PLAXIS 2D 2018 - Tutorial Manual 1
PLAXIS 2D 2018 - Tutorial Manual 1
PLAXIS 2D 2018 - Tutorial Manual 1
In this chapter a first application is considered, namely the settlement of a circular foundation
footing on sand. This is the first step in becoming familiar with the practical use of PLAXIS 2D.
The general procedures for the creation of a geometry model, the generation of a finite element
mesh, the execution of a finite element calculation and the evaluation of the output results are
described here in detail. The information provided in this chapter will be utilised in the later
tutorials. Therefore, it is important to complete this first tutorial before attempting any further
tutorial examples.
Objectives:
• Starting a new project.
• Creating an axisymmetric model
• Creating soil stratigraphy using the Borehole feature.
• Creating and assigning of material data sets for soil (Mohr-Coulomb model).
• Defining prescribed displacements.
• Creation of footing using the Plate feature.
• Creating and assigning material data sets for plates.
• Creating loads.
• Generating the mesh.
• Generating initial stresses using the K0 procedure.
• Defining a Plastic calculation.
• Activating and modifying the values of loads in calculation phases.
• Viewing the calculation results.
• Selecting points for curves.
• Creating a 'Load - displacement' curve.
1.1 GEOMETRY
A circular footing with a radius of 1.0 m is placed on a sand layer of 4.0 m thickness as shown in
Figure 1.1. Under the sand layer there is a stiff rock layer that extends to a large depth. The
purpose of the exercise is to find the displacements and stresses in the soil caused by the load
applied to the footing. Calculations are performed for both rigid and flexible footings. The
geometry of the finite element model for these two situations is similar. The rock layer is not
included in the model; instead, an appropriate boundary condition is applied at the bottom of the
sand layer. To enable any possible mechanism in the sand and to avoid any influence of the outer
boundary, the model is extended in horizontal direction to a total radius of 5.0 m.
In the first calculation, the footing is considered to be very stiff and rough. In this calculation the settlement of the
footing is simulated by means of a uniform indentation at the top of the sand layer instead of modelling the
footing itself. This approach leads to a very simple model and is therefore used as a first exercise, but it also has
some disadvantages. For example, it does not give any information about the structural forces in the footing. The
second part of this tutorial deals with an external load on a flexible footing, which is a more advanced modelling
approach.
Start PLAXIS 2D by double clicking the icon of the Input program. The Quick select dialog box appears in
which you can create a new project or select an existing one (Figure 1.2).
• Click Start a new project. The Project properties window appears, consisting of three tabsheets, Project,
Model and Constants (Figure 1.3 and Figure 1.4).
Project properties
The first step in every analysis is to set the basic parameters of the finite element model. This is done in the
Project properties window. These settings include the description of the problem, the type of model, the basic
type of elements, the basic units and the size of the drawing area.
To enter the appropriate settings for the footing calculation follow these steps:
• In the Project tabsheet, enter "Lesson 1" in the Title box and type "Settlement of a circular footing" in the
Comments box.
• Click the Next button below the tabsheets or click the Model tab.
• In the Type group the type of the model (Model) and the basic element type
(Elements) are specified. Since this tutorial concerns a circular footing, select the Axisymmetry and the 15-
Noded options from the Model and the Elements drop-down menus respectively.
• In the Contour group set the model dimensions to xmin = 0.0, xmax = 5.0, ymin = 0.0 and ymax = 4.0.
• Keep the default units in the Constants tabsheet.
Hint: In the case of a mistake or for any other reason that the project properties need to be changed, you
can access the Project properties window by selecting the corresponding option from the File menu.
Hint: The modelling process is completed in five modes. More information on modes is available in the
Section 3.5 of the Reference Manual.
Information on the soil layers is entered in boreholes. Boreholes are locations in the drawing area at which the
information on the position of soil layers and the water table is given. If multiple boreholes are defined, PLAXIS 2D
will automatically interpolate between the boreholes. The layer distribution beyond the boreholes is kept
horizontal. In order to construct the soil stratigraphy follow these steps:
Click the Create borehole button in the side (vertical) toolbar to start defining the soil stratigraphy.
• Click at x = 0 in the drawing area to locate the borehole. The Modify soil layers window will appear.
• In the Modify soil layers window add a soil layer by clicking the Add button.
• Set the top boundary of the soil layer at y = 4 and keep the bottom boundary at y = 0 m.
• By default the Head value (groundwater head) in the borehole column is set to 0 m. Set the Head to 2.0 m
(Figure 1.5).
The creation of material data sets and their assignment to soil layers is described in the following section.
To create a material set for the sand layer, follow these steps:
Open the Material sets window by clicking the Materials button in the Modify soil layers window. The
Material sets window pops up (Figure 1.6).
• Click the New button at the lower side of the Material sets window. A new window will appear with six
tabsheets: General, Parameters, Groundwater, Thermal,
Interfaces and Initial.
• In the Material set box of the General tabsheet, write "Sand" in the Identification box.
• The default material model (Mohr-Coulomb) and drainage type (Drained) are valid for this example.
• Enter the proper values in the General properties box (Figure 1.7) according to the material properties listed
in
Table 1.1. Keep parameters that are not mentioned in the table at their default values.
• Click the Next button or click the Parameters tab to proceed with the input of model parameters. The
parameters appearing on the Parameters tabsheet depend on the selected material model (in this case the
Mohr-Coulomb model).
• Enter the model parameters of Table 1.1 in the corresponding edit boxes of the Parameters tabsheet (Figure
1.8). A detailed description of different soil models and their corresponding parameters can be found in the
Material Models Manual.
Hint: To understand why a particular soil model has been chosen, see Appendix B of the Material Models
Manual.
• The soil material is drained, the geometry model does not include interfaces and the default thermal and
initial conditions are valid for this case, therefore the remaining tabsheets can be skipped. Click OK to
confirm the input of the current material data set. Now the created data set will appear in the tree view of
the Material sets window.
• Drag the set Sand from the Material sets window (select it and hold down the left mouse button while
moving) to the graph of the soil column on the left hand side of the Modify soil layers window and drop it
there (release the left mouse button).
• Click OK in the Material sets window to close the database.
• Click OK to close the Modify soil layers window.
Figure 1.8 The Parameters tabsheet of the Soil window of the Soil and interfaces set type
Visibility of a grid in the drawing area can simplify the definition of geometry. The grid provides a matrix on the
screen that can be used as reference. It may also be used for snapping to regular points during the creation of the
geometry. The grid can be activated by clicking the corresponding button under the drawing area. To define the
size of the grid cell and the snapping options:
Click the Snapping options button in the bottom toolbar. The Snapping window pops up where the size of
the grid cells and the snapping interval can be specified. The spacing of snapping points can be further
divided into smaller intervals by the Number of snap intervals value. Use the default values in this example.
» PLAXIS 2D distinguishes between a project database and a global database of material sets. Data sets may
be exchanged from one project to another using the global database. The global database can be shown
in the Material sets window by clicking the Show global button. The data sets of all tutorials in the
Tutorial Manual are stored in the global database during the installation of the program.
» The material assigned to a selected entity in the model can be changed in the Material drop-down menu in
the Selection explorer. Note that all the material datasets assignable to the entity are listed in the drop-
down menu. However, only the materials listed under Project materials are listed, and not the ones
listed under Global materials.
» The program performs a consistency check on the material parameters and will give a warning message in
the case of a detected inconsistency in the data.
Figure 1.9 The Create line displacement option in the Prescribed displacement menu
• In the drawing area move the cursor to point (0 4) and click the left mouse button
• Move along the upper boundary of the soil to point (1 4) and click the left mouse button again.
• Click the right mouse button to stop drawing.
• In the Selection explorer set the x-component of the prescribed displacement (Displacementx ) to Fixed.
• Specify a uniform prescribed displacement in the vertical direction by assigning a value of -0.05 to uy,start,ref ,
signifying a downward displacement of 0.05 m (Figure 1.10).
The geometry of the model is complete.
Mesh generation
When the geometry model is complete, the finite element mesh can be generated. PLAXIS 2D allows for a fully
automatic mesh generation procedure, in which the geometry is divided into elements of the basic element type
and compatible structural
elements, if applicable.
The
mesh generation takes full account of the position of points and lines in the model, so that the exact position of
Click the Generate mesh button in the side toolbar. The Mesh options window pops up.
• The Medium option is by default selected as element distribution.
• Click OK to start the mesh generation.
As the mesh is generated, click the View mesh button. A new window is opened displaying the generated
mesh (Figure 1.12). Note that the mesh is automatically refined under the footing.
Click on the Close tab to close the Output program and go back to the Mesh mode of the Input program.
Initial conditions
The 'Initial phase' always involves the generation of initial conditions. In general, the initial conditions comprise
the initial geometry configuration and the initial stress state, i.e.
effective stresses, pore pressures and state parameters, if applicable.
Click the Staged construction tab to proceed with the definition of calculation phases. The Flow conditions mode
may be skipped. When a new project has been defined, a first calculation phase named "Initial phase", is
automatically created and selected in the Phases explorer (Figure 1.13). All structural elements and loads that are
present in the geometry are initially automatically switched off; only the soil volumes are initially active. In this
tutorial lesson the properties of the Initial phase will be described. Below an
overview is given of the options to be defined even though the default values of the parameters are used.
The
By default the K0 procedure is selected as Calculation type in the General subtree of the Phases window. This
option will be used in this project to generate the initial stresses.
The Staged construction option is available as Loading type.
The Phreatic option is selected by default as the Pore pressure calculation type.
The Ignore temperature option is selected by default as the Thermal calculation type.
• The other default options in the Phases window will be used as well in this tutorial. Click OK to close the
Phases window.
Hint: The K0 procedure should be primarily used for horizontally layered geometries with a horizontal
ground surface and, if applicable, a horizontal phreatic level. See Section 7.3 of the Reference Manual
for more information on the K0 procedure.
For deformation problems two types of boundary conditions exist: Prescribed displacement and prescribed forces
(loads). In principle, all boundaries must have one boundary condition in each direction. That is to say, when no
explicit boundary condition is given to a certain boundary (a free boundary), the natural condition applies, which
is a prescribed force equal to zero and a free displacement.
To avoid the situation where the displacements of the geometry are undetermined, some points of the geometry
must have prescribed displacements. The simplest form of a prescribed displacement is a fixity (zero
displacement), but non-zero prescribed displacements may also be given.
• In the Model explorer expand the Model conditions subtree.
• Expand the Deformations subtree. Note that the box is checked by default. By default, a full fixity is
generated at the base of the geometry, whereas roller supports are assigned to the vertical boundaries
(BoundaryXMin and BoundaryXMax are normally fixed, BoundaryYMin is fully fixed and BoundaryYMax is
free).
• Expand the Water subtree. The water level generated according to the Head value assigned to boreholes in
the Modify soil layers window (BoreholeWaterLevel_1) is automatically assigned to GlobalWaterLevel
(Figure 1.15).
Figure 1.15 The Deformations and Water subtrees in the Model explorer
The initial water level has been entered already in the Modify soil layers window.
• The water level defined according to the Head specified for boreholes is displayed (Figure 1.16). Note that
only the global water level is displayed in both Phase definition modes. All the water levels are displayed in
the model only in the Flow conditions mode.
Phase 1: Footing
In order to simulate the settlement of the footing in this analysis, a plastic calculation is required. PLAXIS 2D has a
convenient procedure for automatic load stepping, which is called 'Load advancement'. This procedure can be
indentation of the footing. In order to define the calculation phase follow these steps:
Click the Add phase button in the Phases explorer. A new phase, named Phase_1 will be added in the Phases
explorer.
• Double-click Phase_1 to open the Phases window.
• In the ID box of the General subtree, write (optionally) an appropriate name for the new phase (for example
"Indentation").
• The current phase starts from the Initial phase, which contains the initial stress state. The default options
and values assigned are valid for this phase (Figure 1.17).
Hint: Calculation phases may be added, inserted or deleted using the Add, Insert and Delete buttons in the
Phases explorer or in the Phases window.
Figure 1.18 Activation of the prescribed displacement in the Staged construction mode
Execution of calculation
All calculation phases (two phases in this case) are marked for calculation (indicated by a blue arrow). The
execution order is controlled by the Start from phase parameter.
Click the Calculate button to start the calculation process. Ignore the warning that no nodes and stress
points have been selected for curves. During the execution of a calculation, a window appears which gives
information about the progress of the actual calculation phase (Figure 1.19).
The information, which is continuously updated, shows the calculation progress, the current step number, the
global error in the current iteration and the number of plastic points in the current calculation step. It will take a
few seconds to perform the calculation.
When a calculation ends, the window is closed and focus is returned to the main window.
The phase list in the Phases explorer is updated. A successfully calculated phase is indicated by a check mark
inside a green circle.
Click the View calculation results button in the side toolbar. As a result, the Output program is started,
showing the deformed mesh at the end of the selected calculation phase (Figure 1.20). The deformed mesh
is scaled to ensure that the deformations are visible.
• In the Deformations menu select the Total displacements → |u| option. The plot shows colour shadings of
the total displacements. The colour distribution is displayed in the legend at the right hand side of the plot.
Hint: The legend can be toggled on and off by clicking the corresponding option in the View menu.
The total displacement distribution can be displayed in contours by clicking the corresponding button in the
toolbar. The plot shows contour lines of the total displacements, which are labelled. An index is presented
with the displacement values corresponding to the labels.
Clicking the Arrows button, the plot shows the total displacements of all nodes as arrows, with an indication
of their relative magnitude.
• In the Stresses menu point to the Principal effective stresses and select the Effective principal stresses option
from the appearing menu. The plot shows the effective principal stresses at the stress points of each soil
element with an indication of their direction and their relative magnitude (Figure 1.21).
Hint: In addition to the total displacements, the Deformations menu allows for the presentation of Incremental
displacements. The incremental displacements are the displacements that occurred within one
calculation step (in this case the final step). Incremental displacements may be helpful in visualising an
eventual failure mechanism.
» The plots of stresses and displacements may be combined with geometrical features, as available in the
Geometry menu.
The project is now modified so that the footing is modelled as a flexible plate. This enables the calculation of
structural forces in the footing. The geometry used in this exercise is the same as the previous one, except that
additional elements are used to model the footing. The calculation itself is based on the application of load rather
than prescribed displacement. It is not necessary to create a new model; you can start from the previous model,
modify it and store it under a different name. To perform this, follow these steps:
Right-click the prescribed displacement. In the right mouse button menu point to the Line displacement
option. In the expanded menu click on the Delete option (Figure
1. 22).
• In the model right-click the line at the location of the footing. Point on Create and select the Plate option in
the appearing menu (Figure 1.23). A plate is created which simulates the flexible footing.
• In the model right-click again the line at the location of the footing. Point on Create and select the Line load
option in the appearing menu (Figure 1.24).
• In the Selection explorer the default input value of the distributed load is -1.0 kN/m2 in the y-direction. The
input value will later be changed to the real value when the load is activated.
• Click OK. The new data set now appears in the tree view of the Material sets window.
• Drag the set "Footing" to the drawing area and drop it on the footing. Note that the shape of the cursor
changes to indicate that it is valid to drop the material set.
Hint: If the Material sets window is displayed over the footing and hides it, click on its header and drag it to
another position.
Create the mesh. Use the default option for the Element distribution parameter (Medium).
Calculations
• Proceed to the Staged construction mode.
• The initial phase is the same as in the previous case.
• Double-click the following phase (Phase_1) and enter an appropriate name for the phase ID. Keep Plastic as
Calculation type and keep Staged construction as loading type.
• Close the Phases window.
• In the Staged construction mode activate the load and plate. The model is shown in Figure 1.25.
• In the Selection explorer assign −188 kN/m2 to the vertical component of the line load (Figure 1.26). Note
that this gives a total load that is approximately equal to the footing force that was obtained from the first
part of this tutorial. (188 kN/m2 · π·(1.0 m)2 ≈ 590 kN).
• No changes are required in the Flow conditions tabsheet.
The
calculation definition is now complete. Before starting the calculation it is advisable to select nodes or stress
Click the Select points for curves button in the side toolbar. As a result, all the nodes and stress points are
displayed in the model in the Output program. The points can be selected either by directly clicking on them
or by using the options available in the Select points window.
• In the Select points window enter (0.0 4.0) for the coordinates of the point of interest and click Search
closest. The nodes and stress points located near that specific
Figure 1.26 Definition of the load components in the Selection explorer location are listed.
• Select the node at exactly (0.0 4.0) by checking the box in front of it. The selected node is indicated by Node
4∗ in the model when the Selection labels option is selected in the Mesh menu.
Hint: Instead of selecting nodes or stress points for curves before starting the calculation, points can also be
selected after the calculation when viewing the output results. However, the curves will be less
accurate since only the results of the saved calculation steps will be considered.
To select the desired nodes by clicking on them, it may be convenient to use the Zoom in option on
the toolbar to zoom into the area of interest.
Click the Select structures button in the side toolbar and double click the footing. A new window opens in
which either the displacements or the bending moments of the footing may be plotted (depending on the
type of plot in the first window).
• Note that the menu has changed. Select the various options from the Forces menu to view the forces in the
footing.
Hint: Multiple (sub-)windows may be opened at the same time in the Output program. All windows appear
in the list of the Window menu. PLAXIS follows the Windows standard for the presentation of sub-
windows (Cascade, Tile, Minimize, Maximize, etc).
Click the Curves manager button in the toolbar. The Curves manager window pops up.
• In the Charts tabsheet, click New. The Curve generation window pops up (Figure
1. 27).
• For the x−axis, select Node 4∗ (0.00 / 4.00) from the drop-down menu. Select the |u| option for the Total
displacements option of the Deformations.
• For the y−axis, select the Project option from the drop-down menu. Select the ΣMstage option of the
Multipliers. ΣMstage is the proportion of the specified changes that has been applied. Hence the value will
range from 0 to 1, which means that 100% of the prescribed load has been applied and the prescribed
ultimate state has been fully reached.
Hint: To re-enter the Settings window (in the case of a mistake, a desired regeneration or modification) you
can double click the chart in the legend at the right of the chart. Alternatively, you may open the
Settings window by selecting the corresponding option from the Format menu.
» The properties of the chart can be modified in the Chart tabsheet whereas the properties curve can be
modified in the corresponding tabsheet.
• Click OK to accept the input and generate the load-displacement curve. As a result the curve of Figure 1.28 is
plotted.