Block Model Tutorial

1. Introduction

In Slide3, the block model feature allows you to create a model with a rectangular grid of blocks in 3D space, with each block containing its associated material properties. The example for this tutorial has multiple weak surface layers and the imported block model will be imported to Slide3.

The final model is a multiple weak surface layer model discretized by blocks as shown below:

First, open the Block Model - starting file.slide3m2 tutorial file from the tutorial folder.

2. Material properties and block model import

We will import the block coordinates. Select Materials > Define Materials. Create new material by selecting the + icon at the bottom left.

Select Material 7 and select Block Model under failure criterion option.

The, select Edit functions.

Select Import Block Data.

Import the Multiple Weak Surfaces Block Model.csv excel file that is in the tutorial folder.

Note: Slide3 currently only supports block models with all blocks having the same size. Sub-celled models, or models that contain blocks of differing sizes, are not currently supported.

Enter Start Row = 8 and

Enter Material = 7.

Select OK and wait for few minutes for Slide3 to import the csv file. You will see the block model parameters below, with the results message indicating the blocks conforming to the parameters.

Note that these parameters can be estimated by selecting Estimate Parameters. After estimate parameters are completed, the verification should automatically be done to check if the estimated parameters are valid. The Define by drop down allows you to select from several different ways to define the block model, common to the output from other programs:

- Block Size, Size in Blocks, Minimum Corner

- Block Size, Size in Blocks, Minimum Centroid

- Block Size, Minimum Corner, Maximum Corner

- Block Size, Minimum Centroid, Maximum Centroid

Once you have entered the parameters, you can click Validate Parameters to check that the locations of the blocks imported from the csv file conform to the parameters.

Select OK.

You will be prompted with a dialog containing information about the importing process. Select OK.

Now the new function is updated with material list (from 1 to 4) with its corresponding block dimensions imported from excel.

Select OK to finish the import process.

Select OK once again after

3. Block model geometry creation

Now select Geometry > Create External From Block Model.

You will see the imported block model as shown below.

Then, we have to divide the geometry with the block model.

Select: Geometry > 3D Boolean > Divide All Geometry.

Keep default quality and select OK. This may take few minutes.

After the divide all, the model will be shown as below.

4. Slip surface options

Before we will compute the model, we can check the slip surface option of the model.

Select: Surfaces > Slip Surface Options.

Select OK with these settings.

5. Compute

Save the file with new name 'Block_model_final' and Compute. This may take some time to compute.

After compute, go to Results tab and you will see the result as shown below.

The results are very similar to results from the multiple weak layers tutorial. This concludes the tutorial for block models.