Distinct-Element Modeling of Jointed and Blocky Materials in 2D
Engineered for powerful 2D modeling of rock and soil behavior—including discontinuities—UDEC is the go-to solution for mining, tunneling, and civil engineering projects.
UDEC
What is UDEC?
UDEC is a powerful 2D numerical modeling tool for simulating rock and soil structures with intersecting joints, ideal for geotechnical and engineering applications. It offers flexible, accurate modeling for both static and dynamic loading conditions, capturing complex nonlinear behavior.
Key analysis:
- Plane strain, axisymmetric (mechanical) analysis
- Small-strain mechanics (fixed gridpoints)
- Large-strain mechanics (moving gridpoints with displacement)
- Effective stress (pore pressure)
- Automatic factor of safety
- Back-analysis of failure & forward-prediction calibration
- Multiple simultaneous failure mechanisms
- Zone relaxation for excavation and construction sequencing
- Groundwater flow within joints
- Material flow
- Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) & Bonded Block Modeling (BBM)
- Service limit state (SLS) & ultimate limit state (ULS) analysis based on displacements
- User-defined Contact Models (UDC)
- Surface subsidence, recovery, and dilution analysis
- Coupled ground-structure interaction (beams, cables, piles, etc.)
- Options available: Thermal, Creep, UDM, Fluid Flow in Joints, Barton-Bandis Joint Model
With advanced joint modeling, customizable material properties, and Python and FISH scripting, UDEC delivers in-depth insights into stability, deformation, and dynamic responses for complex geomechanical scenarios.
Why Choose UDEC?
UDEC offers robust simulation capabilities and proven reliability for effectively tackling complex geotechnical challenges with precision and efficiency.
Powerful Computing Capabilities
UDEC combines DEM + continuum simulation, groundwater modeling, dynamic analysis, and advanced customization for precise geomechanical modeling.
Ease of use
UDEC streamlines modeling with interactive tools, CAD compatibility, auto-generated commands, and staged construction for easy parametric studies.
Advanced Analysis Options
Robust capabilities for large-strain simulation, multiple failure mechanisms, and dynamic analysis enhance modeling precision.
Fast and Responsive Simulations
Run two instances simultaneously and achieve simulations up to 5x faster than equivalent 3D models.
Flexibility and Customization
Enjoy flexibility in your workflow to build and modify your models using 14 elastic/plastic, 8 creep, and 4 contact models, or create your own.
Comprehensive Support for Various Industries
Adaptable for applications in geotechnical engineering, mining, and construction, meeting diverse project needs.
Dynamics
UDEC’s advanced dynamic analysis capabilities make it a premier choice for simulating seismic events and other dynamic loads on geotechnical structures.
Powerful Scripting
Empower your simulations with FISH and Python scripting, unlocking endless possibilities for model customization, advanced visualization, and innovative physics integration.
UDEC Industry Solutions
Explore UDEC in action as it tackles diverse geotechnical challenges from different industries with precision and innovation. Discover how our solutions empower industries to achieve efficient, reliable outcomes in real-world applications.
Lined underground drift showing displacements in the rock (represented as Voronoi blocks). Fractures can form between blocks. Axial forces along the liner are shown as bars.
Principal stresses forming around underground mine open slopes.
Simulation of roof collapse behind an advancing longwall coal face. The plot shows displacement contours after 150m of excavation.
EGS study showing flow localized in a few fracture channels after 30 years of production.
Evaluation of the connectivity using an explicit representation of a Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) to identify clusters and estimate cluster size.
Hydrodynamic analysis of a concrete gravity dam on a jointed rock foundation with Westergaard pressure applied along the upstream face of the dam. Block displacements are shown along with joint pore pressure.
Stored nuclear waste subjected to an earthquake.
Thermal-mechanical simulation of the behavior of a waste emplacement drift in which heat-producing waste is placed vertically beneath the floor.
Groundwater flow through rock joints with flow though intact rock represented by low permeability flow paths between the joints showing the DFN (left) and aperture (right).
Injection rate affects normal opening and shear stimulation of DFNs with various levels of connectivity.
Rock slope failure simulation using bonded blocks to represent a rocky slope, including joints for major faults. Blocks are colored by displacement magnitude.
Simulation of stone arch blocks showing vertical stress.
Twin supported tunnels in jointed rock with contours of vertical displacement.
Groundwater flow through rock joints (after 8 hours) with flow though intact rock represented by low permeability flow paths between the joints.
Virtua UCS lab test for a highly jointed sample showing displacement contours (left) and the stress-strain curve (right).
UDEC Add-on Options
Expand your UDEC software capabilities with our range of add-on options, designed to tackle diverse engineering challenges effectively. Explore our selection of options to customize your UDEC experience.
Thermal
Simulate heat transfer with conduction and advection models. Ideal for geothermal and nuclear waste applications with variable boundary conditions.
- One-way coupling to mechanical stress and pore-pressure calculations
- Four thermal material models
- Efficient solvers for rapid model run times
- Hydration-Drucker-Prager model for dynamic material adjustments
$69 / month or $828/ year
Fluid Flow Option
Simulate fluid flow through fractures and voids with UDEC’s Fluid Flow option, enabling coupled mechanical-hydraulic analysis for realistic geomechanical modeling.
- Compressible Liquid, Steady-State Flow
- Compressible Liquid, Transient Flow
- Incompressible Liquid, Transient Flow
- Compressible Gas, Transient Flow
- Two-Phase Fluid, Transient Flow
$69 / month or $828/ year
Creep
Study time-dependent material behavior with viscoelastic and viscoplastic constitutive models. Applications include oil reservoirs and deep tunnels.
- 10 customizable creep models
- Versatile for mining and compressed-air energy storage
- Customization via C++ scripting
$69 / month or $828/ year
Barton-Bandis Joint Model
The Barton-Bandis joint model utilizes a series of empirical relations for joint normal behavior and joint shear behavior based on the effects of surface roughness on discontinuity deformation and strength
Joint Shear Behavior
- Dilation as function of normal stress and shear displacement.
- Joint damage due to post-peak shear.
- Reduced secondary peak shear upon post-peak shear reversal.
Joint Normal Behavior
- Hyperbolic stress-displacement path.
- Hysteresis due to successive load/unload cycles.
- Normal stiffness increase due to successive load/unload cycles.
- Normal stiffness change due to surface mismatch caused by shear displacement.
- Hydraulic aperture calculation based on joint closure and joint roughness.
$69 / month or $828/ year
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