Assign Joint Properties

When a Joint is added to a model, the joint properties and staging (if applicable) must be assigned to the joint. (Default properties and staging are automatically assigned by RS2 if the user takes no action).

There are three ways in which the assigning of joint properties can be achieved:

1. When adding joints - when a joint is initially added to a model (using the Add Joint option), you can select the Joint Property type in the dialog which appears before you add the joint to the model.
2. Assign Properties dialog - at any time after joints have been added to a model, you can use the Assign Properties dialog (available in the toolbar or the Properties menu) to assign joint properties and staging. See below for details.
3. Right-click shortcut - assigning properties can also be achieved with a convenient right-click shortcut. If you right-click directly on a joint, the popup menu will provide shortcuts to assign properties.
4. Edit Joint dialog - after a joint has been added, you can edit one or multiple of them with the Edit Joint option under the Boundaries menu.

Assignment of Joint Properties

To assign joint properties with the Assign Properties dialog:

1. Select Assign Properties from the toolbar or the Properties menu.
2. Make sure that Joints is selected in the drop-list at the top of the Assign Properties dialog.
3. In the Assign dialog, select a joint type you would like to assign.
4. Use the mouse to select the desired joint(s) on the model. When selected, joints are highlighted by a dotted line.

Note: if a joint boundary consists of multiple line segments, you can assign different properties to different segments using the Assign by segments option (see below for details).

5. When all desired joints (or joint segments) are selected, press Enter or right-click and select Done Selection. All selected joints will be assigned the joint type you chose, as indicated by their colour.
6. If your model has multiple joint types, repeat steps 3 to 5 to assign the desired joint types to all the joints in the model.
7. When you are finished with the Assign dialog, you can close it by selecting the X in the dialog, or by pressing Escape.
   
   Assign by segments
   
   In RS2, a joint boundary can consist of any number of line segments. When you are assigning joint properties, by default the entire joint polyline (i.e. all segments) will be selected and all segments will be assigned the same properties.
   
   If you wish to assign different joint properties to individual segments of a joint polyline, then select the Assign by segments check box in the Assign Properties dialog. This will allow you to select individual segments of a joint polyline, and assign different properties to different segments of the joint polyline.

Assignment of Joint Staging

When a joint boundary is added to a RS2 model (with the Add Joint option), by default it is assumed that the joint represents a "natural" joint which is present in the rock mass from the first stage of the model (and all subsequent stages). Therefore the joint is automatically "installed" at Stage 1 of the model, when the joint boundary is added.

In the general case, RS2 allows the user to "install" a joint at any stage of a multi-stage model. This allows the user to model (for example), an "artificial" or "man-made" construction joint, which only exists after a region has been excavated and then backfilled with another material.

The installation stage of a joint can only be assigned with the Assign Properties dialog (joint staging is not available as a right-click option or when the joint boundary is initially added to the model).

• Install
  
  

  To assign the installation stage of a joint boundary:

  1. In the Assign Properties dialog, make sure that Joints is selected in the drop-list at the top of the dialog.
  2. Select the Install button in the Assign dialog.
  3. Make sure the stage you are viewing is the stage at which you want to install the joint(s). Use the Stage Tabs to view the desired stage.
  4. Use the mouse to select the desired joint(s), and press Enter or right-click and select Done Selection when you are finished. All selected joints will be:
     • INSTALLED at the stage you are viewing (and all subsequent stages)
     • NOT INSTALLED (i.e. will not exist) prior to that stage.

  NOTE: if a joint boundary is "not installed" at a given stage, it will be displayed in a lighter shade of the joint type colour.

  Remove

  It is not possible to define a "removal" stage for a joint boundary, using the Assign Properties dialog. A joint boundary will exist at the installation stage, and all subsequent stages.

  However, if the material on either (or both) sides of a joint boundary is excavated, then all excavated portions of the joint boundary will automatically be removed from the model, at the stage of excavation (and for all subsequent stages). This is done automatically by RS2 and does not require any input by the user.

  If a joint boundary is excavated, the removal will remain in effect even if the excavation is backfilled at a later stage (i.e. the joint boundary will not exist in the backfilled region).

Finally, it can be noted that in the Define Joints dialog, the user can specify that the joint is allowed to slip beginning at a given stage. This can be considered "staging" of the joint, however, this is done through the Define Joints dialog, and NOT the Assign Properties dialog.