Gyratory compactor

A gyratory compactor apparatus for subjecting a material to forces, comprising:

• a frame for supporting a mold, a mold carriage, a ram and a ram drive assembly,
• said mold having a mold cavity for receiving a quantity of said material,
• said mold further having an open top and a closed bottom,
• said ram positioned above said mold for axial insertion by said ram drive assembly into said mold cavity through said open top of said mold to compact said material in said mold cavity, and
• said mold carriage having lower rollers in contact with said mold and upper rollers positionable for rolling contact with a fixed ring portion of said frame, said fixed ring permanently attached at a fixed gyration angle relative to said frame, said mold carriage adjustable to orient a vertical axis of the mold at a fixed gyration angle, said mold carriage rotatable about said mold to gyrate said mold at said fixed gyration angle while said ram is inserted and driven into said mold cavity.

A machine for applying a linear force by a ram comprising, in combination,

• a frame which supports a ram and a ram drive mechanism attached to said ram,
• said ram drive mechanism including a selectively controllable ram drive motor,
• said frame having a flexible portion which flexes in reaction to a force transferred by said ram, and
• means for measuring an amount of flex of said flexible portion of said frame when said flexible portion flexes in response to force transferred by said ram.

A gyratory compactor apparatus for compacting a specimen of material while said specimen is gyrated, said apparatus comprising, in combination,

• a mold for holding said specimen,
• a mold support structure for supporting said mold,
• a compacting ram positioned and driven for insertion into said mold to compact said specimen within said mold,
• a mold gyrating assembly in contact with said mold and powered to gyrate said mold while said compacting ram is inserted and driven into said mold and,
• means for measuring an amount of power applied to said mold gyrating assembly to gyrate said mold while said ram is compacting said specimen within said mold.