Overview of Automate from Excel
Automate from Excel can quickly generate results from inputs read in from Excel files. Numerical input data is read in to the RocSupport computation engine from a formatted Excel file and results are generated for each defined case without the need to create a separate RocSupport model file for each.
WARNING: The Automate from Excel feature is dedicated to advanced users who are familiar with the user interface, inputs, and assumptions of the program. Invalid input data will generate invalid results.
To access the Automate from Excel feature of RocSupport:
- Select Analysis > Automate Compute > Automate from Excel
from the menu. - The Automated Compute dialog will appear allowing you to:
- Add files to the File Queue from Computing
- Select an Output File Format
- See the progress of Completed Files
- See if any issues occured during reading, computing, or writing under Warnings
Input File
The formatting of the input Excel files is specific to the program and Analysis Type set in the Project Settings dialog.
Formatted Excel templates are provided for you and can be accessed by selecting Deterministic Excel Template, or Probabilistic Excel Template from the Analysis > Automate Compute submenu. Each RocSupport Excel template is formatted specially for use with the corresponding RocSupport analyses.
Automate Compute several Deterministic, and/or Probabilistic analysis cases using saved Excel files created form RocSupport Excel templates.
To add Excel files to the File Queue:
- Select the Open
button to choose individual Excel files.
NOTE: Only use RocSupport Excel templates provided. Ensure that the correct template type (i.e., Deterministic Excel Template, or Probabilistic Excel Template) is used, which corresponds with the Analysis Type 9I.e., Deterministic, or Probabilistic) set in RocSupport Project Settings.
For more information, see the Automate from Excel Deterministic Analysis, and Probabilistic Analysis topics.
Output File
When Automate Compute is run, a directory by the same name as the input model file will be created in the same directory as the input model file.
The results of each model can be output to either:
- Comma delimited text file (.txt), or
- Excel (.xlsx) format
The text output file will be saved inside the Automate Compute Results Text Files subdirectory. The Excel output file will be saved inside the Automate Compute Results Excel Files subdirectory. One "Results" file is generated per model computed.
In a Deterministic analysis, one "Results" file per Excel input file is generated.
In a Probabilistic analysis where more than one tunnel case can be considered, one "Results" file per input case is generated. The result file is formatted to write one tunnel analysis per row.
The output file contains the following data:
- Tunnel ID
- Safety Factor
- Mobilized Support
- Tunnel radius
- Insitu Stress
- Tunnel Depth
- Roc Unit Weight
- Plastic Zone Radius
- Tunnel Convergence
- Tunnel Convergence at the tunnel face
- Wall Displacement
- Wall displacement at the tunnel face
- Critical Pressure
- Young's Modulus
- Poisson's Ratio
- Intact Young's Modulus
- Rock Cohesion
- Roc USC
- Rock Friction Angle
- Rock Dilation Angle
- Rock MR
- Intact UCS
- GSI
- Intact Rock Constant Mi
- Disturbance Factor
- mb
- s
- a
- Rock Residual Friction Angle
- Rock Residual Dilation Angle
- Rock Residual Cohesion
- Rock Residual Intact USC
- Critical Deviatoric Plastic Strain
- Residual mb
- Residual s
- Residual a
- Pore Water Pressure
- Permeability
- Residual UCS
- Specific Storage
- Bolt Diameter
- Bolt Capacity
- Bolt Modulus
- Bolt Length
- Bolt Circum. Spacing
- Bolt Long. Spacing
- Steelsets Cross-Sectional Area
- Steelsets Yield Strength
- Steelsets Modulus
- Steelsets Out of Plane Spacing
- Shotcrete UCS
- Shotcrete Modulus
- Shotcrete Poisson Ratio
- Installation Distance from Tunnel
- Installation When Tunnel Convergence is
- Installation When Tunnel Wall Displacement is
NOTES:
- If no support is added, Safety Factor = N/A and Mobilized Support = N/A.
- The applicability of some computed values depend on the solution method, the modulus estimation method for generalized Hoek-Brown materials, and support parameters selected.
Error Log
An Error Log text file (Automate Compute Error Log.txt) is generated for each input Excel file after Automate Compute.
The Error Log reports the total number of errors found (if any), the cell(s) where the error occurred, and the reason why an error occurred. An error will occur if a required parameter cell:
- is Blank, or
- Has a value outside the valid range
NOTE: The Error Log should always be inspected to ensure "No errors found".