Swedge Tutorial: How to Calculate Factor of Safety for Wedge Failure

00:00 - Introduction to Wedge Failure Mechanisms 01:10 - 3D Geometry: Trend and Plunge Explained 02:37 - Project Settings: Choosing your Analysis Type 03:08 - Inputting Slope Geometry & Unit Weights 05:33 - Joint Strength: Cohesion & Friction Angle 07:23 - Interpreting the Safety Factor Results 08:16 - Adding Water Pressure & Environmental Factors 09:45 - Summary and Practical Recommendations. Master Wedge Failure Analysis in Swedge: Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial. Learn how to accurately estimate the Factor of Safety (FS) for wedge failure in rock slopes using Swedge (Rocscience). This tutorial is a must-watch for civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, and students mastering rock mechanics and slope stability. In this practical walkthrough, we use a real-world case study (Basalt rock mass) to demonstrate how to input site investigation data, define joint sets, and analyze the impact of water pressure on slope stability. We also discuss the critical difference between software precision and engineering accuracy. Key Learning Objectives: Understanding Trend/Plunge vs. Dip/Dip Direction in 3D modeling. Setting up Deterministic Analysis for reliable safety factor results. Inputting slope geometry, joint strength (Cohesion & Friction), and unit weights. Modeling the effects of water pressure and rainfall on wedge stability. Interpreting results for practical engineering design. #Rocscience #Swedge #SlopeStability #GeotechnicalEngineering #RockMechanics #CivilEngineering #FactorOfSafety #WedgeFailure Wedge failure is the most common failure in rock mass and geotechnical and civil engineering. Civil engineers must know how to estimate the slope stability. The problem in this tutorial is as follows: The height of the slope is 8 m. Joint A has the orientation of 40/060; Joint B has the orientation of 70/320. The slope face is oriented as 60/037. The upper face of the slope has 10/037. The joint surface friction is 35 degrees with a cohesion of 0. The density of rock mass is 2.6 t/m3. Determine the safety factor. Estimate the slope stability of this rock mass. For slope stability analysis of wedge failure (Swedge, Rocscience) it is important to know the dip and dip direction of the two planes/joints that form the wedge, and the strength characteristics along those joints (friction angle and cohesion). This tutorial shows how to use this data to estimate the safety factor. #civilengineering #geotechnicalengineering #engineeringgeology #science #geology #mining #rocscience #education