Day Twelve - 6/30

Events presided by: Dr. S. Stonedahl
Special guest appearances from: Bing Bong

What we did:
    Caleb cleaned more of the Riverstone sand.
    Did some work putting together parts of the presentation.
        -Figure for the apparatus
        -Various slides
    Cleaned out the apparatus.
    Lunch break.
    Return from lunch break.
    Mixed up blue dye.

blue water

    Ran blue dye through the permeameter.
    Decided the blue dye needed to be more blue.
    Ran the bluer dye through the permeameter.
    Was satisfied with the bluer dye.

blue sand is good sand

    Wrote a program to write parameter files for TProGS.
    Generated more head files using TProGS and MATLAB.
    Worked on setting up the apparatus in the same way the head files were generated.
        -Ran into some problems.

The distinct line seen is promising 

        -Discussed new methods of filling the apparatus.

What we will do:
    fill the apparatus so a test can be done (this will take a while)
    Filtering
    Cleanup
    Calibration of the conductivity meter
 

Day Eleven - 6/29

Events presided by: Dr. S. Stonedahl

Special guest appearances by: The Grand Inquisitor Kayla Gibson

The Gibsons

Over the weekend Dr. Stonedahl's advisor looked at our figure of the set-up and thought we should be using 100 micron mesh instead of cotton pads.  She ordered the mesh from amazon (it will be here Wednesday sometime).  We hope this will fix the K value issues.

What we did:

    Filtered sand.

    Caleb spilled some water.

    Caleb cleaned up the spilled water.

    Put a chair on our backdrop to flatten it

    Got a piece of plexiglass cut to make a grid for the Apparatus.

    Made a grid for the Apparatus.

    Lunch break.

    Drafted an idea for a water pump system.
    Built a prototype with a water bottle.

    Went to Menard's and purchased supplies for the water pump system.

Menard's field trip

    Built and tested the water pump system.

Drilling holes in water dispersion devise

It looks really cool!

Kayla even washed some sand for us!

Reattached divider with silicone.

What we will do:

    Let the divider dry.

    Start working with salt and dye.
    Figure out conductivity meter (calibration, how to record...)
    Poster, presentation, and literature work
    Try to outline what we're doing and fit it into context
    Make antfarm power point figure

Day Ten - 6/26

Events presided by: Dr. S. Stonedahl
Special Guest Appearances from: Dr. Barry Ferm and Bing Bong.

K & K people putting lots of fine sand in Dr. Stonedahl's car.

Barry consulting on project

What we did:
    Filtered and cleaned Riverstone sand.
    Filled the apparatus with the filtered and cleaned riverstone sand.

    Did not play volleyball.
    Generated various head files with different seeds.

Next week:
    Filter and clean Riverstone sand.
    More pre-tests on Apparatus.
    Find out what's wrong with the permeameter.
    Fix permeameter.

Day Nine - 6/25

Events presided over by Dr. S. Stonedahl
Guest appearances: Dr. F Stonedahl

Playing the Team Caleb text based adventure game.  It was a GOOD surprise.

Team Caleb text based adventure game available for android download at:
        http://susa.stonedahl.com/shared/TeamCalebAdventure.apk

What we did 
     A lot of filtering happened by various people in the group including Forrest through out the day.

Forest and Susa filtering together (I guess it's kinda like a date...)

Unlike most members of Team Caleb, Dr. S. Stonedahl wants her picture taken

    Took K-value measurements for filtered riverstone Sand.
        - Changed  head difference to see effect after 2 measurments
            *Hopeful this does nothing noticeable to K-values
         {K= 
    Preformed a cost analysis of two most likely sands:
        - would be easily in budget     
    Decided definitively that our Two chosen sands are:
        -large filtered sand from Riverstone Group Inc. (now known as large sand)



       - Wedron washed silica sand for K&K Hardware  (now known as fine sand)
    Tested time-lapse camera
        -SUCCESS
    Filled apparatus to check if leak was sealed. left for several hours
        -SUCCESS

Non-leaking apparatus with water

    Presented at SRI Lunch

We brought visuals to lunch. Yes, we are that cool.

    Experimented with how to:
        -Fill the apparatus with sand
            *Cut funnel and Scoop method seemed best

Cutting a funnel so it is useful

        -How to level the sand in apparatus
            *Metal rod with rubber stopper seems adequate

        -How to wash large sand  
            *Stirring sand within a  5-gallon bucket while running water seems like best option, although slow and it didn't get completely clean.
     Began writing a MATLAB program that will take our simulated res. times calculate what that means in
           terms of concentration

Programming requires whiteboard work 

The concentration graph produced by aforementioned program 

The time lapse camera caught these two horrified by something in the program they are writing, but at least the time-lapse camera still works....

What we will do:
    Continue programming work
    Set up another permeameter 
    Begin setup of  water circulating system and measurement systems for the apparatus
    More sand filtering
    Wash large sand
    Wash both sands in de-ionized water

Day Eight - 6/24

Events presided over by Dr. S. Stonedahl
Guest appearances: Dr. Barry Ferm from Chem. and Prof. Kris Eitrheim from Theatre

What we did.
    Manufactured a 1/4 inch sieve using help from the theater production staff.
        Made from a Rubbermaid bin and screen hot glued together
    Tested sieve, which almost worked
    When back to Galvin to add corner screws and construct a smaller sieve (window screen).

Window screen sieve

Prof. Kris Eitrheim helping us in Galvin

Final large sieve

    Decided food strainer was superior to self made small sieve.
    Filtered sand*
    Found variable that produces more/less connectivity in TProGS
    Experimented with said variable to find preferred values
    Worked on res-times in MATLAB
    Conducted 3 K-value measurements of the silica sand
            {K = 0.0000416, 0.0000454, 0.0000577 m/s}
    Measured porosity of silica sand = 0.012346
    Set up permeameter to test filtered Riverstone sand
    Filled apparatus with water to check for leaks.
    Original leak is fixed but new, easier to fix leak was found
    Applied new silicone to leaking area
    Conducted 1 K-value measurement of the Riverstone sand
          {K = 0.001106 m/s}
 
 
*This was a process that happened over the course of the day.

Reminded ourselves not to drown in the kiddie pools

What we will do
    Filter sand
    Take 3 K-value measurements for Riverstone sand
    Take a small time to prepare what will be said at SRI lunch
    Present at SRI lunch
    More experimenting with variables in TProGS
    Check apparatus for leaks, if there are leaks, fix them
    Wash sand with DI water before using antfarm
    Buy more sand and K&K
    If no leaks are found, possibly set up apparatus

Day Seven - 6/23

Events presided by Dr. S. Stonedahl
Guest appearances by: Dr. Trujilo and her students. Issac Schwantes.
What we did
    Caleb dropped buckets of sand on his foot.
    Measured K-Value of Silica sand. {K = 0.000555 m/s}
    Measured porosity of White Play Sand, again. {0.325123}

Minivans are important for moving research supplies...

   

Pool party... We didn't drown.

    Adjusted head difference on permeameter to a smaller distance.
    Began another test for the K-Value of the Silica sand.
    Returned to the Riverstone Group Incorporated and purchased some of their sand.

Filling Buckets  with sand

Don't worry we took turns (although there is no photo evidence)

 Measured the K-Value of Silica sand. {K = 0.000136 m/s}
    Took a lunch break.
    Brought in the sand from the Riverstone Group Incorporated.
    Measured the K-Value of Silica sand again. {K = 0.000106 m/s}
    Measured the porosity of Silica sand. {0.019608}
 
    Checked if fisher course filters could replace cotton
         nope.

   Ate sand (hardy-har-har [they were cookies])

   Checked apparatus for leaks
        ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!! (still leaks)
    We dried it and added a LOT of silicone to the outside all around the leaky corner.

What we will do
    Purchase pitchers and screens (1/4 inch and a couple mm)
    Make a strainer to filter the sand from the Riverstone Group.
    NOT go to subway
    start long process of filtering

Day Six - 6/22

Events presided over by Dr. S. Stonedahl.

What we did

    Caleb cleaned the lab area.

    Measured more K-Values of the Silica sand. {K = 0.000455, 0.000384, 0.000383, 0.000378 m/s}

    Measured the porosity of the White Play Sand. {.330049}

    Found leak in The Apparatus.

Leaks are bad

    Filled the apparatus to check for more leaks. Did not find more leaks.

    Removed silicone from the leak area on the outside\

    Tested to see if Silica sand and Pea Gravel would mix. It did. (boo)

    Went to the Riverstone Group Incorporated in Moline, and got a sample of a new sand.

Yay sand.

    Lunch break at Subway.

    Filtered the new sand and measured K-values. {K = 0.00116, 0.000978, 0.000823, 0.000723 m/s}

Cheap Funnel

   Tested to see if the Silica sand and the new sand would mix, it did not. Nice.

Mixture of Silica sand and Riverstone Group sand.

    Purchased new glue, because the metal was becoming detached from the Apparatus.

    Applied the glue.

    Added silicone to block the leak on the Apparatus.

    E-mailed Dr. Prosise to ask if she knew where the dolly was.  She didn't.

What we will do
    Get Groundwater book from the Library

    Search for Dolly
    Return to Riverstone Group Incorporated, and get as much sand as we can.

    Filter sand.

    Check the Apparatus for leaks.

    Test the porosity of more sands.

Image of the computer model.

Day Five - 6/19

Events presided over by Dr. S. Stonedahl
What we did
    Took settled K-value measurements for 3rd sand (traction sand,Unfiltered) 
         {K  =0.000683,0.000606}
    Filled Apparatus with 1 inch of water to check for leaks.

    Filled apparatus with 5 inches of water to check for leaks
      Found leak near bottom back right corner
        Cried.
    Removed silicone on the corner, so that the leak could be fixed following aquarium fixing instructions.
    Set up Permeameter to test how much a small sand will flow into the larger one

Testing if the different sands will flow into each other

This test has more similar K-values between the teal and black,
resulting in a different flow pattern

    Ran NetLogo program with K-values that have been measured from sands.
    Purchased new Silica Sand at K & K hardware.
    Lunch break at Subway.

Food

    Measured porosity of Mason Sand.
    Took first measurement of Silica Sand K-Value
        {K = 0.000479}
     Put more silicone on the Apparatus to fix leak.
    Some of us played Volleyball (click on pictures and look at Caleb G. in both).

Coming up next week
    Pick two sands that have the most varying K-values.
    STOP THE LEAK (if it still exists)
    Get more porosity measurements
    Set up apparatus
    Add res times to main code
    Streamline code if possible (make two programs into one)
    more research into sands

Internet research doesn't make very interesting pictures