Settle 3D 3.0 is here! Become a Rocscience Beta Tester RocNews Winter 2014
Settle 3D 3.0 An Exciting New Upgrade! Settle 3D 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 Settle 3D 3.0, including: Liquefaction Analysis Capabilities (check out the Liquefaction Analysis Tutorial) Modeling of Non-Horizontal Soil Strata Define Soil Profile with Multiple Boreholes (read the Multiple Boreholes Tutorial) Define Water Table Based on Borehole Locations Define Multiple Water Grids Improved Interface Enhanced Graphing Capabilities 64-bit Parallel Processing and Improved Computation Speed for Rigid Footing Analyses
Liquefaction Analysis Capabilities The addition of liquefaction to Settle 3D is a major upgrade. The new liquefaction module is coupled with the existing stress analysis calculations in Settle 3D, and a wide range of liquefaction calculation options are provided. You can now carry out liquefaction analyses in Settle 3D 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: 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. Specify Earthquake Load Enter Input Data (Import and Export functionality included) Automatically chart input data with depth Specify correction factors (if necessary) 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 Settle 3D : Data SPT / CPT / VST Triggering CSR and CRR Post-Triggering Max Shear Strain (%) Stress Reduction Coefficient Relative Density (%) Factor of Safety Probability of Liquefaction (%) Lateral Displacement Index 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 Settle 3D 3.0 is the ability to define a non-horizontal soil profile. In Settle 3D 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 Settle 3D 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 Settle 3D 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 Groundwater Grid Water Surface Field Point Grid Deformed Contours Loads Soil Column Boreholes Draw Materials on all Queries Viewing options
Enhanced Graphing Capabilities A number of new graphing options are offered in Settle 3D Version 3.0. Charts in Settle 3D 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: Show Soil Layers Show Point Markers Show Labels Show Grid Lines Graph customization options in Settle 3D
Improved Speed for Rigid Footing Analyses New 64-bit parallel processing capabilities in Settle 3D speed up rigid footing analyses significantly. This table compares Settle 3D 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 Settle 3D 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 Settle 3D that will be useful to both new and experienced users. Sign up for the Settle 3D beta program and get your free evaluation copy today! Contact us at software@rocscience.com