SPRING 2022

CEN 530
Slope Stability
PLAXIS APPLICATION

Dalia Abdel Massih, Ph.D.

dabdelmassih@ndu.edu.lb
1
 Overview of Plaxis Software
-Application to slope stability

2
 CONTENT
➢Introduction
➢Plaxis Composition
➢Calculation types
➢Results display
➢Plaxis Analysis Steps
➢Plaxis – Types of geotechnical problems
➢Plaxis Structural Elements and Interfaces
Introduction
Plaxis composition

➢Plaxis Input
➢Plaxis Calculation
➢Plaxis Output
➢Plaxis Curves
 Plaxis Input

• Initial stresses:
Water / soil weight
Plaxis Input – Input Window
Plaxis Input - Soil Constitutive models
➢ Elastic
➢ Mohr Coulomb
➢ Hardening soil
➢ Hardening soil with small strain (Not available in v.8)
➢ Soft Soil
➢ Soft soil Creep
➢ Jointed Rock
➢ Hoek Brown (Not available in v.8)
➢ Modified Cam Clay (Not available in v.8)
➢ User Defined
 Drained
 Undrained
 Non porous
Plaxis Input – Mesh Nodes
Plaxis Input - Plane strain or
Axisymetrical model
Plaxis Input – Standard fixities
Plaxis Input – Initial Stresses
Two approaches exist:
- K0- Procedure
- Gravity Loading
K0- Procedure
Plaxis Input – Initial Stresses
Two approaches exist:
- K0- Procedure
- Gravity Loading

Gravity loading (apply gravity acceleration and perform

finite element calculation)
Plaxis Calculation - Calculation types
➢ Plastic calculations: Analysis of stresses-strain using staged
construction phases – can used in any phase the groundwater
flow calculations (steady state)
➢ Consolidation analysis : Calculate Consolidation settlement – Can
use Large deformations calculations (« updated mesh ») (Time
dependant)
➢ Phi/c reduction: Calculation of safety factors
➢ Dynamic Calculation: Use the dynamic equations of motions under
dynamic or earthquake loading (Time dependant)
Plaxis Output – Results Display
➢ Graphical display: shadings iso surfaces arrows etc
…. Zooms, cross-sections , choice of displayed elements,
scale settings, selection of structure elements, hint box…
➢ Tables
Displacements and strains Stresses and forces
• Deformed mesh • Effective and total stresses
• Total Displacement • Active and excess pore
• Phase displacements pressures
• Incremental displacements • Plastic points
• Total strains • Forces in structure
• Phase strains elements
• Incremental strains
• Velocities
• Accelerations
Plaxis Output – Results Display
Plaxis Curves – Results Display
➢ Selection of points (nodes or stress points)
➢ In « Curve manager » tool, selection of the relevant point,
and of the values to be used for x and y axis
Types of geotechnical problems
Types of geotechnical problems
Types of geotechnical problems
Types of geotechnical problems
Types of geotechnical problems
 PLAXIS ANALYSIS STEPS
➢ Step I: Input: Model
o Define the model
o Input Geometry + structural elements
o Apply boundary conditions
o Apply loading and/or prescribed displacements
o Enter Material Properties
o Mesh Generation;

➢ Step II: Input: Initial conditions

o Initial flow and boundary conditions
o Generation of initial pore water pressures
o Define initial state using K0 procedure if applicable

➢ Step III: Calculation

o Calculation : 1-Plastic; 2-Consolidation; 3-Phi-c reduction; 4-Dynamics

➢ Step IV: Output

➢ Step V: Curves
PLAXIS STRUCTURAL
ELEMENTS AND INTERFACE
➢Plate
➢Node to node anchor
➢Fixed end anchor
➢Geogrid
➢Interface
➢Well
➢Drains
PLATE
PLATE
 PLATE
➔Works by bending, shear and axial force
Properties:
✓ EA: normal rigidity (per unit width in out of the plane direction)
✓ EI: flexural rigidity (per unit width in out of the plane direction)
✓ n: Poisson ratio (0 for thin structures and 0.15 for massive
concrete structures)
✓ w: weight / m /m
✓ Mp: Plastic Moment
✓ Np: Plastic normal force
PLATE
➢Plate weight:
For Massive structures: Unit weight of the plate
material * thickness.
Since plate will overlap the soil: subtract the soil unit
weight from the plate unit weight. w=(gplate-gsoil)*deq

For Sheet piles: they occupy small volume. So we

can use directly the weight/m2 which is in general
supplied by the manufacturer.
 PLATE
Shear Stiffness

Assumption: plate has a rectangular cross section.

PLATE
➢Strength parameters (Plastic)
Need to give values when an elastoplastic material
is used for the plate element
Otherwise Mp and Np of 1015 so that plasticity will
never occur
(Np,Mp) ➔ interaction diagram
Np: unit force per unit width
Mp: unit moment per unit width
NODE TO NODE ANCHOR
➢ Elastic or elastoplastic models
➢ Works by tension or compression
➢ Use to model a strut or the free length (i.e.
unbonded length) of an anchor.
➢ Connected to the soil mesh via two nodes.
Properties:
EA: normal rigidity (per anchor)
Lspacing: Out of plane spacing
Fmax,tens: maximum tension force that can support an
anchor before plastifying
Fmax,comp: maximum compression force that can
support an anchor before plastifying
 NODE TO NODE ANCHOR
➢ Enter a value for Fmax,tens, and Fmax,comp when an
elastoplastic model is used otherwise the values are
1015

➢ Anchor can be prestressed in a stage construction

calculation phase.

➢ Prestressed force is given per linear meter

 FIXED END ANCHOR
➢ Elastic or elastoplastic models
➢ Works by tension or compression
➢ Use to model a strut when one side excavation is
modelled.
➢ Connected to the soil mesh via one node and fixed
from the other side.
Properties:
EA: normal rigidity (per anchor)
Equivalent length: length of the anchor
Angle: horizontal direction of the angle.
GEOGRID
 GEOGRID
➢ Elastic or elastoplastic (see node to node
anchor)
➢ Works by tension only
➢ Used to model soil reinforcement (slope) and
sometimes the fixed length (i.e. bonded
length) of a ground anchor.
➢ Connected to the soil mesh via three nodes
when 6-nodes elements are used ad via 5
nodes when 15 nodes elements are used.
 GEOGRID
Properties:
EA: normal rigidity per linear meter length
Np: plastic normal tension force filled if the
elastoplastic model is used otherwise a value of
1015 is used by default.
The axial stiffness EA is usually provided by the
geogrid manufacturer.
It can be also determined from diagrams relating
the elongation Dl to the applied longitudinal force
F
 INTERFACE
Represents soil-soil interface or structural element/soil
interface.
 INTERFACE
➢ Elastic or elastoplastic
➢ It represents a thin soil element at the soil/structure
connection of properties less than the soil properties.
➢ Soil MC, HS, SC ➔ interface MC
➢ Soil Elastic ➔ interface elastic

Properties:
Rigid: Rint=1
Manual: enter Rint
Rint: ratio between soil shear strength and
interface shear strength (if no data Rint=2/3)
 INTERFACE
➢ Elastoplastic interface:
 INTERFACE
➢ Elastic interface:
 INTERFACE
Some notes on interface use:
➢ In flow analysis,
active interface (orange color) ➔ fully impermeable
Inactive interface (grey color) ➔ fully permeable
➢ Rigid is used when the interface should not affect the
soil strength around. e.g. Extended interface around
corners
 INTERFACE
Problems of soil-structure interaction may involve points
that require special attention. Corners in stiff structures
and an abrupt change in boundary condition may lead to high
peaks in the stresses and strain.
Volume elements are not
capable of reproducing
these sharp peaks and will,
as a result, produce
non physical stress oscillations.
This can be solve by
Extending interface
Elements as shown in these
figures.
 DRAINS
➢ Lines where pore pressures are set to 0

➢ In consolidation analysis: excess pore pressures =0

➢ In groundwater flow calculation: active pore
pressures =0

➢ Drains can be activated in a stage construction

phase.
 WELLS
➢ Points inside the geometry where a discharge is
subtracted (sink) or added (source) to the soil.

➢ During flow analysis, double click on the well to add a

+ or – (extraction or infiltration respectively) discharge
value per m3/hr/m.

➢ Wells are activated during flow analysis