Seismic Force

Seismic Force can be included in the Unwedge analysis by selecting the Seismic Force checkbox, under the General tab of the Input Data dialog, and entering the following data:

Seismic Coefficient

A dimensionless number defining the seismic acceleration as a fraction of the acceleration due to gravity. Typically the Seismic Coefficient might be around 0.1 to 0.2. The magnitude of the seismic force applied to a wedge is related to the seismic coefficient and the mass of the wedge, as follows:

Direction

The following options are available for defining the direction of the seismic force:

Remember that when you include seismic force in the Unwedge analysis, only a simple pseudo-static force is being applied to each wedge. In order to fully assess the effect of seismic loading on wedge stability, you should re-run the analysis, using several different directions for the seismic force. The effect of changing the direction and magnitude of the seismic coefficient should be analyzed for each wedge.