Viscous sludge sample collector

A vertical core sample collection system for viscous sludge, comprising:

• (a) a housing having a right-circular, cylindrical bore, said bore having an upper end and a lower end, said lower end leading outside said housing, having a transverse vent, and terminating in a transversely and inwardly projecting annular rim, and said housing movable so that said bore is generally vertically disposable with said bore's lower end proximate said sludge to be sampled;
• (b) a movable piston coaxially disposed in said bore and having an upper position proximate said bore's upper end;
• (c) a hollow sample tube coaxially disposable within, and substantially shorter than, said bore, said tube having an upper terminus, with a side vent, attachable to said piston, a lower terminus, and having a transversely and outwardly projecting flange, engageable with said rim, attached to said tube proximate said tube's upper terminus, said tube having an initial position disposed within said bore with said upper terminus attached to said piston and with said piston disposed at its upper position and said tube having a final position with said lower terminus disposed outside said bore in said sludge and with said flange disposed inside said bore contacting said rim, with said tube guidable by said flange from said initial position to said final position;
• (d) means for temporarily holding said tube at its initial position, when said bore is generally vertically disposed, prior to moving said tube to its final position;
• and
• (e) means for rapidly accelerating said tube, by accelerating said piston, from said tube's initial position to said tube's final position such that when said tube's lower terminus reaches said sludge, said tube has a sufficient velocity to penetrate said sludge and obtain a full-length sludge sample, which retains strata information, before said tube stops with said flange stopped against said rim.