Preprocessing Function
The PLAXIS series features a user-friendly interface designed for easy operation. Its input interface consists of five main tabs: soil layers, structures, grids, water levels, and step-by-step construction. The entire modeling and calculation process follows this sequential workflow.
PLAXIS offers an interactive graphical interface where data such as soil layers, structures, construction stages, loads, and boundary conditions are entered within a CAD-like drawing environment. It supports importing formats like DXF, DWG, 3DS, and topographic maps, and includes a curve generator for creating custom curves.
Multiple tools are available for operations such as crossing, merging, translating, classifying boxes, rotating, and arranging elements, enabling the creation of complex geometric models. The software automatically generates unstructured finite element meshes—using 15-node triangular elements for 2D soil analyses and 10-node tetrahedral elements for 3D soil simulations.
Structural elements supported in the model include plates, beams, anchor rods, geogrids, and PLAXIS-specific embedded pile elements. These can be drawn directly within the model like CAD graphics or created via command-line input. Soil-structure interaction is simulated using interface elements, for example, the interaction between plate elements and soil. After defining a plate, the contact interface can be generated instantly through a right-click menu.
Seepage boundary conditions can be set as constant head or time-dependent variable head. The water level surface may be drawn directly within the model, or seepage conditions can be specified using data tables, head variation functions, and other methods.
Calculation and Analysis Function
(1) Robust Computing Power and Wide Applicability. PLAXIS 2D/3D includes three modules: the main module, seepage module, and dynamic module. These enable various analyses such as plasticity, safety, consolidation, seepage, fluid-solid coupling, and dynamic analysis.
The software can perform plastic analysis for conventional geotechnical engineering problems involving deformation and strength, including foundations, excavations, supports, and loading conditions. It also conducts consolidation analyses addressing the generation and dissipation of excess pore pressure, seepage calculations (steady-state and transient), and comprehensive fluid-solid coupling for water level changes.
Dynamic analysis covers problems with dynamic loads and seismic effects, while safety analysis assesses stability and safety factors. Engineering projects supported include foundation pits, ground foundations, slopes, tunnels, docks, and reservoir dams.
Additionally, PLAXIS offers dedicated subroutines for simulating standard geotechnical laboratory tests and optimizing model parameters.
(2) Stable Computation and Reliable Results. PLAXIS is a member of NAFEMS, a non-profit organization promoting finite element method applications across engineering disciplines. The PLAXIS R&D team collaborates closely with geotechnical and numerical method experts worldwide, ensuring the software integrates cutting-edge theories and maintains industry-leading technical standards.
A core strength lies in its constitutive models, which are central to geotechnical finite element software. PLAXIS was the first to introduce two advanced models: the Soil Hardening Model (HS) and the Small Strain Soil Hardening Model (HSS). These models account for changes in soil stiffness relative to stress state.
Typical applications include simulating excavation and support of foundation pits, calculating bottom rebound and surface settlement troughs, and analyzing deformation and internal forces of support structures. Extensive validation against monitoring data from numerous engineering projects has earned these models worldwide recognition, making them the preferred choice for excavation-related finite element analyses.
This innovation helps engineers overcome challenges associated with traditional constitutive models like Mohr-Coulomb, allowing them to better predict overall foundation pit stability and surface behavior with greater accuracy.
Post-Processing Function
PLAXIS provides powerful post-processing capabilities, including the output of contour lines, color clouds, contour surfaces, and vector distribution maps. It can generate internal force reports for structural elements, directly output internal forces for solid units, and track pore pressure changes at various stages.
The software allows users to add annotations to output views, plot monitoring point change curves via a curve manager, and automatically generate calculation reports and animations. Additionally, calculation results can be previewed during processing, enabling timely inspection and model adjustments.
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