Water Jet

Water jet sediment probe

Water Jet Abstract
Various means for providing rigidity to the flexible hose of a water jet iment probe that is used to determine thickness and types of underlying sediment beneath land or seafloor is disclosed. A series of interconnecting rods or pipe sections are used to stiffen a length of flexible hose to a desired probe depth to enable a single operator to bore a hole of indefinite depth without assistance.

Water Jet Claims
What is claimed is:

1. A water jet sediment probe system, operable to be spudded into sediment by a single person without assistance for jetting straight holes of indefinite depth, comprising:

a. a source of water under pressure,

b. a probe means,

c. a flexible hose having one end thereof connected to said source of water and the other end connected to said probe means,

d. said probe means consisting substantially of a short rigid length of pipe having a jet end and a connector end; said connector end being connected to the other end of said flexible hose wherein water under pressure from said source passes through said flexible hose and is jetted from the jet end of said probe means for liquifying sediment;

e. a hose stiffening means connected to said probe means and comprising a plurality of rigid sectional means operable to be connected together section by section in series and in straight alignment for increasing the rigid length thereof as desired from the connector end of said probe means; said hose stiffening means additively holding consecutive portions of said flexible hose in a rigid manner and in straight alignment with said probe means to permit said probe means together with a desired rigidized length of said flexible hose to be spudded into sediment by liquification thereof to a desired depth without necessitating the interruption of water flow through said flexible hose and said probe means.

2. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein said probe means and said hose stiffening means is constructed from material which is a good conductor of vibrations caused by spudding through various types of sediment thereby permitting the sensing of various types of sediment layers by means of sensing different vibrations through said material.

3. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of rigid sectional means comprises a series of rods which are interconnected to each other from the connector end of said probe means to form an extended rod along a desired portion of said flexible hose; said rods including means to fasten said flexible hose thereto at regular intervals.

4. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of rigid sectional means comprises a series of short sections of pipe slideably stored on said flexible hose; each of said pipe sections being operable to be slid along said flexible hose and connected to the end of a previous section as needed until said probe means is spudded to the desired depth.

5. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein said plurality of rigid sectional means comprises a plurality of split pipe sections which are clamped about said flexible hose in series.

6. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein a pump means is used to provide said source of water under pressure.

7. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein said probe means is operable to be retrieved from the distance spudded into the sediment by disconnecting said plurality of rigid sectional means section by section as the probe is raised from the sediment.

8. A sediment probe system as in claim 1 wherein the sediment being probed is at and beneath the seafloor and said flexible hose extends from said probe means at the seafloor to a floating platform on the surface of the sea where a pump means provides said source of water under pressure.

Water Jet Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to <