A Few Lessons From The Lab
The past times year, I've been conducting an enormous amount of large-scale experiments (my funder is quite generous). Tomorrow I'll receive got finished large-scale attempt number 98, together with I volition receive got tested fourteen slabs (half-scale slab bridges) together with nine broad beams/slab strips. In this past times year, I've learned past times case together with fault how to acquire a skillful routine together with cope the testing program.
1. Plan
There's much to a greater extent than to excogitation close doing an experiment than the experiment itself, obviously. You volition take away a planning to accommodate the delivery of your material, the fabrication of your specimens, side testing together with and thus the course of pedagogy of the experimental computer program itself. Even though your planning volition alter (mine is changing ofttimes because of unexpected delays: sickness of technicians, the carpenter existence unavailable,... ), you lot however take away a planning to brand for certain you lot won't forget anything together with to guess the fourth dimension every pace volition receive got you.
2. Prepare
Don't walk into the lab amongst empty hands. When I acquire to the lab, I receive got my fixed laid of documents along amongst me: a canvas amongst predicted values to at nowadays compare my attempt number to together with a tabular array that I fill upwards out during testing inward which I banker's complaint downward observations for every charge step. I equally good receive got the photographic television receiver camera along amongst me to photograph the failure patterns (and sometimes something to snack on).
3. Classify
Don't hold off until months later on testing to organize together with assort your information together with notes. Right later on a test, I relieve the raw information together with pictures into their respective folders. I add together results into tables which I construct upwards attempt past times test. I write a curt summary inward my lab book. You acquire the picture: receive got activity at nowadays to move out on it all neatly organized.
4. Automatize
If you lot ship out a large attempt series, endeavour to automatize your information processing equally much equally possible. Even though programming powerfulness receive got you lot a few days, the benefits volition provide to you lot inward the long run. I for event wrote a Matlab code that reads my raw information together with returns all plots together with numerical values I take away for the considered test. Programming is past times far non my specialty, but I learned something piece writing my code, together with at nowadays I generate all plots inward only a few seconds. That for certain is a win.
5. Write
Don't hold off until months later on the experiment to write your report. With my large testing program, I sketched an outline of how I desire to hash out every specimen together with attempt together with made it a skillful habit to consummate the study later on finishing a specimen. Initially, I could recall every item of every test, but at nowadays I divulge that every at nowadays together with and thus I receive got to cheque inward my study to verify what happened during a for certain experiment. There's a boundary to our memory, thus you'd ameliorate non hold off until you lot start confusing to write downward your results together with observations into a report.
6. Smile
You in all likelihood won't move working all past times yourself if you lot ship out a serial of tests. Respect the technicians you lot run with, don't care for them equally "inferior" because they are non pursuing a doctoral degree. Arrive inward fourth dimension when you lot take away to fabricate a specimen together with technicians are volunteering to help you. (I'm writing this because I've seen bad examples, unfortunately). It powerfulness move difficult run (my muscles used to wound terribly later on working inward the lab for the commencement months), but brand for certain you lot enjoy. Joke around, receive got fun, together with inward a higher house all: smile.
1. Plan
There's much to a greater extent than to excogitation close doing an experiment than the experiment itself, obviously. You volition take away a planning to accommodate the delivery of your material, the fabrication of your specimens, side testing together with and thus the course of pedagogy of the experimental computer program itself. Even though your planning volition alter (mine is changing ofttimes because of unexpected delays: sickness of technicians, the carpenter existence unavailable,... ), you lot however take away a planning to brand for certain you lot won't forget anything together with to guess the fourth dimension every pace volition receive got you.
2. Prepare
Don't walk into the lab amongst empty hands. When I acquire to the lab, I receive got my fixed laid of documents along amongst me: a canvas amongst predicted values to at nowadays compare my attempt number to together with a tabular array that I fill upwards out during testing inward which I banker's complaint downward observations for every charge step. I equally good receive got the photographic television receiver camera along amongst me to photograph the failure patterns (and sometimes something to snack on).
3. Classify
Don't hold off until months later on testing to organize together with assort your information together with notes. Right later on a test, I relieve the raw information together with pictures into their respective folders. I add together results into tables which I construct upwards attempt past times test. I write a curt summary inward my lab book. You acquire the picture: receive got activity at nowadays to move out on it all neatly organized.
4. Automatize
If you lot ship out a large attempt series, endeavour to automatize your information processing equally much equally possible. Even though programming powerfulness receive got you lot a few days, the benefits volition provide to you lot inward the long run. I for event wrote a Matlab code that reads my raw information together with returns all plots together with numerical values I take away for the considered test. Programming is past times far non my specialty, but I learned something piece writing my code, together with at nowadays I generate all plots inward only a few seconds. That for certain is a win.
5. Write
Don't hold off until months later on the experiment to write your report. With my large testing program, I sketched an outline of how I desire to hash out every specimen together with attempt together with made it a skillful habit to consummate the study later on finishing a specimen. Initially, I could recall every item of every test, but at nowadays I divulge that every at nowadays together with and thus I receive got to cheque inward my study to verify what happened during a for certain experiment. There's a boundary to our memory, thus you'd ameliorate non hold off until you lot start confusing to write downward your results together with observations into a report.
6. Smile
You in all likelihood won't move working all past times yourself if you lot ship out a serial of tests. Respect the technicians you lot run with, don't care for them equally "inferior" because they are non pursuing a doctoral degree. Arrive inward fourth dimension when you lot take away to fabricate a specimen together with technicians are volunteering to help you. (I'm writing this because I've seen bad examples, unfortunately). It powerfulness move difficult run (my muscles used to wound terribly later on working inward the lab for the commencement months), but brand for certain you lot enjoy. Joke around, receive got fun, together with inward a higher house all: smile.
0 Response to "A Few Lessons From The Lab"
Post a Comment