Slope Stability Analysis and 
Reinforced Soil Design Program
SLOPE Version 12 and 12R  for Windows
Copyright Dr D.L.Borin  2024
Distributed by Geosolve, London, UK
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SLOPE Version 12.05   Revision A18.B14.R60                                           August 2024

Network license update
The network license system has been improved to better manage inactive users.
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SLOPE Version 12.05   Revision A18.B14.R58                                           October 2020

New features
Notes files
An important new facility to enable users to keep track of their data and results.
A Data file can now have an attached Notes file. The Notes filename is chosen by the User and is specified in the Titles section of the SLOPE data. Notes files are fully formatted and can include graphics.  Notes files are intended for recording:
    Aims and objectives of a set of analyses,
    Main assumptions and sources of information,
    Key results, observations and conclusions.
The same Notes file can be shared by several data files.

Help with data input menus
Double-click on any of the Error or Warning messages below the data input menu for further information about the error or warning.

Help feature when viewing results listings
Right-click on blue underlined text to link to the associated Help Topic which gives explanations and interpretation of the output.

Knowledge Base 
The previous collection of Example Data files has been expanded and is now called the Knowledge Base. Data files are linked to an accompanying Notes file (see above). A search facility allows the user to find all data files associated with a group of search key words entered by the user.

File Open Menu - Recently used files 
The option for re-opening recently used data files has been greatly improved. It now offers 2 levels of file history;  the last 15 folders and the last 15 files from within each folder.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.04   Revision A17.B13.R56    04 March 2019 

Help file index revised

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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.04   Revision A17.B13.R51    07 March 2016

Bug Fix
The release of August 2014 introduced a bug in the Pore Pressure Profile Menu.It was impossible to delete a Pwp profile.

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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.04   Revision A16.B13.R49    26 August 2014

Delphi 2010
SLOPE 12 is compiled with Delphi 2010 in order to ensure its compatibility with future versions of Windows. This brings it into line with WALLAP version 6.

New feature
The SLOPE Context Sensitive Help file is now a CHM file. You will no longer be plagued with difficulties associated with recent versions of Windows which did not like the old HLP files.

DXF drawing import facility - withdrawn  
This facility has been temporarily withdrawn as it was found to be limited and unreliable. The imported profiles required significant further manipulation.  If you have access to SLOPE version 12.03 you may still be able to use its limited DXF import capability.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.03   Revision A16.B13.R42    08 March 2013

New features
Detailed results for a selected Circle Centre or Wedge Node.
The Graphical display now shows the corresponding slip surface.

Bug fix
Display of detailed results for selected slip surface.
This error only occurred in the following combination of circumstances.:
•	The data includes Strip or Nail reinforcement
•	Results have been retrieved from disk (i.e. not a fresh analysis)
•	You have selected a particular slip surface for detailed results right click over grid of factors of safety.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.03   Revision A15.B11.R40    10 August 2010

New features 
1.  Minimum permitted enclosed angle in 2 or 3 part wedges
     This option permits the user to avoid considering implausible slip surfaces with small enclosed angles between the parts of the wedge. The absolute minimum permitted value for this parameter is 90 degrees but a value of 100 or 110 degrees is more suitable in most cases.
    
     For three part wedges an additional restriction may be placed on the minimum value of the angle subtended at the intermediate wedge points from the ends of the slip surface as shown below: For three part wedges the restrictions apply to both internal angles and both subtended angles.

2.  The Factor of Safety selection/filter  options are now stored as part of the data file

Bug fix
Reinforcement inclination of new layers was not set during reinforcement design
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.02   Revision A14.B10.R38    17 December 2008

Bug fixes         
1. New reinforcement geometry parameters were not shown in data listing.
2. Various data checks relating to inclined reinforcement have been improved.
3. The blue box containing the FoS selection options has been moved to the 
    right side of the screen for greater readability
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.02   Revision A13.B09.R38    28 January 2008

Bug fixes
1. Repeated messages about Data Conversion could occur when reading some older data files. This error was introduced in the previous revision of October 2007
2. Revised data check for conflict between pull-out strength and soil strength. False error messages suppressed when cohesion and adhesion are both zero.
3. "Factor all soil strengths" option reinstated. 
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.02   Revision A12.B09.R36    11 October 2007

Major revision - Inclined reinforcement.
Soil reinforcement may now be defined as inclined to the horizontal. This will greatly facilitate the analysis and design of Soil Nails.
See Example Demo8.dat.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A11.B08.R35    26th April 2007

Bug fix
Inappropriate choice of reinforcement spacing in some designs when the slope face was very steep. This led to difficulties in obtaining a solution.

Minor changes to verification of network installations
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A11.B07.R33      30th June 2006

Bug fix
1)  Pasted text in data input could have non-standard characters
2)  Improved copying of graphics to Windows clipboard
3)  If, after analysing the data it was modified or saved under a new name,  the program stated that it could not find the results file or that the results did not match the data. On pressing "OK" the program then returned an error. "I/O error No. 103 The semaphore can not be set again at USER12". Once this error has been received further analysis OF ANY DATA FILE yielded unreliable results. In order to clear this problem it was necessary to shut SLOPE down and restart. The bug has been fixed - no error message is displayed and subsequent analyses produce correct results.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A11.B07.R32      8th January 2006

Major revision
The facility to import drawing files (dxf and dwg) is now supported. This facility, although included in version 12R when it was released in February 2004, has not worked properly. It is now fully operational.

Minor bug fixes
Report options are greyed out as appropriate.
Colour graphics in reports was not controlled by the colour graphics buttons in the Report menu.
Minor changes to the font and layout of the diagrammatic display of Factors of Safety 
Improvements to the plotting of piezometric surfaces.
General non-circular slips are fully displayed on graphical output.
Negative values in a piezometric grid are now displayed as dashed lines.
Improved interactive graphics to deal with a wider range of colour display monitors.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A09.B06.R30      29th April 2005

Bug fix
Occasional errors in display of text in Memo boxes.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A08.B06.R29      10th April 2005

Bug fix
The program would hang when using a monitor with a resolution greater than 1024 x 768  pixels.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A07.B06.R29     22nd March 2005

Display of data and results
Improved colour graphical display. 
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A06.B06.R27     9th January 2005

Bug fix
A bug was introduced in Revision A06.B05.R27 of  31.08.04  in relation to the graphical output from reinforcement designs. Display of critical wedge information at each reinofrcement elevation was disabled. The actual design was not affected and the tabulated results were correct.

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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A06.B05.R27     31st August  2004

Improved strata editing
The editing of grid line coordinates in complex profiles is improved.

When Y-coordinate interpolation is on (Alt+Y to toggle) the adjustment of a grid line coordinate is accompanied by automatic adjustments to some of the strata coordinates so that straight line segments (of strata, water table and piezometric surfaces) remain straight where possible. 

The rule applies both when the grid line coordinate is adjusted numerically via the table or interactively via the graphics. The modification gives a more intuitive feel to grid line editing.

When Y-coordinate interpolation is off there are no adjustments to strata coordinates and so kinks may be formed in strata which were previously straight.

New grid lines can be inserted anywhere within or outside the existing limits of the cross-section.
 
Display of results - new option
The option which allows you to omit plotting of the grid of circle centres (or wedge nodes) is now available when viewing results (previously only while viewing the data). The effect is to omit both the grid of centres/nodes and the associated Factors of Safety. This may be particularly useful for wedge analyses where the grid of wedge nodes and Factors of Safety tends to obliterate the slip surfaces.

Display of data
Where the slip surface data defines only a single wedge (no ranges for grid of wedge nodes,  wedge angle etc...) the single slip surface is automatically displayed in the data plot. 

Bug fixes
1. The use of the Factor of Safety on Surcharge Loads option for the investigation of passive failure loads was liable to convergence errors.
2. An @ character in the job title or soil description had an unpredictable effect on the layout of data listings.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A05.B04.R25     19th April  2004

This revision corrects a bug in the use of Factor of Safety on Surcharge Loads.
There was no problem in the simple case of FoS on Surcharges = 1

For values of FoS on Surcharges not equal to unity, the program would multiply the surcharges by the specified Factor of Safety during the analysis (as expected) but at the end of the analysis the data values in the original data file would be left factored!  Please note that output listings were totally consistent - the data listing matched the results. The problem arose if the data was re-analysed as described below. 

When re-analysed, the already factored surcharges were factored again! The output listings were still (internally) consistent (data and results match up) but the surcharges values were factored compared with those in the original data file. 
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A02.B03.R24     March 2004

This revision corrects a bug which caused the analysis to halt if there were more than 30 slices in any particular slipping mass.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01   Revision A02.B02.R24     January 2004

This revision includes a variety of minor improvements in the performance of the GUI and the layout of the listed results.
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Release notes for SLOPE version 12.01  Revision A01.B01.R21    November 2003

SLOPE version 12.01 is the first windows version of SLOPE.

SLOPE Version 12 has been designed to provide a high degree of compatibility with its predecessor, version 9.01 at many levels:-

•	Version 9 and version 9R data files can be read and processed by Version 12.

•	The definition and usage of all engineering parameters is preserved in version 12.

•	The methods of calculation are identical.

•	The formatting of printed data and results is preserved virtually unchanged.

To summarise, you  should be able to read and process your version 9 data files and obtain virtually identical output using SLOPE version 12.
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Note for SLOPE version 9 users
•	Please install SLOPE 12 to a new directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\SLOPE12)
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•	Do NOT overwrite your existing SLOPE 9 installation.
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You should be able to compare results from versions 9 and 12 to satisfy yourself that they produce identical results (except for the cases mentioned in below).