Documentation and Theory Overview

SWedge is a quick, interactive, and simple to use analysis tool for evaluating the stability of surface wedges in rock slopes defined by two (or three) intersecting discontinuity planes, the slope surface, and an optional tension crack.

Getting Started

If you are a new user of SWedge, you should begin by completing the SWedge Quick Start Tutorial to help familiarize yourself with the software’s main functions.

How to Use this Guide

Documentation

The Documentation tab helps you to get familiar with program features and provides details on specific tools/functions of the software. This section includes topics like terminology, general features, input data, analysis methods, viewing and display options, and more.

Begin with the Swedge Overview page for an overview of the program and analysis assumptions.

Tutorials

The tutorials tab provides easy to follow, step-by-step instructions demonstrating how to use various features of the program and provides guidance for more specific analysis features of SWedge. It is recommended that you go through as many of the tutorials as possible to get acquainted with the many different capabilities of the software.

Begin with the Quick Start Tutorial for an introduction to the basic modelling and data interpretation features of SWedge

Verification and Theory

The Theory and Verification tab contains a collection of Theory and Verification Manuals for the software. The Verification Examples represent an extensive set of models, from many different sources, which have been used to verify the accuracy of the solutions computed by the program. The Theory Manuals describes the methods used to calculate the wedge Factor of Safety, the Persistence and Bench Design options, and Basal Joint wedge types.