Installation Time Design of Micropiles

A method for collecting geotechnical data during the installation of a micropile comprising:

• supporting one or more geotechnical and/or geophysical sensors using a micropile installation drill as a platform;
• collecting data on drilling parameters from the micropile installation drill;
• alternating between drilling and data collection procedures;
• wherein the drilling equipment does not need to be removed from the drilled hole to collect geotechnical and/or geophysical data.

A latching system to connect geotechnical and/or geophysical sensors to a micropile or drill rod comprising:

• a wireline winch system capable of lifting and lowering equipment down the center of the drill rod and/or micropile;
• a latch that connects to a geotechnical and/or geophysical sensor on one end and the wireline winch system on the other;
• a latch adapter that connects to the micropile or drill rod and engages with the latch;
• latch blocks that form part of the latch and extend or retract to allow the latch to lock to, or release from, the latch adapter;
• latch links that connect to the latching blocks and the latch wireline termination and cause the latching blocks to retract when tension is applied to the latch wireline termination;
• a spring that causes the latching blocks to extend when there is no tension on the latch wireline termination.

A system for latching geotechnical and/or geophysical sensors to a micropile drilling system comprising:

• a latch adapter having an upper end attached to a drill rod or micropile, a lower end attached to a drill bit, and a central longitudinal latch adapter cavity entirely therethrough having an internal wall and a latching feature on the internal wall;
• a latch body at least partially within the latch adapter cavity having a central longitudinal latch body cavity extending into the latch body from an upper end and at least one latch channel extending from the latch body cavity to an outer surface of the latch body;
• a cap having an open end attached to the upper end of the latch body and a closed upper end distal from the latch body and having a through hole in the closed upper end, wherein the cap creates a cap cavity between its upper end and the upper end of the latch body;
• an actuator rod at least partially within the cap cavity and at least partially within the latch body cavity and having an upper end extending through the through hole in the upper end of the cap attached to a cable, a lower end within the latch body cavity, a shoulder portion having an outer diameter large enough to prevent its entry into the latch adapter cavity, and a wire cavity longitudinally from its lower end to its upper end;
• a spring biasing the actuator rod away from the cap and toward the latch body;
• at least one latching block within the at least one latch channel connected to the actuator rod by at least one latch link;
• wherein the spring bias causes the at least one link to exert an outward radial force on the latching block engaging the latching block with the latching feature on the internal wall of the drill adapter;
• and
• wherein a force on the cable overcoming the spring bias causes the at least one link to exert an inward radial force on the latching block disengaging the latching block from the latching feature on the internal wall of the drill adapter.