B User manual AMRetain

Copyright AMRetain 2011 March 2011 27/111

B.3.2. Definition of soil properties
B.3.2.1. Dialogue box for the definition of soil properties
This dialogue box is displayed when clicking on the Data menu and then Soil layers. It
enables to define all soil properties for each soil layer. All those properties are used in the
calculation.


Figure B 18: Soil layers dialogue box

This dialogue box is divided into two parts. The upper part includes a synthesis table, which
displays the data and enables to select a layer. The bottom part is the input zone, which
enables to define or change the properties for the layer currently selected in the table, and to
display the Soil Database by clicking on the Show soil database button.

The soil database enables to store a soil layer with all its properties, so that it can be re-used
later to define another soil layer or a fill layer for instance. In order to save a soil layer: click
on the relevant line in the synthesis table, click on Show soil database, and then on the
orange arrow directed to the right. On the contrary, when you want to use a layer previously
stored in the database, click on Show soil database, then select the relevant layer in the
database list (right part of the window), and click on the orange arrow directed to the left. It is
possible to delete a soil layer from the database by selecting it, and then clicking on the
dustbin below the list.

When a soil layer has been completed, click on the synthesis table to validate it, and then
click on New in order to create one more soil layer, or on Validate and Quit when you are
finished with the definition of all soil layers. A soil layer may be deleted using Delete.

In the input zone, you should first define z
w
: groundwater level (m, Ft). This level is the same
for all soil layers.
Synthesis and
selection table
Data input zone
B User manual AMRetain

28/111 March 2011 - Copyright AMRetain 2011

In the data input zone, the properties for each layer should then be fully defined, starting from
the upper layer:

x The name of the soil layer;
x The colour assigned to the layer: double-click on the colour rectangle in order to
display the dialogue box for the choice of colours (section B.3.2.4)
x z: top level of the layer (m, Ft);
x J: soil weight (above water level) (kN/m
3
, KcF);
x J
d
: submerged soil weight (below water level) (kN/m
3
, KcF);
x M: internal friction angle ();
x c: cohesion kN/m, KsF);
x dc: variation of the cohesion per unit of depth (kN/m/m, KsF/Ft);
x
a
/M: active interface friction (obliquity);
x
p
/M: passive interface friction (obliquity);
x k
0
: coefficient of earth pressure at rest;
x k
aJ
: horizontal active earth pressure coefficient;
x k
pJ
: horizontal passive earth pressure coefficient;
x k
d
: unloading ratio;
x k
r
: reloading ratio;
x k
ac
: coefficient of active pressure applied to cohesion;
x k
pc
: coefficient of passive pressure applied to cohesion;
x k
h
: subgrade reaction coefficient (kN/m
3
, KcF);
x dk
h
: variation of the subgrade reaction coefficient per unit of depth (kN/m
3
/m,
KcF/Ft).

The last line of this dialogue box includes 2 buttons. The button Cancel enables to cancel all
changes made to the soil properties and close the dialogue box; the button Validate and
Quit saves all changes and then closes the dialogue box.

Beware: closing the dialogue box using the cross in the top right corner of the window will
cancel all changes made to the soil properties (same as Cancel).

Wizards are available to help determining the various coefficients. They can be called using
the buttons in the right part of the input zone.

These wizards are described in the following sections.

They can be used via:
x the initial definition of soil properties,
x the definition of soil properties for a fill action (section B.4.4.10),
x the action of modification of soil properties (section B.4.4.17),
x the action LEM coefficients (section B.4.4.18)
x independantly from project data, using menu Wizards.

BEWARE: WIZARDS ARE ONLY A HELP FOR THE USER, THEY ARE NOT A
COMPULSORY STEP IN A PROJECT. THE USER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR USE.