USING GEOSYSTEM CONS TEST DATA IMPORT CAPABILITY WITH DATA ACQUISITION FILES

31.October.2005

GEOSYSTEM Software Von Gunten Engineering Software, Inc. 363 W. Drake #10 Fort Collins, CO 80526 ph. 970-223-8788 fax 970-223-0668

USING THE GEOSYSTEM for WINDOWS SWELL/CONSOLIDATION TEST MODULE WITH DATA ACQUISITION FILES

Introduction

The GEOSYSTEM for Windows Swell/Consolidation Test module (CONS) will directly import data files created by several data acquisition systems. The software will not import data directly from your data acquisition hardware: You need to use the software provided by your systems manufacturer to read in the data from the hardware and save it to a file on your hard disk. The name of the file, and the complete path to the subdirectory in which it is stored, should be noted prior to starting CONS.

Data Import Instructions

1. When importing a data acquisition file, the information can either: A) be imported into a new test file, B) be imported to overwrite an existing test file (used when more data has been added to a test that has already been imported), or C) appended to the end of an existing test file (used only in situations where the testing data in the CONS file does not also exist in the new data acquisition file to be imported; this happens when the data acquisition hardwares memory is reset in the middle of a swell/consolidation test).

To import a data acquisition file into a new CONS test file, follow the instructions
provided in Section 3.1 of the CONS manual to create a new file. When CONS displays the readings data entry/curve display screen discussed in Section 3.2 of the manual, click on the Acquire button. CONS will verify your intentions: select Yes from the prompt box to continue.

To overwrite an existing CONS test file, follow the steps outlined in Section 3.3 of the
CONS manual to edit the existing swell/consolidation test. Next, click on the Acquire button, verify the selection then respond with a Yes when prompted to overwrite the file. The software will double-check the response: respond with a Yes again.

To append new data to the end of an existing CONS test file, again follow the steps in
Section 3.3 to edit the appropriate swell/consolidation test. Click on the Acquire button, then respond with a No when prompted to overwrite the file. Again, note that the append option should only be used when the file to be imported does not contain the data previously imported into the test file. 2. The program will next display a standard Windows file-selection dialog. Drop down the Files of type: list and select your manufacturer, then select your data acquisition file from the file list and click on Ok to continue.

3. When CONS is finished reading the file, the program will indicate so with a message box - click on the Ok button to continue. 4. Some data acquisition systems do not collect information concerning the loading pressures applied at each increment: it is incumbent upon the user to enter this information. CONS simplifies the process by storing a table of loading sequences to select from. When the data acquisition file reading process is complete, CONS will display the load sequence selection dialog, shown below:

LOAD SEQUENCE SELECTION DIALOG

If the sequence of loads used for the current test corresponds to a sequence shown in the list, click on the appropriate selection then click on the Apply button. (It doesn't matter if the selected sequence includes more loading increments than the current test, as long as the first "n" increments in the selected sequence are the same as the "n" increments in the current test). If none of the sequences match the sequence of loads used for the current test, click on the New button then enter the appropriate loading pressures into the grid shown inside the Current Loading Sequence box. (For saturation cycles, enter the same loading pressure twice). Once all loading pressures have been entered, click on the Apply button. 5. Once the acquisition process has completed, CONS will return to the test readings data entry/curve display screen. Use the button to scroll through all of the increments that have been imported: this allows the program to display each time-rate curve and perform the necessary construction adjustments.

Warning and Error Messages

The data acquisition process can potentially produce a number of different error, warning and status messages. Each of these messages are assigned a number - these messages are listed and discussed below. Note that the following list only discusses messages provided during the data import process - consult the CONS manual for messages not listed here.
1020 "DATA ALREADY EXISTS IN THIS FILE! Append? Select YES to append the new data to the end of this file, or NO to erase this file"
This message indicates that the CONS data file currently being edited has data already entered for one or more loading increments - this data may have been manually entered, or may have been imported from a data acquisition file. If the data file to be imported does not already exist in the current CONS data file, select Yes - this appends the information in the data acquisition file to the end of the current CONS data file. Select No if the beginning of the data file to be imported matches the data already in the CONS data file.

1021

"ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU WANT TO OVERWRITE ALL TEST READINGS?"
This message is displayed if the user responds with a No to message 1020 - the program is simply verifying that the user wishes to overwrite the existing data in the CONS data file. If the data file to be imported does not also contain all of the test readings in the existing CONS file, select No.

1023

"New loading increments were imported - prior to proceeding, pressures for these increments must be selected."
As noted in the section on importing data, your data acquisition system does not collect data on the loading pressures applied during the test. This message is simply a warning that the Loading Sequence Dialog will be displayed.

1024

"There are not enough loading pressures entered into the currently selected sequence to account for all of the loading increments imported. Enter additional pressures before continuing."
The program requires that a loading pressure be supplied for each loading increment imported in addition to any loading increments already existing in the CONS data file (if the user chose to append the new data acquisition data to the end of the existing CONS file). When the Apply button was clicked, there werent enough loading pressures listed in the Current Loading Sequence panel to cover all of the loading increments in the CONS data file. At the top-left corner of the Loading Sequence Dialog, the program will list the total number of loading increments in the CONS file - there must be at least that many pressures listed in the Current Loading Sequence panel before the program will proceed.

1025

"The data has been imported successfully. producing any hardcopy printouts."

Make sure to view each time-rate curve prior to

This message indicates that the data import process completed. The reminder regarding the time-rate curves is due to the fact that the program will not calculate a Cv value on a loading increment until the time-rate curve for the increment has been displayed onscreen. Preview the curves by repeatedly clicking the >> button in the test readings window until the end of the load increments list has been reached.