Testing apparatus having vacuum chamber, capable of ground testing, and testing method using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014694-B2
Application number	US-201816605428-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2018
Priority date	Jul 24, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a testing apparatus and a testing method using the same, the apparatus having soil in a vacuum chamber includes: a buffer chamber having an entrance/exit opening through which an object to be inspected is inserted, and a first door for opening and closing the entrance/exit opening; a testing chamber divided at one side of the buffer chamber so as to be separated therefrom, and having a connection passage communicating with the buffer chamber; a shutter unit for opening and closing the connection passage; a soil storage part disposed inside the testing chamber, and accommodating soil for testing the object to be inspected; and a vacuum generation means for suctioning air inside the buffer chamber and the testing chamber so as to create a vacuum state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A testing apparatus including a vacuum chamber for a ground test, the apparatus comprising:
a buffer chamber that includes an entrance through which an object to be inspected is inserted and a first door that opens or closes the entrance;
a testing chamber that is separated from one side of the buffer chamber and includes a connection passage communicating with the buffer chamber;
a shutter unit configured to open or close the connection passage;
a soil storage part which is disposed in the testing chamber and in which soil is accommodated for testing the object to be inspected on the ground; and
a vacuum generation unit configured to suction air in the buffer chamber and the testing chamber so as to make the buffer chamber and the testing chamber be in a vacuum state.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a transfer unit configured to transfer the object to be inspected to the buffer chamber or the testing chamber while moving between the buffer chamber and the testing chamber through the connection passage.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an opening communicating with the outside is formed at one side of the testing chamber, and a second door that opens or closes the opening is mounted on one side of the opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the soil storage part is mounted to be extracted or inserted through the opening when the second door is opened.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a slide rail that guides the soil storage part inward or outward of the opening is mounted under the testing chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the soil storage part is formed concavely downward.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a dented part that is formed concavely downward is formed on a bottom surface of the soil storage part.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shutter unit includes a shutter plate that opens or closes the connection passage while vertically sliding in the connection passage and a shutter operating part that vertically moves the shutter plate.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a shutter accommodation groove into which the shutter plate is inserted is formed under the connection passage.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising a sealing plate which is mounted on a lower surface of the buffer chamber to laterally slide along a lower surface of the connection passage and closes an upper end portion of the shutter accommodation groove while transferring the object to be inspected from the buffer chamber to the testing chamber or from the testing chamber to the buffer chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising an operational plate fixed to a lower end portion of the first door and configured to laterally move with the first door,
wherein the sealing plate is mounted to slide to be parallel to the operational plate.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the testing chamber, the soil storage part, the shutter unit, and the vacuum generation unit are formed as one module that is detachably coupled to the buffer chamber.

13. A testing method, which is a method of testing an object to be inspected using the testing apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
(S1) inserting a soil storage part in which soil is accommodated into a testing chamber;
(S2) opening a first door of a buffer chamber, inserting an object to be inspected into the buffer chamber through an entrance, and closing the first door;
(S3) making insides of the buffer chamber and the testing chamber be in a vacuum state using a vacuum generation unit;
(S4) operating a shutter unit in a forward direction to open a connection passage and transferring the object to be inspected from the buffer chamber to the testing chamber;
(S5) operating the shutter unit in a reverse direction to close the connection passage;
(S6) performing a predetermined test on the object to be inspected on the soil in the testing chamber;
(S7) operating the shutter unit in the forward direction to open the connection passage and transferring the object to be inspected from the testing chamber to the buffer chamber;
(S8) operating the shutter unit in the reverse direction to close the connection passage; and
(S9) opening the first door of the buffer chamber so that the object to be inspected is extracted from the inside of the buffer chamber to an outside thereof through the entrance.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
before performing the step (S1), performing a pre-conditioning operation that removes water and air included in the soil by heating the soil.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein, when the operation (S3) is performed, the shutter unit closes the connection passage to separate the buffer chamber from the testing chamber, and the buffer chamber and the testing chamber are made in a vacuum state.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Civil Eng & Building Tech

Inventors

• Cho Changbeck
• Shin Hyusoung
• Yoo Yongho
• Lee Jangguen
• Ahn Hosang
• Chung Taeil

Classifications

• G01N3/02 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• G01M99/002

  Thermal testing (flaw detection G01N25/72) · CPC title

• G01N2203/0234

  Low pressure; Vacuum · CPC title

• B64G7/00 Primary

  Simulating cosmonautic conditions, e.g. for conditioning crews · CPC title

• G01N3/60

  Investigating resistance of materials, e.g. refractory materials, to rapid heat changes {(thermal testing of structures or apparatus G01M99/002)} · CPC title