Methods and devices for evaluating the contents of materials
AssigneeMichael P. Smith
InventorMichael Smith
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Abstract
Methods for determining the hardness and/or ductility of a material by compression of the material are provided as a first aspect of the invention. Typically, compression is performed on multiple sides of a geologic material sample in a contemporaneous manner. Devices and systems for performing such methods also are provided. These methods, devices, and systems can be combined with additional methods, devices, and systems of the invention that provide for the analysis of compounds contained in such samples, which can indicate the presence of valuable materials, such as petroleum-associated hydrocarbons. Alternatively, these additional methods, devices, and systems can also stand independently of the methods, devices, and systems for analyzing ductility and/or hardness of materials.
Claims19
A method for analyzing the mechanical strength of a geologic formation comprising:
- a. Placing a plurality of separated samples of material obtained from the geologic formation into a container, the container comprising a top, bottom, and two or more sides,
- b. Subjecting the container to one or more compression forces, wherein at least one of the one or more compression forces are applied to at least two sides of each container, and the samples interact with at least two sides of the container,
- c. Determining the amount of compression of the container, and
- d. Assessing the mechanical strength of the geologic formation by evaluating the compression of the container comprising the samples.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.