A sock for a floating platform including a plurality of tubulars coupled together and defining a bore and a catcher assembly. The catcher assembly including a plurality of orifices formed in at least one of the plurality of tubulars, a catcher releasably coupled to the plurality of tubulars by a plurality of shearable members, wherein the catcher is disposed in the bore, and wherein the catcher is movable from a first position to a second position, and a stop flange having at least one aperture.

An apparatus for recovering a core from an undersea formation. A coring tool adapted for being connected to a drill string includes a coring bit for recovering the core from the undersea formation. A catcher has a closed state for sealing the core in the coring tool. A retainer retains the collapsible catcher in an open state, and an actuator applies suction to the coring tool. The applied suction serves to move the retainer to allow the catcher to collapse for capturing the core, such as by releasing flexible fingers of the core catcher from a telescoping liner associated with the retainer. Related methods are also disclosed.

An apparatus for recovering a core from an undersea formation. A coring tool adapted for being connected to a drill string includes a coring bit for recovering the core from the undersea formation. A catcher has a closed state for sealing the core in the coring tool. A retainer retains the collapsible catcher in an open state, and an actuator applies suction to the coring tool. The applied suction serves to move the retainer to allow the catcher to collapse for capturing the core, such as by releasing flexible fingers of the core catcher from a telescoping liner associated with the retainer. Related methods are also disclosed.

Disclosed herein is a device and method for correlating core sample zones with an actual subterranean depth. The disclosed device has a pair of independent distance measuring devices operably in communication with a core sample apparatus where a first distance measuring device measures the length of a core sample entering a core sampling tube and a second distance measuring device measures a drive depth of the core sampling tube entering into the ground. A processing unit is provided for correlating the two distances so as to allow a determination as to the actual depth below ground from where a given zone of the core sample is extracted.

The present invention discloses a system for measuring the mechanical properties of sea floor sediments at full ocean depth. The system includes an overwater monitoring unit and an underwater measurement device, where the underwater measurement device includes an observation platform and a measuring mechanism; the observation platform includes a frame-type body and a floating body, a wing panel, a floating ball cabin, a leveling mechanism, a counterweight, and a release mechanism mounted on the frame-type body; the floating ball cabin seals a circuit system; the leveling mechanism adjusts the underwater measurement device horizontally on the sea floor when the frame-type body reaches the sea floor; the release mechanism discards the counterweight for recovery of the unit after the underwater measurement device completes the underwater operation; the measuring mechanism includes at least one of a cone penetration measuring mechanism, a spherical penetration measuring mechanism, and a vane shear measuring mechanism, or a sampling mechanism.

The present invention discloses a system for measuring the mechanical properties of sea floor sediments at full ocean depth. The system includes an overwater monitoring unit and an underwater measurement device, where the underwater measurement device includes an observation platform and a measuring mechanism; the observation platform includes a frame-type body and a floating body, a wing panel, a floating ball cabin, a leveling mechanism, a counterweight, and a release mechanism mounted on the frame-type body; the floating ball cabin seals a circuit system; the leveling mechanism adjusts the underwater measurement device horizontally on the sea floor when the frame-type body reaches the sea floor; the release mechanism discards the counterweight for recovery of the unit after the underwater measurement device completes the underwater operation; the measuring mechanism includes at least one of a cone penetration measuring mechanism, a spherical penetration measuring mechanism, and a vane shear measuring mechanism, or a sampling mechanism.

The present disclosure provides a portable seafloor drill rig for a submersible for multi-point core drilling, including a power head, a reduction gear box, an emergency jettison device, a drilling tool, and a temperature and pressure-retaining device. a water supply connector and the power head are arrange on a top plate of the reduction gear box. An output shaft of the power head is connected to an input shaft of the reduction gear box, and an output shaft of the reduction gear box is provided with a central hole, which is in communication with a water inlet hole of the water supply connector. An output shaft of the reduction gear box is connected to the emergency jettison device, and the temperature and pressure-retaining device can perform temperature and pressure-retaining storage of the core drilled by the drilling tool.

The present disclosure provides a portable seafloor drill rig for a submersible for multi-point core drilling, including a power head, a reduction gear box, an emergency jettison device, a drilling tool, and a temperature and pressure-retaining device. a water supply connector and the power head are arrange on a top plate of the reduction gear box. An output shaft of the power head is connected to an input shaft of the reduction gear box, and an output shaft of the reduction gear box is provided with a central hole, which is in communication with a water inlet hole of the water supply connector. An output shaft of the reduction gear box is connected to the emergency jettison device, and the temperature and pressure-retaining device can perform temperature and pressure-retaining storage of the core drilled by the drilling tool.

A drilling and sampling device applied to a seafloor tracked vehicle, including a slide seat, a positioning electromagnet, a pipe-replacing cylinder, a dial claw, a plurality of clamping assemblies, a plurality of sampling drill pipes, a drill pipe rack, a frame, a thrust cylinder, a pipe-releasing assembly, a guide rod, a drive pipe, a power head, and a pipe-replacing disc. The guide rod and the thrust cylinder are fixedly arranged on the frame. The slide seat is in clearance fit with the guide rod. A piston rod end of the thrust cylinder is hingedly connected to the slide seat. The power head is fixedly arranged on the slide seat. The drive pipe is arranged at an output end of the power head, and is coaxially screwed with the plurality of sampling drill pipes. The dial claw is slidably arranged in the arc guide groove.

A drilling and sampling device applied to a seafloor tracked vehicle, including a slide seat, a positioning electromagnet, a pipe-replacing cylinder, a dial claw, a plurality of clamping assemblies, a plurality of sampling drill pipes, a drill pipe rack, a frame, a thrust cylinder, a pipe-releasing assembly, a guide rod, a drive pipe, a power head, and a pipe-replacing disc. The guide rod and the thrust cylinder are fixedly arranged on the frame. The slide seat is in clearance fit with the guide rod. A piston rod end of the thrust cylinder is hingedly connected to the slide seat. The power head is fixedly arranged on the slide seat. The drive pipe is arranged at an output end of the power head, and is coaxially screwed with the plurality of sampling drill pipes. The dial claw is slidably arranged in the arc guide groove.