Yes, you read that right, we finally made some progress! After some confusion, a broken down lorry and exams, we eventually got our TDRM delivered!

So what have we done the past few months? Well much of the experiment has changed. Our first setback was when we visited the test site at Riverside. Upon inspection of the steel drums we were to use, we found they were rusted beyond repair. Time to think of a plan B!

So once we knew this, we consulted our technician, Bob who suggested using plastic pipes and doing the testing within the Abertay laboratory. As a result of this, we needed significantly less material – one ton as opposed to the three tons we had on order. Bear Scotland went out there way to provide the research with the material despite the plans changing on several occasions, they provided a driver that expertly managed to maneuver the lorry through a series for tight twists and bends. Also, the delivery up to the kind people at Angus Rubber Crumb on the same day took care of the extra two bags that we no longer needed.

The experiment is still reasonably similar to what we previously envisioned, however we are now using the space outside the Abertay lab, and slightly smaller plastic pipes rather than the steel drums. This will be of benefit to us – not only because we are closer to a technician for help but it allows us to create a more controlled environment. The lab at Abertay has a large water tank in which we can keep the volume and flow of the water constant.

Anyway, what’s left? Not much really, we just need to order our pipes and have them manufactured when they arrive. Once this is done, we fill them up with aggregate and TDRM and off we go! Watch this space for updates!

And finally, have a look of our photos of the TDRM delivery!