Multiple Joint Combinations

The Joint Combinations option allows you to select and analyze different combinations of joint planes within the same Unwedge file, if your input data includes more than 3 possible joint planes. The selection of combinations can be done manually, or the Combination Analyzer can be used to help you determine which are the most critical combinations of joints to analyze.

NOTE: it must be emphasized that Unwedge can only analyze 3 joint planes at one time. The Joint Combinations option is simply a method of selecting different combinations of 3 joints, if you have more than 3 possible joint orientations.

To use this option:

  1. Select the Joint Orientations tab in the Input Data dialog.

  2. The Joint Combinations option is only applicable if you have more than 3 joints defined in the Input Data dialog. To create new joints:

  3. When more than 3 joints are defined, you will be able to select any combination of 3 joints, using the Joint Combinations option. The selection of combinations can be done manually (as described below), or the Combination Analyzer can be used to help you determine which are the most critical combinations of joints to analyze.

  4. To manually analyze different joint combinations:

  1. When you select joint combinations, notice that the Stereonet view at the right of the dialog, is automatically updated. The 3 currently selected joints will be highlighted in colour on the Stereonet. All other (unused) joints will be displayed in grey on the stereonet.

  2. Once you have selected a joint combination, then you can view the results in Unwedge. Only the 3 selected joints will be considered in the analysis. The unused joints will have no effect on the analysis.

  3. Repeat these steps for each combination of 3 joints that you wish to analyze.

  4. To automatically analyze all possible combinations, select the Combination Analyzer option. See the Combination Analyzer topic for more information.

Joint Numbering

If you are using the Joint Combinations option to select joints, the joint ID numbering from the Input Data dialog, will be used throughout the program to identify the joints (e.g. joints 1,2,4 , joints 2,3,5 etc). This applies to the Info Viewer, Wedge Information panel in the Sidebar, Data Tips etc.

Display of Unused Joints on Stereonet

When you have more than 3 joint orientations defined in the Input Data dialog, the "unused" joints can be displayed on the stereonet in gray. You can toggle the display of the unused joints on the stereonet, on or off, in the Display Options dialog. Select Display Options, and under the General tab, toggle the "Show Unused Joints on Stereonet" checkbox.