Underwater solids collecting apparatus

Claim 1

Underwater solids collecting apparatus for harvesting in bulk bed material from the bed of a volume of liquid comprising a substantially hollow structure submersible in said volume of liquid and having a closed solid bottom portion forming a hopper-like collecting area in which bed material may be collected, at least two intake passageways located in the lower regions of said structure with at least one on each side of said closed bottom portion, an extraction passageway communicating directly with and continuously open to the upper portion of said structure; said apparatus also including an air inlet passageway connected to the upper portion of said structure adjacent but laterally offset from the extraction passageway through which air under pressure is fed into the interior of said structure continuously during use of the apparatus, said air being extracted from the interior of said structure through said extraction passageway thereby inducing into the interior of said structure through said intake passageways liquid from the lower strata of said volume of liquid, said liquid being induced into said interior with sufficient momentum to carry into said interior solid material from the bed of said volume of liquid, said induced liquid being extracted from said hollow structure along with said air through said extraction passageway and said solid material being deposited in said hopper-like collecting area between said intake passageways, said substantially hollow structure being, in section at least, in the general form of a diving bell with said intake passageways extending downwardly from the lower region of said bell like peripheral legs, each leg having an inlet opening at its lower end positioned below the closed bottom portion of said structure and communicating with an upwardly extending passageway having an outlet opening at its upper end in communication with the interior of said bell above said hopper-like collecting area.