Rocscience International Conference 2025 is going to take place in Sydney, Australia Read more

Search Results

Reinforced Slope

1.0 Introduction

This tutorial will demonstrate how support such as soil nails, tiebacks or piles can be added to a slope model. Results will be compared before and after adding support.

The model is a simple homogenous extruded slope. All properties and settings have already been defined, but the support has not yet been added.

To begin:

  1. Select File > Recent > Tutorials and open the file Reinforced Slope – starting file from the installation folder.

2.0 Compute and Results

  1. Select Analysis > Compute compute icon to run the analysis
  2. Select the Results workflow tab results workflow tab to view the results.
  3. Then, click the Show Contours show contours icon option in the toolbar.

The factor of safety using the Janbu method is about 1.1 for the unsupported slope.

Reinforced Slope Results View Tab
Reinforced Slope: Results View Tab

3.0 Export Surface Results

For comparison with the model after we add support, let’s export the critical slip surface for the unsupported slope.

  1. Select File > Export > Export Surface Results and save the file as a “Slide3 Result Object” file (with a *.slide3dresobj file extension).

This file can later be imported for comparison with the supported results.

4.0 Define Support

loading and support workflow tab

  1. Select the Loading & Support workflow tab.
  2. Select Support > Define Support define support icon
  3. For the first support type, enter:
    • Name = Soil Nail,
    • Tensile Capacity = 150
    • Plate Capacity = 150 and
    • Bond Strength = 85.
  4. Click OK.

5.0 Add Support

Now we will add a pattern of soil nails to the slope face.

  1. Select Face face selection iconselection mode and click on the slope face of the model.
    model starting view
  2. Select Support > Add Support to Surface add support icon
  3. You will see the Add Bolts dialog. In this dialog:
    • Select Orientation = Trend & Plunge
    • Enter Trend = 90, Plunge = 0
    • Enter Length = 12
    • Select Application = Bolt Pattern
  4. For the Bolt Pattern parameters, enter the values as shown in the figure below:
    • Primary Path (Required)
      • Start = 10 0 10
      • End = 10 40 10
    • Secondary Path (Optional) = YES
      • Start = 10 0 10
      • End = 25 0 20
    • Primary Spacing (m) = 3
    • Primary Offset (m) = 2
    • Secondary Spacing (m) = 3
    • Secondary Offset (m) = 1

      add_spprt_add_bolts_dlg
  5. Select the Preview Pattern button. You should see the following (if not then check your input):
  6. Add suppport model view

  7. Select the Add button to add the pattern to the model.
  8. Select Done to save the input and close the dialog.

Preview Pattern

6.0 Results

results workflow tab

  1. Save the file and Compute compute icon
  2. Select the Results workflow tab to view the results. Select the Show Contours show contours iconoption in the toolbar.
  3. The factor of safety for the Janbu method is about 1.3 (compared to 1.1 for the unsupported slope).

    Reinforced Slope Results View Tab - with Support
    Reinforced Slope: Results View Tab - with Support
  4. Turn off the Show Contours option.

Bolt Result Display Options

We will now demonstrate display options for bolt results.

  1. Turn off the contour option by re-selecting show contours icon Show Contour option.
  2. The Show Intersecting Bolts Intersecting Bolts Icon option will display only the bolts which intersect the slip surface.

    This is important because these are the bolts which stabilize the slip surface. Bolts which do NOT intersect a slip surface have no effect on the safety factor of that slip surface.

    Bolts which intersect slip surface
    Bolts which intersect slip surface

    Bolt Force Icon The Show Bolt Force Diagrams option will display the bolt force diagram for each bolt directly on the bolt.

  3. Select Interpret > Show Bolt Force Diagram.
  4. The bolt force diagram is derived from the bolt support properties and represents the maximum support force which can be applied to a slip surface intersecting a bolt along its length. The colour of the diagram represents the potential failure mode (e.g. tensile, pullout or stripping). See Slide3 help for more information on bolt force diagrams.

    Bolt force diagrams displayed on bolts
    Bolt force diagrams displayed on bolts

    The Show Bolt Column Forces option will display the actual support force applied to the slip surface by each bolt used in the analysis.

  5. Select Interpret > Show Bolt Column Forces.

The colour indicates the failure mode, in this case, green = pullout. Notice that the Legend at the right of the screen indicates the bolt failure modes and force magnitudes.

Bolt forces used in analysis
Bolt forces used in analysis

Display Options

  1. Select Display Options display options icon from the toolbar menu
  2. Select the Bolt Forces tab. You will see additional options for customizing the display of bolt results.
  3. Display Options dialog
    Display Options dialog

    If you select Bolt Force Coloring Mode = Force Value, the magnitude of the bolt forces will be indicated by the displayed colour as shown in the Legend.

    Bolt Forces Magnitude Displayed
    Bolt Forces Magnitude Displayed
  4. Turn off all of the bolt display options except for the Show Intersecting Bolts option (leave this on).

7.0 Import Surface Results

Now we will import the critical slip surface obtained from the analysis of the un-supported slope, and compare with the supported results.

  1. Select Interpret > Import/Export Slip Surface > Import Slip Surface Geometry and import the Slide3 Result Object.slide3dresobj file you saved at the beginning of this tutorial.

The geometry of the slip surface should be imported and you should see the following:

Unsupported vs. Supported Slip Surface
Unsupported vs. Supported Slip Surface

This clearly shows the effect of the bolt support. The unsupported slip surface is shallower and has a safety factor = 1.1. In comparison, the bolt support has forced the critical slip surface deeper into the slope and increased the safety factor to 1.41.

This concludes the Reinforced Slope tutorial.

Rocscience logo, click here to return to the homepage Portal Account Portal Account Log In Log Out Home Shopping Cart icon Click here to search our site Click here to close Learning Tech Support Documentation Info Chevron Delete Back to Top View More" Previous Next PDF File Calendar Location Language Fees Video Click here to visit Rocscience's LinkedIn page Click here to visit Rocscience's YouTube page Click here to visit Rocscience's X page Click here to visit Rocscience's Facebook page Click here to visit Rocscience's Instagram page Click here to visit Rocscience's Reddit page Bookmark Network Scroll down for more Checkmark Download Print Back to top Single User Multiple Users RSLog RocFall3 CPillar Dips EX3 RocFall RocPlane RocSlope3 RocSupport RocTopple RS2 RS3 RSData RSPile Settle3 Slide2 Slide3 SWedge UnWedge RocTunnel3 RocSlope2 BlastMetrix ShapeMetriX Fragmenter Commercial License Education License Trial License Shop safe & secure Money-back guarantee