Granular material testing apparatus

Claim 1

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES TESTING APPARATUS COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL SAMPLE CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING A SAMPLE OF GRANULAR MATERIAL TO BE TESTED, A PAIR OF OPPOSITELY DISPOSED PLUNGERS AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH AND MOVABLE INTO AND OUT OF THE SAMPLE CONTAINER FOR COMPRESSING THE GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO A TEST SPECIMEN, MEANS FOR MOVING THE PLUNGERS INTO AND OUT OF THE SAMPLE CONTAINER INCLUDING A HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER CONNECTED TO ONE OF THE PLUNGERS AND A PNEUMATIC PISTON AND CYLINDER CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF THE PLUNGERS, MEANS FOR POSITIONING THE TEST SPECIMEN FOR DESTRUCTIVE TESTING INCLUDING MEANS FOR MOVING THE PLUNGER CONNECTED TO THE PNEUMATIC PISTON AND CYLINDER OUT OF THE SAMPLE CONTAINER, MEANS FOR MOVING THE PLUNGER CONNECTED TO THE HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER INTO THE SAMPLE CONTAINER TO POSITION THE TEST SPECIMEN PARTIALLY OUT OF THE SAMPLE CONTAINER AND MEANS FOR RETAINING THE PLUNGER CONNECTED TO THE HYDRAULIC PISTON AND CYLINDER IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION IN THE SAMPLE CONTAINER, MEANS FOR TESTING THE TEST SPECIMEN TO DESTRUCTION INCLUDING A THIRD PISTON AND CYLINDER, A PISTON ROD CONNECTED TO THE THIRD PISTON IN THE THIRD CYLINDER AND AN ARCUATE MEMBER CONNECTED TO THE PISTON ROD FOR MOVEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF THE TEST SPECIMEN CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO ENGAGE THE TEST SPECIMEN TRANSVERSELY THEREOF WITH THE TEST SPECIMEN EXTENDING OUT OF THE SAMPLE CONTAINER AND MEANS FOR REDUCING THE SPEED AT WHICH THE PISTON ROD IS ALLOWED TO TRAVEL THEREOF TOWARD THE TEST MEN AFTER A PREDETERMINED TRAVEL THEREOF TOWARD THE TEST SPECIMAN AND OPERABLE TO ALLOW RAPID MOVEMENT OF THE PISTON ROD AWAY FROM THE TEST SPECIMEN INCLUDING A FOURTH PISTON AND CYLINDER PARALLEL TO THE THIRD PISTON AND CYLINDER, A SECOND PISTON ROD HAVING A PAIR OF ABUTMENTS THEREON CONNECTED TO THE THIRD PISTON AN ABUTMENT ENGAG ING MEMBER ON THE FIRST MENTIONED PISTON ROD MOVABLE BETWEEN THE ABUTMENTS ON THE SECOND PISTON ROD AND A BLEEDER VALVE CONNECTED BETWEEN THE ENDS OF THE FOURTH PISTON AND CYLINDER, AND MEANS FOR PROVIDING A SIGNAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STRENGTH OF THE TEST SPECIMEN RESPONSIVE TO THE MEANS FOR TESTING THE TEST SPECIMEN.