So we made a gantt chart and divided responsibilities between Emery, Riley and I. We wanted everyone to have a role, and to make sure they were on task. The gantt chart helped us regulate making sure our time frame for each step of the process needed to complete this project. Though during the process our testing took us a lot longer than we expected and we had to adapt around it. So alternatively it was a great process, and it helped by putting us into groups.
Generate Concepts, Develop Solution, And Construct & Test Prototype.
This is all together because that is basically the sum of our process. This is because we researched and jumped right into our testing, and through our testing we made our design. We went in with the mindset that this would be easy to formulate, but it was actually quite difficult and we made about 50 different tests it felt like.
Now below is a video of our testing stages, it doesn't present our final solution but gives our overall best. Then above is the sketches we made and pros and cons listed beforehand. Testing changed our design so later on you will see the final project. (Our cite sources are in Emery Buskos later submissions.)
The video shows the processes we went through and alongside that we also had some downsides. In the process of testing we had discovered tissue paper was a great resource to us and that gravel was the best solution. We then found dryer sheets and t-shirts to be helpful, and this was switched out for liner. Also another great contribution was baking soda. It helped clear our so of the particles we didn't want.
Below is our final Design.
I think our solution would have been better if given more time, even though it wasn't functioning as it should've. I think it could have needed more filtering layers to pass through and that would have given us a better output, maybe more tissue paper. There is definitely more work needed. Though our findings are that rocks for us caused it to be more dirty, cotton balls worked less effectively then our tissue paper did. That baking soda helped clear up some of the cloudiness, but it had to be at the top otherwise it made it more cloudy. Then also the t-shirt and sponge helped catch a lot more than we thought would happen, and this is because they have holes and this helps catch a lot of the particles in the water.
Evaluate Solution
Working back through our process, i think a great contribution given would have been to use the spaghetti, but have bigger chunks and lots like rice. This would help filter the cloudiness i think and would give us an outcome that we would have liked. So in conclusion, I would say our design would have flourished if we added more layers. To this we could've taken some of that cloudiness away and given the company what they wanted a filter giving us a low turbidity.
Reflection
Things I have learned from this project is that many times you will go backwards in order for you to keep going forward. This is a great theory to look at because when designing not everything goes smoothly and you have to take many steps back. Next time I will definitely do more research, because I found that others found some pretty cool ideas. With some harder looking into research I think I would have found some great ideas. The teamwork in our group was great, everyone gave their input and came together to try to make our project work. As we were testing we were spitting out new ideas left and right to try and get better. When we had a set back we would retake our steps and look at what we did last time and change something different instead. Next year students should definitely take the first day just to do research, and make sure they document every test they did like we did. This will help them in the end to look back.