Experimental data¶
numgeo-ACT reads your laboratory data from a single Excel workbook. Each laboratory test lives on its own sheet, and the sheet's name tells the reader which type of test it contains. Within a sheet, a few fixed header cells hold the initial state and loading conditions, and the columns below hold the measured curves.
This page explains the overall structure. The exact cell-by-cell layout for each test type is on the Excel sheet reference, and a ready-to-fill workbook is on the template & download page.
One workbook, one sheet per test¶
A database workbook contains:
- Test sheets, each named with a recognized prefix and a number
(
OED-1,CD-1,CU-2,CUCYC-3, …). You can have as many of each type as you like. - Optional metadata sheets (e.g. notes, index/gradation tables). Sheets whose names do not match a recognized test prefix are simply ignored by the reader, so you are free to keep documentation alongside your data.
Sheet-name tags¶
The reader matches each sheet name against a pattern. The recognized prefixes are:
| Sheet name | Test type | Reader list |
|---|---|---|
OED-# |
Oedometric compression | oedometer |
IC-# |
Isotropic compression | isotropic_compression_test |
CD-# |
Drained triaxial | triax_CD |
CU-# |
Undrained triaxial | triax_CU |
CUCYC-# |
Undrained cyclic triaxial | triax_CUcyc |
CDCYC_HCA-# |
Drained HCA triaxial | triax_CDcyc_HCA |
CUCYC_HCA-# |
Undrained HCA triaxial | triax_CUcyc_HCA |
USScyc-# |
Undrained cyclic simple shear | USScyc |
Here # is an integer (1, 2, 3, …). The match is by prefix, so trailing
descriptive text after the number is allowed.
Numbering
Number each test type from 1 upward (OED-1, OED-2, …). The numbers only
need to be distinct within a type; they do not need to be contiguous.
How a sheet is read¶
The reader works by cell position, not by reading your column titles. For each test type:
- specific header cells (for example
B1for the initial void ratio) hold the initial state and loading conditions; - the measured data starts on a fixed row and is read column by column.
This has two practical consequences:
- You may style the workbook freely. Colours, fonts, borders, frozen panes and extra annotation rows in designated areas do not affect the reader, as long as the values stay in the expected cells. The supplied template and the reformatted example database are heavily styled yet read identically to a plain sheet.
- Values must sit in the right cells. Because positions are fixed, keep the initial-state cells and the first data row where the reader expects them.
Provide evaluated values, not live formulas
The reader extracts the value stored in each cell. If you compute columns (for example \(p\) and \(q\) from \(\sigma_1\), \(\sigma_3\)) with spreadsheet formulas, make sure the evaluated numbers are saved. The reformatted example database stores plain values precisely so that nothing is lost on re-saving.
Units differ between sheet types
Triaxial sheets (CD, CU, CUCYC) record strains in percent, whereas
the oedometer and isotropic-compression sheets record strain as a
fraction. Stresses are in kPa throughout. The
sheet reference states the units for every column.
Optional per-test initial state¶
Most test sheets allow an optional extra column holding initial-state string(s). When present, it lets you specify model-specific initial state variables for that particular test. If you do not need it, simply omit the column — the reader detects its presence from the number of columns. The exact position is given for each test type on the sheet reference.
Next steps¶
Sheet reference¶
The precise cell layout, columns and units for every test type.
Excel sheet reference
Template & download¶
A ready-to-fill workbook with one example sheet per test type.
Template & download