Define Joint Properties

To define joint properties:

1. Select the Joints workflow tab.
2. Select Define Joint Properties from the toolbar or select Joints > Define Joint Properties from the menu.
3. The Define Joint Properties dialog appears with a list of the currently defined joint properties.
1. By default there is one (1) joint property available to be edited. If additional joint properties are required, you can select the Add button to define the number of required joint property types. You can define up to 100 different property types in the Define Joint Properties dialog.
2. Define the Shear Model and Waviness along the joint, and Water Pressure within the joint (if applicable). See the following topics for details.
   
3. Click OK to save the defined joint properties and exit the dialog.

Shear Model

Joint shear strength can be modeled using one of the following Strength Types:

• Mohr-Coulomb
• Barton-Bandis
• Hoek-Brown
• Generalized Hoek-Brown
• Power Curve

See the Shear Strength topic for more information.

Material Dependent Shear Strength

By default, the entire joint area is set with the strength parameters specified for the corresponding Strength Type selected. To set different strength parameters according to the Material Property defined:

1. Tick the Material Dependent Shear Strength checkbox.
2. Click the Edit button to bring up the Material Dependent Shear Strength Properties dialog.
3. Click the Add button to add any additional Material Properties to define new strength parameters to.
1. For each entry, select the Material Property from the drop down and the associated strength parameter values.
4. Click OK to save the material dependent shear strength properties.

For any Joint Property with Material Dependent Shear Strength:

• The shear strength values in the Material Dependent Shear Strength Properties dialog will override the values specified in the Define Joint Properties dialog for any of the added materials.
  • The joint strength will be derived from the rock materials through which the joint passes.
• The materials not added in the Material Dependent Shear Strength Properties dialog will take on the shear strength values specified in the Define Joint Properties dialog.

Waviness

The Waviness parameter can also be specified to increase the effective shear strength of a joint. See the Waviness Angle topic for more information.

Water Pressure

The Water Pressure option allows users to assign water pressure affects within the joints. Water Pressure can be modeled using one of the following Water Pressure Distributions:

• Material Dependent
• Water Surfaces
• Water Grids
• Dry
• Uniform
• Peak at Toe

See the Joint Water Pressure topic for more information.