GROUND ASSESSMENT

摘要

For assessing ground quality, such as the 'going' of a racetrack, a handheld device has a shaft (10), a plate (16) mounted to its bottom end, and a sensor body (27) also mounted to the bottom of the shaft (10), independently of the plate (16). A tine tip (20) projects below the body. The body has compression sensors (36) and shear sensors (34). The user pushes down on the shaft (10). The tine (20) penetrates the ground until the plate (16) abuts the surface. Continued pushing leads to a compression reading. The user then pushes the top of the shaft so that it tilts, pivotting about an edge of the plate. Shear forces are sensed by the shear sensors (34). The compression and shear data pass to a data processor (26) which computes a single value indicative of 'going'.