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Import RS2 Project to RS3

This tutorial introduces the RS2 Import feature in RS3. You will be importing an RS2 project to RS3. All the RS2 supporting features are listed on the Import RS2 Project help page. For this tutorial, we will be importing the RS2 project, Underground Mining: Materials and Staging, to RS3.

If you do not have RS2 installed on your computer, a copy of the RS2 tutorial file is also available in RS3 tutorial folder: Import RS2 project to RS3.

1.0 Import RS2 Project

  1. Select Files > Import > Import RS2 project in the menu.
  2. In the RS2 tutorials folder, go to the Underground Mining tutorial folder and select the Materials and staging.fez file. This file is also available in RS3 tutorial folder: Import RS2 project to RS3.

You will be directed to the RS2 Import wizard as shown below.

RS2 Import Wizard dialog box
RS2 Import Wizard dialog box

1.1 EXTRUDE

The Extrude option allows you to extrude the model in a factor. For instance, this RS2 project has dimensions of 332 meters in width by 348 meters in height. The RS2 model is projected in the XZ plane. When you choose Extrude with a factor of 0.1, RS3 extrudes the model along the y-axis in approximately 34.5 meters.

  1. For this tutorial, we will use Extrude By Factor of 0.1.

1.2 AUTO RESTRAINS

The Auto Restraints option applies restraints to the extruded model. Three options are available: Underground, Surface, and Rotation (Surface).

  1. Choose Underground for our model as we will be importing an RS2 project with excavations with bolts underground.

1.3 GENERATE MESH

By selecting Generate Mesh, you can generate the mesh as you import the RS2 project.

  1. For this tutorial, we will tick the Generate Mesh check box.
RS2 Import Wizard dialog
RS2 Import Wizard dialog


Since we do not have wick drains in the model, we do not have to worry about the advanced option of wick drains spacing.

  1. Click OK.

2.0 RS2 Import Summary

You will see the summary of the RS2 project imported in RS3 as shown below.

Import Information dialog

For a list of items that can be imported in RS3 and what is not supported, check the Import RS2 Project help page.

  1. Click OK.

3.0 RS3 Model

RS3 imported model
RS3 imported model


The imported model has the soil model, with excavations, stages, and bolts.

3.1 EXCAVATIONS

First, we can check excavations by selecting the Excavation workflow tab and selecting different stages. You will see the excavation at the last stage, as shown below.

Image of Excavation at the last stage
Excavation at the last stage

3.2 SUPPORT

Select the Support workflow tab and you will see the applied bolts in the RS3 model. Below, you can see the added bolts in the last stage of the construction.

Image of the added bolts in the last stage of construction
Added bolts in the last stage of construction

3.3 RESTRAINTS

Select the Restraints workflow tab. From the RS2 import wizard, we have applied underground restraints. This applies x, y, z restraints on all surfaces to replicate underground excavation situation.

Model with underground restraints applied
Model with underground restraints applied

3.4 MESH

Go to the Mesh workflow tab and you will see the mesh applied to the RS3 model from RS2 import wizard.

Model with mesh applied
Model with mesh applied


The default Mesh Setting can be checked by selecting Mesh > Mesh settings on menu.

Mesh Settings dialog box
Mesh Settings dialog box


You can go to the Advanced option to make the mesh finer or coarser depending on the preference of computation time or accuracy of the results.

Now we will apply the mesh refinement region to analyze the excavated section in detail.

  1. Select: Mesh > Mesh refinement region. Enter the following coordinates for two box corners as shown:
    • First corner: (-50, -50, 10)
    • Second corner: (80, 80, 120)
      Define Mesh Refinement Region dialog
      Define Mesh Refinement Region dialog
  2. Select OK.
    Mesh Refinement dialog b
    Mesh Refinement dialog b

  3. You will be directed to set distribution of the refined region. Keep as uniform, change the Element Size to 4 (m) and select OK.
  4. Now select Mesh > Mesh to apply these settings to the model for mesh.

4.0 Compute

Select the compute workflow tab. In menu, select: Compute > compute. The model will compute with the settings.

5.0 Results

  1. Select: Interpret > Show Excavation contour.

For Solids > Sigma 1 Effective stress, you will see the excavation contour with bolts as shown below:

Excavation contour with bolts
Excavation contour with bolts


This is an excavation plot at stage 3 before the backfill. This shows the stresses around the excavated region with bolts applied.

5.1 TOTAL DISPLACEMENT

We can see the maximum displacement of the excavated region by selecting Solids > Total displacement in the contour option on the right side.

5.1.1 Stage 1

5.1.1 Stage 1

5.1.2 Stage 2

5.1.2 Stage 2

5.1.3 Stage 3

5.1.3 Stage 3


As you can see from the results above, you can toggle between stages to see the effects of each staged excavation.

5.2 STRENGTH FACTOR

You can also check the strength factor contours. Select the dropdown menu of contour to Strength factor and you will see the results for each stage, as shown below.

5.2.1 Stage 1

5.2.1 Stage 1

5.2.2 Stage 2

5.2.2 Stage 2

5.2.3 Stage 3

5.2.3 Stage 3

5.3 YIELDED ELEMENTS

Now we will check the yielded elements around the region of excavation.

  1. Change the data contour to Yielded elements.
  2. Then select Interpret > Yielded elements > Show all yielded elements. You will see the Stage 3 yielded elements as shown below.

Stage 3 yielded elements


As you can see from the results in RS2, the failure region is around the top, bottom, and sides of the excavation.

Image of results in RS2


For a more precise comparison with RS2 model, when the extruded model is 1 meter, you will see the following result for total displacement of RS2 and RS3 total displacement at stage 3 as shown below:

Result for total displacement of RS2 and RS3 total displacement at stage 3

Result for total displacement of RS2 and RS3 total displacement at stage 3


This model is available in the same RS2 import tutorial folder named Material and Staging-ThinModel.rs3. The computation for this model may take a longer time than the tutorial model.

This concludes the tutorial.

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