Apparatus for testing the permeability of materials

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR TESTING THE PERMEABILITY OF MATERIAL, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: FIRST, APERTURE DEFINING, CLAMPING MEANS; SECOND, APERTURE DEFINING, CLAMPING MEANS; MEANS SUPPORTING ONE OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHER OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS AND INCLUDING CANTILEVERED, GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY PROJECTING, FRAME MEANS, PLATE MEANS SECURED TO AND EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID FRAME MEANS, SAID PLATE MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND APERTURES DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME MEANS, FIRST AND SECOND, GENERALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING GUIDE RODS CONNECTED WITH SAID PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID ONE CLAMPING MEANS, EACH OF SAID GUIDE RODS PROJECTING IN GUIDED RELATION THROUGH AN APERTURE OF SAID PLATE MEANS, AND ABUTMENT DEFINING, ROD MEANS CONNECTED WITH AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID ONE CLAMPING MEANS; RESILIENT MEANS YIELDABLY URGING SAID ONE CLAMPING MEANS AWAY FROM SAID OTHER CLAMPING MEANS, SAID RESILIENT MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF COIL SPRINGS, WITH EACH OF SAID COIL SPRINGS ENCIRCLING A PORTION OF ONE OF SAID GUIDE RODS WHICH PROJECTS ABOVE SAID PLATE MEANS; EACH SAID COIL SPRING HAVING A LOWER END ENGAGED WITH SAID PLATE MEANS AND AN UPPER END CONNECTED WITH AN UPPER PORTION OF THE GUIDE ROD WHICH IT ENCIRCLES; LEVER MEANS ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID ONE CLAMPING MEANS TOWARD THE ORDER OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS; LOCKING MEANS ADAPTED TO PREVENT SAID LEVER MEANS FROM MOVING SAID ONE CLAMPING MEANS TOWARD SAID OTHER CLAMPING MEANS BEYOND A PREDETERMINED POSITION; CHAMBER MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID SECOND CLAMPING MEANS, SAID CHAMBER MEANS, IN COMBINATION WITH SAID SECOND CLAMPING MEANS, DEFINING A CLOSED FLOW PATH ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH AND EXTEND AWAY FROM A SAMPLE OF MATERIAL, THE PERMEABILITY OF WHICH IS TO BE TESTED; MEANS TO WITHDRAW FLUID FROM SAID CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS TO MEASURE THE RATE AT WHICH FLUID IS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS TO MEASURE A FLUID PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL ACROSS A SAMPLE OF MATERIAL WHEN SAID SAMPLE IS CLAMPINGLY ENGAGED ON OPPOSTE SIDES BY SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND CLAMPING MEANS; WALL MEANS CONNECTED WITH AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID FIRST CLAMPING MEANS AND DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY HAVING AN OPEN UPPER END AND AFFORDING DIRECT OBSERVATION, THROUGH SAID OPEN UPPER END, OF THE PORTION OF A SAMPLE WITHIN THE APERTURE OF SAID FIRST CLAMPING MEANS WHEN SAID SAMPLE IS CLAMPED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CLAMPING MEANS; AND PLATFORM MEANS SUPPORTING SAID OTHER CLAMPING MEANS; AND AT A FIXED, PREDETERMINED POSITION AND PROVIDING A SUPPORTING SURFACE SURROUNDING SAID OTHER CLAMPING MEANS AND PROJECTING HORIZONTALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM.