GALENA - Slope Stability Analysis

Current version:
v6.0 (6.00.x.01)
28 November 2011

Features - Material Profile Definition

Have you ever been frustrated with having to move or redefine material profiles whenever you want to change the slope surface? Or wondered why you cannot realistically model complex geology? Or how to include material lenses?

Great News! The old ways are no more - GALENA introduced a better way!

With GALENA's unique approach the material profiles are independent of the slope surface - changing the slope surface does not require material profiles to be changed.

To take advantage of this feature all you need do is define the material profiles first and according to geology. It’s that simple!

For example: You have a simple layered geology and you want to design a slope within that structure. With GALENA you define the layered geology as simple horizontal/dipping profiles and create a model that resembles the geology/structure. You then define a slope surface to model the slope you wish to have, define a failure surface and analyse the defined slope.

If the Factor of Safety is too low (or too high) and you want to redesign the slope you simply redefine the slope surface and analyse the new slope - none of the material profiles need to be moved or redefined.

The old and more conventional method involves moving all or most of the material profiles and making sure they follow the slope surface - not necessary with GALENA. You can, however, still use the old method, if you have the time!

Another of GALENA's unique features is the ability to model included material lenses - simply draw them into your model as closed polygons, and GALENA will do the rest.

GALENA can also be used to model complex situations including vertical or near-vertical folding, included structures (retaining walls, sheet pile walls, etc.), dams and cofferdams.

Definition of Material Profiles, Slope Surface, Phreatic Surface, Piezometric Surfaces, Non-Circular Failure Surface and Sarma Slices can either be with GALENA's CAD-style mouse line-draw function, by keyboard co-ordinate entry, or a combination of both.

Definition made easy - the way it should be!

The image below shows a slope containing an exposed material lens, modelled as a closed polygon (a feature that we have been told cannot be easily modelled in other programs). The other material profiles used in this model are simply defined by two points.

Should it prove necessary to change the slope surface it would be a simple matter of editing or re-defining only the slope surface, much less work than re-definition of the slope surface and the material profiles, as in most other programs. Imagine how much time would be saved, especially with more complex models.

The slope surface can be repositioned without the need to redefine any of the material profiles

The image below shows the same model after processing - the slope surface ‘cuts through’ the lens material (that defined with the closed polygon) and only those materials within the slope are shown. The result image below also shows the 53 lowest FoS failure surfaces - the number of surfaces displayed is controlled interactively once the result image is displayed.

The lowest FoS failure surfaces are colour-coded according to the FoS result for each

The image below shows analysis of a slope where the ground level is to be raised above the existing ‘Silty to Clayey Gravel’ level to provide a level area within the confines of the available ground area... a gravity retaining wall is proposed to be included to achieve the lift in ground surface - the retaining wall is defined as a closed polygon (material profile). Analyses can be undertaken on both the existing and proposed situations to determine stability.


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