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Introducing Settle3D version 2.

0
In the previous newsletter we announced the imminent release of Settle3D 2.0 and put
out the call for beta testers (see the Winter 2009 RocNews article). And boy did you
take up the challenge! Over 80 testers put the new version through its paces. Your
overwhelming response helped us craft the final product and version 2.0 is now ready
for prime time. Packed with new features and improved usability, Settle3D 2.0 is a
must-have tool for the geotechnical practitioner.

New Features
User feedback from version 1.0 drove the development of many new features and
improvements for version 2.0. Also, the version 2 beta testers prompted the addition
of even more useful features such as:

• Conical loads
• Cancel button for terminating slow calculations
• Direct entry of length and width for band-shaped wick drains
• Modification of the Janbu material model to include a constant stiffness for
overconsolidated material
• Consideration of water table movement in hydroconsolidation analysis
• Ability to enter time as a calendar date

Some of the enhancements now in Settle3D 2.0 that we are most excited about are
described on the following pages.
Improved Embankment Designer
After many user requests, the popular embankment designer has been expanded and
improved. It is now easy to extend your embankment horizontally and to remove
individual layers in different stages.

The image above shows the results of a staged embankment construction. The
embankment was created by first adding three layers of fill and then by extending the
bottom two layers horizontally to the left.
Multi-layer stress solution
Do you have a layer of stiff fill or maybe even pavement on top of your soft soils?
The traditional Boussinesq stress solution may be letting you down. The Boussinesq
solution (or its poor cousin, the 2:1 method) considers a homogeneous soil stratum. If
large stiffness contrasts exist, you may be severely over- or under-estimating your
settlements. An example is shown below. You can see how the stress distribution, and
calculated settlement, changes dramatically when the multi-layer solution is used.

Loading Stress (kPa)


0
1
2
Stiff sand 3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Soft clay max (stage): 10 kPa
max (all): 10 kPa

Boussinesq solution Multi-layer solution


Settlement = 3.9 cm Settlement = 1.4 cm

Rigid Foundations
It is well known that a rigid foundation causes less settlement than the equivalent
flexible foundation. However, calculating the settlement of a rigid foundation is not
trivial. You can get the solution for the flexible foundation and apply some scaling
factor, or you can use empirical or analytical methods which generally do not suit
your specific loading scenario. Settle3D 2.0 solves these problems by introducing a
robust and accurate approach for considering rigid foundations.

The new method essentially back calculates the surface pressures required to maintain
constant displacement across the foundation area. The user can specify a stress
magnitude, or a force and moment. We think you will agree that this represents a
major step forward in settlement analysis.
Flexible foundation settlement

Rigid foundation settlement

Preloading
One of the more common questions we get is about how to apply a preload to
compact the soil prior to constructing a critical structure. Several new features have
greatly simplified this procedure in version 2. A new preload load type has been
added that allows the user to add a load based on the fill unit weight and height of fill.
The most useful part of the new preload however is that you can specify a desired
settlement instead of a height and the height will be calculated for you!
Empirical methods
Despite all the sophisticated analysis tools in Settle3D, maybe you just want a 'back of
the envelope' type estimate for your settlement. Version 2 now automates the process
so you don't have to dig out your empirical charts and do the calculation by hand.

Currently four of the most popular empirical methods have been implemented in
Settle3D: Schmertmann; Peck, Hanson and Thornburn; Shultz and Sherif; and
D’Appolonia. You can compute the settlement for any circular or rectangular load
using simple inputs such as SPT blow counts or CPT bearing resistances. Use these
estimates as a starting point for your more complex settlement scenarios.
And more
Other great features include:
• Improved report generator
• Time point query that allows you to determine the time required to reach a
given settlement or degree of consolidation
• Collapsible soils for simulating hydroconsolidation and swelling
• Example values for different material properties taken from trusted references
• New data for plotting (e.g. void ratio, permeability, etc.) and continuous time
plotting to show variations of data between stages.
• Isosurface plotting capabilities for viewing 3D contours.
• Updated drawing tools, new data exporting capabilities, a batch compute
option, and much more!
New features in Settle3D 2.0
include (from top) a database
of soil properties, time queries
for calculating time to desired
settlement, and continuous
time plotting.
Migration of excess pore
pressure bulge with time,
showing capabilities
of isosurface plotting.

Settle3D 2.0 is available today


We hope this article has whetted your appetite for Version 2. For more information,
visit the Settle3D Product page.

For a full list of new features can be found on the Settle3D 2.0 Product Sheet.

Download a trial version and start solving your settlement problems today.

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