Introduction to Plaxis

Dennis Waterman
Plaxis BV

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

General modelling aspects

Defining a project:

Define geometry
Generate mesh
Define initial conditions
Define calculation phases
Calculate
Inspect results

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

General modelling aspects

The geometry is the representation of the
physical problem
Consists of points, lines and clusters
Definition of soil layers, structural elements
and loads

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

General modelling aspects

Points

Start and end of lines.

Positioning of anchors
Point forces,
Point fixities
Local refinements of the finite element mesh.

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

General modelling aspects

Lines
Define the physical boundaries of the
geometry
Define discontinuities in the geometry:
Sheet pile walls, distributed loads
Separations of distinct soil layers or construction
stages.

A line can have several functions or

properties
PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

General modelling aspects

Clusters
Automatically generated enclosed areas
Homogeneous soil properties.

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

General modelling aspects

Mesh
6-noded or 15-noded triangular elements
Displacements calculate in nodes
Stresses calculated in Gaussian integration
points
stress points

nodes
(a) 6-noded triangle

(b) 15-noded triangle

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Input program

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

Input

Composing a geometry model

Creating and assigning data sets
Generating a finite element mesh
Generating initial conditions

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Composing a geometry model

Graphical input of geometry contour, soillayers, construction stages, plates, geogrids,
interfaces, anchors
Designer for circular or non-circular tunnels
Input of loads and boundary conditions
PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

 Geometry lines (between soil layers, etc.)

Plates (Walls, Plates & Shells)
Hinges (free rotation between beams)
Geogrids
Interface elements (soil-structure interaction)
Anchors (node-to-node, fixed end)
PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Creating and assigning material

data sets
Enter model parameters as data sets in a
material data base
Assigning data sets to geometry components
by means of drag and drop

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

Generating a finite element

mesh
Fully automatic mesh generation based on
geometry model
Global and local refinement options

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Generating initial conditions

Generating initial pore pressures by means of
phreatic line or groundwater flow calculation
Flip switch - gives: Initial stresses and geometry mode

Setting initial geometry configuration

Generating initial stresses (K0 procedure)
PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

Calculation program

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Defining calculation phases

Plastic calculation, Consolidation, Phi/c
reduction and Dynamic analysis.
Updated mesh.
Loading input: Multipliers or Staged
Construction.
Changing water conditions
Multiple calculation phases can be pre-defined
and executed at once.

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

Output program

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

View results
Graphical and tabulated output of
displacements, stresses and structural
forces
Output in cross sections
Multiple output windows can be opened
simultaneously (comparison of results)

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

First Exercise
Resume of input steps

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Input geometry

Draw geometry

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

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Input boundary conditions

Default fixities

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Input loads

Point force A & B

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

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Input material properties

General properties, model parameters

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

Mesh generation

Full automatic mesh generator

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

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Initial conditions

Water pressures, Initial stresses

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

See course manual

PLAXIS FINITE ELEMENT CODE FOR SOIL AND ROCK ANALYSES

CG1 Chile May 15-18, 2006: Introduction to Plaxis

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