IGS has a range of bulk disturbed samplers that can sample almost everything from gravels through to semi-liquid tailings and sediments. Many of these samplers have been enhanced or completely developed by IGS.
Our Little Sucker and Big Sucker Samplers were originally designed to reliably take disturbed but un-mixed samples of very soft tailings materials. They are also well suited for sampling of very soft and extremely loose natural soils.
The principles are simple, as shown in the above Little Sucker cartoon.
In Brief:
To date, in materials suited to sampling by this method, we have routinely achieved 100% sample recovery. Samples taken this way can be subjected to assay, chemical tests or various geomechanical classification tests such as particle size, PI, moisture content, etc.
Note that the “Big Sucker” is simply a two-storey version of the little sucker. Big Sucker can take two samples at the same time, 1m apart vertically.
IGS’s vibracore system is not the biggest or fastest available. However, it provides very high recovery %, and samples are taken with nil or close-to-nil contact with air.
Samples are ejected into 600mm long plastic bags. This sampler can be used with any of our rigs, but it is particularly suited to “Minnie”, “Mudskipper”, “Mad Mack” and the “Punt Rig”. Vibracore tube lengths of 1.8m and 3m are available, and in very soft materials depths can sometimes be doubled up because of the closed piston shown in Step (1) above; ie using the 3m tube 6m sampling can be achievable.
Our “crudest” sampler. These extremely robust devices can be used to:
Telescoping design, IGS has 85mm and 95mm diameter. IGS can insert these samplers by either hammering (the traditional method) or by push method using the thrust of our in situ testing rigs. Hammering usually produces best results.
IGS “invented and developed” our BS Sampler – so-named because the first time we used it our guys said words to the effect: “Hey that’s BS, how could that simple gadget work so well?”. Later we found an excuse for the name – “Bulk Sediment” sampler – because by coincidence that is its function, to take bulk samples of sediments. This sampler air-lifts fluid and semi-fluid sediments to the surface from a discrete depth. Provided the sediment can flow, then quite large bulk samples can be taken. The samples are “pure” to the extent that they are not diluted with water and they are not mixed with material from any other depth range. The sampler has just one moving part and operates on relatively low pressure and very low flow of air. It is ideal for bulk sampling of very low strength tailings materials.
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