DEVICE FOR MEASURING THERMOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC G01K13/00 E21B47/07 B64G4/00 G01N25/18 

FIELD: measuring equipment.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to measurement equipment and can be used for measuring thermophysical characteristics of soil, including lunar soil and soil of other celestial bodies. Disclosed is a device for measuring thermophysical characteristics of soil, which comprises fixed on spacecraft thermoprobe and external housing. In the initial position of the device, the thermoprobe is placed in an external housing and, together with it, is introduced into the well in the ground, and in the working position, the external housing of the device is removed from the well. Thermoprobe comprises support discs and heat sources arranged between them, connected with discs by longitudinal rods and holders of temperature sensors. Holders are made in form of plate springs, first ends of holders are bent towards outer housing and equipped with temperature sensors. Longitudinal rods and holders are made of material with low heat conductivity. Heat sources contain cylindrical housing, bases of which are equipped with blind radial holes open towards side surface of housing. Lateral surfaces of cases of heat sources are covered with cylindrical sectors equipped with heating elements and interacting with compressed cylindrical springs arranged in radial holes of bases. In initial position of device cylindrical sectors of heat source bodies and first ends of holders in compressed state of cylindrical and plate springs are pressed to inner surfaces of external housing of device. In the working position of the device after removal of the external housing from the well, cylindrical sectors of the housing of heat sources and the first ends of the plate-like springs of holders in the unloaded state of cylindrical and plate springs are pressed to the ground of the well.

EFFECT: design of a device for measuring thermophysical characteristics of soil, allowing its use as part of an automatic spacecraft combined with enabling soil analysis at several levels and high accuracy of measuring soil thermophysical characteristics.

6 cl, 12 dwg