Introduction to Plaxis 2D

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 Program Structure

1. PLAXIS Input
• Definition of the problem (physical representation)
• Definition of the building process:
• Initial situation
• Construction stages
2. PLAXIS Output
• View results of
• the entire model at a specific moment during construction
• one specific point during the whole construction process (history)

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 Plaxis 2D Input

General toolbar
Mode switches

Selection explorer

Model explorer

Drawing area
Mode toolbar

Command line

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 Plaxis 2D Input : Modes

Definition of soil stratigraphy Definition of structural

elements, loads
and boundary conditions

SOIL STRUCTURES

Creation of the FE mesh Definition of pressure Definition of construction stages

distribution

MESH FLOW CONDITIONS STAGED CONSTRUCTION

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 Model and Selection explorer

• Model Explorer :
– graphical overview of the complete model and the
objects that it contains.
• Selection Explorer
– As Model explorer, but only for the current selection
of objects
• For managing any objects created in the model:
– shows number of materials, loads
– Showing, hiding or deleting model items
– Renaming model items
– Changing properties of model items
(load values, water height, material sets, …)

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 Command line

• Commands

– All actions using the mouse or the explorers are translated into commands.

– Direct input of commands possible using command line:

• Session tab: commands executed in the current session

• Model history tab: all the commands executed in the project

– Help → Command reference for all available commands and syntax

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 Soil Mode

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 Soil mode

• Definition of subsoil
– Using boreholes
– Import of soil volumes
• Boreholes ( )
– Soil layering + water table at specific location
– Multiple boreholes: interpolation of soil layers between boreholes
– Each soil layer is used in every borehole (but may have zero thickness).

Borehole 1 Borehole 2 Borehole 3 Borehole 4

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 Borehole definition

• Soil layers tabsheet

– Generation of soil layers
– Thickness of all soil layers
– Soil properties

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 Borehole definition

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

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 Material Sets

Define the material

Open material sets data base window • Constitutive model
• Drained/Undrained
Material type • Weight, permeability
• Soil & interfaces • Stiffness(es), strength
• Plates
• Geotextiles
• Anchors
3)

[Ok]
2)
1)
New, Edit

Available materials in this project Define new material

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 Material Sets

Material data sets can be stored in a global database for use in other projects

Show global

Copy material sets between

project database and global database

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 Material Sets

Drag-and-drop to subsoil model or borehole to assign materials

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 Structure Mode

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 Defining the geometry

• Points
– Generated by clicking the Create point button.
– Used for Point loads, Point prescribed displacements and Fixed-end anchors.
• Lines
– Generated by clicking the Create line button.
– Used to define Beams, Line loads, Line prescribed displacements, Node-to-node anchors
and Embedded beam rows.
• Polygons
– Generated by clicking the Create Soil Polygon
– Used to define additional soil volume outside Soil mode

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 Defining the geometry

Select
Select multiple objects
Move objects
Create array
Create point
Create line
Create soil polygon
Create load
Create prescribed displacement
Create structure
Create hydraulic condition
Create connection
Create tunnel
Create interfaces on the boundary
Show materials

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 Defining the geometry: Extrude

• Default boundary conditions are

– All displacements fixed for the
bottom surface of the soil contour
– Perpendicular displacement fixed
for lateral surfaces of the soil
contour
• Extra options:
– Free, Normally, Horizontally, Vertically
and Fully Fixed
→
Default boundary conditions can be
overwritten by specifying Prescribed
displacement surfaces on the soil contour

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 Structures

• Generated by clicking the Structure button

• Can also be created by right-clicking on
selected:
– points
(fixed-end anchor)
– lines
(plate, geogrid, interfaces, node-to-node anchor,
embedded beam row, discontinuity)

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 Importing Geometry

• Possibility to import from external

sources in different formats like
– AutoCAD native (*.DWG)
– Interchange (*.DXF) file format
– Comma Separated text (*.CSV)
– M-Series file (*.GEO & *.STI)

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 The Mesh Mode

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 Local mesh refinement

• Global coarseness:
– Defines an average element size based on model dimensions
• Local refinement (Coarseness factor):
– Element size can be locally refined or coarsened
– Element size factor = (Coarseness factor) * (Global coarseness)
• Color code
refined
– Different color in the Draw area Not refined

to represent refinement.
• Green = refined, lighter = finer
• Yellow = coarsened, lighter = more coarse coarsened

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 Flow Conditions Mode

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 Water Levels

• Global water level versus “local” water levels

– Default water level for all clusters
– Can be a Generated water level or a User water level
• Water levels could be generated
– Soil mode: Borehole water levels
• From the water information in the boreholes (Head, Interpolate, …)
• Single borehole: horizontal water level that extends to the model
boundaries.
• Multiple boreholes: non-horizontal water level possible
– Water levels: User water levels
• Manually created by the user

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 Water Levels

• Water levels can be specified for each individual

volume
• Available options are:
– Global level (default)
– Custom level
– Head
– User-defined
– Interpolate
– Dry
– Unsaturated

• Changes can be made through

– Right-clicking the mouse
– The WaterConditions feature in the Selection explorer.

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 The Staged Construction Mode

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 Calculation types

• Initial conditions
Initial pore pressures and initial stresses
• Plastic calculation
General deformation analysis, perfectly drained or perfectly undrained
• Consolidation
Time-dependent pore pressure dissipation.
• Fully-coupled flow-deformation analysis
Time-dependent analysis including deformation, consolidation and transient flow
• Dynamic analysis
Application of dynamics loads, for instance harmonic loads or earthquake loads.
• Safety
Determination of the factor of safety at a certain stage in the construction process

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 Initial conditions

Generation of the initial situation before construction

Initial water conditions / initial pore pressures

• Hydrostatic pore pressure distribution based on phreatic level(s)
• Non-hydrostatic pore pressure distribution based on groundwater flow
calculation

Initial geometry configuration / initial stresses

• Activate / deactivate soil and structural elements according to the initial
situations (e.g. embankments switched off)
• Initial stress generation using to K0-procedure or Gravity loading

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 Construction phases

• Changes that can be made in a construction phase

– Changes in groundwater levels
– Activating / deactivating soil
– Activating / deactivating structural elements
– Prestressing anchors
– Change materials for soils and/or structural elements
– Applying loads (static or dynamic)
– Applying prescribed displacements
– Applying volume strains
– Applying tunnel contractions

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 Calculation phases definition

Changes per phase by means of

• Model explorer
• Selection explorer
• Directly in the Draw area

Phase explorer
(phase list)

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 The phases explorer

• For creating and editing the calculation phases

Insert phase Delete phase Define phase settings

Add phase
Calculation type indicator
K0 procedure (initial phase)

Calculation status indicator gravity loading (initial phase)

to be calculated plastic

not to be calculated dynamic

calculation successful consolidation

calculation failed fully-coupled flow-deformation

safety

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 Phase settings

• Calculation phase settings can be edited:

– Calculation type, phase parameters, iterative procedure settings

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 Phase settings

• Start from phase:

Change order (sequence) of calculation phases
• Reset displacements to zero:
resets all displacements at the start of the phase
• Ignore undrained behaviour:
no generation of excess pore pressures in this calculation phase.
• Time interval:
specify a construction time
(for dynamics, consolidation and time-dependent soil behaviour – creep)

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