Washington Densometer
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Subject
Description
Physical Description
Main apparatus: The Washington densometer is comprised of 16 pieces (The kit owned by MTU does not include all 16 pieces). The first of these pieces are 4 aluminum calibrated rods, which have a large hexagonal head on them, screw threads at the base, and an inscription reading from 4 to 16 at each inch mark. Then there are two four-inch long aluminum bleeder plugs with an inscription from 0-4 at each inch mark and screw threads at the top and bottom. There is then the aluminum cylinder cap that has a hole in the exact middle which the bleeder plugs are able to penetrate, along with a small pressure release valve. A piston comprised of aluminum and rubber gaskets sits underneath the cylinder cap and is fitted with screw threads at the top to join to an adapter. The piston sits in the main body of the apparatus. The main body of the apparatus is a hollow aluminum cylinder that sits upon a main valve made of brass, complete with a blue painted knob. This main valve is then attached to an aluminum cast coupler. This coupler allows the main valve to attach to a conical cast aluminum base with a fitting at the top that fits the coupler, also called the Head. On either side of this base, two “wings” are present that allows the conical portion to be attached to another base.
Two ground bases are available for the apparatus. One is called the carrying base which is a green painted wood and aluminum base that is a square, flat, piece of wood upon which a short hollow cylinder is placed. On either side of the cylinder are two brass screws with two wing nuts that fit into the wings on the Head and allows the bases to join. The second possible base is a circular piece of wood with a circle cutout in the center, also called the Template. The circular cutout has an aluminum fitting around the edge in which one of three different height hollow columns can be placed. Two brass screws with wings nuts are also present on the wooden base so that the conical base can be attached. Three aluminum rings are also present, whose exact volume is known. These rings are used for calibration of the tool. A flexible suction tube is also part of the kit. This tube is made of a spring that resides inside of a silt screen. A tapered aluminum sleeve, with interior screw threading is also present. The kit also includes 2 quarts of D-87 soluble oil, and 1 pint of D-87 soluble oil. An extra rubber gasket was also included in the kit, though the reason for it is unknown.
According to photos found in the “Suggested Method of Test For Density of Soil in Place Using the Washington Densometer”, it looks like the kit that is housed at Michigan Technological University is missing parts. Parts that are not included in the kit are a recharging valve, a balloon, and a locking ring.
The apparatus is housed within a large wooden box with steel handles on the sides for transportation.
Functional Description
To use the apparatus, the user would first assemble the apparatus with the template base. The Densometer would then need to be calibrated appropriately. In the use of the Densometer an initial reading, a final reading, and a ring constant would be recorded. With these reading a volume would be produced. The soil removed from the test hole would be measured for weight. With these two measurements, the density of the soil can be determined.
Date
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Coverage
Physical Dimensions
Transportation Base: 30 cm x 30 cm
Template Diameter: 60 cm
Calibration Rings Diameter: 23.5 cm
Cylinder Diameter: 10.5 cm
Calibration Rods: 55 cm
Storage Box: 65cm x 115cm x 39 cm
Materials
Maker
Inscriptions
Property of USDA Forest Service
Washington Densometer Patent no. 493183
D.G. Parrott & Son | Olympia WA.
[brass tag] DISTRIBUTED BY | CHARLES R. WATTS CO. | –CONSTRUCITON MATEIRLAS– | 4121 -6th AVE. N.W. SEATTLE, WASH. 98107 | AREA CODE 206 SU 3-8400
[piston] 1353
History of the Object
The distributor plaque provides a bit more to go on. It uses a telephone exchange "SU 3" or SUnset-3 (or SUffolk-3; and for what we would now use a fully numerical prefix of 783-) in the 2-letter+5-number system used before the 1970s, and maybe before the 1960s when the modern system of 7-digit phone numbers became standard. The fact that the distributor tag also has a area code for Seattle places it after 1947 (not surprising), but also a zip code placing it after 1963 (more helpful) suggests that this tag dates from the late 1960s or early 1970s at latest when word-name exchange phone numbers were gone. From these we date this example to the later 1960s.