Abstract: Once the core barrel has been inserted into the ground to the appropriate depth for the required soil sample, it may be withdrawn by removing the entire drill string. Once withdrawn, the soil sample may be obtained by unscrewing the adapter coupling 12 and drive shoe 14 from the respective ends of the core barrel. One or both of the halves 110a, 110b may then be axially slid with respect to one another until locking tabs 142, 152 of locking configurations 160 are offset and become released/disengaged from one another. This allows the halves to be separated so that the soil sample may be readily accessed.

Abstract: A soil sampling system that in one embodiment includes a drill rod, a sampler or core barrel and an adapter coupling, for connecting the sampler barrel to the drill rod. In one embodiment the drill rod provides vibratory drilling movement, and the sampler barrel collects soil samples. The adapter coupling may include a barrel adapter for attaching the adapter coupling to the sampler barrel, a rod adapter for connecting the adapter coupling to the drill rod, and an isolating mechanism to isolate the sampler barrel from any upward vibratory movement of said drill rod. As such, the sampler barrel receives only downward motion from the drill rod. In one embodiment, the isolating mechanism of the soil sampling system includes an isolator box connected to the rod adapter. The soil sampling system may also include an isolator pin attached to the barrel adapter. In an embodiment of the soil sampling system, the rod adapter drives the isolator pin during a downward stroke of said drill rod.

Abstract: A soil sampling system that in one embodiment includes a drill rod, a sampler or core barrel and an adapter coupling, for connecting the sampler barrel to the drill rod. In one embodiment the drill rod provides vibratory drilling movement, and the sampler barrel collects soil samples. The adapter coupling may include a barrel adapter for attaching the adapter coupling to the sampler barrel, a rod adapter for connecting the adapter coupling to the drill rod, and an isolating mechanism to isolate the sampler barrel from any upward vibratory movement of said drill rod. As such, the sampler barrel receives only downward motion from the drill rod. In one embodiment, the isolating mechanism of the soil sampling system includes an isolator box connected to the rod adapter. The soil sampling system may also include an isolator pin attached to the barrel adapter. In an embodiment of the soil sampling system, the rod adapter drives the isolator pin during a downward stroke of said drill rod.

Abstract: A soil sampling system that includes a drill rod, a core barrel for receiving a soil sample, an adapter coupling for coupling the core barrel to the drill rod, and a drive shoe attached to an end of the core barrel for penetrating the ground. In one embodiment, the core barrel includes two halves configured to be joined substantially along a plane to form a cylinder having a through bore with an inner and outer diameter. Each of the halves includes a pair of longitudinally extending edges, and the halves have a locking configuration to prevent lateral movement of the halves relative to one another with respect to an axis of the core barrel and to also preclude movement of the halves relative to one another in a direction perpendicular to the plane. Locking tongues extending along the length of each edge of the inner diameter on one half mate with respective notches extending along the length of each edge of the other half to prevent lateral movement.

Abstract: Underground cavities containing liquid contaminants are remediated by drilling directionally through the cavity and then pulling back pipe with a slotted section extending through the cavity. The pipe is supplied on reels in lengths much longer than in the prior art, thus avoiding the joining by butt welding of successive short lengths of pipe as in the prior art. Slots are preferably cut parallel to the axis of the pipe or at a angle in respect to the axis instead of being cut radially as in the prior art, so that a much greater portion of the pipe circumference remains joined together, thereby substantially increasing the axial strength of the pipe.

Abstract: A driver hammer for driving an elongated member into the earth and for extracting the member from the earth includes a hammer body and a forward driving anvil slidably mounted in the body that is engaged directly with the elongated member when the latter is driven into the earth. A conventional hammer drive mechanism is used to repeatedly impact the forward driving anvil to drive the member into the earth. When the member is to be extracted from the earth, a back driving lever, which is pivotally mounted on the hammer body, is pivoted into the position where the forward driving anvil can strike an impact surface on one side of the pivot point of the lever and a back driving anvil is engaged with a second impact surface on the opposite side of the pivot point of the lever and which is attached to the elongated member.

Abstract: Drilling augers comprise a tubular housing having an outer circumferential surface, with helical flighting mounted on the outer surface to effect drilling. Opposite ends of each auger terminate in a socket end connector and a plug end connector, the plug end connector of a succeeding auger received within the socket end connector to provide a connection between the augers. A circumferentially extending gasket seal is provided between the end of the plug end connector and a circumferentially extending rim on the socket end connector to prevent fluids from outside of the augers from leaking into the passage through the augers, and to prevent drilling fluids in the passage from leaking out. Pins carried by the socket end connector engage apertures in the plug end connector to provide a connection between the augers when the drilling string is withdrawn. Plug seals are snap fitted into the apertures and are held therein by a circumferentially extending rim engaging a surface surrounding the apertures.

Abstract: A drill rig includes a carrier such as a flatbed truck and a drilling unit carried by the carrier. The drilling unit includes a support frame, a mast and feed frame pivotally mounted on the support frame and movable between a lowered position for road travel and an operative position, and a safety interlock for disabling the engine of the carrier after the mast and/or feed frame have been moved to the operative position until the mast and/or feed frame returned to the fully lowered position.

Abstract: A drill rig includes a main engine which drives a drilling spindle through a clutched transmission. A protective cage surrounds the spindle when the transmission is in gear to prevent workmen from being injured by drilling tools. An auxiliary drive motor operates the spindle for a limited number of revolutions when the transmission is in neutral and the protective cage is open to permit workmen to rotate the spindle to add and remove augers, couple and uncouple drilling rods, and perform other necessary tasks.

Abstract: A drill rig which is equipped with one or more safety mechanisms designed to prevent injuries to rig operators. In a first embodiment, the safety mechanism includes a barrier which is shiftably mounted to the rig and surrounds the drilling tool when the barrier is in the closed position. The barrier includes a key member which must be fitted into a sensor-equipped keyhole in the rig for the drilling tools to operate. A brake may also be connected to the drill spindle to stop rotation until the barrier is closed. In a second embodiment, a sensor is connected to a delay timer. The sensor is also connected to the clutch and transmission and alerts the operator that the clutch is disengaged but the transmission is not in neutral by sounding a warning buzzer after a predetermined time. If the operator fails to actuate a disconnect switch by shifting to a neutral position within a second predetermined time, a second delay timer activates to shut off the engine.