Settle
3D
3.0 is here!
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RocNews Winter 2014
Settle
3D
3.0
An Exciting New Upgrade!
Settle3D is a 3-dimensional program for the analysis of vertical consolidation and settlement under foundations, embankments and surface loads. The program has been widely used
in industry for many years, and there are a number of exciting new additions to the program which are sure to please!
This article summarizes the major new features of Settle3D
3.0, including:
w Liquefaction Analysis Capabilities (check out the
Liquefaction Analysis Tutorial)
w Modeling of Non-Horizontal Soil Strata
w Define Soil Profile with Multiple Boreholes (read the
Multiple Boreholes Tutorial)
w Define Water Table Based on Borehole Locations
w Define Multiple Water Grids
w Improved Interface
w Enhanced Graphing Capabilities
w 64-bit Parallel Processing and Improved Computation
Speed for Rigid Footing Analyses
Liquefaction Analysis Capabilities
The addition of liquefaction to Settle3D is a major upgrade.
The new liquefaction module is coupled with the existing
stress analysis calculations in Settle3D, and a wide range of
liquefaction calculation options are provided.
You can now carry out liquefaction analyses in Settle3D based
on Standard Penetration Test (SPT), Cone Penetration Test
(CPT), and Shear Wave Velocity (VST) data.
Input data can be entered in either metric or imperial units.
In the case of imperial units, the data is converted to metric
within the program in order to apply the liquefaction equations.
Liquefaction Input Data
For each input data type, there is a customized Liquefaction Options dialog.
In the Liquefaction Options dialog you can:
w Specify Earthquake Load
Liquefaction Options in Settle3D Project Settings
In the Liquefaction Analysis Options (Advanced) dialog, a
complete set of liquefaction analysis methods are provided.
This set of analysis options was compiled after an extensive
literature review.
w Enter Input Data (Import
and Export functionality
included)
w Automatically chart input
data with depth
w Specify correction factors
(if necessary)
w Apply advanced scaling
factors
Advanced SPT Liquefaction Analysis options
Liquefaction analysis results can be displayed at any user-defined query point. The following liquefaction
analysis results are presented in Settle3D:
Data
Triggering
SPT / CPT / VST
Stress Reduction Coefficient
Relative Density (%)
Post-Triggering
CSR and CRR
Max Shear Strain (%)
Factor of Safety
Lateral Displacement Index
Probability of Liquefaction (%) Settlement
Liquefaction analysis results – Data Tab
The liquefaction analysis results are displayed in chart form, and are easy to interpret. The chart displays
are fully customizable in terms of markers and lines, legends, fonts, and colors.
Each part of the liquefaction analysis (Data, Triggering, and Post Triggering) is displayed in its own tab.
Each chart can also be toggled to full-screen.
Liquefaction analysis
chart display options
In addition, for each aspect of the liquefaction analysis you can use checkboxes to select which methods’
results you want to display.
Liquefaction analysis results –
Triggering Tab
Liquefaction analysis results –
Post-triggering Tab
The DataTips tool is also useful when viewing liquefaction
analysis results. When DataTips
is on, hovering over a point on
any of the graphs will display the
plotted value.
By default, the Soil Layers are
displayed on each graph. These
can be turned off using the Show
Soil Layers checkbox.
Modeling of Non-Horizontal Soil Strata with Multiple Boreholes
The second exciting new feature in Settle3D 3.0 is the ability
to define a non-horizontal soil profile. In Settle3D 2.0, only
soil strata with horizontal layers could be modeled. In Settle3D Version 3.0, users have the option of modeling the soil
strata with Horizontal Layers or with Multiple Boreholes.
If the Multiple Boreholes option is selected, you can define
any number of boreholes and the soil profile is interpolated
between them.
Make sure you take a look at the new Multiple Boreholes
tutorial.
Select Multiple Boreholes to model non-horizontal soil strata
Example of Non-Horizontal soil strata (defined with three boreholes)
Define Water Grid
In Settle3D 3.0, there are many new
ways to define the groundwater conditions. In Version 2.0, the groundwater
was defined by the depth to water
table only. In Version 3.0 the groundwater level can be defined either by
Piezometric Lines or with a Grid.
If Piezometric Lines are used, multiple
piezo lines can be defined and each
material type can be assigned to a different piezo line. Piezometric lines can
also be staged.
If a Groundwater Grid is used, you
can define water table depths at multiple points. A checkbox is provided
that allows you to quickly use the
borehole locations as XY-coordinates
for water table points. Multiple grids
can also be defined. Once defined, the
groundwater grid points are shown as
blue spheres. Different grids can be
assigned to different materials, and
groundwater grids can also be staged.
Groundwater grid and Water Surface displayed
Interface Improvements
Numerous interface enhancements have been incorporated
into Settle3D 3.0. First we’ll take a look at the display options
on the right side of the window.
The Contour Legend, at the top, is the same as in Version
2.0. Right-click in the Contour Legend region to access the
Contour Options dialog.
There are a few new features in the Depth / Soil Layers section, which relate to the capability to define non-horizontal
soil strata. Like in Version 2.0, you can click on the arrow
in the soil column to move the Field Point Grid. New to
Version 3.0 is the ability to enter X- and Y- coordinates and
visualize the soil strata at that location. The soil column is
automatically updated when you enter a new X- or Y- coordinate.
As mentioned above, using the Draw Materials on all
Queries and Field Point Grid views, you can look at the soil
profile at particular depth. Selecting the Groundwater Grid
and Water Surface options allows you to look at how the water table changes throughout the model based on the defined
water depth points.
If the Field Point Grid option is selected in the View Controls, you can also visualize how the soil profile changes
with depth by either entering a depth or by clicking on a
location in the soil column. The soil profile at that location is
displayed on the Field Point Grid.
A number of new viewing options can also be found in the
View Controls section. A number of new visualization options are available:
Soil profile shown on Field Point Grid
w Groundwater Grid
w Loads
w Water Surface
w Soil Column
w Field Point Grid
w Boreholes
w Deformed Contours
w Draw Materials on all Queries
Viewing options
Enhanced Graphing Capabilities
A number of new graphing options are offered in Settle3D
Version 3.0.
Charts in Settle3D are now
fully customizable. All
customization options are
displayed on the right side
of the window.
For the chart area, the following Markers and Lines
options are available:
w
Show Soil Layers
w
Show Point Markers
w
Show Labels
w
Show Grid Lines
Graph customization options in Settle3D
Improved Speed for Rigid Footing Analyses
New 64-bit parallel processing capabilities
in Settle3D speed up rigid footing analyses
significantly. This table compares Settle3D
Version 2.0 and Version 3.0 analysis
speeds for three rigid body analyses.
Notice that the analyses in Version 3 are
much faster.
Rigid Footing with Thin Layer (1)
Rigid Footing with Thin Layer (2)
Embankment with End Face
Get your copy of the Settle3D 3.0 beta today!
With the new and improved features discussed above, particularly the addition of
liquefaction and 64-bit parallel processing, Version 3.0 is an important upgrade to
Settle3D that will be useful to both new and experienced users.
Sign up for the Settle3D beta program and get
your free evaluation copy today! Contact us at
software@rocscience.com