AU662258B2

AU662258B2 - Rotary soil sampler

Info

Publication number: AU662258B2
Application number: AU52724/93A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Joseph Baker
Original assignee: Chief Executive Officer of Department of Agriculture
Current assignee: Chief Executive Officer of Department of Agriculture
Priority date: 1992-12-30
Filing date: 1993-12-23
Publication date: 1995-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2013-12-23
Also published as: AU5272493A

Description

66E2 25 8

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION For a Standard Patent

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT II I 4 4 4 44 4 .4 4 4 *44 4 4* 40 4. 4 4 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICEP OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MICHAEL JOSEPH BAKER WRAY ASSOCIATES, Piay nuty Hos, 239 Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, 6000.

Adelaide 44 I *4 4 i~ 4 I A Attorney code: WR *4 *4 a .4 Ii I #4 4* Invention Title: "ROTARY SOIL SAMPLER" Details of Associated Provisional Application: No: PL6 622 The following statement is a full description invention, including the best method of performing it us sof this known to 1- 1~.

2 THIS INVENTION relates to sampling of soils and in particular an implement which can be utilised in the sampling of soils.

In the field of agriculture it is necessary to periodically analyse the soil of an area of land used for cropping and pasture to determine the characteristics of the soil in order that one can determine the form of fertiliser and trace elements which may need to be applied to the soil.

Previous methods of taking soil samples has been to utilise a traditional sampler comprising a tube which is approximately ten centimetres in length and has a diameter of approximately 2.5cm. That tube is pushed in to the ground to collect the sample and is removed from the ground with the sample extracted for analysis. The difficulty 15 with such a soil sampler however relies in the inadequate control over the method of sampling which does not ensure that the samples extracted from an area of land is representative of the soil for that area. Furthermore such samples are generally taken under dry conditions when in some cases the ground can be very hard and incapable of being penetrated to an adequate depth. As a result the accuracy of the sample collected from an area can be t* directly related to the physical strength and attitude of the person taking the sampling. Furthermore in ground 25 formed of dry sandy soil the sampling depth can be quite inconsistent and in many cases the collected sample will not remain in the tube on removal of the tube from the ground.

It is an object of this invention to provide a soil sampler which overcomes at least some of the difficulties referred to above and is capable of providing a more representative sample irrespective of the natue nat of the soil.

-3- In one form the invention resides in a soil sampler comprising a support, a rotor rotatably supported from the support, a drive means to cause rotation oi the rotor, a support means adapted to control the position of the rotor with respect to the ground such that a portion of the rotor can be brought into engagement with the ground, the periphery of the rotor being adapted to dislodge from the ground the soil encountered in its path of rotation and throw such soil upwardly, a diverter supported from the support to extend partially across the upward path of the soil to divert at least some of the soil incident thereon to a collection zone.

The invention will be more fully understood in the light of .the following description of one specific embodiment. The jj. 15 description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the embodiment; and *4 Figure 2 is a schematic cross sectionalelevation of a iH portion of the embodiment incorporating the rotor.

The embodiment comprises a soil sampler 11 which is I supported from a tractor vehicle 12 through a three point linkage 13. As a result the soil sampler extends rearwardly from the tractor and is capable of being varied in height above the ground as a result of the operation of the three point linkage.

The sampler comprises a support frame 14 which is adapted at one end to be rigidly mounted to the three point linkage 13 of the tractor and is provided towards its other end with a castor mounted support wheel 15. The castor wheel 15 is supported from the support frame 14 by a trailing arm 16 which is pivotally mounted at its other end from the support frame, the trailing arm is further supported from -4the support frame 14 by an extensic" means 17 which may comprise a threaded rod threadably received in a correspondingly configured element on the support frame 14 whereby rotation of the shaft 17 varies the spacing of the wheel 15 from the support frame 14 and thus the support frame 14 from the ground. Alternatively the threaded rod 16 may be replaced by a hydraulic cylinder or like extension means.

The support frame 14 supports a rotor 18 which is rotatably supported from the support frame 14 by a substantially horizontal shaft 19 which is drivingly connected to the gear box 20 supported on the support frame 14 and which is :,in turn driven from a power take off shaft 21 between the tractor vehicle and the support frame 14. The upper 15 portion of the rotor is surrounded by a cowl 22 comprising a pair of parallel end walls 23 and 24 which are located to each side of the rotor 18 and a part circular side wall which partially surrounds the rotor. The side wall 25 of the cowl which partially surrounds the rotor does not 20 encompass the lower portion of the rotor to enable the 4 t lower portion of the rotor to be able to be engaged with I the ground. The cowl also lies clear of the tangential path of soil engaged by the cutters 31 and thrown upwardly away from the surface of the ground as a result of rotation of the rotor 18.

t 4 The rotor 18 is provided with a central hub 26 -which supports a plurality of radial arms 27 spaced at angularly equidistant intervals around the periphery of the hub 26.

The outer end of each arm 27 supports a cutter element 28 which each comprise a plate formed of a wear resistant material fixed to the leading edge of the respective arm and which is transverse to the plane of the rotor.

The cowl 21 also supports a diverter 30 which lies across said tangential path of the soil and is formed with a pair ii, rr 5 of engagement surfaces 31 and 32 which are divergent with respect to each other such that soil which is picked up and thrown by the rotor will engage the diverter to be split into two fractions directed to opposite sides of the diverter. One surface 31 is associated with an aperture 33 provided in one end wall 23 of the cowl 21 and through which soil diverted by said one surface 31 passes to a collection receptacle 34 is provided adjacent the aperture 33 for collection of the sample. The position of the diverter 30 can be varied laterally across the cowl 21 to vary the magnitude of the fraction of soil thrown by the rotor which s 'diverted by the one surface 31.

In operation the sampling device is mounted to the three point linkage 13 of a tractor vehicle 12 and the position of the castor wheel 15 is set such that when the castor wheel is in engagement with the ground the rotor will penetrate to a predetermined extent into the soil. During passage of the tractor 12 over the ground the power takeoff shaft drives the gear box of the sampler such that the rotor is caused to rotate. Such rotation of the rotor 18 causes engagement of the cutters 28 with the ground and the I soil encountered by the cutters is dislodged and thrown upwardly from the ground as a result of that rotation. Some of the soil will be directed onto the diverter 30 and a portion of that soil will be diverted by the one surface 31 through the aperture 33 to the collection receptacle 34.

,c After the passage of the tractor vehicle 12 across a predetermined zone the sample is removed from the collection receptacle and a firther sample is taken at some other location.

If desired the soil sampler may be self supporting and be provided with its own drive motor whereby it can be towed behind a vehicle during the sampling operation.

Alternatively the rotor may be driven from the support ~~~-lKwheels for the support frame. In addition further controls

I

-6may be associated with the sampler such that with its passage over the ground the rotor may be periodically raised and lowered such that it periodically engages the soil to take samples at spaced locations along a predetermined path.

It should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention need not be limited to the particular scope of the embodiment described above.

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Claims

1. A soil sampler comprising a support, a rotor rotatably supported from the support, a drive means for causing rotation of the rotor, a support means adapted to control the position of the rotor with respect to the ground such that a portion of the periphery of the rotor can be brought into engagement with the ground, the periphery of the rotor being adapted to dislodge from the ground the soil encountered in its path of rotation and throw such soil upwardly, a diverter supported from the support to extend partially across the upward path of the soil to divert a fraction of suci soil to a collection zone.

2. A soil sampler as claimed at claim 1 wherein the adaption to the periphery of the rotor comprises a plurality of radial arms at equiangular intervals around the rotor. S

3. A soil sampler as claimed at claim 2 wherein the outer j 1 portion of the leading edge of each arm is formed with a portion extending transversely of the arm having wear resistant properties.

4. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 where the position of the diverter is variable to vary the magnitude of the fraction of soil. S•

5. A soil sampler as claimed t any one of the preceding S1 claims wherein the diverter comprises an engagement surface oriented substantially vertically, said engagement surface being angled with respect to the path of soil so as to divert soil indicent upon the engagement surface to the collection zone.

6. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of claims 1 to wherein the height of the support can be varied. It4 S 8

7. A soil sampler as claimed at claim 6 wherein the height of the support can be periodically varied such that the rotor can be periodically brought into engagement with the ground.

8. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the support is adapted to be mounted to the three poLnt linkage of a tractor vehicle.

9. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the support is self supporting.

A soil sampler as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein the rotor is driven from the power take-off of a tractor vehicle.

11. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 9 t wherein the rotor is driven from at least one support wheel provided on said support.

12. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the rotor is driven from an engine provided on said support.

13. A soil sampler as claimed at any one of the preceding claims wherein said rotor is associated with e cowl which c encloses each side face of the rotor and a portion of the 66 periphery of the rotor. S44 Ar i~ ir -4 i 8a-

14. A soil sampler substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this TWENTY EIGHTH day of JUNE 1995 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Applicant, WRAY ASSOCIATES, Perth, Western Australia, Patent Attorneys for the Applicant. ABSTRACT 3oil sampler comprising a support, a rotor rotatably supported from the support, a drive means for causing rotation of the rotor, a support means adapted to control the position of the rotor with respect to the ground such that a portion of the periphery of the rotor can be brought into engagement with the ground, the periphery of the rotor being adapted to dislodge from the ground the soil encountered in its path of rotation and throw such soil upwardly, a diverter supported from the support to extend partially across the upward path of the soil to divert a fraction of such soil to a collectiononone. o as .*44* 44* I 44 i