1 - Quick Start

This tutorial is a simple introductory tutorial that helps you become familiar with the basic
modelling and data interpretation features of UnWedge.

A key tool for geotechnical engineers that work with tunnels, underground excavations, and
caverns, UnWedge is used to determine the stability of rock wedges formed by the intersection of
structural discontinuities. UnWedge the calculates Factor of Safety and can determine support
requirements for projects.

Topics Covered:

Project Settings
Defining the Opening Section
Tunnel Properties
Joint Orientations
Joint Properties
3D Wedge View
Viewing and Display Options
Wedge Analysis Information
Data Tips
Info Viewer
Multi-Perspective View
End Wedges

Finished Product:

The finished product of this tutorial can be found in the Tutorial 01 Quick Start.weg5 file. located in
the Examples > Tutorials folder in your UnWedge installation folder.

1.0 Introduction
There are several important assumptions and limitations which must be considered when using
UnWedge:

UnWedge should be used to analyze wedge failure around excavations constructed in hard
rock, where discontinuities are persistent, and where stress-induced failure does not occur. It
is assumed that displacements take place at the discontinuities and that the wedges move as
rigid bodies with no internal deformation or cracking.
The wedges are tetrahedral in nature and defined by three intersecting discontinuities. A
maximum of three structural planes can be analyzed at one time. If more than three major
 planes are identified for the analysis of the structural data, then all combinations of these
planes should be considered.
All of the discontinuity surfaces are assumed to be perfectly planar.
Discontinuity surfaces are assumed to be persistent and to extend through the volume of
interest, therefore the discontinuities defining the wedge do not terminate within the region
where the wedges are formed. The implication is that no new cracking is required in the
analysis of wedge movement.
The discontinuities are considered to be ubiquitous: in other words, they can occur at any
location in the rock mass.
The underground excavation is assumed to have a constant cross-section along its axis.
The default analysis is based upon the assumption that the wedges are subjected to
gravitational loading only, due to the wedge weight (i.e., the stress field in the rock mass
surrounding the excavation is not taken into account). While this assumption leads to some
inaccuracy in the analysis, the error is generally conservative, leading to a lower Factor of
Safety. However, you may include the effect of in-situ stress on the wedges with the Field
Stress option.
UnWedge always initially calculates the maximum sized wedges which can form around the
excavation. To scale down the size of the wedges according to actual field observations (e.g.,
observed joint trace lengths), use the Scale Wedges option.

2.0 Creating a New File

1. If you have not already done so, run the UnWedge program by double-clicking the UnWedge
icon in your installation folder or by selecting Programs > Rocscience > UnWedge >
UnWedge in the Windows Start menu.

When the program starts, a default model is automatically created. If you do NOT see a model on
your screen:

2. Select: File > New

UnWedge Application Window

If the UnWedge application window is not already maximized, maximize it now so that the full
screen is available for viewing the model.

3.0 Project Settings and Model Geometry

3.1 PROJECT SETTINGS

The Project Settings dialog allows you to configure the main analysis parameters for your model,
such as Analysis Type, Units, and Design Standard options that will be explored in later tutorials.
To open the dialog:

1. Select: Analysis > Project Settings

Project Settings Dialog

There are two main analysis types in UnWedge: Deterministic and Probabilistic. The default
choice for new files is Deterministic.

Deterministic Analysis: Assumes that all input parameters are exactly known. UnWedge
computes the Factor of Safety for each wedge. This tutorial demonstrates a Deterministic
Analysis.
Probabilistic Analysis: Statistical input data can be entered to account for uncertainty in joint
orientation and strength values. The result is a distribution of Factors of Safety, from which a
Probability of Failure is calculated. Probabilistic Analysis is demonstrated in Tutorial 07 -
Probabilistic Analysis in UnWedge.

2. Ensure Units = Metric, stress as MPa.

3. Ensure Analysis Type = Deterministic.
4. Ensure that the Compute End Wedges checkbox is selected.
5. Select OK to close the dialog.

3.2 MODEL GEOMETRY

We will start by creating the two-dimensional cross-section of the excavation we want to analyze.
The cross-section can either be imported as a DXF file or defined within the program using the Add
Opening Section option. For this tutorial, we will use the Add Opening Section option.

1. Make sure Opening Section is selected in the View dropdown on the toolbar.
2. Select View > View Limits .
The View Limits dialog appears.

3. Enter 250, 300 for the Minimum X, Y Coordinates and 280, 330 for the Maximum X, Y
Coordinates.

4. Select OK.
5. Select Add Opening Section on the toolbar or the Boundaries menu.
6. Enter the following coordinate pairs in the prompt line at the bottom right of the screen.
The X and Y coordinates can be separated by a space or a comma. Press ENTER at the end of
each pair/line.
X Y

264.5 303

273 303

273 306

277.5 306

277.5 317
 7. After entering the above 5 coordinate pairs, type a and hit ENTER in the prompt line to enter
an arc.

An Arc Options dialog appears.

8. Under Arc Definition Method, select 3 points on arc.

9. Under Arc to Polyline Conversion Method, select Number of segments = 12.

10. Select OK.

11. In the prompt, Enter second arc point = 271, 320 and hit ENTER.

12. Enter third arc point = 264.5, 317 and hit ENTER.

13. In the prompt, type c and hit ENTER to close the boundary automatically (i.e., the last vertex is
joined to the first vertex).

If everything is entered correctly, the excavation boundary will look as in the figure below:
Unwedge Model View

Note

Arcs in UnWedge are actually made up of a series of straight-line segments. The Arc option
and other useful shortcuts are also available in the right-click menu while you're defining the
Opening Section.

If the Opening Section boundary did not automatically zoom to the center of the view, select
Zoom All on the toolbar or press F2.

4. Input Data
Now we'll define Tunnel Properties, Joint Orientations, and Joint Properties using the Input Data
dialog. To open the dialog:

1. Select: Analysis > Input Data

4.1 TUNNEL PROPERTIES

Let's start by defining Tunnel Properties:
 1. Select the General tab in the Input Data dialog.

Input Data Dialog

2. Under Tunnel Axis Orientation, set Trend = 45 and Plunge = 0.

3. Make sure the Rock Unit Weight is 0.027 MN/m 3.
4. Make sure the Seismic Force checkbox is unchecked.

Input Data Dialog

4.2 JOINT ORIENTATIONS

Now we'll define Joint Orientations:

1. Select the Joint Orientations tab.

Input Data Dialog

2. Enter the following Dip / Dip Direction for the 3 joints, as shown:
Joint 1 = 60/30
Joint 2 = 60/150
Joint 3 = 60/270.

Input Data Dialog

Notes:
Notice the stereonet at the right of the Input Data dialog, which displays the great circles
corresponding to the current joint orientation data.
Also, note that the Tunnel Axis Orientation (dotted line) is displayed on the stereonet. The
stereonet can also be viewed by selecting Stereonet in the View drop-down on the
toolbar.

4.3 JOINT PROPERTIES

Finally, we'll define the Joint Properties. We will define two joint property types – smooth and
rough.

1. Select the Joint Properties tab.

Input Data Dialog

2. Set the Name of the default joint type to rough joint .

3. Under Shear Strength:
a. Set Model = Mohr-Coulomb.
b. Set Phi = 35 degrees.
c. Set Cohesion = 0.01 MPa.
 d. Leave all other rough joint properties at the default settings.

Input Data Dialog

4. To create a new joint property type, select the Add button below the Joint Types list and
name it smooth joint.
5. Under Shear Strength:
a. Set Model = Mohr-Coulomb.
b. Set Phi = 20 degrees.
c. Set Cohesion = 0 MPa.
d. Leave all other smooth joint properties at the default settings.

Input Data Dialog

4.4 ASSIGN JOINT TYPES TO JOINTS
Now we need to assign the joint property types to the joints.

1. Return to the Joint Orientations tab.

Input Data Dialog

Notice that all the joints are automatically assigned the first (rough joint) property under the
Properties column.
2. Retain the rough joint property for Joint 1.
3. Assign the smooth joint property to Joint 2 and Joint 3 by selecting it in the Properties
dropdown.
 Input Data Dialog
4. Select OK to save all of the information we have entered.

We are now finished entering all the Input Data for this tutorial and are ready to view the results of
the analysis.

5.0 Analysis Results

When conducting a Deterministic Analysis, UnWedge automatically computes the wedge stability
analysis whenever data is entered or modified, so it is not necessary to select the Compute option.
As long as the Opening Section has been defined, results can be immediately viewed at any time.

When viewing results, the 3D Wedge View is usually the first screen you will want to look at. To
switch to the 3D Wedge View:

1. Select: View > Select View > 3D Wedge View

You should see the following screen:

3D Wedge Model View

As you can see, the 3D Wedge View presents 4 views of the model:

A three-dimensional Perspective view

Three orthogonal views of the excavation: Top, Front, and Side.

By default, all possible Perimeter Wedges are displayed in the 3D Wedge View.

6. Viewing Options
We will now discuss some of the viewing options and shortcuts for the 3D Wedge View.

6.1 ROTATING THE MODEL

You can interactively rotate the UnWedge model in the Perspective view using the mouse to view it
at any angle.

1. Press and hold the left mouse button anywhere in the Perspective view.
Notice that the cursor changes to a “circular arrow” symbol to indicate that you may rotate
the model.
2. Keep the left mouse button pressed, and move the cursor around.
The model is rotated according to the direction of movement of the cursor.
3. To exit the rotation mode, release the left mouse button.
The cursor reverts to the normal arrow cursor.

TIP: To reset the rotation to the default viewing angle, select Reset Rotation in the Sidebar or
the right-click menu.

6.2 MOVING THE WEDGES

The wedges in the 3D Wedge View can be interactively moved from their default positions around
the excavation:

Individual wedges can be moved, or all wedges can be translated simultaneously.

The wedges can be moved into or away from the excavation.
The direction of movement is always the sliding direction for each wedge.

There are several different ways in which the user can interactively move the wedges:

Use the mouse to click or drag the Wedge Translation slider control in the Sidebar.

Rotate the mouse wheel while holding down the SHIFT or CTRL keys on the keyboard ( SHIFT
key for larger increments; CTRL key for smaller increments)
Individual wedges can be moved by clicking and dragging them with the left mouse button
(place the cursor over the desired wedge, and when the cursor changes to an arrow
symbol, click and drag the mouse).

3D Wedge Model View

TIP: To restore the wedges to their default position, select the Reset Wedge Movement
option in the Sidebar or the right-click menu, or double-click the middle mouse button in any view.

6.3 WEDGE VISIBILITY

The Wedge Visibility option in the Sidebar allows you to select which wedges are visible in the 3D
Wedge View. You can view:

All Wedges
Perimeter Wedges only
End Wedges only
Any individual wedge (i.e., 1 Floor, 3 Lower Right)
Wedges with Factor of Safety less than the design value (i.e., FOS < Design)
 Any User Defined selection of wedges

EXAMPLES:

Click on the Wedge Visibility drop-list in the sidebar and select the 6 Lower Left wedge. Your
screen should appear as below.

3D Wedge View Model

 Select the Wedge Visibility = All Wedges option and you will see all possible wedges,
including Perimeter Wedges and End Wedges. Select the Wedge Visibility = Perimeter
Wedges option to display only the Perimeter Wedges once again.

Note

End Wedges are discussed later in this tutorial.

6.4 RESIZING THE VIEWS

You can change the relative size of the panes or sub-views (Top/Front/Side/Perspective), or
maximize any view within the 3D Wedge View.

To maximize the size of any pane, double-click the left mouse button in the pane. Double-
clicking again in the maximized view will restore the default display of all four panes.
You can also re-size the four-pane display by clicking and dragging on the vertical or horizontal
dividers between the panes.
If you have re-sized the panes and you want to quickly restore the default display, double-
quick in any pane to maximize the view, then double-click again to restore the default display.

6.5 ZOOM AND PAN

Zooming and panning are available on all views of the model (e.g., 2D views such as the Opening
Section View, and 3D views such as the 3D Wedge View). The zoom and pan options are:

Zoom All : Reset the model to its default size and location in the view

Zoom In : Zoom in to 90 % of the original area

Zoom Out : Zoom out to 111% of the original area

Pan : Translate the model left, right, up or down within the view

The Zoom and Pan options are available on the toolbar, the View > Zoom menu, and through
various keyboard and mouse shortcuts. Shortcuts include:

Rotate the mouse wheel forward or backward to zoom in or out.

The function keys F2, F4, and F5 are shortcuts to Zoom All, Zoom Out and Zoom In
respectively.
If you hold down the SHIFT key while using any zoom option, all four panes of the 3D Wedge
View will be zoomed simultaneously.
A shortcut to Pan is to click and hold the middle mouse button (mouse wheel) and drag to pan
the model within the view.

6.6 TOOLS MENU

The Tools menu can be used on any of the two-dimensional views (Opening Section, Perimeter
Support Designer View, End Support Designer View) to add annotations such as dimensions,
arrows, notes, and others. It will be left as an exercise to the user to try the different tools provided.

7.0 More Results Viewing Options

7.1 WEDGE INFORMATION
Detailed analysis results (e.g., Factor of Safety, wedge weight, wedge volume, joint trace lengths,
sliding direction, etc.) are available for all wedges computed by UnWedge. The wedge information
is available in several different locations within the program:

Wedge Info panel in the Sidebar

Wedge Information Filter
Popup Data Tips (hover the mouse over a wedge to see the wedge information for that wedge)
Info Viewer

7.1.1 Wedge Info Panel

The Wedge Info panel in the Sidebar displays the wedge analysis results for all visible wedges.

Wedges are identified by name and number. Also, the colour of the text in the Wedge Info
panel corresponds to the colour of each wedge in the model.
Information is displayed for visible wedges only (i.e., the wedges displayed according to the
Wedge Visibility option).

Examine the Wedge Information for this model. Note that the Factor of Safety for most of the
wedges is less than 1, indicating that support would be needed to stabilize the wedges. The
addition of support will be covered in a subsequent tutorial.

7.1.2 Wedge Information Filter:

The information displayed in the Wedge Info panel can be customized with the Wedge
Information Filter dialog:

1. Select the Filter List button in the Sidebar.

2. Select the information to display in the Wedge Info panel by selecting the corresponding
checkboxes.
The Wedge Information Filter option also determines the wedge information displayed by Data
Tips or the Info Viewer, as described in the next sections.

Note: If a filter is applied, the Filter List icon will display as .

7.1.3 Data Tips

Data Tips are a very handy feature of UnWedge that allows you to graphically access information
about input parameters and analysis results by hovering the mouse over the desired entities on the
screen. This will display a popup box with information about the object. The following information
can be displayed as Data Tips:

Wedge Information for each wedge

Joint Properties
Support Properties (bolts, shotcrete, pressure)
Coordinates of Opening Section vertices

For example, if you hover the mouse over any wedge, you will see the analysis information for that
wedge.
3D View of Wedge

Notes:
The Data Tips option is usually ON by default. However, it can be set to Minimum or Off in the
View > Data Tips menu. If you do not see any Data Tips, go to the menu and set it to
Maximum.
Another useful tip to remember is the following:
If you right-click directly on any wedge and select the Show Joint Colours option from
the popup menu, the joint colours will be displayed on each wedge plane.
If you now hover the mouse over any wedge plane, the Joint Properties will be displayed,
as shown below.

Joint 3 model
 Right-click again on any wedge and turn the Show Joint Colours option OFF. The Show Joint
Colours option is also available in the General tab of the Display Options dialog. In the dialog,
you can also customize the colours used to display the joints.

7.1.4 Info Viewer

The Info Viewer provides a comprehensive summary of model input data and analysis results in an
easy-to-follow text listing. The information displayed in the Info Viewer can be filtered according to
user preferences. It can also be saved by the user in a variety of ways including in reports.

To access the Info Viewer:

1. Select: Analysis > Info Viewer

The Sidebar on the right provides options for filtering the information displayed, and right-clicking
provides options for saving the information to a file. This is left as an optional exercise for the user
to experiment with.

InfoViewer View

2. Return to the 3D Wedge View by clicking on the 3D Wedge View tab on the bottom left of the
screen.

7.2 END WEDGES

There are two main types of wedge determined by UnWedge:

Perimeter Wedges: Wedges that can form around the perimeter of the excavation.
End Wedges: Wedges that can form at either end of the excavation.

To display End Wedges in the 3D Wedge View:

1. Select End Wedges in the Wedge Visibility dropdown in the Sidebar.

3D Wedge Model View

To display each End Wedge in its own Perspective pane:

1. Select End Wedges from the View dropdown on the toolbar.

Notes:
Depending on your joint and tunnel orientations, End Wedges may or may not exist.
If the Opening Section axis has a vertical plunge, the End Wedges will be roof and floor
wedges.

TIP: By default, UnWedge calculates End Wedges. If you are interested only in Perimeter Wedges,
you can turn OFF the calculation of End Wedges in the Project Settings dialog by clearing the
Compute End Wedges checkbox (see Section 3.1). In general, this should not be necessary.
However, in some situations (e.g., if you are using the Tunnel Axis Plot option to optimize the tunnel
orientation), the computation will be faster if you turn OFF the calculation of End Wedges.

7.3 MULTI-PERSPECTIVE VIEW

Another viewing option in UnWedge is the Multi-Perspective View. This view displays all possible
wedges (including End Wedges), each in its own individual Perspective view.

To switch to the Multi-Perspective View:

1. Select Multi-Perspective on the View dropdown on the toolbar or the View > Select
View menu.
Multi-Perspective Model View

TIP: In the Multi-Perspective View, information for each wedge is displayed directly in the viewing
pane for the wedge. The viewing properties of the view are very similar to the 3D Wedge View (e.g.,
double-click in any pane to maximize it).

7.4 DISPLAY OPTIONS

Before we conclude this tutorial, we'll look at the Display Options dialog. The Display Options
provide a great variety of options for customizing the appearance of the model. Each view in the
program has different associated display options.

To open the Display Options dialog:

1. Select: View > Display Options

Display Options Dialog

It is recommended that you experiment with the Display Options dialog to become familiar with all
of the different options.

This concludes the tutorial. You are now ready for the next tutorial, Tutorial 02 - Scaling Wedges in
UnWedge.