CA3226668A1 - Penetration testing module - Google Patents

Penetration testing module Download PDF

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Publication number
CA3226668A1
CA3226668A1 CA3226668A CA3226668A CA3226668A1 CA 3226668 A1 CA3226668 A1 CA 3226668A1 CA 3226668 A CA3226668 A CA 3226668A CA 3226668 A CA3226668 A CA 3226668A CA 3226668 A1 CA3226668 A1 CA 3226668A1
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Canada
Prior art keywords
casing
penetration testing
testing module
spectrometer
window
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Pending
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CA3226668A
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French (fr)
Inventor
James Sharp
Iman Entezari
Dallas Mcgowan
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Soletanche Freyssinet SA
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Soletanche Freyssinet SA
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Priority to CA3226668A priority Critical patent/CA3226668A1/en
Publication of CA3226668A1 publication Critical patent/CA3226668A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/85Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
    • G01N21/8507Probe photometers, i.e. with optical measuring part dipped into fluid sample
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/84Systems specially adapted for particular applications
    • G01N21/85Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
    • G01N21/8507Probe photometers, i.e. with optical measuring part dipped into fluid sample
    • G01N2021/855Underground probe, e.g. with provision of a penetration tool
    • GPHYSICS
    • G01MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01NINVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N21/00Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
    • G01N21/17Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
    • G01N21/25Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)

Abstract

A penetration testing module comprising: a casing having a window; a light source, housed in the casing and configured to generate a light beam that passes through the window and propagates towards an environment; an optical sensor, housed in the casing and configured to detect light reflected by the environment and passing through the window; and at least one spectrometer, housed in the casing and connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor delivering an optical signal to the at least one spectrometer.

Description

PENETRATION TESTING MODULE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the technical field of soil analysis and in particular to a module for use in a penetration testing method. In a non-limiting embodiment, the invention relates to a cone penetration testing method.
BACKGROUND
In the field of geotechnical and geoenvironmental site investigations, the characterization of soils and soil-like geomaterials holds significant importance. The accurate and efficient characterization of such materials necessitates a combination of in-situ testing and sampling approaches. Laboratory testing and Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) are commonly employed methods for soil characterization.
Laboratory testing allows for the measurement of various soil properties, including geotechnical, mineralogical, and chemical properties. For laboratory testing to be possible, drilling and sampling is required, usually from a purpose-built piece of drilling equipment and crew, adding cost and complexity on site. The transportation of the samples implies higher costs, logistics constraints (traceability) and greenhouse gases emissions.
Laboratory work is time-consuming, and variable results are dependent on the chosen methods and personnel expertise.
These limitations highlight the need for improved techniques that can overcome these challenges and provide more reliable and expedient soil characterization. Laboratory testing can include spectral analysis of the samples. Indeed, in the domain of soil science, reflectance spectroscopy may be valuable for various applications, including mineral identification and quantification, estimation of contaminants, quantitative assessment of the chemical composition of soils and soil-like materials, water content and void ratio.
The Cone Penetration Test is a direct push probe routinely used for geotechnical site investigations. Cone Penetration Testing is performed by advancing an instrumented probe with various sensors into the ground/tailings. One refers to CPT when the cone resistance and sleeve friction are measured. The "CPTu" probe includes sensors to measure the tip resistance, sleeve Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 friction, dynamic pore pressure, inclination, and temperature; recorded continuously with depth.
CPTu can be directly pushed into a variety of soil types including dyke, beach, slimes, and fluid tailings. To enhance CPTu data, the CPTu can be outfitted with additional modules and sensors to collect a variety of other in-situ data.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,337,159 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,536, and U.S. Pat. No.
5,128,882 describe penetrometer units designed for in-situ measurement of soil reflectance. A reflected analog light signal is carried by a fiber optic cable from the cone module to a spectrometer at the ground level. However, these existing solutions have certain limitations.
Firstly, the use of fiber optic cables is cost-prohibitive and prone to fragility, making them susceptible to breakage in field settings. Additionally, the signal-to-noise ratio is inversely proportional to the length of the fiber optic cable, resulting in reduced signal quality with longer cable lengths. In practice, a fiber optic cable longer than 2 meters will not allow the transmission of a reliable analog light signal.
Hence, practical collection of in-situ reflectance data is limited to shallow soil depths, and deep profile measurements beyond a few meters are not feasible.
These limitations underscore the need for an improved approach to achieve cost-effective, robust, and deeper in-situ spectral measurements.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure provides for such a need, thanks to a penetration testing module comprising: a casing having a window; a light source, housed in the casing and configured to generate a light beam that passes through the window and propagates towards an environment;
an optical sensor, housed in the casing and configured to detect light reflected by the environment and passing through the window; and at least one spectrometer, housed in the casing and connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor delivering an optical signal to the at least one spectrometer.
The incorporation of the spectrometer(s) into the penetration module offers several benefits: it makes possible for spectral measurements to be made down-hole in-situ and without any depth limitation. Additionally, the analysis is rendered more efficient as there is no longer a need to gather a physical sample for uphole analysis, the post-processing may be made immediately allowing on-site decisions by engineers and other professionals;
the reliability of the Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 analysis is improved as the spectrometer(s) is/are closer to the light sensor;
the entirety of the data collected in the module can be transferred digitally at once to a common software, making the analysis smoother and more reliable; the implementation is easy as it does not alter the regular process of penetration testing for the users; costs and energy is saved;
resource utilization is improved and environmental impact is minimized. Finally, the module presented herein is compact and can be easily integrated into standard CPT equipment, deployed behind a cone penetrometer or as a standalone module. The tool's portability enables efficient and flexible deployment in various field settings, facilitating on-site data acquisition and analysis. In a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the penetration testing module is integrated in a cone penetration test (CPT). Hence the hyperspectral data and CPT regular data (the tip resistance, sleeve friction, dynamic pore pressure, inclination, and temperature) may be measured simultaneously.
In some examples, the optical sensor is an optical fiber. The optical fiber (or fiber optic cable) can transmit an analog light signal captured in the vicinity of the window. The optical fiber may be of a length that is less than three feet, or less than two feet or less than one foot.
In some examples, the optical fiber comprises a main branch receiving light reflected by the environment, and two outlet branches connecting the main branch to the at least one spectrometer. The two outlet branches may be connected to two distinct ports of the at least one spectrometer.
In some examples, the at least one spectrometer comprises two spectrometers and each of the two spectrometers is connected to a respective one of the two outlet branches. In some examples, more than two spectrometers are provided (for example four, five, or six spectrometers), and a corresponding number of outlet branches are provided.
In some examples, the at least one spectrometer comprises two spectrometers configured to analyze the optical signal in two different spectral ranges. In some examples, the two different spectral ranges may overlap, so as to provide a partial redundancy over the entire spectrum. In some examples, the two different spectral ranges are selected from: the visible spectral range, the visible near-infrared spectral range, the shortwave infrared spectral range, the midwave infrared spectral range and the longwave infrared spectral range.
Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 In some examples, the light source is an aluminum reflector lamp. The lamp may provide light in a wide spectrum. The beam projected by the light source may be oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the module, in such a way that the optical sensor perceives light reflected from the environment.
In some examples, the casing is generally tubular and comprises at least one inner cavity, and the light source, the optical sensor and the at least one spectrometer are received in the cavity.
In some examples, the casing comprises an opening and a cable connected to the at least one spectrometer extends through the opening. The cable can be shielded or reinforced. The cable can have a sheath enclosing a plurality of connectors and may convey uphole the entirety of data collected by the various sensors boarded in the CPT module. Any appropriate type of cable can be used (e.g. coaxial, RJ45, HDMI, VDI, etc.).
In some examples, the casing has a longitudinal direction and the window extends in the longitudinal direction over a width that is comprised between 0.25 and 2 inches. The window should be wide enough to let the light beam out and let the reflected light in. The window should not be too wide as it may disturb the rigidity of the module. In some examples, the footprint captured by the sensor may be of 0.5 cm or bigger.
In some examples, the casing has a longitudinal direction, and the light source and a receiving end of the optical sensor are offset in the longitudinal direction.
In some examples, the casing has a longitudinal direction, and the at least one spectrometer comprises at least two spectrometers that are offset in the longitudinal direction.
This arrangement enables to foresee a cavity that is not too wide, thereby maintaining the mechanical strength of the casing.
In some examples, the window is made of sapphire. This material is sufficiently hard to not scratch as the module moves, and this material does not alter the light spectrum. In some alternative examples, the window is made of diamond, solid polycarbonate or tempered glass.
The invention further relates to a cone penetration testing system comprising:
a cone; a casing connected to the cone end and having a window; a light source, housed in the casing and configured to generate a light beam that passes through the window and propagates towards an Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 environment; an optical sensor, housed in the casing and configured to detect light reflected by the environment and passing through the window; at least one spectrometer, housed in the casing and connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor delivering an optical signal to the at least one spectrometer; and at least one sensor for measuring at least one of: a cone tip resistance, a sleeve friction, a dynamic pore pressure, an inclination, and a temperature.
The cone penetration testing system may comprise the various aspects discussed above in relation to the penetration testing module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross-section of a CPT module.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 shows a cross-section of an example of a CPT module 1. In alternative embodiments (not shown), the module 1 is a standalone module (not part of a CPT system) which may be pushed in the soil as such. The module 1 comprises a casing 4 which extends in a longitudinal direction A. In use, the longitudinal direction A is vertical. At one end of the casing, an adapter 2 can connect the casing 4 to a cone 6. The cone 6 forms the lowest end of a CPT
system. A CPT testing system may contain a plurality of tubular elements which may be successively connected to one another at the ground level and pushed down into the ground by various known methods. The module 1 may be one of these tubular elements. In a non-limiting example, the module 1 may be close to the cone or pushed as a standalone module.
The casing 4 may have an external surface 8 that is cylindrical and that is in contact with or close by the soil 9 or tailings, as the casing 4 is pushed down. The diameter of the external surface 8 may be comprised between 1 inch and 5 inches.
In the longitudinal direction A, the casing 4 has a length that may be comprised between one and three feet.
The casing 4 comprises a cavity 10. A sleeve 12 may be received in the cavity 10. The sleeve holds a light source 14 and an optical sensor 16.
The light source 14 may be an aluminum reflector lamp which generates light, schematically illustrated as a beam of light 18. The emitted light is reflected by the soil/tailing 9 Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 as illustrated with the reflected light beam 20 captured by the optical sensor 16. The receiving end of the optical sensor 16, where light is captured, can be offset longitudinally with respect to the light source 14.
The beam 18 and the reflected light 20 both pass through a window 22. The window 22 is transparent and can be made of sapphire. An external surface of the window 22 is flush with the external surface 8 of the casing. The window 22 extends in the longitudinal direction A over a width that is comprised between 0.25 and 2 inches.
The optical sensor 16 is an optical fiber. In the illustrated example, the optical fiber 16 comprises a main branch 24 extending from the vicinity of the window 22, and a pair of outlet branches 26, 28 extending from a divider 30 to a respective spectrometer 32, 34. The presence of the spectrometers 32, 34 in the casing 4 enable the analysis of the soil without the need to extract a sample.
In contrast, spectral measurements are conventionally collected from soil samples within laboratory settings, necessitating sample extraction and limiting the application to discrete samples. By integrating a spectral sensor into a CPT module, the need for sampling is eliminated, and continuous results can be obtained as the CPT module penetrates the soil or soil-like materials with depth. This advancement opens new possibilities for real-time and in-situ soil characterization, providing valuable insights into the chemical composition and other important properties throughout subsurface exploration.
Reflectance spectroscopy is a valuable technology utilized for obtaining qualitative and/or quantitative information about various materials, finding applications across diverse industries. It involves measuring the reflected light from a target material as a function of wavelength, thereby acquiring a spectral response. Spectral sensors partition the electromagnetic spectrum into multiple wavelength intervals (spectral bands), enabling the capture of detailed spectral information from the target of interest. The chemical composition and crystal structure of the materials primarily influence the spectral response. The collected data can thus be used to determine the chemical composition (e.g., mineral and water content) and physical structure (e.g., particle size distribution) of soils, contaminated soils, and soil-like materials such as mine tailings, fly ash, and other granular or slurry industrial waste.
Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 The two spectrometers 32, 34 provide for a simultaneous and independent analysis of the reflected light. The spectrometers 32, 34 may analyse over distinct spectral ranges. One of the spectrometers may be configured to analyse the visible spectrum while the other spectrometer analyses the near-infrared spectrum. One of the spectrometers may analyse shortwave infrared range. Additional spectrometers may be provided, with a shallower or broader spectral range.
The spectrometers 32, 34 are fixed to an internal support protruding in the cavity 10. The spectrometers may be offset longitudinally. As can be seen, this makes possible for the cavity to be smaller than the cumulated size of the two spectrometers.
The casing 4 comprises an opening 36 that can accommodate a cable (not shown).
The cable can contain a sheath and several conductors. Among others, the conductors may comprise the power supply of the various elements (lamp, spectrometers, etc.) and the digital signals extracted from the analyses of the spectrometers.
The cable extends through the plurality of tubular elements of the CPT system, up to a computing device.
Through this cable, a two-way control of the spectrometers can be performed.
As the CPT module is pushed down in the ground, the spectral readings may be acquired at regular intervals. The interval may match the depth intervals of the other sensors readings of the CPT. The interval may be comprised between 1 cm and 10 cm. The interval may be of about one inch (2.5 cm). The collected spectral data can then be processed using advanced hyperspectral expertise and/or machine learning models. As noted above, this processing step extracts valuable information about the chemical composition, such as mineral types and water content, as well as physical characteristics like particle size distribution. The combination of spectral analysis and CPT data provides comprehensive insights into the soil or tailings properties.
Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18

Claims (14)

85350-427 8
1. A penetration testing module comprising:
a casing having a window;
a light source, housed in the casing and configured to generate a light beam that passes through the window and propagates towards an environment;
an optical sensor, housed in the casing and configured to detect light reflected by the environment and passing through the window; and at least one spectrometer, housed in the casing and connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor delivering an optical signal to the at least one spectrometer.
2. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is an optical fiber.
3. The penetration testing module of claim 2, wherein the optical fiber comprises a main branch receiving light reflected by the environment, and two outlet branches connecting the main branch to the at least one spectrometer.
4. The penetration testing module of claim 3, wherein the at least one spectrometer comprises two spectrometers and each of the two spectrometers is connected to a respective one of the two outlet branches.
5. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the at least one spectrometer comprises two spectrometers configured to analyze the optical signal in two different spectral ranges.
6. The penetration testing module of claim 5, wherein the two different spectral ranges are selected from: the visible spectral range, the visible near-infrared spectral range, the shortwave Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18 infrared spectral range, the midwave infrared spectral range and the longwave infrared spectral range.
7. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the light source is an aluminum reflector lamp.
8. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the casing is generally tubular and comprises at least one inner cavity, and wherein the light source, the optical sensor and the at least one spectrometer are received in the cavity.
9. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the casing comprises an opening and a cable connected to the at least one spectrometer extends through the opening.
10. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the casing has a longitudinal direction and the window extends in the longitudinal direction over a width that is comprised between 0.25 and 2 inches.
11. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the casing has a longitudinal direction, and wherein the light source and a receiving end of the optical sensor are offset in the longitudinal direction.
12. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the casing has a longitudinal direction, and wherein the at least one spectrometer comprises at least two spectrometers that are offset in the longitudinal direction.
13. The penetration testing module of claim 1, wherein the window is made of sapphire.
Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18
14. A cone penetration testing system comprising:
a cone;
a casing connected to the cone end and having a window;
a light source, housed in the casing and configured to generate a light beam that passes through the window and propagates towards an environment;
an optical sensor, housed in the casing and configured to detect light reflected by the environment and passing through the window;
at least one spectrometer, housed in the casing and connected to the optical sensor, the optical sensor delivering an optical signal to the at least one spectrometer;
and at least one sensor for measuring at least one of: a cone tip resistance, a sleeve friction, a dynamic pore pressure, an inclination, and a temperature.
Date Recue/Date Received 2024-01-18
CA3226668A 2024-01-18 2024-01-18 Penetration testing module Pending CA3226668A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA3226668A CA3226668A1 (en) 2024-01-18 2024-01-18 Penetration testing module

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA3226668A CA3226668A1 (en) 2024-01-18 2024-01-18 Penetration testing module

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA3226668A1 true CA3226668A1 (en) 2024-03-19

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
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Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA3226668A1 (en)

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