Read More on our Communities page: https://communities.bentley.com/products/geotech-analysis/w/plaxis-soilvision-wiki/56636/column-resolution-impacts-on-3d-open-pit-stability AUTHORS Marina Trevizolli Bentley Systems, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil Murray Fredlund & Hai Hua Lu Bentley Systems, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada ABSTRACT The 3D Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) is a proven approach for increased rigor in aligning the modeling of open pit sidewall stability with reality but is subject to variation in the calculated factor of safety (FOS). Variations can be introduced related to the column resolution, the constitutive model parameters, and the critical slip surface searching methodology as well as additional aspects. This paper presents the analysis of column resolution in also require column resolution refinement, to obtain a reasonable calculation time and accurate factor of safety. Methodologies are suggested for determining the optimum column resolution in practice. Show more