ASIA PLAXIS AGENTS MEETING 2011 HONG KONG

Dr William WL Cheang
Principal Geotechnical Consultant Plaxis
Asia-Pac
PLAXIS 2D & 3D
Dr William WL Cheang
Regional Technical Manager
Plaxis Asia-Pac
 Contents (New Developments)

1. Plaxis 2D
a. Graphical User Interface in P2D
b. Constitutive models
c. New calculation modes
d. Unsaturated Soil modelling
2. Plaxis 3D
a. Graphical User Interface in P3D
b. Construction of Geotechnical 3-D FE models
c. Examples

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A. INPUT AND OUTPUT PROGRAM

PLAXIS 2D v2010
 A. Graphical User Interface (Input & Output)

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B CONSTITUTIVE SOIL MODELS

PLAXIS 2D v2010
 B. Constitutive models

Constitutive models via UDSM

1. Linear elastic 1. Hypoplastic model with inter-granular strain
2. Mohr-Coulomb 2. Anisotropic clay models: S-CLAY1 and S-
3. Hardening Soil Model (HSM) CLAY1S
4. Soft Soil Model (SSM) 3. MIT S1 model
5. Soft Soil Creep Model (SSCM) 4. CLoE hypoplastic model
6. Jointed Rock Model 5. Mixed isotropic-kinematic hardening
7. Modified Cam-clay model elastoplastic models for structured clay
8. NGI-ADP model 6. Small-strain + MC model
9. Hoek-Brown model 7. UBCSAND3D model (Plaxis Liquefaction
Model)
8. Sekiguchi-Ohta model
9. Barcelona Basic Model

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C. CALCULATION MODES

PLAXIS 2D v2010
C. CALCULATION MODES INPLAXIS 2D

1. Classical mode

2. Advanced mode

3. Flow mode

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CALCULATION MODES IN PLAXIS 2D

Classical mode:

1. Similar to previous versions of PLAXIS 2D

2. All types of calculation + free vibration (new)

3. Terzaghi stress

4. Applicable for fully saturated or fully dry soils

5. Semi-coupled hydro-mechanical analysis

a. Pore pressure is independent of deformation (within a calculation phase)

b. Multi-threading calculation (new)

c. Change of permeability with deformation (new)

d. Change of elastic storage with stress in stress dependent models (new)

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Calculation modes in PLAXIS 2D

Advanced mode (new):

1. Bishop stress (average stress)

2. Weight of soil changes with degree of saturation

3. Unsaturated soil behaviour

4. Undrained behaviour of unsaturated soils

5. Consideration of suction in safety analysis

6. Fully coupled hydro-mechanical analysis (consolidation TPP)

a. Pore pressure and deformation are dependent to each other

b. All types of flow boundary conditions of PlaxFlow are applicable

c. Change of permeability with deformation

d. Change of elastic storage with stress in stress dependent models

e. Updated mesh and updated water are not possible (drawback)

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Calculation modes in PLAXIS 2D

Flow mode:

1. Similar to PlaxFlow

2. All functionalities of PlaxFlow rewritten in PLAXIS code (new)

a. Steady state groundwater flow

b. Checking local error as well as global error (new)

c. Transient groundwater flow

d. All types of boundary conditions + some new features in wells and drains

3. Faster calculation (new)

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D. UNSATURATED SOIL MODELLING

PLAXIS 2D v2010
 D.UNSATURATED SOIL MODELLING

1. Bishop stress
2. Suction (a new variable)
3. Retention curves (Mualem-Van Genuchten + user defined models)
4. Existing Plaxis models (Bishop stress)
5. User defined soil models (Bishop stress and suction)
6. Based on Barcelona Basic Model (Alonso et al. (1990)).
7. Bishop stress and suction instead of net stress and suction (Gonzalez & Gens (2008)
Suction,

Loading-collapse curve (LC)

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 Barcelona Basic Model (Unsaturated Soil Model) –Gens 2010 HK

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A. GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE IN P3D

PLAXIS 3D v2010
 1.Input Program: The Layout
Menu Bar
General Toolbar
Mode Tabs

Draw Area
Selection Explorer

Model Explorer

Tools (Mode dependent)

Command Line Area

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 1.Model Units and Contour (X-Y spatial Extend)

1. Setting of operational units

2. Setting of model size
a. X-Y space ( where is Z)..similar to
3DF?
b. Z extend is set using the borehole
wizard
c. How do you set the point of origin
at the centre , positive and
negative spatial extent
3. ?Default button is useful

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A1: FIVE MODES

1. Modelling the Ground (Soil Mode)

2. Modelling of Geotechnical Structures (Structure Mode)

3. Meshing (Mesh Mode)

4. Staged Groundwater Modelling (Water Mode)

5. Modelling of Construction Stages (Staged Construction Mode)

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 A1:Work Flow

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Plaxis 3D Input

General toolbar
Mode switches

Selection explorer

Drawing area
Model explorer
Mode toolbar

Command line

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Model and Selection explorer

1. The Model Explorer provides a graphical overview of the complete

model and the objects that it contains.
2. The Selection Explorer provides the same functionality as the Model
Explorer, but only for the current selection of objects

3. For managing any objects created in the model:

a. shows number of materials, loads
b. Showing, hiding or deleting model items
c. Renaming model items
d. Changing properties of model items
(load values, water height, material sets, …)
Command line
1. All the actions carried out using either the mouse or the explorers are translated into
commands.
2. Alternatively, PLAXIS 3D allows to carry out actions using keyboard input by directly typing
the corresponding commands in the command line.
B. CONSTRUCTION OF 3D GEOTECHNICAL MODELS

PLAXIS 3D v2010
Soil Mode

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Soil mode
Borehole 4
1. Definition of soil volumes and initial water levels Borehole 3
2. Based on the concept of boreholes
Borehole 1
3. Offers import geometry facilities
4. Boreholes Borehole 2
a. Locations in the draw area where the information on
soil layering and location of the water table is
specified
b. For multiple boreholes, PLAXIS 3D will automatically
interpolate the soil layers between boreholes
c. Each defined soil layer is used throughout the whole
model.
Borehole definition

• Defining soil layer heights in the Soil layers

tabsheet
• Defining water conditions in the Water tabsheet:
– Specific Head
– Hydrostatic distribution,
– Interpolate from adjacent layers
– Dry
– User-defined pore pressures
• Defining Initial Soil conditions in the Initial
conditions tabsheet
– Specify OCR, POP, K0x and K0y for the K0
procedure

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Material Sets

1. Definition of material sets and parameters for

representing the soil layers and structural elements
2. Same method of input as Plaxis 2D
Structure Mode

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Defining the geometry
1. Points
a. Generated by clicking the Create point button.
b. Used for Point loads, Point prescribed displacements and Fixed-end anchors.
2. Lines
a. Generated by clicking the Create line button.
b. Used to define Beams, Line loads, Line prescribed displacements, Node-to-node anchors
and Embedded piles.
3. Surfaces
a. Generated by clicking the Create surface button.
b. Used to define Plates, Geotextiles, Interfaces and Surface loads.
c. The first three created points define the surface plane by default.
d. Existing surfaces can be edited from the Surface points dialog box of from the pop-up
submenu of Create surface button
 Defining the geometry: Array

• Generate multiple copies of a selection, arranged in a rectangular pattern

 Defining the geometry: Extrude

1. Extrusion of Lines and surfaces in order to create surfaces and volumes respectively:
a. From the Extrude dialog box
b. By dragging and dropping the bottom surface to the top surface location
Defining the geometry: Other functions

1. Decompose into surfaces: creates outer surfaces of selected volumes

2. Decompose into outlines: creates contour of selected surfaces
3. Intersect: splits selected geometric objects along their intersection
4. Combine: merges selected geometric objects of the same kind
5. These functionalities are only accessible from the RMB context menu in the draw area

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Loads

• Generated by clicking the Create load button or by right-clicking on any geometric objects
in the draw area

Point load

Line load

Surface load

→ In a similar way it is possible create Prescribed displacements.

Structures

• Generated by clicking the Structure button Fixed-end anchor

• Can also be created by right-clicking on selected:
– points Beam
(fixed-end anchor)
Node-to-node anchor
– lines
(beam, node-to-node anchor or embedded pile) Embedded pile
– surfaces
(plate, geogrid, interfaces) Plate

Geogrid

Positive interface

Negative interface

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Group Creation

1. Selected objects in the draw area

can be grouped:
a. For fast model creation when
the same operations have to be
undertaken over a large
number of objects
b. For quick personalized model
representation in the draw area
Command Line

1. Examine commands
2. Clean up command history based on
various criteria
3. Run already existing command files
(particularly relevant in the framework of
sensitivity analysis)
4. Access specific documentation of each
command and corresponding parameters
through the Help menu item
Importing Geometry
1. Possibility to import from external sources in different formats
like
a. 3D Studio files (*.3DS)
b. AutoCAD native (*.DWG)
c. Interchange (*.DXF) file format
– Click to import surface

– Click to import volume

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Import of 3DS models

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Command Runner

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The Mesh Mode

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Mesh density in Plaxis 3D
1. Global coarseness:
a. Defines an average element size based on model dimensions and relative element size
factor Re (Very coarse / Coarse / Medium / Fine / Very Fine)
b. Reference element size = 0.05 * Re * (Model diagonal length)
2. Local refinement (Fineness factor):
a. Element size can be locally refined or coarsened
b. Element size = (Fineness factor) * (Global coarseness) * (Ref. elem. size)
3. Color code
a. Depending on their degree of local refinement, geometric objects are displayed in different
color in the Draw area (gray for Fineness factor of 1 and green otherwise with darker colour
when getting more refined)

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Local mesh refinement

• By clicking the toolbar

buttons Refine mesh or
Coarsen mesh and
selecting the desired items
in the Draw Area

• From the Selection

explorer by entering the
desired fineness factor
value

• By invoking RMB context

menu after item selection

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Generate Mesh

1. Can be done by clicking the Generate

mesh button from the Mesh Toolbar or the
right mouse button popup menu

2. While the mesh is being generated, the

possibilities are offered to either pause,
resume or cancel the process
The Water Levels Mode

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Water Levels
1. Generated water level is created by specifying a Head in the boreholes (in the Soil mode)
and is the default water level
a. A single borehole can be used to create a horizontal water surface that extends to
the model boundaries.
b. When multiple boreholes are used, a non-horizontal water surface can be created by
combining the heads in the various boreholes
c. Non hydrostatic distribution in the soil may be specified in the Water tabsheet of the
Modify soil layers dialog box
2. User water levels are available in the Water levels mode and can be used as a alternative
to the Generated water level.

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Water conditions in soil volumes

1. Water levels can be specified for each

individual volume
2. Available options are:
a. Global level (default)
b. Custom level
c. Head
d. User-defined
e. Interpolate
f. Dry
3. Can be done from
a. The WaterConditions feature in the
Selection explorer.
b. Right-clicking the mouse
The Staged Construction Mode

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Calculation phase definition

Phase explorer

Change and/or (de)activate objects

per phase by means of the
Model explorer, Selection explorer
or directly in the Draw area
 Defining Phase settings

• Calculation phase settings can be

edited:
– Calculation type
– Phase parameters
– Iterative procedure settings

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The Phase explorer

1. For creating and editing the calculation phases

Insert phase Delete phase Define phase settings

Add phase Calculation type indicator
K K0 procedure (initial

Calculation status indicator phase)

to be calculated G gravity loading (initial phase)

not to be calculated P plastic

calculation successful D plastic drained

calculation failed C consolidation

S safety
C. SOME EXAMPLES

PLAXIS 3D v2010
 C.Some Examples

Piled Raft Foundation for a storage platform and Stacker Reclaimer Runways

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 Example 2: Pier Y (Bang Na)

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 Examples

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 Examples

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 Examples (Lee et.al.2010)

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