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Tutorial 2 – Different Shapes
In this tutorial, we are going to focus on the effect of size and shape of
rocks. We will demonstrate the following topics in RocFall:
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Importing DXF files
Using different shapes
Defining slope materials
Changing shape properties
Filtering paths
Analysis for different shapes
The finished product of this tutorial can be found in the Tutorial 02
Different Shapes.fal5 data file. All tutorial files installed with RocFall
can be accessed by selecting File > Recent Folders > Tutorials Folder from
the RocFall main menu.
Model
Start RocFall 5.0 by selecting Programs  Rocscience  RocFall 5.0 
RocFall from the Windows start menu.
RocFall automatically opens to a new blank document, which allows you
to begin creating a model immediately. If the RocFall application window
is not already maximized, maximize it now so the full screen space is
available for use.
Importing Slope File
Import the slope “.dxf” file by selecting File > Import > Import DXF >
[Installation directory for RocFall on your computer] > Tutorials Folder >
Tutorial 02_slope_profile.dxf from the RocFall main menu.
Defining Seeder
First, let’s define the rock types for our analysis.
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Select: Seeder → Rock Library
In the Rock Type Library dialog, Change the name of Default Rock to
“Small rocks”. Select sphere, oval, hexagon and rhombus from the Shapes
drop down menu as shown.
We can also change the distribution for density, mass and initial rotation
of the rocks in this dialog.
Ensure the Mass is 1000 kg. Set the Distribution to “Normal” with a
standard deviation of 100 in the drop down menu on the right of the mass
as shown.
By default, “3x std. dev.” is selected to calculate the relative minimum
and maximum to be three times the standard deviation. You can always
change these values manually. Set the Density to 2700 kg/m3 and set its
distribution to normal with a standard deviation of 50.
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Now let’s add a second rock type. Use the add rock type button at the
bottom left of the dialog and change the name from “Default Rock 2” to
“Large rocks”. Change the mass to 10,000 kg and select Square and
Pentagon for shapes.
Press OK.
We are ready to define the seeder.
Select: Seeder → Add Seeder
Enter 1, 44 in the command line. The “Seeder Properties” dialog appears
once you press Enter.
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In the “Seeder Properties” dialog, ensure that both “Small rocks” and
“Large rocks” are selected in the list on the left. Change the number of
rocks to 50 per rock type. Change the Horizontal Velocity with
Distribution to “Normal”, Mean of 3 m/s and Standard Deviation of 0.4.
Ensure that the relative minimum and maximum are calculated to be
three times the standard deviation.
If this is not done automatically, select the “3x std. dev.” button.
Set the Rotational and Vertical Velocity Mean to zero with distribution
set to “None”. Finally, set Initial Rotation Mean to zero with a
distribution set to “Uniform”. Your dialog should be as shown.
Press OK.
Defining Slope Material
We are going to define a new slope material for this tutorial.
Select: Slope → Slope Material Properties
In the Slope Material Library dialog, you can view the list of the available
slope materials on the left hand side of the dialog.
Click on the Add new slope material button.
Name the new material “Rock” and set the distribution type for all
parameters to “Normal” and use the parameters shown below for “Rock.”
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Use the default settings for the other materials.
Press OK.
Let’s assign the materials to the slope
Select: Slope → Assign Slope Materials
Assign slope materials according to the Figure below:
Rock
Talus Cover
Asphalt
Results
Now that the model is ready, select the Results mode to solve the model.
In this mode, the analysis tools appear on the main toolbar and the rock
paths are shown on the slope.
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Displaying Contacts and Animation
You can view the contact points of a path by right clicking on the path
and selecting “Display Contacts.” Use this feature to compare the contact
points of different shapes. You can always animate the rock by right
clicking on the path and selecting “Animate.”
Analysis
The chart endpoints feature graphs the end locations of each rock
regardless of the rock type. It is a summary of endpoint data
Select: Graphs → Graph Endpoints
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When plotting chart envelopes, we can select particular rock types to
show.
Select: Graphs → Graph Data on Slope
Select “Total Kinetic Energy” from the drop down menu. Change the
Paths to Plot to Paths with Selected Rocks, but leave both “Small rocks”
and “Large rocks” selected. Hit Plot Data
Notice that rock types are separated into different series when they are
plotted in the graph envelope. You can go back to the Graph Data on
Slope dialog to select only one rock type to plot one series at a time.
This concludes the Different Shapes tutorial. Enjoy using Rocfall!
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