Show Yield Overview
The Show Yield option is used to display yielding in any elements of the model, including finite elements, support elements (bolts or liners), and joint elements.
NOTE: yielding is only applicable to Plastic materials, for which a strength (failure) criterion has been defined. If all materials, bolts, liners or joints in your model are Elastic, then no yielding can occur for that type of entity.
To use the Show Yield option:
- Select Show Yield from the Show Yield sub-menu of the Analysis menu.
- Use the checkboxes to display the desired results, and select Done.
Show Yield dialog
NOTE:
- Each of the individual yield display options (yielded elements
, bolts 
, liners 
and joints 
) is also available in the toolbar. This is a convenient shortcut for quickly toggling the yield display on or off, without having to use the Show Yield dialog. - In the Show Yield dialog, you may filter the display of yielding, to display only failure in Tension, failure in Shear/Slipping, or the Critical State condition, using the Filter checkboxes.
- When yielding is displayed, the meaning of the symbols / colours used to display yielding, will be shown at the bottom of the Legend, for each entity type.
The display of yielded finite elements is described below. For more information about displaying yielded bolts, liners or joints, see the individual topics (e.g. Show Yield: Bolts).
For information about the display of statistical yield zones see the Show Yield Zones topic.
Display of Yielded Elements
To display yielded finite elements, select the Yielded Elements toolbar button, or the Mesh Elements check box in the Show Yield dialog.
The Yielded Elements option will plot symbols at the failed gauss points of all yielded finite elements.
- Failure in shear is indicated by an X symbol.
- Failure in tension is indicated by a O symbol.
- The X symbol will overlap the O symbol when an element fails in both shear and tension.
- If your model uses Cam-Clay or Modified Cam-Clay material strength models, then the Critical State Condition will be indicated by a "+" sign.
Yielding is only applicable to Plastic materials. If all materials in your model are Elastic, then no yielding can occur.
Display of yielded elements (x=shear, o=tension)
Differential Data
When viewing differential data (i.e. Reference Stage > 0), the yielded element symbols are displayed in dark red if yielded in the Reference Stage or earlier, and red if yielded AFTER the Reference Stage.
This is illustrated in the figure below. In this example, the Reference Stage = 1. The elements at the bottom of the excavation yielded in Stage 1, and are displayed in dark red. The elements at the roof yielded in Stage 2 (i.e. after the Reference Stage) and are displayed in the default red.
See the Stage Settings / Differential Data topics for more information.
Display of yielded elements for non-zero reference stage
Statistical Yield Data
If your model includes probabilistic analysis then the Show Yield dialog allows you to customize the display of the statistical yield zones.
See the Show Yield Zones topic for details.