Whats New in GeoStudio 2004?

GeoStudio 2004 is a integrated tool for running GEO-SLOPEs leading suite of geotechnical modeling software products:

Product Integration: A Unified Data Model

GeoStudio is the environment in which all the products now run. Use GeoStudio with a single product license, or maximize the enhanced integration capability with several different applications open and sharing information at the same time.

Geometry Definition Using Regions

Within GeoStudio all soil layers are defined as regions.
The concept of defining your geometry using individual regions vastly increases the potential for both finite element and limit equilibrium analyses. Working with regions ensures that you will always have mesh compatibility between adjacent regions. Add or change a region and the finite element mesh is automatically regenerated.
Structured and unstructured finite element meshing can optimize the numerical solution
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Soils are now defined as individual regions in SLOPE/W

 Experiment with different meshes and mesh discretization quickly and easily.

The Concept of Drawing Regions in SLOPE/W

Since the soil region concept is common to all GeoStudio products, the use of soil lines has been completely removed from SLOPE/W. In the profile shown, note that 4 regions were used to develop the profile. The regions can be created in any order and can be easily adjusted using the modify objects command.
SLOPE/W analysis

Example Integration of SLOPE/W and SEEP/W

Once regions have been drawn in one analysis, they will be shared when another analysis is added. In the SEEP/W view, each of the existing regions, previously drawn in SLOPE/W can be easily selected and discretized. In the SLOPE/W view, the newly created mesh will be visible. All the input and output files for both analysis types are contained within a single project file.
SLOPE/W analysis SEEP/W analysis

Dynamic Text
Add a dynamic label on your drawing that is linked to any parameter value you have entered in DEFINE. If you change the parameter, the dynamic text automatically updates. Combine many dynamic text labels together to create a table of material properties.

Innovative documentation
Each GeoStudio 2004 product includes a book that discusses how to apply the software from an engineering perspective. The books teach the fundamentals of modeling: How to set up and interpret your model and have confidence in your results.

GeoStudio Products: New Purchase Options

While each GeoStudio 2004 product can still be purchased separately, you can now buy products in 3 different bundles:

Standard Professional Universal

Individual Product Enhancements

Improved reinforcement New slip surface methods including auto-locate Slip surface optimization Improved probabilistic analysis Sensitivity analysis Detailed forces on multiple slip surfaces Generalized Hoek-Brown strength criteria Visual safety map

Improved Reinforcement
Reinforcement is now more specifically defined: Anchors Fabrics Nails Dowels Input parameters are dependant on the type of reinforcement defined. Additional parameters include:
Material safety factor Bond safety factor Spacing of reinforcement Bond diameter Unit skin friction Factor of safety dependency Bond resistance fn(overburden)

Additional Slip Surface Methods

Auto search for tension cracks

Auto-locate
Allows you to analyze a stability problem without defining any trial slip surfaces
Auto search for the critical slip surface

Entrance Zone

Entry and Exit

Define a range of entry and exit points along the ground surface
Exit Zone

Enhanced Block Specified

Generate block slip surfaces along parallel lines, making it easier to model bedding and joints

Slip Surface Optimization

SLOPE/W will determine the factor of safety using the specified slip surface method and then will adjust the shape to determine if a more critical slip surface can be found. In CONTOUR, you can display both the regular and optimized critical slip surfaces.

Regular Slip Surface (Fof S = 1.070)

Optimized Slip Surface (Fof S = 0.946)

Probability and Sensitivity

Run a probabilistic analysis on any specified number of slip surfaces, not just the critical. Each parameter can be described by its own probability density function.

Normal/clipped normal

Triangular

Lognormal

Generalized

 Use spatial variation to vary the material properties at different points along the slip surface.
Unit weight Cohesion Factor of Safety Phi

Conduct a sensitivity analysis using a range of specified parameter values, then plot the computed factors of safety for each parameter.

Sensitivity/Range

Safety Map
SLOPE/W can now display a colour safety map of all trial slip surfaces. Visualize the position of the critical slip surface relative to all other analyzed trial slip surface. Each colour zone represents a range of computed factors of safety.

Critical slip

Individual Product Enhancements

System mass balance Unit gradient (free drainage) boundary condition Convective heat flow (with TEMP/W) Seepage through frozen ground (with TEMP/W) Additional flow path information Climate boundary conditions (with VADOSE/W) Surface flux enhancements: Infiltration, runoff, ponding

 Surface water can be made to pond along unit flux boundary conditions applied to the ground surface mesh. Previously, all surface water was assumed to run off instantaneously.
Rising water in the ditch

Initial w.t.

Individual Product Enhancements

Improved coupled consolidation, with options to only consider the saturated zone (with SEEP/W) Uncoupled consolidation Improved beam (structural) elements Improved elastic-plastic analysis Slip elements with secondary nodes Yield zones in linear elastic model

 SIGMA/W will now determine whether linear-elastic soil has exceeded the specified soil strength. Yield zones are displayed in CONTOUR
Soil strength has been exceeded

Individual Product Enhancements

Baseline correction Improved earthquake data entry Cyclic shear strain as a percentage Additional history node information stored Dynamic boundary functions which can be used to simulate blasting
Blast zone

Individual Product Enhancements

Multiple climate data sets Estimate unfrozen water content function Estimate thermal conductivity function Convective heat flow (with SEEP/W)
Model the flow of water around ground freezing pipes

Ice

Individual Product Enhancements

Integration with VADOSE/W

Use CTRAN/W and VADOSE/W together to model contaminant transport through a soil cover system among other possible scenarios.

Upward movement of contaminants due to evaporation

Individual Product Enhancements

Improved product integration SLOPE/W, SIGMA/W, QUAKE/W and CTRAN/W Improved climate data Use multiple climate data sets on the same mesh Unit gradient boundary condition Improved adaptive time stepping
Evaporation

Infiltration