IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,631,614
Granted Patent B2
US 12,631,614 · App. 18/574,318 · Granted May 19, 2026

Method for tracing sediment source based on size distribution and corresponding mass percentages

Inventors: Tingting Liao (Shanghai, CN); Songliu Lu (Shanghai, CN); Lin Lin (Shanghai, CN); Xiaotao Wu (Shanghai, CN); Zhiyan Yang (Shanghai, CN); Huating Xu (Shanghai, CN); Lin Liu (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: Shanghai Investigation, Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
G01N33/24G01N15/02G01N2015/0288
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,631,614
App. No.
18/574,318
Granted
May 19, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The method for tracing a sediment source, including: sampling at sampling points and multiple additional testing points around each sampling point; measuring sediment grain size distribution and corresponding mass percentages to plot sediment grain size distribution curves of each sampling point and its additional testing points; plotting a sediment fingerprint matrix of each sampling point; comparing patterns of the sediment fingerprint matrix of the first sampling point with patterns of the sediment fingerprint matrix of the second sampling point, and determining whether sediment at the first sampling point and that at the second sampling point have the same source. The sediment fingerprint matrix that illustrates the variation of sediment characteristics in different grain size intervals. In addition, by comparing the sediment characteristics in the corresponding grain size intervals, the tracing and classification of sediment from different locations can be achieved.

Claims (12)

1 . A method for tracing a sediment source, comprising:

S 100 : sampling at sampling points and a plurality of additional testing points around each sampling point;

wherein the sampling points comprise a first sampling point and a second sampling point;

S 200 : measuring sediment grain size distribution and corresponding mass percentages to plot sediment grain size distribution curves of each sampling point and its additional testing points;

S 300 : plotting a sediment fingerprint matrix of each sampling point;

wherein a horizontal axis of the sediment fingerprint matrix represents grain size, a vertical axis of the sediment fingerprint matrix represents mass percentage, and elements of the sediment fingerprint matrix are the number of the sediment grain size distribution curves;

S 400 : comparing patterns of the sediment fingerprint matrix of the first sampling point with patterns of the sediment fingerprint matrix of the second sampling point, and

determining whether sediment at the first sampling point and that at the second sampling point have the same source,

wherein the patterns refer to columns of the sediment fingerprint matrix of each sampling point.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the number of the sampling points to the number of additional testing points of each sampling point is 1:4, wherein four additional testing points are evenly distributed around each sampling point in a circular pattern.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the four additional testing points are respectively located upstream, downstream, and on left and right sides of each sampling point.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between each additional testing point and the corresponding sampling point of each additional testing point is in a range of 50 cm to 100 cm.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2024
From: LIAO, TINGTING; LU, SONGLIU; LIN, LIN; WU, XIAOTAO; YANG, ZHIYAN; XU, HUATING; LIU, LIN
To: SHANGHAI INVESTIGATION, DESIGN & RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 066595/0350 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 202310352983.4 · Apr 4, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20260016457A1 · Jan 15, 2026
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