20 - Multiple Load Import

1.0 Introduction

In Settle3, multiple loads can be imported from structural software such as SAFE through an Excel spreadsheet using load import from SAFE feature. This feature allows users to import multiple segments of load from structural software such as SAFE in an Excel file to Settle3 for subgrade modulus reaction. Previously, the users had to manually import the load with the corresponding coordinates and magnitude of load to Settle3.

In this tutorial, we will show how this procedure is made more robust by showing you how to import batch loads with associated coordinates, magnitude, and elevation. Then, this tutorial will show the automatically generated query points at the center of each imported load for output results such as subgrade soil modulus.

Topics Covered in this Tutorial:

• Multiple load import
• Modulus of subgrade reaction export

Finished file:

The finished file of this tutorial can be found in the Tutorial 20 multiple load import_final.s3z file. All tutorial files installed with Settle3 can be accessed by selecting File > Recent Folders > Tutorials Folder from the Settle3 main menu.

For this tutorial, we will be starting the project from scratch, so there is no initial file for this tutorial. We will show a step-by-step procedure on how the loads can be imported to create the model. After completing the tutorial, the final model should be the same as the final model attached in our tutorial folder, Tutorial 20 - Multiple load import.

Want to watch the video version of the tutorial? Check it out here:

2.0 Model

2.1 Project Settings

1. Select Analysis > Project Settings (CTRL + J) to open the Project Settings dialog.
2. In the General tab, make sure the Units are set as Metric, stress as tonnes/m2.
   
3. Select Soil Profiles tab. Select 'Depth below Ground Surface' option.
4. Click OK to close the dialog and save your changes.

3.0 Import Load import from SAFE

1. Select Loads > Loads from SAFE > Import Loads
2. Import two Excel spreadsheets for Area Connectivity and Soil Pressures files from the tutorial folder.
   - Select the Browse button in Area Connectivity and import 'Areas connectivity.xlsx' file
   - Select the Browse button in Soil Pressures and import 'Soil Pressures.xlsx' file
   
3. Select Next and you will see the settings for import loads
   
4. Make sure to keep the default value of divisions to 30, select the colorize loads for each stress division, and select the customize button.
5. Customize stress division will be divided based on the min/max values of the load from the spreadsheet, divided by the number of sections defined from the previous step.
   
   Select OK.
6. Keep the Merge close vertices with a distance smaller than 0.1.
7. Set loads to depth (m) to 0. Make sure the 'create excavation load' is unselected.
8. Select Finish.
9. You'll be prompted with this error message because there are some nodes missing pressure values for the nodes. Settle3 will detect those nodes and will automatically apply average of the nearby nodes. Select OK.

Press F2 to zoom all. You will see the imported load with colors showing the division with a previously-defined range as shown below:

4.0 Subgrade Modulus Reaction

After multiple loads are imported, you can check the modulus of subgrade reaction for each query point created in the middle of each load.

Select Compute

After the compute, you will see the results are displayed. Change the result type to Modulus of Subgrade reaction (total) as shown below and you will see the result with values at each query point.

Now we will export the subgrade modulus results obtained from Settle3 to Excel spreadsheet.

4.1 Export Modulus of subgrade reaction

Select Loads from SAFE > Export Modulus of Subgrade Reaction.

From this dialog, users can define the range of the modulus of subgrade reaction with min/max values and Settle3 will categorize each area of the load with the appropriate category of the modulus. For this tutorial, we will fill out 6 categories with min/max ranges as shown below:

- 6 categories with a range of 10 (tonnes/m2/m), except for the last category.

- Name each category as you desire (for this tutorial we used the name label with S1 to S6.)

Select OK.

You will see the results in the spreadsheet shown below:

As shown in the spreadsheet, each area label is now assigned with the category of modulus we have defined, and the modulus of subgrade reaction is shown for each load (query results).

This tutorial has shown how to use the multiple load import feature using Settle3 and output the results in a spreadsheet for modulus of subgrade reaction. For more detailed information, we encourage you to check out our Online help for multiple load imports.

This concludes the tutorial with multiple load imports using Settle3.