TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for assessing the mechanical properties of soil such as the strength of the ground surface. It may be applied to assessing the load bearing properties and/or the ground's suitability for some purposes. A particular application is the assessment of the “going” of racecourses or, more generally, how the soil will affect attempted travel across it (vehicular, by animal or pedestrian) or how such activities will affect the ground.

[0002] The ability to determine the “going” of a racecourse is essential to the racing industry because the performance of a racehorse will be, to a large degree, dependant on the ‘going’ of the ground at the time of the race. The ‘going’ is a descriptor of the ground conditions on the course and ranges from heavy to hard. The soil conditions for harder ‘going’ will cause a horse to run faster but at an ever increasing risk of injury due to greater shock loads on impact with the surface. The opposite is true as the ‘going’ becomes heavier, with slower times and more effort required from the horse as the ground absorbs the impact energy.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] At present the Clerk of each racecourse determines the ‘going’. They will use their own experience and knowledge to classify the ‘going’ relating to their own observations of soil behaviour when moved with a wooden stick. This has the possibility of inconsistency across. racecourses due to differing approaches used by the Course Clerks.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0004] We have appreciated that the ‘going’ is influenced by the shear strength of the soil, its resistance to penetration and its plastic/elastic response to an impact. Harder “going” corresponds to greater shear strength and penetration resistance, and lesser plastic deformation.

[0005] Improvements in the consistency, with which the ‘going’ can be measured irrespective of user and course, will be of a major benefit to the racing industry. In particular, trainers and owners will be able to have a consistent scale of ‘going’ on which to decide whether or not to run their horses. This will allow them to pick ideal conditions for their horse and also to ensure that the horse avoids injury by not running in inappropriate conditions. In addition, the invention will provide a more accurate indicator of course conditions, and can therefore help in the management of the course to optimise the ‘going’.

[0006] In a first aspect there is provided a device for assessing the mechanical properties of soil comprising (i) a transverse element having a soil-engaging lower face; (ii) a soil penetrating element projecting downwardly beneath said lower face; (iii) means for urging said element selectively (a) to move downwardly into the soil and (b) to move with an angular motion so that one edge region rises while an opposite edge region descends or provides a fulcrum; and (iv) force sensing means for sensing (a) compression forces associated with said downward motion; and (b) shear forces associated with said angular motion.

[0007] In a second aspect there is provided a method of assessing the mechanical properties of soil comprising (a) measuring resistance to penetration; (b) measuring resistance to shear and (c) computing a single value indicative of soil properties. This preferably employs a device according to the first aspect.

[0008] A preferred type of embodiment is a handheld measurement device, typically comprising a tine tip, sensing unit, shaft, and signal processing and display unit. It preferably enables the determination of ‘Going’ by the measurement of soil penetration and soil shear in combination or individually. The sensor creates signals relating to the force system imposed on it by the ground. The use of a plate beneath the sensor enables the sensing unit to be independent of the user (when operated in the correct manner) and therefore creates a highly consistent measurement. An electronic circuit then converts the signals into one measure of ‘going’, which is then displayed to the user or logged for subsequent download to a computer.

[0009] In use, the tip of the device, when forced into the ground surface by the user applying a vertical load on the shaft, transmits a compression force to the sensing unit. The electronic circuitry collects signals from the sensing unit and converts them into a measure of penetration resistance. The user then applies a horizontal force to the top of the shaft, and the tip (which is still in the ground) transmits a moment to the sensing unit. The electronic circuitry collects the signals from the sensing unit and converts them into a measure of soil shear strength. The signal processor then combines these signals and applies a numerical relationship to convert the two signals to one measure of ‘going’. This is then logged or displayed to the user.

[0010] Preferably the sensor is one physical unit comprising of a machined metal beam which forms the join between the tip, shaft and plate. Two sets of strain gauges may be bonded onto the beam in specific positions to make up the two independent sensing circuits, one for vertical penetration and one for shear.

[0011] The transverse element may comprise a plate. Its functions are (a) to control the depth of insertion during the vertical penetration, and to isolate the sensor from the user. The plate is connected directly to the shaft and not to the tip. In this manner, when the user inserts the stick into the ground, as long as the plate touches the ground, the measurement from the sensor taken when fully inserted will be almost entirely independent of the user's vertical force.

[0012] When taking the shear reading the plate acts as a pivot about which the shear movement is produced. Using the stick in this way creates soil/turf shear resistance which is measured by the sensor.

[0013] The signal processor may have two primary functions. Firstly it must collect the electrical signals from the sensor sequentially, penetration first, followed by shear. This data is then processed into information by combining the data from each measurement and comparing them with preset values to derive a numerical indication of the going, and the going class. The preset values are being investigated at present through a large test and evaluation program. Once the data have been gathered, a look up table or mathematical model will be derived and programmed into the signal processing unit to determine the going from the measurements taken. This will all be conducted digitally.

[0014] A device may be adapted to gather GPS data via a sensor mounted in the signal processor enclosure and combine it with the going assessment information. This will allow the simultaneous collection of going and position to enable the on-line construction of a going ‘map’ for the area being considered.

[0015] It should also be mentioned that although the device has been designed to provide a measure of ‘Race Course Going’ there may well be applications in other industries where the assessment of the strength of the surface layers of soils is important, for example Forestry, where vehicle mobility prediction is a crucial element of their work.