The new RUVOLUM^® version is not a 3D calculation tool. The calculation is still performed at a single selected point, although terrain data can now be visualized in 3D through the Dimensioning Platform. Major additions are: 

• FLEXNAIL STAINLESS model
• Automated verification of mesh and nails
• Integration of terrain data and 3D visualization
• Faster report generation and design proposals
• Sharing (a copy) of your design is possible

The Geobrugg Dimensioning Platform is a free, web-based tool for planning and dimensioning Geobrugg protection solutions. It brings the individual design tools, such as RUVOLUM^® and RUVOLUM^® ROCK, together in one environment in which you manage your projects, run calculations and generate reports.

The platform is intended for professional planners, geotechnical engineers, geologists and other specialists who design slope stabilization and natural hazard protection measures. It supports the design process but does not replace the engineering judgement of a qualified specialist.

All Geobrugg dimensioning tools are free of charge. There are no limits for companies. On the contrary, we recommend that each user have their own login.

Geobrugg has developed and validated design methods through laboratory testing, large-scale field testing, and practical project experience. Providing these methods free of charge helps engineers and planners apply proven engineering principles when designing protection measures. This is also in Geobrugg's interest, as protection systems can only perform as intended when they are dimensioned correctly. The platform helps ensure that the performance of the entire protection system is considered, rather than assessing individual components in isolation, supporting transparent and technically robust project planning. There are no hidden costs.

The platform runs on your web browser. The Geobrugg Dimensioning Platform is a cloud-based solution and is accessed through a web browser. This enables users to manage projects, perform calculations and collaborate online without installing local design software.

As a browser, we recommend Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. 

Yes. Projects can be shared with other registered users of the platform, who receive a copy of the project. This makes it easy to hand over a design to a colleague or to obtain a second opinion, while your own project remains unchanged.

Only the user to whom the account belongs has access to the calculations and models, unless they are shared via the “share project” function.

No. Your project data is not used for sales purposes, and you will not be contacted on the basis of the projects or calculations you create. Geobrugg evaluates usage data solely for the purpose of analyzing and improving the platform. If you would like advice on a specific project, you can contact your local Geobrugg contact person yourself at any time.

Available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Chinese.

The design tools work with Geobrugg standard products. RUVOLUM^® and RUVOLUM^® ROCK cover the TECCO^® and SPIDER^® mesh systems made of high-tensile steel wire together with the corresponding spike plates and nails, including the FLEXNAIL STAINLESS system. The range of products will grow as further tools are added to the platform.

RUVOLUM works with Geobrugg standard products. For availability and delivery times in your country, please get in touch with our local country managers. 

Projects will remain available indefinitely. There is currently no time limit or automatic deletion function.

Existing project files and calculations remain available during the transition period. New projects should be created in the Geobrugg Dimensioning Platform, where all projects can be managed from a central dashboard. Project migration options and detailed timelines depend on the rollout phase and will be communicated separately.

Simply create a personal account on the platform. Access is free of charge, and we recommend that each user has their own login rather than sharing one account within a company.

The platform runs in the web browser and therefore also opens on tablets and smartphones. For working with projects, however, we recommend a desktop or laptop computer: entering geometry and parameters, evaluating the terrain visualization and reviewing reports is much more comfortable on a larger screen.

If you have questions about the platform or notice an error, please contact our local sales representative. Feedback on the platform is very welcome, as it helps us to improve the tools continuously.

The report documents the complete calculation: project information, all input parameters, the results of the stability analysis and the verifications of mesh and nails. It is generated directly on the platform and exported as a PDF file, ready to be attached to your design documentation.

Your data is saved as you enter it. If a calculation is running in the background, you can close the browser or shut down your computer, and the calculation will continue running.

Your most recently entered data will be saved.

You can export extracts and reports and use the integrated screenshot function.

Yes.

Yes. The design proposal can be changed at any time. The previous version will be overwritten.

RUVOLUM^® designs TECCO^® stabilization systems for shallow, slope-parallel failures in soil or weathered rock, whereas RUVOLUM^® ROCK designs stabilization systems for discrete unstable rock blocks controlled by geological discontinuities in jointed rock slopes.

RUVOLUM^® ROCK is essentially a new design method for jointed rock masses, extending the RUVOLUM^® philosophy from superficial slope stability to block stability in rock. It can: 

• Analyze prismatic and tetrahedral rock blocks
• Consider one or two sliding discontinuities
• Include groundwater and seismic effects
• Verify both mesh and rock bolts
• Design flexible facing systems for jointed rock slopes

Yes. The Geobrugg Dimensioning Platform is designed around a "one project, different calculations, one workflow" approach. This allows different design tools, including RUVOLUM^® and RUVOLUM^® ROCK, to be used within the same project environment.

Yes. User manuals are available for the Dimensioning Platform and for the individual design tools such as RUVOLUM^® and RUVOLUM^® ROCK. The engineering background of the design methods is documented in the corresponding technical manuals.

The platform follows a three-step workflow:

• Plan – create your project, define its location and optionally integrate terrain data
• Calculate – define load case, geometry and system and run the calculation
• Report – generate the report with all inputs, results and verifications

All calculations of a project are managed centrally in the Calculation Cockpit.

Currently, the platform includes RUVOLUM^® for the design of flexible slope stabilization systems in soil and weathered rock, and RUVOLUM^® ROCK for the design of flexible slope stabilization systems in jointed rock slopes. Further tools will be integrated step by step.

Yes: JPG / raw drone images, 3D Tiles (.3tz) from a photogrammetry software, GeoTIFF, OBJ.

3D terrain data, for example from drone surveys or photogrammetry, can be uploaded to a project and visualized in 3D. This helps to locate the calculation point and to understand the slope geometry. The supported file formats are described in the user manual.

Yes. Within one project you can create as many calculations as you like, for example to compare different mesh types, nail patterns or safety concepts. All calculations of a project are listed in the Calculation Cockpit, where they can be duplicated and adapted, which makes it easy to evaluate alternatives.

Yes. All partial safety factors, for example for the friction angle, the cohesion, the weight density and the resistances of mesh and nails, can be defined by the user. The platform proposes default values based on Eurocode 7, which you can adapt to the requirements of your national standard or your project.

Yes. RUVOLUM^® is an established design method that has been used in practice for many years and is documented in scientific publications. RUVOLUM^® ROCK was developed in collaboration with the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) and verified against academic design charts as well as the commercial software RocSlope2, with deviations of less than 1 %. The verification is documented in a separate verification manual.

Yes. The design method itself has not changed: the new RUVOLUM^® on the Dimensioning Platform is based on the same RUVOLUM^® approach as the previous version and delivers the same results for the same input. What is new is the environment around the calculation, such as the automated verification of mesh and nails, the integration of terrain data and the faster report generation.

You need the orientation of the slope surface and of the relevant discontinuities (dip direction and dip angle), which is typically obtained from geotechnical mapping, the shear strength parameters of the discontinuities, the weight density of the rock mass and the intended bolt pattern. Optionally, joint water pressure and seismic loads can be considered. The properties of mesh and bolts are provided by the platform for Geobrugg standard products.

RUVOLUM^® ROCK analyzes the sliding of a rock block that is bounded by the slope surface and by discontinuities. The block can be prismatic or tetrahedral and can slide on one or on two planes. Other failure mechanisms such as toppling, buckling or block fall are not covered. They must be assessed separately or excluded on the basis of the orientation of the discontinuities, the layer thickness and the slope topography.

No. RUVOLUM^® ROCK considers the local stability of the most unfavourable block that can form within the bolt pattern and that is retained by the mesh and the bolts. Depending on the persistence of the discontinuities, an additional overall stability analysis of the slope is required. In this case, the rock bolts provide the main support, while the contribution of the mesh is minor, so the mesh design is not affected.

The shear strength of the discontinuities can be described either with the linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion (friction angle and cohesion) or with the non-linear Barton-Bandis criterion (residual friction angle, joint roughness coefficient JRC and joint wall compressive strength JCS). For the Barton-Bandis criterion, a scale correction of JRC and JCS to the actual block size can be applied.

Yes. The orientation of the slope surface and the discontinuities is displayed in a stereonet, and the resulting block is visualized in the model view, so that the geometry and the sliding mode can be checked at a glance. In addition, the project can be located on the map and combined with terrain data.