June 3, 2008:
Harry O. Ward, PE, Named VP of Carlson Software
In recognition of the growth that Carlson Software has been experiencing in civil engineering sales and its training division, Harry O. Ward, PE, has been named a vice president and as such, he will be directing the operations of Carlson College and the Civil Engineering Division.
For Photo and Detailed Information.
April 21, 2008:
Carlson Software and HydroCAD Form Alliance
A new alliance between Carlson Software Inc. and HydroCAD Software Solutions, LLC, to take advantage of the strengths of both companies and to benefit both companies' customers was recently revealed at the Carlson Silver Anniversary User Conference. HydroCAD is a Computer Aided Design tool used by civil engineers for modeling stormwater runoff.
For Photo and Detailed Information.
April 14, 2008:
Carlson Software to Give Users CAD Platform Choice.
At the opening session of the Carlson Silver Anniversary User Conference, Bruce Carlson, president and founder of Carlson Software Inc., announced the addition of the ability to run on IntelliCAD® (ICAD) to the 2009 releases of Carlson Software.
For detailed information.
April 10, 2008:
Carlson Software Supports JAVAD GNSS.
Carlson Software recently announced that it will provide support for the all-new receiver technology provided by JAVAD GNSS.
For detailed information.
March 11, 2008:
Carlson Software and Prolec U.K. Announce OEM Partnership.
Under a new agreement with Carlson Software, Prolec U.K. will be providing European distribution of Carlson machine control software and products.
For detailed information.
March 11, 2008:
All-New Carlson Grade 3.0 Introduced by Carlson Software.
Now contractors and heavy equipment operators have no need to buy or install more software than they need. Learn about Grade's Upgrade Option Authorization, Open Positioning Architecture, and User Defined Interface.
For detailed information.
March 3, 2008:
Carlson Software forms new Positioning & Machine Control Division
The construction industry is rapidly embracing technology and Carlson Software is ready with the newly formed Positioning & Machine Control Division incorporating its machine control software development team, a specialized sales force and global OEM distribution.
Detailed Press Release
 
 

Surface Deformation Prediction System
Overview
 
SDPS version 5.x constitutes the latest update of SDPS software, developed specifically for the Microsoft Windows® environment (SDPS for Windows). In this respect, all programs fully utilize the central management of computer resources (i.e. memory, use of the clipboard, peripherals, etc.) provided by the Microsoft Windows®. All SDPS version 5.x programs are developed in the Visual Basic 6.0 programming language (professional edition).
 
Version 5.x of the Surface Deformation Prediction System (SDPS) is designed to provide an integrated approach to the following problems:.

 

Calculation and prediction of ground deformations above undermined areas. Based on empirical or site-specific regional parameters, the operator can calculate a variety of ground deformation indices according to the profile function method as well as the influence function method. Results can be plotted using the graphing program provided, or exported to other graphing programs.

Calculation of pillar safety factors for room-and-pillar operations using traditional pillar stability equations, as well as calculation of pillar stability factors using the ALPS and ARMPS programs developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (now NIOSH).

In addition, the following programs also developed by NIOSH are included:
the Coal Mine Roof Rating program (CMRR),
the Analysis of Roof Bolting Systems program (ARBS)
the Analysis of Horizontal Stress in Mining program (AHSM)

All NIOSH programs are included in SDPS for completeness and do not require a license to run.
 
Screenshots
 
Click the below images to enlarge
 
Main Menu
 
Influence Function Module
 
Mine Plan and Prediction Point Import Options
in the Influence Function Module
 
Calculation Options in the Influence Function Module
 
Modules in Underground Stability Evaluation
 
Hardware, Operating System,
and Configuration Requirements
 
The SDPS package can be installed on any computer running Windows 95, 98, NT4, 2000, XP. The minimum configuration for installing and running SDPS is the following:

• Pentium based unit or better
• Windows 95 or better (98, NT4, 2000, XP)
• SVGA card with 256 colors and 1024x768 resolution or better
• 150 MB free disk space or more
• Any printer supported by Windows
Input Parameters for
Ground Deformation Calculations
 
In order to calculate surface deformations above an undermined area, three distinct entities must be established:

• Location and geometry of the mined area (mine plan)
• Location of the surface points where deformations will be calculated (prediction points)
• Appropriate subsidence parameters developed from field observations
Ground Deformation Prediction Methods
 
The SDPS package includes two separate formulations for calculating ground deformations:

• Profile function method.
• Influence function method.
   
The profile function method of ground deformation prediction is the easiest to apply, since it requires minimum input, i.e. panel width, overburden depth, seam thickness, and percent hardrock in the overburden. The location of the prediction points is automatically established on the transverse axis of the panel, extending from the point of maximum subsidence (i.e. the panel center line) to the zero subsidence limit. The empirical parameters required are already built into the profile function equation.
For the influence function method, input requirements are more complex and generally the following steps are required for a given case study:
   
• Establish the mine plan, describing the layout of the excavation, which can include more than one extraction panel (or parcel), each with a different geometry. The effect of the inflection point should be taken into account by modifying the geometry of the excavation parcel.
• Establish the location of the prediction points, i.e. the coordinates and elevation of the surface points where prediction of deformation indices is requested. The points can be either scattered or defined by a grid.
• Develop the empirical parameters pertaining to each case study. The average parameters established for eastern U.S. coalfields may be used if site-specific parameters are not available. The development of site-specific parameters is recommended, however, for more representative calculations.
 
As of release 5.1 the influence function module can import mineplans and prediction points directly from AutoCAD DWG files.
 
As of release 5.2 the program will feature the calculation and presentation of dynamic ground deformation indices.
 
As of release 5.5, the SDPS the influence function module supports AutoCAD 2000/2002 and AutoCAD 2004/2005/2006.
Calibration, regional adaptability
 
The mining parameters required for the application of subsidence prediction techniques can be obtained from mine maps, structure elevation maps, surface contour maps and borehole information. From the mine maps and from the elevation maps, the geometry of each panel and the corresponding overburden depth can be determined. From the borehole logs, the percent hardrock in the overburden can be determined. Additionally, the methods require the determination of a number of empirical subsidence parameters, which are considered site-specific. These parameters include:

• Maximum subsidence factor for the site (Smax).
• Distance of the inflection point from the rib (d)
• Horizontal strain coefficient (Bs)
   
A number of relationships were establis