GRAVITATIONAL GRADIOMETER Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC G01V7/00 

FIELD: instrumentation.

SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to a device for direct measurement of components of a gravitational gradiometer tensor, namely of nondiagonal components of the tensor, and to a method of measuring the said tensor components, and refers to navigation and exploration (for example, detection of cavities), to exploration works, to underwater navigation and exploration, ground and sea archaeology, medicine and space exploration (for example, to obtain density maps of asteroids and other orbital bodies of the Solar system). The proposed group of inventions includes a device to measure quasi-static gravity gradients comprising a stressed flexible tape being held by both ends, recording units intended to detect the transverse shift of the tape from an undisturbed position under the influence of the gravitational filed affecting the said tape and to generate a signal indicating the shift and output units connected to the said recording units and generating an output signal in response to the said signal, the output signal is the function of the tensor of the gravitational field gravity gradient; the tape is characterised by uneven distribution of stiffness and/or mass along its length, so in the course of operation the response of the tape shift is amplified by the gravitational field gravity gradient and/or the response of the tape shift is suppressed by the absolute gravity acceleration of the gravitational field, the method to measure quasi-static gravity gradients is proposed as well.

EFFECT: provision for devices allowing for accurate and absolute measurements of different tensor components of gravity gradient T_ij, ensuring maximal sensitivity of a gradiometer to the gravitational field gravity gradient.

25 cl, 10 dwg