. Materials and/or soils may be placed at a construction site and compacted by heavy equipment and then tested by a nuclear density gauge for density and moisture content. At a surface location where nuclear density testing is to be performed, a drive pin typically is driven into the soil or material surface and then is extracted to provide a hole. A nuclear density gauge then is used to lower a rod containing a radioactive isotope into the hole to emit radiation. Radiation that is emitted and reflected back to the nuclear density gauge by the material and the moisture within the material may be used to calculate the density and moisture content of the material.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The inventor hereof has recognized that when, e.g., nuclear density testing is performed, traditional methods for extracting drive pins from soil or other material typically require the use of back muscles by the person extracting a pin. The person pulling the pin often has to assume an awkward body position, often while working on uneven terrain, in order to pull a pin. Back strains and injuries are common and typically a risk factor in pulling pins.
Accordingly, the inventor has developed and discloses herein exemplary embodiments of extracting devices and related methods. In one example embodiment, an extracting device is provided for extracting an object from a material. The example extracting device includes a frame that is connectable to the object to be extracted. An extraction rod is configured to be positioned on a surface alongside an exposed portion of the object. The extraction rod is selectively movable through the frame and through an advancer provided in the frame. A movable handle is pivotally attached to the frame and operable to move the advancer toward and against the extraction rod, to move the frame along the extraction rod, and to move the object to which the frame is connected, away from the material.
Although embodiments are described herein with reference to extracting drive pins from soil and with reference to nuclear density testing applications, the disclosure is not so limited. Various embodiments may be used for pulling and/or extracting various types of objects from various types of materials, including but not limited to compacted materials. Such objects include (without limitation) rods, dowels, stakes, other mechanically or manually driven objects, etc.
Referring now to the figures,
The frame 32 houses an interior compression spring 62 and an advancer 66 in an opening 70 of the frame 32. A spacer sleeve 68 also is provided in the opening 70. The spacer sleeve 68 includes a central stop portion 96. A proximal portion 98 of the spacer sleeve 68 extends through the frame proximal bore 58 and into an exterior compression spring 88. The advancer 66 is shown in greater detail in
The movable handle 48 is shown in greater detail in
When a user of the extracting device 20 has pressed the lower portion 92 of the rod release 86 distally toward the fixed handle 44, the extraction rod 56 is selectively movable proximally and/or distally through the frame 32, interior spring 62, advancer 66, spacer sleeve 68, exterior spring 88, and rod release 86. In various embodiments, releasing the extraction rod 56 allows a user to adjust the position of the frame 32 on the extraction rod 56 appropriately relative to a length of a pin to be extracted.
As shown in
In various embodiments, various types of object attachments and/or connectors could be used in relation to an extracting device frame. In some embodiments, an object attachment and a connector could be provided as a single unit attachable to an extracting device frame. For example, as shown in
As shown in
Referring again to
The extracting device 20 may be used, e.g., in the following example manner. While the user presses the rod release 86 so that the extraction rod 56 is selectively movable relative to the frame 32, the user pushes and/or pulls the extraction rod 56 relative to the frame 32 to provide a distal length 330 of the extraction rod 56 appropriate for seating the object attachment 100 securely onto an exposed portion of the pin 24 and for positioning the base attachment 300 over the exposed pin portion and onto the surface 28 near the exposed pin portion. The extraction rod 56 is thereby positioned, e.g., so as to be parallel with the pin 24 to be extracted. The movable handle 48 may be squeezed together with the fixed handle 44 to move the frame 32 away from the surface 28, to thereby snugly secure the object attachment 100 against the pin 24 and to snugly secure the base attachment 300 against the surface 28. In the present example embodiment, the pin 24 has a head 26 against which the object attachment 100 is pulled by the movement of the frame 32 away from the surface 28. Other or additional object attachment types are contemplated for extracting various types of objects. For example, in order to extract an object that has a bore or channel, an object attachment could be used that has an appropriately shaped protrusion that may be inserted through the bore or channel.
When the object attachment 100 has been secured to the pin 24 and the base attachment 300 has been secured against the surface 28, the user can extract the pin 24, e.g., by repeatedly grasping and squeezing the fixed handle 44 and movable handle 48 together, and/or by repeatedly pulling the movable handle 48 independently upward. In one example embodiment, when the user rotates the movable handle 48 toward the fixed handle 44, the movable handle 48 moves the pusher 76 against the advancer tip 80 distally and obliquely toward the extraction rod 56. The advancer 66 thus is pushed against the interior spring 62 while the inner surface 74 of the advancer 66 grips the extraction rod 56 to drive the extraction rod 56 distally. Since the distal end 302 of the extraction rod 56 is kept stationary on the surface 28, the driving force of the advancer 66 causes the frame 32 and object attachment 100 to be moved proximally along the extraction rod 56. The attached pin 24 also is moved proximally and in parallel with the extraction rod 56.
As the advancer 66 is moved distally and its inner surface 74 is pushed obliquely against the extraction rod 56 to drive the extraction rod 56, the frame crest 82 tends to be pushed downwardly against the rod release 86. The rod release 86 remains locked in place by the exterior spring 88, which keeps the extracting device 20 in tension as the frame 32 and pin 24 are moved together proximally. After advancing the frame 32 and pin 24, the user releases the movable handle 48, and the interior spring 62 decompresses and returns the advancer 66 to its original position adjacent the spacer sleeve 68. The stop 96 of the spacer sleeve 68 causes the advancer 66 to be returned to a position that allows the released movable handle 48 to stop moving when it has reached a desirable position (e.g., a position comfortable and/or convenient for subsequent user operation) relative to the fixed handle 44. The user may repeat the above sequence until the pin 24 (or a desired portion of the pin) is extracted from the material.
In various implementations the user performs hand flexing, grasping and/or pulling of the movable handle 48 in an upward motion parallel with the extraction rod 56 and pin 24. In one example implementation, if the extraction rod 56 and pin 24 become, e.g., more than ten (10) degrees out of parallel with each other, the user may push the rod release 86 to release the extraction rod 56. The user may then reset the extracting device 20 so that the extraction rod 56 is parallel with the pin 24. In various embodiments, the extracting device may be configured to extract a pin or other object that is not perpendicular to the ground. For example, in some implementations a non-level base attachment may be placed on the soil surface so as to compensate for a non-perpendicular object.
It should be noted that an advancer may be provided in various forms and configurations. As shown in
One example embodiment may be configured as follows. The movable handle 48 may be 6 inches or more in length. The fixed handle 44 may be 8 inches or more in length and 0.75 inch or more in thickness. A span of three inches may be provided between the fixed and movable handles. The pivot pin 50 and pusher 76 may each have a thickness of one-fourth of the diameter of the extraction rod 56. Referring to
In various embodiments, the frame 32 and extraction rod 56 are configured to make it possible to adapt the extracting device 20 for use in relation to different sizes of objects to be extracted. In various embodiments the extraction rod 56 has a diameter in accordance with strength needed to extract a given object. Similarly, the interior and exterior springs 62 and 88 have outside diameters in accordance with strength needed to extract the given object. In various embodiments, an extraction rod 56 could be easily interchanged on a given frame 32 to obtain an appropriate rod length for a given extraction task. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments are contemplated in which an interior spring 62, advancer 66, spacer sleeve 68, exterior spring 88, and/or rod release 86 may be provided as separate components that can be easily assembled onto a given extraction rod 56 by a user.
Embodiments of the foregoing devices and methods make it possible to remove a pin with minimal disturbance to materials around the hole formed during the removal. In order to obtain accurate results from nuclear density testing, materials around a pin are not be disturbed during the extraction of the pin. Embodiments of the foregoing devices and methods have been observed to minimally disturb the sidewalls and cavities of holes and voids remaining after extraction of pins. Thus, more consistent sampling for nuclear density testing can be provided as compared to traditional methods.
The foregoing embodiments also provide advantages relating to safety and injury prevention. Extracting a pin or other object might require from 25 to 300 or more pounds of force, which may vary substantially from one object to another. An operator or engineering technician thus may have no way to determine what force he or she will need to exert to pull a given pin from the ground. Pulling with more force than needed on an object could result in injury, just as not exerting enough force to extract an object could result in injury. In contrast to traditional lifting and leverage methods for removing objects from soil or other material, embodiments of the foregoing devices and methods can be used to extract objects by upward mechanical force without undue use of common muscle groups including back, leg, shoulder, and upper arm. Traditional methods include lifting, leverage, the use of lower and upper back muscles, squatting, shoulder and upper arm pulling, and leverage by tools. In contrast, embodiments of the foregoing devices and methods utilize hand and arm muscle groups and a trigger grip squeeze method to remove objects from soil or other material.
Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms, and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that may be achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for purpose of illustration only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure, as exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentioned advantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Specific dimensions, specific materials, and/or specific shapes disclosed herein are example in nature and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values and particular ranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive of other values and ranges of values that may be useful in one or more of the examples disclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any two particular values for a specific parameter stated herein may define the endpoints of a range of values that may be suitable for the given parameter (i.e., the disclosure of a first value and a second value for a given parameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any value between the first and second values could also be employed for the given parameter). For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A and also exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that parameter X may have a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it is envisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for a parameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping or distinct) subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might be claimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, if parameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10, or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have other ranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, and 3-9.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The term “about” when applied to values indicates that the calculation or the measurement allows some slight imprecision in the value (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If, for some reason, the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring or using such parameters. For example, the terms “generally,” “about,” and “substantially,” may be used herein to mean within manufacturing tolerances. Or, for example, the term “about” as used herein when modifying a quantity of an ingredient or reactant of the invention or employed refers to variation in the numerical quantity that can happen through typical measuring and handling procedures used, for example, when making concentrates or solutions in the real world through inadvertent error in these procedures; through differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of the ingredients employed to make the compositions or carry out the methods; and the like. The term “about” also encompasses amounts that differ due to different equilibrium conditions for a composition resulting from a particular initial mixture. Whether or not modified by the term “about,” the claims include equivalents to the quantities.
Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements, intended or stated uses, or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
