Tutorial Manuals Page 1 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Tutorial Manuals
The Tutorial Manuals serve a special role in guiding users of the our software through typical example models.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
SoilVision Soils Tutorial Manual

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Introduction

The Tutorial Manual serves the special role in guiding the first time users of the SoilVision Soils software through a typical example problem.

SoilVision Soils
1. Estimating Silt Hydraulic Properties

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Estimating Silt Hydraulic Properties

This tutorial assumes the user desires to include a silt material in an unsaturated seepage model. The user currently has a particle-size distribution and initial volume-mass properties for the soil. The intent is
to guide the user through the estimation of a reasonable Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) and an unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve.

In the estimation of unsaturated soil permeability property, the two most important pieces of information required are the SWCC and the saturated coefficient of permeability (or hydraulic conductivity).
SoilVision Soils allows for the theoretical estimation of both of these properties for the purpose of modeling unsaturated seepage modeling.

Seepage modeling uses the SWCC to provide a relationship between the water content of a soil for various soil suctions. The SWCC is most commonly measured in the laboratory using a pressure-plate type
apparatus. The experimental procedure is quite costly and alternate estimation methods are also available. SoilVision Soils has implemented a variety of estimation techniques (also called pedo-transfer
functions) for predicting the SWCC.

Seepage modeling in soils requires a description of the hydraulic properties of a soil. SoilVision Soils provides the user with a number of methods for estimating both the saturated hydraulic conductivity and
the hydraulic conductivity as a function of soil suction. Water flows generally where there is a continuous representation of the water phase within soil structure. As a soil de-saturates, there is a decrease in
the ability of the soil to conduct water under a hydraulic gradient. The decrease in hydraulic conductivity with changing soil suction is difficult to measure directly in the laboratory. Consequently, it has
become accepted practice to estimate the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity using empirically proposed methods.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Grainsize Estimation and Classification

Minimum license required to complete this tutorial: SoilVision Soils

The general steps required for the estimation process are:

a. Create a project for the user soil,
b. Create new soil,
c. Enter and Fit existing grain-size information,
d. Classify the soil

a. Create a Project for the User Soil

The following steps are required to create a new project.
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click on SoilVision Soils button,
3. Click on Open Database button, the Materials Manager dialog will automatically open,
4. Select Project > Add One Project from the menu,
5. Use the Browse For Folder dialog to choose a location that will be used to store all soils-related files,
6. Enter "Tutorial Project" for Project Name,
7. Enter the Company name,
8. Enter the current date and address,
9. Click OK to close New Project dialog.

b. Create New Material

The following steps are required to create a new soil.
Tutorial Manuals Page 2 of 273

1. Select Tutorial Project from the project list,

2. Select Material > New Material to open New Material dialog,
3. Enter "Silt" for soil name,
4. Select USCS Classification type,
5. Select Metric Unit type,
6. Enter 2.65 Specific Gravity value,
7. Click OK to close New Soil Sample dialog, the new material dialog with automatically open.

c. Enter and Fit Existing Grain-Size Information

Most methods of estimating the SWCC require grain-size information either in the form of a sieve analysis or represented as %clay, %silt, and %sand values. In this case, it is assumed that the user has
measured sieve analysis as specified below. Measured data indicates that the user has a measured sieve analysis. The material has a single dominant particle size and as a result a unimodal equation can be
used to fit the data plots. Follow the steps below to enter grain-size information:

1. Click on Grain-size button,

2. Select Measured Category and Unimodal Calculation Method,
3. Enter grain-size data (copy data in table below and select paste in Grain Size Data tab),
4. Click Apply Fit at the bottom of the dialog,
5. Select Graph button at the button of the dialog to view graph. Your graph should look like the Grain-size graph below,
6. Close the graph window, then click OK to close dialog.

Particle Percent
Diameter Passing
(mm) (%)

0.22 100

0.13 90

0.1 82

0.07 70

0.05 62

0.04 57

0.03 50

0.02 38

0.011 23

0.009 20

0.006 16

0.003 12

0.001 9

d. Classify Soil
SoilVision Soils automatically classifies the soil when you click on the Apply fit button in the Grain-size dialog. The USCS method also requires the input of Liquid Limit and Plastic Limit.

1. Select Material > Classification to open Classification dialog

2. Enter Liquid Limit value of 24.00%,
3. Enter Plastic Limit of 17.00%,
4. Select the Classify button at the bottom of the dialog,
5. The texture of the soil is Silty clay with sand as shown under the USCS standard,
6. Click OK to close dialog.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

SWCC Estimation

Estimate the SWCC Theoretically

The SWCC is required for unsaturated transient seepage analysis.

What is required for most SWCC estimation methods is a description of the grain-size distribution and in situ volume-mass properties such as porosity, dry density, or specific gravity. In this case, let us
assume that the user has measured the Specific Gravity and the Saturated Volumetric Water Content (VWC) of the material. Follow the steps below to enter SWCC information:

1. Select the SWCC button to open Drying SWCC dialog,

2. Enter 0.45 Saturated GWC (as a ratio) value,
3. Click on the Vol-Mass State.. button,
4. Click Calculate,
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5. Click OK to close Volume-Mass dialog.

The user is now able to use the laboratory data as the source to calculate the SWCC curve through different fitting algorithms. The fitting algorithms can now be initiated by following these steps:

1. In the Drying SWCC dialog, select the Fredlund and Xing Fit Method from the drop list of fitting methods,
2. Select the Source Type of Data,
3. Next, select the Source as Laboratory Data. Then click the Data... button open the data table dialog,
4. Enter the table of values for the SWCC Data found in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Paste Points button and press Apply Fit to accept the changes,

Suction (kPa) GWC

0.01 0.45

1 0.447

3.63 0.433

69.18 0.29

100 0.271

524.81 0.201

1096.48 0.176

6918.31 0.118

10000.00 0.107

52480.75 0.060

131825.67 0.038

331131.12 0.019

398107.17 0.016

691830.97 0.006

831763.77 0.003

5. Click Graph icon at the bottom of the dialog to view graph (the graph should look like the graph below),
6. Close the graph then click OK to close dialogs.

The user is now able to initiate the algorithm to estimate the silt material properties. In this tutorial, let us make use of the Fredlund and Wilson physio-empirical methods of estimating soil behaviour. The
Fredlund and Wilson (1997) method is utilized in this case since it can be used to estimate the SWCC for finer materials such as silt. The estimation algorithms can now be initiated by following these steps:

7. In the Drying SWCC dialog, select the Fredlund and Xing Fit Method from the drop list of fitting methods,
8. Select the Source Type of Estimation,
9. Next, select the Source as Fredlund and Wilson. This step tells the software to use the Fredlund and Wilson (1997) estimation,
10. Press Apply Fit to fit the curve,
11. Click Graph icon at the bottom of the dialog to view graph - the graph should look similar to the one below,
12. Close the graph then click OK to close dialogs.

The SWCC can also be estimated by data mining. This method requires a description of the grain-size distribution and a in situ volume-mass properties such as porosity, dry density, or specific gravity. In this
case let us assume that the user has measured the Specific Gravity and the Saturated Volumetric Water Content (VWC) of the material. Follow the steps below to enter SWCC information:

1. Select the SWCC button to open Drying SWCC dialog,

2. Enter 0.45 Saturated GWC (as a ratio),
 Tutorial Manuals Page 4 of 273

In this tutorial we will make use of the Fredlund 2-Point data mining method to estimate SWCC. The estimation can be initiated by following these steps:

1. In the Drying SWCC dialog, select the Fredlund 2-Point Fit Fitting Method from the drop list,
2. Select Database from the Source Type drop-down list and Data Mining as the Source,
3. Click on the Search... button to open the Fredlund 2-Point Fit dialog,
4. Check Projects：Select All,
5. Select Search by Texture,
6. Click the Search button,
7. Click OK to close Fredlund 2-Point Fit dialog,
8. Click Graph icon at the bottom of the dialog to view graph - the graph should look similar to the one below,
9. Close the graph then click OK to close dialogs.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Hydraulic Conductivity Estimation

The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve is required for any unsaturated seepage analysis. A saturated hydraulic conductivity is all that is required for a saturated analysis.

Estimate the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity

SoilVision Soils implements a comprehensive range of methods for the estimation of the saturated coefficient of permeability. It is important to note the requirements for the estimation methods. The
majority of methods require a description of the grain-size distribution or %clay, %silt and, %sand as a minimum requirement. Once the prerequisites are fulfilled, the user can proceed with performing the
estimations. The various estimation techniques can be initiated under the Permeability dialog. Once the estimation has been successfully performed, a saturated permeability will be placed in the appropriate
field. If the estimation is not performed, it is often because required information is not present. For the most part, SoilVision Soils will indicate to the user what information is missing in the error message.
Follow the steps below to estimate Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity:

1. Select the Hydraulic Conductivity button to open Hydraulic Conductivity dialog,

2. Select Hazen's ksat in the ksat Options section,
3. Input 3 in Hazen's constant,
4. The ksat value calculated is 9.86e-6 m/s and is shown under the Constant ksat.

Estimate the Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity

An estimation of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity can be accomplished by first clicking on the desired estimation method. If the estimation is not performed, it is often because required information is
not present. For the most part SoilVision Soils will indicate to the user what information is missing in the form of an error message. This tutorial outlines the estimation of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity
using the Fredlund-Xing-Huang method.

1. Folow the SWCC estimation steps for the Fredlund and Xing Fit method using laboratory data in the previous topic, then close the Drying SWCC dialog,
2. In the Hydraulic Conductivity, Select Fredlund, Xing and Huang Estimation from the Permeability Method drop list in the Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity section,
3. Click the graph icon to display graph - the graph should look like the image below,
4. Close the graph then click OK to close dialog.

This page has been left blank intentionally.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Manual
 Tutorial Manuals Page 5 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Introduction

The Tutorial Manual is designed to guide first-time users of PLAXIS Designer through a typical example problem. The example is "typical" in the sense that it is non-trivial but also not too rigorous. It is
intended to be representative of common usage of the software.

The following tutorials are available:

1. Tailings Dam
2. Tailings Dam with Core and Filter
3. Waste Rock
4. Open Pit Tailings
5. Boreholes
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Tailings Dam

This example illustrates the design of a three-dimensional conceptual model for a tailings site. The design is used to determine the volume of material used to construct the dam, and to estimate the volume
of tailings that can be held in the facility.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Conceptual Models

Model: TailingsFacility

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS Designer

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 6 of 273

The following steps will be required to set up this model:

a. Create Model
b. Import Contour Data
c. Convert Polylines to Mesh
d. Create One Bounding Region
e. Create Earth Dam Cross-Section
f. Draw Earth Dam Polyline
g. Build Earth Dam
h. Intersect Foundation and Dam
i. Generate Pond
j. Intersect Dam and Pond
k. Create Final Volume
l. Create Model (Optional)

a. Create Model
The model must first be created in PLAXIS Designer through the following steps:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: PLAXIS Designer
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Model Name: Tailings
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog.

b. Import Contour Data (Import > File)

The sample ground terrain to be used in this model is stored as a DXF file, as a collection of contour lines (polylines). The data is imported through the following steps:

1. Select Import > File ,

2. Set file type to "AutoCAD DXF File (*.dxf)",
3. Enter “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in the address bar,
4. Select PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Tailings Dam Contours.dxf,
5. Click OK.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

c. Convert Polylines to Mesh

The ground terrain imported above must be converted to a surface mesh for later use in the volume calculations. The contour data is converted to a surface mesh or TIN through the following steps:

1. Open the "Imported Data" folder in the Scene pane on the left side of the window,
2. Right-click PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Tailings Dam Contours.dxf, select Convert > To Mesh ,
3. Rename the output to “Foundation” by right clicking on "Mesh" and selecting Rename,
4. Turn off the display of the contour polylines by clicking in the "PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Tailings Dam Contours.dxf" check box.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 7 of 273

d. Create One Bounding Region

Numerical solvers require exact geometry to operate smoothly. To ensure accurate volume output, a bounding region is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Region ,

2. Update the data table with the coordinates in the table below,
3. In the Scene pane, rename the output to "Region1" by right clicking on "Region" and selecting Rename,
4. Turn off the display of "Region1" by clicking in the check box.
NB: Copy the points from the table provided below and paste them into the Data Table Dialog dialog by clicking the Paste button.

X Y
225072 8171762
225348 8171762
225348 8172078
225072 8172078

e. Create Earth Dam Cross-Section (New > Cross Section)

The next step is to build an earth dam in the valley of the ground terrain. First, a cross-section of the dam is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Cross Section ,

2. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
NOTE:
If at any point during this tutorial you are referred to the Data Table and it is not visible, , right-click on the item in the Scene pane and select Properties.

3. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Road”,

4. Enter the following data below.

Property Value

Width, W 8

Left Height, H1 40

Right Height, H2 40

Left Angle, A1 20

Right Angle, A2 20

f. Draw Earth Dam Polyline (New > Polyline)

After the earth dam cross-section has been created, the path that the crest of the earth dam follows will now be created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Polyline,

2. Rename the new polyline to “Centerline” by right clicking on "Polyline" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename,
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
4. Enter the coordinates in the table below,
5. Uncheck the display of "Centerline" by clicking in its box.
NB: Copy the points from the table provided below and paste them into the Data Table Dialog dialog by clicking the Paste button.

X Y Z
225161 8171928 2620
225275 8171919 2620

g. Build Earth Dam (Tools > Road Builder)

The earth dam is now built through the following steps:

1. Select Tools > Road Builder,

2. Select "Centerline" under Extrusion Path and "Cross Section" under Cross-Section,
3. Click OK.
4. Rename the output mesh to “Dam” by right clicking on "Cross Section from Centerline" in the Scene pane under Meshes and selecting Rename.
5. Rename the output region to “Dam Boundary” by right clicking on "Cross Section from Centerline Boundary" in the Scene pane under Regions and selecting Rename. Then turn off the display of
the region by clicking in its box.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 8 of 273

h. Intersect Dam and Foundation (Tools > Surface intersection)

The foundation (ground terrain) and dam surfaces now exist. The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the 2 surfaces. The intersection command creates a new surface that is the
intersection result; neither input is changed. This is necessary to generate accurate display with no gaps and overlaps and to allow volume calculations later. The following steps are used to intersect
surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Foundation" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Build Up or Down (or alternately, Merge into New Surface),
4. Keep the default settings - ensure that Dam is the clipping surface and Foundation is the subject surface (the default arrangement is based on the order they were selected),
5. Click OK,
6. Rename the output mesh to "Foundation with dam" by right clicking on "Foundation-intersected" and selecting Rename.

i. Generate Pond
A tailings pond will now be generated to fill the valley. This is done through the following steps:

1. In the Scene pane, left click on "Dam" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Foundation" to select (make sure that both Dam and Foundation are selected to create a complete boundary),
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Generate Pond and click Draw,
4. Left-click in the middle of the open pit,
5. Set the elevation to 2619,
6. Click OK.

j. Intersect Existing Surface and Pond (Tools > Surface intersection)

The existing surfaces and pond will now be intersected to produce the top surface of the model:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Foundation" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Dam" to select,
3. Ctrl-left-click on "Pond" to select,
4. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
5. Keep the defaults selected,
6. Click OK.
7. Rename the output mesh to "Dam with tailings" by right clicking on "Merged Surface" and selecting Rename.
8. Uncheck the display of the output region ("PondBoundary") by clicking on its box.

Now your screen will appear similar to the image below.

k. Create Final Volume (New > Volume)

A volume containing three layers will now be created, using the intersected surfaces created above. Layers are bounded by two surfaces, so a volume with three layers will require four surfaces in total. The
complete volume is now created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Volume... ,

 Tutorial Manuals Page 9 of 273

2. Add 1 region and choose “Region1” from the drop list,

3. Add 4 surfaces and select the following sources:

Index Source Constant

4 Dam with Tailings N/A

3 Foundation with Dam N/A

2 Foundation N/A

1 <constant> 2500

4. Click OK to create the volume,

5. If you get a "Pinchouts Detected" warning, press OK to continue,
6. Uncheck display of all Meshes.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

l. Create Slope Stability Model (Optional)

A model can be created from the volume to be used in the PLAXIS LE/Slope Stability module by following these steps:

1. Right-click on Model Volume and Select Actions > Generate Model,

2. Enter the options as shown in the table below:

Module Slope Stability

System 3D

Units Metric

Slip Direction Multiple Orientations

Model Name Foundation Model

3. Click OK to generate model.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the volume is created for the model, the volume calculations are displayed in a legend. The results will match the information shown below. Please note that PLAXIS Designer is constantly evolving, and
therefore the volume calculations may vary slightly between older and updated versions of the software. These minor differences are due to changes in the meshing procedures and updates to default
settings in models.

Layer Region Volume

3 Foundation with Dam to Dam with Tailings 47,439

2 Foundation to Foundation with Dam 74,817

1 C = 2500 to Foundation 10,441,920

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Tailings Dam with Core and Filter

This example extends the PLAXIS Designer tutorial “Tailings Dam” to create a tailings dam with a core and a filter using PLAXIS Designer with the goal of conducting seepage modeling in Groundwater.

The original PLAXIS Designer model can be found under:

Project: Conceptual Models

Model: TailingsFacility_CoreAndFilter

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS Designer

Model Description and Geometry

Tutorial Manuals Page 10 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up this model:

a. Create Model
b. Import Mesh
c. Create Dam Surface
d. Create Core Surface
e. Create Filter Surface
f. Fix Intersecting Geometry
g. Intersect Surfaces
h. Create One Bounding Region
i. Create Pond and River Regions
j. Create Final Volume
k. Generate Groundwater Model

a. Create Model
The model must first be created in PLAXIS Designer through the following steps:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: PLAXIS Designer
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Model Name: Tailings_Core_Filter
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog.

b. Import Mesh
In this tutorial, the original ground topography mesh will be imported from a .csv file provided by Bentley Systems

1. Select Import > Mesh to add a new Mesh,

2. In the Open Geometry File dialog, select the CSV file type from the drop-down list,
3. Navigate to the “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” folder,
4. Select the file PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Tailings Core Filter Foundation Data.csv,
5. Click on the Open button,
6. Click on the Yes button and then OK in the confirmation dialogs,
7. Rename the output to "Foundation Surface" by right clicking on "PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Tailings Core Filter Foundation Data" and selecting Rename,
8. As a last step, make the mesh editable by right-clicking on the Foundation Surface and selecting Actions > Make Editable .

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 11 of 273

c. Create Dam Surface

The next step is to build an earth dam in the valley of the ground terrain. First, a cross-section of the dam is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Cross Section ,

2. Rename the Cross Section to “Cross Section - Dam”
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
NOTE:
If at any point during this tutorial you are referred to the Data Table and it is not visible, , right-click on the item in the Scene pane and select Properties.

4. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Road”,

5. Enter the following data below.

Property Value

Width, W 10

Left Height, H1 45

Right Height, H2 45

Left Angle, A1 38

Right Angle, A2 30

After the earth dam cross-section has been created, the path that the crest of the earth dam follows will now be created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Polyline,

2. Rename the new polyline to “Polyline - Dam”,
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
4. Enter the coordinates in the table below,
5. Uncheck the display of "Polyline - Dam" by clicking in its box.

X Y Z
75 160 39
210 150 39

The earth dam can now be built through the following steps:

1. Select Tools > Road Builder,

2. Select "Polyline - Dam" under Extrusion Path and "Cross Section - Dam" under Cross-Section,
3. Click OK.
4. One output mesh named “Cross Section - Dam from Polyline - Dam” will be created.
5. Delete the region “Cross Section - Dam from Polyline - Dam Boundary” since it will not be used for creating the model volume.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

d. Create Core Surface

To build the Core surface is a procedure similarto building the Dam surface described previously. First, a cross-section of the Core is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Cross Section ,

2. Rename the Cross Section to “Cross Section - Core”
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
4. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Road”,
5. Enter the following data below.

Property Value

Width, W 8

Left Height, H1 45

Right Height, H2 45

Left Angle, A1 60

Right Angle, A2 60

Create a new polyline named “Polyline - Core” using the following data

X Y Z
75 160 34
210 150 34

The Core surface can now be built through the following steps:

6. Select Tools > Road Builder,

7. Select "Polyline - Core" under Extrusion Path and "Cross Section - Core" under Cross-Section,
Tutorial Manuals Page 12 of 273

8. Click OK.
9. One output mesh named “Cross Section - Core from Polyline - Core” will be created.
10. Delete the region “Cross Section - Core from Polyline - Core Boundary” since it will not be used for creating the model volume.

Uncheck the display of all the Meshes and Polylines except the meshes of “Foundation Surface” and “Cross Section - Core from Polyline - Core” in the Scene pane. Now your screen will look like the
image below.

e. Create Filter Surface

To build the Filter surface is also a procedure similar to building the Dam surface described previously. First, a cross-section of the Filter is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Cross Section ,

2. Rename the Cross Section to “Cross Section - Filter”
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side of the window,
4. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Closed Road”,
5. Enter the following data below.

Property Value

Width, W 30

Left Height, H1 20

Right Height, H2 20

Left Angle, A1 60

Right Angle, A2 60

Create a new polyline named “Polyline - Filter” using the following data
X Y Z
150 97 10
150 142 14

The Filter surface can now be built through the following steps:

11. Select Tools > Road Builder,

12. Select "Polyline - Filter" under Extrusion Path and "Cross Section - Filter" under Cross-Section,
13. Click OK.
14. One output mesh named “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter” will be created.
15. Delete the region “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter Boundary” since it will not be used for creating the model volume.

Uncheck the display of all the Meshes and Polylines except the meshes of “Foundation Surface”, “Cross Section - Core from Polyline - Core” and “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter” in the
Scene pane. Now your screen will look like the image below.

f. Fix Intersecting Geometry

1. In the Scene pane, multi-select all the surfaces “Foundation Surface”, “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter”, “Cross Section - Dam from Polyline - Dam” and “Cross Section - Core from Polyline -
Core” by using Ctrl-left-click,
2. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Fix Intersecting Geometry,
3. Click OK,
4. Four new meshes named “Foundation Surface-fixed”, “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter-fixed”, “Cross Section - Dam from Polyline - Dam-fixed” and “Cross Section - Core
from Polyline - Core-fixed” will be created.
Tutorial Manuals Page 13 of 273

g. Intersect Surfaces
The Foundation, Dam, Core and Filter surfaces now exist. The next step is to generate new surface meshes by intersecting the surfaces. The intersection command creates a new surface that is the
intersection result; neither input is changed. This is necessary to generate accurate display with no gaps and overlaps and to allow volume calculations later. The following steps are used to intersect
surfaces:

1. The “Foundation Surface-fixed” surface doesn't need to be modified.

2. Multi-select “Foundation Surface-fixed” and “Cross Section - Filter from Polyline - Filter-fixed” surfaces. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections >
Merge Into New Surface. Keep the default settings and click OK. A new mesh will be created and rename it to “Merged Surface - Filter”.
3.
Multi-select “Cross Section - Core from Polyline - Core-fixed” and “Merged Surface - Filter” surfaces. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections >
Merge Into New Surface. Keep the default settings and click OK. A new mesh will be created and rename it to “Merged Surface - Core”.
4. Multi-select “Cross Section - Dam from Polyline - Dam-fixed” and “Merged Surface - Core” surfaces. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections >
Merge Into New Surface. Keep the default settings and click OK. A new mesh will be created and rename it to “Merged Surface - Dam”.
Now four intersected surfaces have been created, and they will be used to build the final model volume later.

h. Create One Bounding Region

Numerical solvers require exact geometry to operate smoothly. To ensure accurate volume output, a bounding region is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Region ,

2. Update the data table with the coordinates in the table below,
3. In the Scene pane, rename the output to "Model Extents" by right clicking on "Region" and selecting Rename,

X Y
10 10
10 320
270 320
270 10

i. Create Pond and River Regions

To apply the upstream Pond and downstream River boundary conditions on the surface in Groundwater model, the Pond and River regions need to be created. The following steps are used to generate the
Pond region:

1. Right-click on the “Merged Surface - Dam” mesh, select Actions > Generate Pond and click Draw,
2. Left-click in the middle of upstream of the dam,
3. Set the elevation to 37,
4. Click OK.
A new region named “PondBoundary” will be created, and Now your screen will look like the image below.

To generate the River region:

1. Right-click on the “Merged Surface - Dam” mesh, select Actions > Generate Pond and click Draw,
2. Left-click in the middle of the downstream side of the dam,
3. Set the elevation to 10.2,
4. Click OK.
5. A new region named “PondBoundary1” will be created. Rename the region to “RiverBoundary”.
6. Select Tools > Set Operation,
7. Select “RiverBoundary” from the Subject List and “Model Extents” from the Clip List,
8. Select Intersection for the “Set Operation” option,
9. Click OK.
10. A new region named “Intersection” is created. Rename the region to “RiverBoundary – New”.
Now your screen will look like the image below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 14 of 273

j. Create Final Volume (New > Volume)

A volume containing four layers will now be created, using the surfaces and regions created above. Layers are bounded by two surfaces, so a volume with four layers will require five surfaces in total. The
complete volume is now created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Volume... ,

2. Add 3 regions. Choose “Model Extents” from the drop list for Index 1, “PondBoundary” for Index 2 and “RiverBoundary - New” for Index 3.
3. Add 5 surfaces and select the following sources:

Index Source Constant

5 Merged Surface - Dam N/A

4 Merged Surface - Core N/A

3 Merged Surface - Filter N/A

2 Foundation Surface-fixed N/A

1 <constant> -50

4. Click OK to create the volume,

5. Uncheck display of all Meshes and Regions.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

k. Generate Groundwater Model

A model can be created from the volume to be used in the PLAXIS LE/Groundwater module by following these steps:

1. Right-click on Model Volume and Select Actions > Generate Model,

2. Enter the options as shown in the table below:

Module Groundwater

System

Steady-State

Units Metric

Time Units

Model Name TailingsWithCoreAndFilter

3. Click OK to generate model.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Waste Rock

This example illustrates the design of a three-dimensional model of a waste rock pile. This is done by adding and intersecting waste rock surfaces to the ground terrain. The final model is used to create a
volume which can be exported to our Slope Stability module to perform slope stability analysis.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 15 of 273

This original model can be found under:

Project: Conceptual Models

Model: Waste Rock

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS Designer

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up this model:

a. Create Model
b. Import Mesh
c. Create polyline
d. Create Waste Rock Cross-Section
e. Build Base Waste Rock Layer
f. Create Waste Rock Layers
g. Create Waste Rock Surfaces
h. Create Region
i. Create Volume
j. Create Model (Optional)

a. Create Model
The model must first be created in PLAXIS Designer through the following steps:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: PLAXIS Designer
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Model Name: Waste Rock
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog.

b. Import Mesh
In this tutorial, the original ground topography mesh will be imported from a .csv file provided by Bentley Systems

1. Select Import > Mesh to add a new Mesh,

2. In the Open Geometry File dialog, select the Comma Separated Values file type from the drop-down list,
3. Navigate to the “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” folder,
4. Select the file PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Waste Rock Ground Data.csv,
5. Click on the Open button,
6. Click on the Yes button in the confirmation dialog,
7. Rename the output to "Ground Surface Mesh" by right clicking on "PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Waste Rock Ground Data" and selecting Rename,
8. As a last step, make the mesh editable by right-clicking on the Ground Surface Mesh and selecting Actions > Make Editable .

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 16 of 273

c. Create Polyline
Waste rock dumps are typically formed through the process of dumping sandy-gravel type material from trucks. The material then naturally forms a slope at the angle of repose of the material which is
typically about 36°. The next step is to create a polyline that defines the the crest path of the waste rock layer. The crest path defines the edge where trucks would dump the waste rock.

1. Select New > Polyline to add a new Polyline,

2. Copy polyline data from the table below and click paste in the data table on the right side on the window,
3. Rename the output to "Waste Rock Crest Path" by right clicking on "Polyline" and selecting Rename.

X Y Z

1944 2963 914

2008 2653 914

2158 2351 914

2188 2071 914

2173 1793 914

Now your screen will look like the image below.

d. Create Waste Rock Cross-Section

This section is used to create the waste rock cross-sectional profile. This is done through the following steps using the Road Builder tool in the PLAXIS Designer Software.

1. Select New > Cross-Section to add a new Cross-Section,

2. Click on the Data Table side bar on the right side on the window,
NOTE:
If at any point during this tutorial you are referred to the Data Table and it is not visible, right-click on the item in the Scene pane and select Properties.

3. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Road”,

4. Enter the following data below,
5. Rename the output to "Waste Rock Cross Section" by right clicking on "CrossSection" and selecting Rename.

Property Value

Width, W 10

Left Height, H1 0.2

Right Height, H2 500

Left Angle, A1 0.1

Right Angle, A2 36.5

Tutorial Manuals Page 17 of 273

e. Build Base Waste Rock Layer

Now, create the base waste rock layer using the Road Builder feature through the following steps:

1. Select the Tools > Road Builder,

2. Select Waste Rock Crest Path under Extrusion Path and Waste Rock Cross Section under Cross-Section,
3. Click OK,
4. Rename the output mesh to "Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer" by right clicking on "Waste Rock Cross Section from Waste Rock Crest Path" and selecting Rename.
5. Rename the output region to "Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer Boundary" by right clicking on "Waste Rock Cross Section from Waste Rock Crest Path" and selecting Rename. Then uncheck the
display of the region by clicking in its box.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

f. Create Waste Rock Layers

The next step is to create 3 additional waste rock layers from the base layer (Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer) by translating the base shape. This is done through the following steps:

1. Right-click on “Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer” and select “Copy”,

2. Then right click in the left pane and select Paste to create a copy of the “Waste Rock Cross-Section-Layer”. Perform this step 3 times to create 3 additional layers.
3. Right-Click “Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer1” and select Actions > Translate/Scale/Rotate to translate the object,
4. In the Geometry Transformation dialog, select Translate and enter the following translation values,
Translate X: 21
Translate Y: 7
Translate Z: 0
5. Right-Click “Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer2” and select Actions > Translate/Scale/Rotate to translate the object,
6. In the Geometry Transformation dialog, select Translate and enter the following translation values,
Translate X: -21
Translate Y: -7
Translate Z: 0
7. Right-Click “Waste Rock Cross Section - Layer3” and select Actions > Translate/Scale/Rotate to translate the object,
8. In the Geometry Transformation dialog, select Translate and enter the following translation values,
Translate X: -42
Translate Y: -14
Translate Z: 0

Now your screen will look like the image below.

NOTE:
Note that the user may use the Tools > Measure feature to select two points that follow the downward slope of the original topology to see that the slope in x and y is
roughly a 3:1 ratio. The waste rock layers should follow the same slope in x and y

g. Create Waste Rock Surfaces

Create individual waste rock surfaces that are intersected with the original topography though the following steps. Note that the intersection command creates a new surface that is the intersection results,
neither inputs is changed.
Tutorial Manuals Page 18 of 273

1. Left-click on “Ground Surface Mesh” to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on “Waste Rock Cross Section-Layer” to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
4. Keep the default settings and click OK.
5. Left-click on “Ground Surface Mesh” to select,
6. Ctrl-left-click on “Waste Rock Cross Section-Layer1” to select,
7. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
8. Keep the default settings and click OK.
9. Left-click on “Ground Surface Mesh” to select,
10. Ctrl-left-click on “Waste Rock Cross Section-Layer2” to select,
11. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
12. Keep the default settings and click OK.
13. Left-click on “Ground Surface Mesh” to select,
14. Ctrl-left-click on “Waste Rock Cross Section-Layer3” to select,
15. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
16. Keep the default settings and click OK.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

h. Create Region
Create a region that will define the area of interest in the Slope Stability 3D numerical model. Numerical solvers require exact geometry to operate smoothly. To ensure accurate volume output, a bounding
region is created through the following steps:

1. Selecting New > Region to add a new Region object,

2. Copy region data from the table below and click paste in the data table side bar on the right of the window,
3. Either draw the region by clicking on the CAD or paste the coordinates from the table below into the Data Table for the Region

X Y

710 160

2430 660

2100 3850

130 3550

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 19 of 273

i. Create Volume
A volume containing five layers will now be created, using the intersected surfaces created above. The complete volume is now created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Volume... ,

2. Add 1 region by clicking the Add button and select “Region” from the drop list,
3. Add 6 surfaces by clicking the Add button and select the following sources:
Index Source Constant

6 Merged Surface3 -

5 Merged Surface2 -

4 Merged Surface -

3 Merged Surface1 -

2 Ground Surface Mesh -

1 <constant> -100

4. Click OK to create the volume,

5. If you get a "Pinchouts Detected" warning, press OK to continue,
6. Uncheck display of all Meshes in the left pane,
7. Uncheck the display of Region in the left pane.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

j. Create Slope Stability Model (Optional)

A model can be created from the volume to be used in the PLAXIS LE/Slope Stability module by following these steps:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 20 of 273

1. Right-click on Model Volume and Select Actions > Generate Model,

2. Enter the options as shown in the table below:
Module Slope Stability

System 3D

Units Metric

Slip Direction Multiple Orientations

Model Name Waste Rock Model

3. Click OK to generate model.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the volume is created for the model, the volume calculations are displayed in a legend. The results will match the information shown below. Please note that PLAXIS Designer is constantly evolving, and
therefore the volume calculations may vary slightly between older and updated versions of the software. These minor differences are due to changes in the meshing procedures and updates to default
settings in models.

Layer Region Volume

5 Merged Surface2 to Merged Surface3 7,534,669

4 Merged Surface to Merged Surface2 6,893,039

3 Merged Surface1 to Merged Surface 6,200,097

2 GroundSurfaceMesh to Merged Surface1 13,792,115

1 C = -100 to GroundSurfaceMesh 4,672,082,168

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Open Pit Tailings

This example illustrates the design of a three-dimensional conceptual model for a tailings canyon. The design is performed in stages, adding new material in an upstream construction to increase the capacity
of the facility over time. The final model is used to estimate the volume of tailings that can be held in the facility, but this estimation can be done at any stage, easily.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Conceptual Models

Model: Openpittailings

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS Designer

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up this model:

a. Create Model
b. Import Ground Terrain Mesh
c. Create Region
d. Draw Polyline
e. Create Cross-Section
f. Build First Dam
g. Intersect First Dam and Terrain
h. Generate Pond
i. Intersect First Dam and Pond
j. Build Second Dam
k. Intersect First and Second Dam
l. Generate Pond
m. Intersect Second Dam and Pond
Tutorial Manuals Page 21 of 273

n. Build Third Dam

o. Intersect Second and Third Dam
p. Extra Dam Polyline
q. Build Extra Dam
r. Intersect Third and Extra Dam
s. Generate Pond
t. Intersect Third Dam and Pond
u. Create Volume
v. Create Model (Optional)

a. Create Model
The model must first be created in PLAXIS Designer through the following steps:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: PLAXIS Designer
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Model Name: OpenPit
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog.

b. Import Ground Terrain Mesh (Import > File)

In this tutorial, the sample ground terrain mesh will be imported from .obj file provided by Bentley Systems

1. Select Import > File ,

2. Set file type to "Wavefront OBJ (*.obj)",
3. Enter “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in the address bar,
4. Select PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Open Pit Tailings original-canyon.obj,
5. Click OK to accept and close dialog.
Now your screen will look like the image below.

c. Create Region
Numerical solvers require exact geometry to operate smoothly. To define the area of interest and ensure accurate volume output, the outside boundary of the mesh is defined through the following steps:

1. Select New > Region to add a new Region object,

2. Copy region data from the table below and click Paste in the Data Table pane on the right of the window,
3. Uncheck the display of this region by clicking the region box in the Scene pane.

X Y

130 7532

130 982

5876 982

5876 7532

d. Draw Polyline (New > Polyline)

A dam has to be built to contain the tailings. The first step in building the dam is to create a path that the crest of the first dam will follow. This can be done through the following steps:

1. Select New > Polyline,

2. Rename the new polyline to “Dam1Polyline” by right clicking on "Polyline" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename,
3. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side on the window,
4. Enter the coordinates in the table below,
NB: Copy the points from the table provided below and paste them into the Data Table Dialog dialog by clicking the Paste button.

X Y Z
3400 5000 1040
1800 5000 1040

e. Create Cross-Section (New > Cross Section)

The next two sections are used to create an dam shape, and place it at the toe of the open pit. A cross-section of the dam is created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Cross Section ,

2. Click on the Data Table pane on the right side on the window,
3. Set Cross-Section Shape to “Road”,
4. Enter the following data below.

Property Value

Width, W 50

Left Height, H1 170

Right Height, H2 170

Tutorial Manuals Page 22 of 273

Left Angle, A1 30

Right Angle, A2 30

f. Build First Dam

The dam will now be created by using the Road Builder through the following steps:

1. Select the Tools > Road Builder,

2. Select Dam1Polyline under Extrusion Path and CrossSection under Cross-Section,
3. Click OK,
4. Rename the output mesh to "Dam1" by right clicking on "CrossSection from Dam1Polyline" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename.
5. Rename the output region to "Dam1 Boundary" by right clicking on "CrossSection from Dam1Polyline Boundary" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename. Then uncheck its display by clicking in its
box.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

g. Intersect First Dam and Terrain (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The ground terrain and dam surfaces now exist. The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the 2 surfaces. The intersection command creates a new surface that is the intersection results,
neither inputs is changed. This is necessary to generate accurate display with no gaps and overlaps and to allow volume calculations later. The following steps are used to intersect surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam1" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Open Pit Tailings original-canyon.obj" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Build Up or Down,
4. Keep the default settings - ensure that Dam1 is the clipping surface and PLAXIS Designer Tutorial Open Pit Tailings original-canyon is the subject surface (the default arrangement is based
on the order they were selected),
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "Dam1NoTailings" by right clicking on "original-canyon-intersected" and selecting Rename.

h. Generate Pond
A tailings pond is now be generated to fill the valley. This is done through the following steps:

1. In the Scene pane, right-click on Dam1NoTailings,

2. Select Actions > Generate Pond and click Draw,
3. Left-click in the middle of the open pit,
4. Set the elevation to 1038,
5. Click OK,
6. Rename the output to “Pond1038” by right clicking on "Pond" and selecting Rename,

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 23 of 273

i. Intersect First Dam and Pond (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the pond with the existing surface. The intersection command creates a new surface that is the intersection results, neither inputs is changed. This
is necessary to generate accurate display with no gaps and overlaps and to allow volume calculations later. The following steps are used to intersect surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam1NoTailings" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Pond1038" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
4. Keep the defaults selected,
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "Dam1Filled" by right clicking on "Merged Surface" and selecting Rename.

j. Build Second Dam

A second dam will be built to allow more tailings to be added to the pond. The following steps are used to build the second dam:

1. In the Scene pane, right-click on “Dam1" and select “Copy”,

2. Then right click in the left pane and select Paste to create a copy of the “Dam1”,
3. Rename the output to "Dam2" by right clicking on "Dam11" and selecting Rename,
4. Right-Click “Dam2” and select Actions > Translate/Scale/Rotate to translate the object,
5. In the Geometry Transformation dialog, select Translate and enter the following translation values,
Translate X: 0
Translate Y: -80
Translate Z: 30

k. Intersect First and Second Dam (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the second dam with the surface output from the previous step. This will build the second dam into the existing surface such that it covers the
entire model and can be used for volume calculation. The following steps are used to intersect surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam2" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Dam1Filled" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Build Up or Down,
4. Keep the default settings - ensure that Dam2 is the clipping surface and Dam1Filled is the subject surface (the default arrangement is based on the order they were selected),
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "Dam2NoTailings" by right clicking on "Dam1Filled-intersected" and selecting Rename.

l. Generate Pond
The tailings will now be generated to fill the valley. This is done through the following steps:

1. In the Scene pane, right-click on Dam2NoTailings,

2. Select Actions > Generate Pond and click Draw,
3. Left-click in the middle of the open pit,
4. Set the elevation to 1068,
5. Click OK,
6. Rename the output to “Pond1068” by right clicking on "Pond" and selecting Rename,
Tutorial Manuals Page 24 of 273

m. Intersect Second Dam and Pond (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the second pond with the surface output from the previous step, which will create the next layer of tailing fill. The following steps are used to
intersect surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam2NoTailings" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Pond1068" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
4. Keep the defaults selected,
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "Dam2Filled" by right clicking on "Merged Surface" and selecting Rename.

n. Build Third Dam

A third dam will be built to completely fill the open pit. The following steps are used to build the dam:

1. In the Scene pane, right-click on “Dam2" and select “Copy”,

2. Then right click in the left pane and select Paste to create a copy of the “Dam2”,
3. Rename the output to "Dam3" by right clicking on "Dam21" and selecting Rename,
4. Right-Click “Dam3” and select Actions > Translate/Scale/Rotate to translate the object,
5. In the Geometry Transformation dialog, select Translate and enter the following translation values,
Translate X: 0
Translate Y: -80
Translate Z: 30

o. Intersect Second and Third Dam (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The third dam surface will now be intersected with the existing surface, to generate the new surface prior to a third layer of tailings being added. The following steps are used to intersect the surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam3" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Dam2Filled" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Build Up or Down,
4. Keep the default settings - ensure that Dam3 is the clipping surface and Dam2Filled is the subject surface (the default arrangement is based on the order they were selected),
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "Dam3NoTailings" by right clicking on "Dam2Filled-intersected" and selecting Rename.

p. Extra Dam Polyline (New > Polyline)

To fill the open pit to the full capacity at the desired elevation, an additional dam will be required, to prevent the tailings from overflowing. Create a path that the crest of the extra dam will follow through the
following steps:

1. Select New > Polyline,

2. Rename the new polyline to “ExtraDamPolyline” by right clicking on "Polyline" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename,
3. Click on the Data Table side bar on the right side on the window,
4. Enter the coordinates in the table below,
X Y Z
4400 3600 1100
4400 3000 1100

q. Build Extra Dam

The following extra steps are used to build the extra dam:

1. Select the Tools > Road Builder,

2. Select ExtraDamPolyline under Extrusion Path and CrossSection under CrossSections,
3. Click OK,
4. Rename the output mesh to "ExtraDam" by right clicking on "CrossSection from ExtraDamPolyline" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename.
5. Rename the output region to "ExtraDam Boundary" by right clicking on "CrossSection from ExtraDamPolyline Boundary" in the Scene pane and selecting Rename. Then uncheck its display by
Tutorial Manuals Page 25 of 273

clicking in its box.

r. Intersect Third and Extra Dam (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The next step is to generate a surface mesh by intersecting the extra dam surface with the existing surface. The following steps are used to intersect surfaces:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "Dam3NoTailings" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "ExtraDam" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
4. Keep the defaults selected,
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "FinalNoTailings" by right clicking on "Merged Surface" and selecting Rename.

s. Generate Pond
The tailings will now be generated to fill the valley. This is done through the following steps:

1. In the Scene pane, right-click on FinalNoTailings,

2. Select Generate Pond and click Draw,
3. Left-click in the middle of the open pit,
4. Set the elevation to 1098,
5. Click OK,
6. Rename the output to “Pond1098” by right clicking on "Pond" and selecting Rename,

t. Intersect Third Dam and Pond (Actions > Surface Intersections)

The final filled surface can now be generated by intersecting the third pond with the existing surface:

1. In the Scene pane, left-click on "FinalNoTailings" to select,

2. Ctrl-left-click on "Pond1098" to select,
3. Right-click on either of the selected items, select Actions > Surface Intersections > Merge into New Surface,
4. Keep the defaults selected,
5. Click OK.
6. Rename the output to "FinalFilled" by right clicking on "Merged Surface" and selecting Rename.

u. Create Volume
A volume containing eight layers will now be created, using the intersected surfaces created above. The complete volume is now created through the following steps:

1. Select New > Volume... ,

2. Add 1 region “Region” from the drop list,
3. Add 9 surfaces and select the following sources:

Index Source Constant

9 FinalFilled -

8 FinalNoTailings -

7 Dam3NoTailings -

6 Dam2Filled -

5 Dam2NoTailings -

4 Dam1Filled -

3 Dam1NoTailings -

2 original-canyon -

1 <constant> 0

4. Click OK to create the volume,

5. Uncheck display of all Meshes in the Scene pane,
6. Uncheck the display of Polylines in the Scene pane.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 26 of 273

l. Create Slope Stability Model (Optional)

A model can be created from the volume to be used in the PLAXIS LE/Slope Stability module by following these steps:

1. Right-click on Model Volume and Select Actions > Generate Model,

2. Enter the options as shown in the table below:
Module Slope Stability

System 3D

Units Metric

Slip Direction Multiple Orientations

Model Name Tailings Canyon Model

3. Click OK to generate model.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the volume is created for the model, the volume calculations are displayed in a legend. The results will match the information shown below. Please note that PLAXIS Designer is constantly evolving, and
therefore the volume calculations may vary slightly between older and updated versions of the software. These minor differences are due to changes in the meshing procedures and updates to default
settings in models.

Layer Region Volume

8 FinalNoTailings to FinalFilled 212,329,997

7 Dam3NoTailings to FinalNoTailings 344,292

6 Dam2Filled to Dam3NoTailings 4,283,260

5 Dam2NoTailings to Dam2Filled 196,802,937

4 Dam1Filled to Dam2NoTailings 3,438,141

3 Dam1NoTailings to Dam1Filled 1,723,698,790

2 original-canyon to Dam1NoTailings 27,045,902

1 C = 0 to original-canyon 40,706,988,039

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Boreholes
 Tutorial Manuals Page 27 of 273

This example illustrates the importing of borehole data from a gINT Project file (Microsoft Access based). The goal is to create surface meshes of the various lithology layers encountered in the boreholes. The
tutorial explores the different tools available to the user when working with borehole data.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Conceptual Models

Model: Boreholes

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS Designer

NOTE:
In order to be able to use the borehole import function the 64 bit version of the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 must be installed on the client
computer. The option to install this Microsoft Redistributable is included in recent versions of PLAXIS LE. If this option was not selected when the software was
installed, either re-install the PLAXIS LE software or manually download and install the software from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?
id=13255.

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up this model:

a. Create Model
b. Import Boreholes from gINT Project file
c. Borehole Selection
d. Generate Meshes from Boreholes
e. Create Slice
f. Create Fence Panel
g. Generate Meshes from Boreholes
This tutorial deals with using the borehole system in the software, which tightly integrates several components. Refer to the documentation for boreholes, fence panels, material layers, and borehole mesh
generation for more detailed information - this tutorial is meant as a basic introduction.

a. Create Model
The model must first be created in PLAXIS Designer through the following steps:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: PLAXIS Designer
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Model Name: Boreholes
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog.

b. Import Boreholes from gINT Project File (Import > Boreholes - from gINT)
In this tutorial, the borehole data will be imported from a gINT Project file (.gpj) included with the software (CSV files are another option not discussed in this tutorial).

1. Select Import > Boreholes - from gINT... ,

2. Use the Open dialog to navigate to the folder “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials”,
3. Select the file gINTSampleDataset_Update1.gpj,
4. Click the Open button to select the file,
NOTE:
For this example file, all of the required mappings between the gINT Project database and PLAXIS Designer will be automatically populated. For other gINT Project
files it may be necessary to select the data fields using the drop-down lists.

5. As all of the required mappings are automatically assigned on both the Borehole Point Mapping and Lithology Mapping tabs, click on the Ok button to import the boreholes.

The act of importing the borehole data creates a number of related objects in the PLAXIS Designer model:

1. Boreholes - Borehole entities are created for each of the boreholes contained in the gINT Project file. This will include position, elevation, depth and lithology data. For more information on the

borehole entity, see Boreholes.

2. Materials - A Material object is created for each unique lithology layer identified across the imported boreholes. the Material will be named according to the data contained in the gINT database
field that was mapped to the Classification field in the import dialog. For more information on the materials entity, see Materials.

3. Material Layers - A Material Layers entity, by default named Borehole Layers, is automatically created based on the Lithology data included with the imported boreholes. For more information on

the material layers entity, see Material Layers.

c. Borehole Selection
The properties of an individual borehole can be viewed by either:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 28 of 273

a) clicking on a borehole object on the drawing canvas or,

b) clicking on the borehole in the Scene view.

Clicking on rows in the Lithology Data table of the Data Table panel automatically switches the Selection Mode from Entire Object to Object Cell mode and highlights the top and bottom of the selected layer
on the Borehole object. It is also possible to edit borehole data through the data table, if necessary.

NOTE:
Any Lithology Data layers that have a background color of gray represent layers with zero thickness. i.e., pinch-outs. The algorithm responsible for maintain the
Material Layers ensures that every Material Layer is present in every borehole in the model by inserting any missing layers with these zero-thickness layers.

d. Generate Volume from Boreholes (Tools > Generate Volume from Boreholes)
Without doing anything else, Surface Meshes, a bounding Region and a Volume can be generated using the imported borehole data. Simply select Tools > Generate Volume from Boreholes. (Note: this option
might read "Generate Meshes from Boreholes", if the volume creation setting has been disabled.)

We will apply a Z scaling factor in order to more easily visualize the elevation variations in the resulting meshes.
1. Click on View > Scaling to open the Scaling dialog,
2. Set the Scale Z value to 2 and click Ok to close the dialog,
3. Hide the Volume and associated Region by unchecking the box beside their names in the Scene tree panel, if a volume was created,
4. Rotate and Pan the model to view the default meshes created.
Notice that the meshes follow between the boreholes in the system, with each mesh passing through the boundary of the appropriate lithography unit in each borehole. Note that by default, the meshes
follow a relatively direct interpolation between points and lines. A smoother result that infers trends can be created by enabling the appropriate option in the borehole mesh settings dialog, if desired.

e. Create Fence Panel (New > Fence Panel)

Fence Panels can optionally be added to influence the creation of surface meshes from the borehole lithology data. When Fence Panels are present, the meshing honors any connection lines (implicit or
explicit) in the creation of the mesh. That is, any lines drawn in the fence panel (or auto-generated) will be preserved exactly in the mesh that corresponds to the line. They are a valuable tool for introducing
engineering judgment to add information that is not captured directly by the boreholes, such as where layers pinch out when they are not present in all boreholes. Fence panels can also be used to extend the
boundary of the generated meshes by drawing the start or end point of the fence farther beyond the boreholes.

Fence panels are not used to specify which borehole lithology units correspond to other ones - that is done automatically by the system based on the layer names.

NOTE:
The presence of a Fence Panel (even without Connection Lines drawn) implies that the surface meshes generated will exactly follow straight lines between the
associated borehole connection points.

For illustration purposes, we will create a Fence Panel with an exaggerated example of altering the meshes with connection lines.

1. Switch to the 2D View by selecting View > Mode > Plan View menu item or by simply clicking on the button,
2. Turn off the generated surface meshes by unchecking the box beside Meshes in the Scene tree panel,
3. Click on New > Fence Panel menu item to create an empty Fence Panel. Enter the following values into the Data Table:
X Y

Start 231000 3970320

End 231640 3970000

4. Enter a Width of 75.

Notice that this has created a box from the start to the end point with the specified width. Any boreholes enclosed within the box will be captured in the fence panel, and displayed in the fence view. Any
connection lines created in the fence panel will connect directly between adjacent pairs of boreholes (ordered along the length of the fence), or to the edges of the fence (defined by the start and end points).
When drawing in the fence panel, the system automatically imposes constraints to result in well-formed meshes without negative volumes.

2. Click on the Switch to Fence View button in the fence panel data table,
3. Zoom into the part of the Fence Panel that contains boreholes NW4 and B-5 (left hand side),
4. Click on the Draw button and start drawing a connection line at the bottom of borehole NW4. The green circles (or ovals when the model is scaled, as it is now) indicate the allowable position(s) on
the borehole to attach connection lines. Snapping to valid points will happen when the cursor is in the green circle. Note that the fence panel documentation contains more information about
connection lines.
5. Enter a second point midway between NW4 and B-5 and noticeably above the top of the layer above (see figure below for example),

6. Double-click on the bottom of borehole B-5 to conclude the connection line draw operation,
7. Next, click the Draw button again and draw a straight line between NW4 and B-5 connecting the top of the same layer as the previous line (see dashed lines in figure above), double clicking on the
point at the B-5 borehole,
NOTE:
Notice how the draw operation does not permit the second connection line to cross the first, which would create negative volumes.

8. Now click on the Generate Default Lines button to automatically create the remaining connection lines. The resulting fence panel should look similar to the image below with the layers filled in the
color assigned to the associated materials and the layers extending to the limits of the fence panel. This is equivalent to creating straight-line connections at any locations that were not manually
filled with lines,
Tutorial Manuals Page 29 of 273

9. Switch to the 3D View by selecting View > Mode > 3D View menu item or by simply clicking on the button in the View toolbar to view the fence panel in 3D.
NOTE:
Numerous fence panel connection lines can be drawn in the panel. Each of the junctions between borehole lithology layers can be connected. Extending partial
connection lines can be done by simply drawing another line adjacent to it that connects to it.

f. Generate Volume from Boreholes (Tools > Generate Volume from Boreholes)
Now generate a second set of surface meshes, and a new volume, to view the influence of the Fence Panel on the mesh generation. (Note: as before, the volume will not be created if this option has been
turned off from the borehole mesh settings dialog.)

1. Select Tools > Generate Volume from Boreholes,

NOTE:
This action will create a second set of Surface Meshes named the same as the meshes created earlier but suffixed with the number 1 in order to ensure unique
names. This also applies to the Volume, if that option is enabled.

2. Hide all the meshes that were generated (uncheck the checkbox in the Scene tree view for Meshes),
3. Hide the Volume and associated Region by unchecking the box beside their names in the Scene tree panel, if a volume was created,
4. Show just the bottom-most created mesh (9: SHALE Boundary1) by enabling its checkmark under the Meshes sub-tree,
5. Zoom in to the area where the fence panel lines were drawn in previous steps,
6. Observe that the mesh matches the geometry of the fence panel at the location of the fence panel, and the surrounding points smoothly flow to the lines.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Groundwater Tutorial Manual
 Tutorial Manuals Page 30 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Introduction

The Tutorial Manual serves a special role in guiding the first time users of the Groundwater software through a typical example problem. The example is "typical" in the sense that it is not too rigorous on one
hand and reasonably simple on the other hand.

The Tutorial Manual serves as a guide by: i) assisting the user with the input of data necessary to solve the boundary value problem, ii.) explaining the relevance of the solution from an engineering
standpoint, and iii.) assisting with the visualization of the computer output. An attempt has been made to ascertain and respond to questions most likely to be asked by first time users of Groundwater in the
following examples:

1. 2D Earth Dam GT
2. 2D Earth Dam Cut Off Flow GT
3. 3D Reservoir GT
4. 3D Pond GT
5. 3D Tailings Dam with Core and Filter GT
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
2D Earth Dam

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Groundwater and will set up a model of a simple earth fill dam.

The purpose of this model is to determine:

1. The effects that a clay core and filter will have on the final position of the phreatic surface
2. The total flux that is passing through the dam in both the saturated and unsaturated material regions
The model dimensions and material properties are provided below.

This original model can be found under:

Project: EarthDams
Model: Earth_Fill_Dam_GT
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 31 of 273

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section.
a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Specify model output
f. Mesh settings
g. Analyze model
h. Results
These outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Groundwater
System: 2D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Time Units: Seconds (s)
Model Name: EFDAM-GT
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models.

This model will be divided into three regions, which are named Earth Fill, Core, and Filter. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The user may enter geometry by i)
drawing on the CAD, ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data or they may iv) import geometry from existing model. Each option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Select Manual in the World Coordinate System dialog,
3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,
Minimum Maximum
X 0 52
Y -0.5 12

4. Click OK to close dialog,

5. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions as show below (perform the drawing in counter-clockwise order),
NOTE:
Enter the points for the Regions in a counter clock-wise progression to ensure that the Boundary Conditions are properly applied in Step d.

Draw the Earth Fill Region according to the following figure:

Draw the Core Region according to the following figure:

Draw the Filter Region according to the following figure:

5. Double click to complete the region drawn,

6. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
7. Change the first region name from R1 to Earth Fill. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
8. Change the second region name from R2 to Core,
9. Change the third region name from R3 to Filter,
10. Click OK to close regions dialog.
· Dynamic Input
Alternatively, the regions can be created by using the dynamic input method. Follow these steps:
1. Ensure that Dynamic Input is turned ON in the task bar,
2. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon, the user will see coordinate values that change as the mouse is moved,
3. Enter 0 as the X coordinate for the first point,
4. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to move to the Y coordinate,
5. Enter 0 as the Y coordinate for the first point,
Tutorial Manuals Page 32 of 273

6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to finish point 1,

7. Repeat the steps 3-6 to enter all data points using the remaining data in the Dam Silt Region table below,
8. Use Shift + Enter after the last point to create region,
9. Repeat the steps 3-8 to create the second and third regions using the data in the Core and Filter Region tables below.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Earth Fill. To do this, highlight the name and enter Earth Fill,
3. Press the New button to add a second region and name it Core,
4. Click New to add the third region and name it Filter,
5. Select the Earth Fill region and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
6. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
7. Copy the region coordinate data for Earth Fill region provided in the table below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
8. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
9. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the other regions,
10. Repeat the step 5 - 9 to create Core and Filter regions,
11. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.
1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select EarthDams from the projects list,
3. Select Earth_Fill_Dam in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

Note: The Flux section defined below in the Specify Model Output step will add an additional region point to the Earth Fill geometry. This will be handled automatically by the software so action is required on
the user's part.

Region: Earth Fill

X (m) Y (m)
0 0
40 0
52 0
40 6
28 12
24 12
20 10

Region: Core
X (m) Y (m)
24 0
24 10
28 10
28 0

Region: Filter
X (m) Y (m)
40 0
40 -0.5
52 -0.5
52 0

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the three materials that will be used. A clay is defined for the core, a silt will make up the Earth Fill, and the filter will consist of a
sand. Note that all of the materials in this model are isotropic and therefore the Ky-ratios remain at 1.0. This section will provide instructions for creating each of the three materials. In this case we assume
that the user has measured the Volumetric Water Content and Hydraulic Conductivity.

Earth Fill
The Earth Fill material properties have been measured as follows using a tempe cell for the SWCC and a falling head test for the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Since the Earth Fill material will experience
partial saturation in the model unsaturated initial properties must be entered. Follow these steps to set up the material properties for the Earth Fill material.

Material
Tab Parameter Earth Fill Filter Sand Core Clay
New Material Category Unsaturated Saturated Saturated
Saturated VWC 0.368 0.35 0.4
Volumetric Water Content
SWCC Fredlund and Xing Fit
ksat (m/s) 1.00E-07 1.00E-04 1.00E-09
Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity Modified Campbell Estimation
Hydraulic Conductivity
p Preset Option Sandy Loam
k minimum (m/s) 1.00E-09

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager from the menu,
Tutorial Manuals Page 33 of 273

2. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Earth Fill,
3. Set Category to Unsaturated,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. Click the VWC Properties... button, and enter the Saturated VWC for the Silty Clay material as provided in the table above,
6. In the SWCC section, select Fredlund & Xing Fit for the fitting Method from the dropdown selector,
7. Choose a Source Type of Data,
8. Click the Data... button located beside the Source selector to open the SWCC Laboratory Data dialog,
9. Enter the table of values for the SWCC Data found in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Paste Points button and press Apply Fit to accept the changes,

Earth Fill: SWCC Data

Suction (kPa) VWC
0.589 0.368
3.306 0.367
20.010 0.243
50.030 0.195
90.060 0.156
150.1 0.154

10. Click the OK button to accept the entered information,

11. Next, click the HC Properties... button,
12. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value from the table above in the Constant ksat sub-section,
13. In the Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, choose Modified Campbell Estimation as the Permeability Method from the drop down selector,
14. Under the p Preset Option drop down menu, choose the appropriate material as indicated in the table above,
15. Enter the k minimum,
16. Click OK to save and close the Hydraulic Conductivity dialog,

NOTE:
The p Preset Option is based on the users input of material. Please choose the material most similar to the properties provided.

Filter Sand
The Filter Sand always remains saturated. Therefore a saturated material is created with saturated volumetric water content and a saturated hydraulic conductivity. These values can be found in the table
above. Follow these steps to set up the material properties for the Filter Sand material.

1. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Filter Sand,
2. Set Category to Saturated,
3. Click the OK button,
4. Next, click the VWC Properties... button,
5. Enter the Saturated VWC as provided in the table above,
6. Press OK to close the dialog,
7. Click the HC Properties... button,
8. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
9. Click the OK button.
Core Clay
The Core Clay remains mostly saturated. Therefore a saturated material is created with saturated volumetric water content and a saturated hydraulic conductivity. These values can be found in the table
above. Follow these steps to set up the material properties for the Core Clay material.

1. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Core Clay,
2. Set Category to Saturated,
3. Click the OK button,
4. Click the VWC Properties... button,
5. Enter the Saturated VWC as provided in the table above,
6. Press OK to close the dialog,
7. Click the HC Properties... button,
8. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
9. Click OK twice to close the Hydraulic Conductivity and Materials Manager dialog.

Now that all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.
1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select the materials for the corresponding regions as shown in the table below,
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.
Region Material
Earth Fill Earth Fill
Core Core Clay
Filter Filter Sand

d. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. A Head of 10 m will be defined on the upstream face of the Earth Fill
region with the Zero Flux condition being applied to the remainder. The Core will be set to a No BC condition by default and will not need to be modified. The Filter region will have a head of –0.5 m at its
base. The steps for specifying the boundary conditions are as follows:

· Apply Upstream Head Boundary Condition

1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions from the menu at the top of the CAD window,
2. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
3. Set the name to Head Constant / 10m by editing the name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
5. In the Constant box enter a head of 10 m,
6. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
7. Click the check box beside Segment: (20, 10) - (0, 0) under the Natural Dam branch of the selection tree,
8. Click OK to close the dialog,
· Apply Filter Boundary Condition
9. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
10. Set the name to Head Constant / -0.5m by editing the name field,
11. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
12. In the Constant box enter a head of -0.5 m,
13. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
14. Click the check box beside Segment: (40, -0.5) - (52, -0.5) under the Filter branch of the selection tree,
15. Click OK to close the dialog,
16. Click OK to save the input Boundary Conditions and return to the workspace.
More information on boundary conditions can be found in Boundaries in your User's Manual.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 34 of 273

e. Specify Model Output (Output)

Flux sections are used to report the rate of flow across a portion of the model for a steady state analysis, and the rate and total volume of flow moving across a portion of the model in a transient analysis.
For the current model a flux section will be created at the location shown below.

1. Select Output > Flux Sections from the menu,

2. Select New button to create new flux section,
3. Copy the flux section data in the Flux 1 table below and paste in the flux section dialog,
4. Click OK and OK to close Flux Section Properties and Flux Sections dialogs.
Flux 1
X Y
40 0
40 6

NOTE:
Flux Section labels can be formatted in the same manner as regular text boxes.

Additional information on defining output of the software may be found under the Output topic section.

f. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Maximum Triangle Area (m )
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Global Maximum Edge Length (m) 1.5
Tolerance of Coordinate (m) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

g. Analyze Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

h. Results (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The following plots are typically desired for a seepage analysis. Each plot, as well as a brief description, is displayed below.

Once you have analyzed the model, the default results display the pore-water pressure contours and the finite element mesh used to obtain the solution.

Solution Mesh & Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 35 of 273

Earth Dam Mesh and Contour Results

The most important contour in the above plot is the one that corresponds to zero pressure. This contour represents the phreatic surface. The above design would be acceptable as the water table exits the
dam at the beginning of the filter. If the water table had extended to the toe of the dam, there would be concern that the toe of the dam would become unstable due to a piping failure.

The user is able to control the contour settings by selecting different contour lines or showing the contour labels.

To change to contour lines only follow these steps:

1. Select Plot > Contours from the menu,

2. Select Lines as the Contour Plot Type,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.
To adjust the contours follow these steps:
1. Select Plot > Contours from the menu,
2. Select the appropriate Variable Name,
3. In the Contour Variable section check:
Show Variable Description
Show Level Legend
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.
Turn Off Mesh
The mesh can be turned off for certain regions through the following process:

1. Select Mesh > Mesh from the menu,

2. Select All in the list and uncheck Show Mesh the checkbox,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Turn Off Region Fill

To display the vectors on a white background the Region Fill can be disabled:

1. Select Geometry > Region Fill from the menu,

2. Uncheck the Show Region box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Flow Vectors
Flow vectors can be displayed through the following process:

1. Select Plot > Vectors from the menu,

2. Click the Show Vector Layer box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Zones of high-velocity flows can be seen in the following figure.

Earth Dam Flow Vector Results

Flow Vectors show both the direction and the magnitude of the flow at specific points in the model. The low conductivity of the core causes the majority of the flow to go up and over the core causing
increased gradients in this area. The other area of interest is at the filter. Vectors illustrate that flow is exiting the dam in this region.

Head Contours
To change the contours to head contours follow these steps:
1. Select Plot> Contours from the menu,
2. From the Variable Name drop-down select h (head),
3. In the Contour Variable section de-select:
Show Level Legend
Show Variable Description
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Select Lines and Flood as the Contour Plot Type,
6. Click OK to close dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 36 of 273

Earth Dam Flow Head Contours

As expected, most of the head is dissipated in the core of the dam. This is illustrated by how close the contours are in the core. The maximum head in the model occurs on the upstream face of the dam and
is equal to ten. This is expected, as this was the boundary condition set on the upstream face of the dam. The lowest head occurs at the filter and is equal to –0.5m.

Flux Results
To view the total flux passing through the dam follow these steps:
1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager from menu,
2. Select Flux Sections Tab,
3. Double click Flux 1-Normal Flow to view the flux data,
4. Click the Ok button to go back to Graph Manager dialog.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Earth Dam Cut Off Flow

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Groundwater and will set up a model of a simple earth fill dam with a cut off wall. The purpose of this model is to determine the effects
that a cut off wall will have on the total flux that is passing through the dam, i.e., above the cut off wall, and below the cut off wall. Also of interest is the final position of the phreatic surface.

Project: EarthDams
Model: EarthDamCutoffFlow_GT
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section.
a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Specify model output
f. Mesh settings
g. Analyze model
h. Results
These outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Groundwater
System: 2D
Tutorial Manuals Page 37 of 273

Type: Steady-State
Units: Imperial
Time Units: Seconds (s)
Model Name: EDCUTOFF-GT
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from existing
models.

This model will be divided into four regions: Dam, R2, R3, and CutOff. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD,
ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data or they may iiv) import geometry from existing model. Each option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Select Manual in the World Coordinate System dialog,
3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,
Minimum Maximum
X -10 700
Y 400 720

4. Click OK to close dialog,

5. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions (perform the drawing in counter-clockwise order),
6. Double click to complete the region drawn,
7. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
8. Change the first region name from R1 to Dam. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
9. Change the fourth region name from R4 to CutOff,
10. Click OK to close regions dialog.

Draw the Dam Region according to the following figure:

Draw the R2 Region according to the following figure:

Draw the R3 Region according to the following figure:

Draw the CutOff Region according to the following figure:

· Dynamic Input
Alternatively, the regions can be created by using the dynamic input method. Follow these steps:
1. Ensure that Dynamic Input is turned ON in the task bar,
2. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon, the user will see coordinate values that change as the mouse is moved,
3. Enter 165 as the X coordinate for the first point,
4. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to move to the Y coordinate,
5. Enter 610 as the Y coordinate for the first point,
6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to finish point 1,
7. Repeat the steps 3-6 to enter all data points using the remaining data in the Dam Region table below,
8. Use Shift + Enter after the last point to create region,
9. Repeat the steps 3-8 to create the second, third and forth regions using the data in the R2, R3 and Cutoff Region tables below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 38 of 273

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
2. Press the New button thrice button to add the second, third and forth regions to the list,
The shapes that define each material region will now be created. The steps to create the R1 region are as follows:
3. Change the first region name from R1 to Dam. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
4. Change the fourth region name from R4 to Cutoff. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
5. Click on the Dam region and press the Properties... button,
6. Click on the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
7. Copy and paste the region coordinates from the table below into the dialog using the Paste button,
8. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog, Click the arrow in the top right corner of the Region Properties Dialog to advance to the next region.
9. Repeat steps 6 - 8 to define R2, R3 and Cutoff regions shapes,
10. Press OK to close the Regions Properties dialog. Press OK again to close the Regions dialog.

Region: Dam
X (ft) Y (ft)
165 610
325 710
365 710
525 610

Region: R2
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 505
690 505
690 610
525 610
165 610
0 610

Region: R3
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 455
690 455
690 505
0 505

Region: CutOff
X (ft) Y (ft)
340 610
350 610
350 505
340 505

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.
1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select EarthDams from the projects list,
3. Select EarthDamCutOffFlow in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message,
6. Click No to second pop-up message to avoid copying material properties,
7. Click OK to close dialog.

NOTE:
Because the CutOff region overlaps with the R2 region the order in which the regions appear in the region list is significant. Regions that are placed higher in the
regions list take priority. So in this case we require the R2 region to be placed above the CutOff region in the regions list. This is accomplished by either defining R2
before the CutOff region or by using the Move Up or Move Down buttons on the Region Properties dialog to place the regions in the appropriate order.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the four materials that will be used. A till is defined for the Dam, a sandy clay will make up R2, a silt loam for R3, and a concrete for
the CutOff. This section will provide instructions for creating each of the three materials.

Material Properties
Tabs Parameters
Silt Loam Sandy Clay Concrete Till
New Material Category Unsaturated Unsaturated Unsaturated Saturated
Tutorial Manuals Page 39 of 273

Saturated VWC 0.368 0.33 0.1 0.33

Volumetric Water Content Fredlund and Fredlund and Fredlund and
SWCC
Xing Fit Xing Fit Xing Fit
ksat (ft/s) 3.51E-04 1.61E-04 3.28E-12 3.80E-06
Modified Modified Modified
Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity Campbell Campbell Campbell
Hydraulic Conductivity Estimation Estimation Estimation
Sandy Clay
p Preset Option Silt Loam Sand
Loam
1.00E-
k minimum (ft/s) 1.00E-10 1.00E-10
13

Silt Loam - Soil-water characteristic curve

SWCC material properties for the Silt Loam material must be set. Follow these steps to set up the SWCC values for the Silt Loam material.
1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Silt Loam,
3. Set Category to Unsaturated,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. Click the VWC Properties... button, and enter the Saturated VWC for the Silty Clay material as provided in the table above (this input is not theoretically required for solving a steady-state model
but does enable additional plotting facilities),
6. In the SWCC section, select Fredlund & Xing Fit for the fitting Method from the dropdown selector,
7. Choose a Source Type of Data,
8. Click the Data... button located beside the Source selector to open the SWCC Laboratory Data dialog,
9. Enter the table of values for the SWCC Data found in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Paste Points button and press Apply Fit to accept the changes,
10. Click the OK button to accept the entered information.
Silt Loam: SWCC Data
Suction (psf) VWC
11.3 0.367
100 0.32
430 0.196
6280 0.177

11. Next, click the HC Properties... button,

12. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value from the table above in the Constant ksat sub-section,
13. In the Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, choose Modified Campbell Estimation as the Permeability Method from the drop down selector,
14. Under the p Preset Option drop down menu, choose the appropriate material as indicated in the table above,
15. Enter the k minimum value from the table above.
NOTE:
The p Preset Option is based on the users input of material. Please choose the material most similar to the properties provided.

16. Press OK twice to close the dialogs.

Repeat the process for the Sandy Clay, Concrete, and Till materials using the values given in the tables. Note that the Category Saturated is used for the Till material and there is no unsaturated
hydraulic conductivity for this material.

Sandy Clay: SWCC Data

Suction (psf) VWC
4.92 0.329
40.4 0.323
59.3 0.317
67.4 0.301
87.0 0.242
128.0 0.200
1870 0.118

Concrete: SWCC Data

Suction (psf) VWC
1.46 0.100
2.09 0.099
6.35 0.097
20 0.079
71.9 0.069
867 0.053

Now that all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select the Dam region and assign the Till material to this region by selecting Till from the material column,
4. Select the R2 region and assign the Sandy Clay material to this region,
5. Select the R3 region and assign the Silt Loam material to this region,
6. Select the CutOff region and assign the Concrete material to this region,
7. Close the dialog using the OK button.

d. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. A head of 688 ft will be defined on the upstream face of the Dam
region. The downstream side of the Dam will have a review boundary condition applied. The background water table on the downstream side of the Dam region will have a head of 560 ft. The steps for
specifying these boundary conditions are as follows:

· Earth Dam Boundary Conditions:

1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions... to open the Boundary Conditions dialog,
2. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
3. Set the name to Head Constant / 688ft by editing the name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
5. In the Constant box enter a head of 688 ft,
6. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
7. Click on the check boxes beside the segments indicated in the following table,
8. Click OK to to close the dialog,

Head Constant 688ft Assignments

Region Start Point End Point
Dam (165, 610) (325, 710)
R2 (165, 610) (0, 610)
R2 (0, 610) (0, 505)
Tutorial Manuals Page 40 of 273

R3 (0, 505) (610, 455)

9. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,

10. Set the name to Head Constant / 580ft by editing the name field,
11. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
12. In the Constant box enter a head of 580 ft,
13. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
14. Click on the check boxes beside the segments indicated in the following table,
15. Click OK to to close the dialog,

Head Constant 580ft Assignments

Region Start Point End Point
R2 (690, 505) (690, 610)
R2 (690, 610) (525, 610)
R3 (690, 545) (690, 505)

16. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,

17. Set the name to Zero Flux by editing the name field,
18. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Zero Flux boundary condition,
19. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
20. Click on the check boxes beside the segments indicated in the following table,
21. Click OK to to close the dialog,

Zero Flux Assignments

Region Start Point End Point
Dam (325, 710) (365, 710)
Dam (525, 610) (350, 610)
Dam (350, 610) (340, 610)
Dam (340, 610 (165, 610)

22. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,

23. Set the name to Review by editing the name field,
24. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Review Boundary boundary condition,
25. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
26. Click on the check boxes beside the segments indicated in the following table,
27. Click OK to to close the dialog.
28. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

Review Boundary Assignments

Region Start Point End Point
Dam (365, 710) (525, 610)

Now your screen will look like the image below.

e. Specify Model Output (Output)

Flux sections are used to report the rate of flow across a portion of the model for a steady state analysis, and the rate and total volume of flow moving across a portion of the model in a transient analysis.
For the current model two flux sections will be created at the location shown in the screenshot below.

In this model we are interested in flow through the earth dam and below the cut of wall. Therefore two flux sections will be defined in the following steps:

1. Select Output > Flux Sections ... from the menu to open the Flux Sections dialog,
2. Click the New button to add a new flux section,
3. Copy the points from the table below for Flux 1 and paste them into the dialog using the Paste Points button,
4. Press OK to close the Flux Section Properties dialog,
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for Flux 2,
6. Press OK to close the Flux Sections dialog.
Flux 1:
X (ft) Y (ft)
350 610
350 710

Flux 2:
X (ft) Y (ft)
350 455
350 505

Your screen will look similar to the screenshot below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 41 of 273

f. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Maximum Triangle Area (ft ) 90.7
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Global Maximum Edge Length (ft) 16.2
Tolerance of Coordinate (ft) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

h. Results (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The following plots are typically desired for a seepage analysis. Each plot, as well as a brief description, is displayed below.

Solution Mesh & Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.

Earth Dam Cut Off Mesh and Contour Results

The most important contour in the above plot is the one that corresponds to zero pressure. This contour represents the phreatic surface. All material that lies below this line is saturated and all material that
lies above this line is considered to be unsaturated.

Turn Off Mesh

The mesh can be turned off for certain regions through the following process:

1. Select Mesh > Mesh from the menu,

2. Select All in the list and uncheck Show Mesh the checkbox,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Head Contours

To change the contours to head contours follow these steps:

1. Select Plot> Contours from the menu,
2. From the Variable Name drop-down select h (head),
3. In the Contour Display section de-select:
Show Level Legend
Show Contour Label
4. Click OK to close dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 42 of 273

Earth Dam Cut Off Flow Head Contours

As expected, most of the head is dissipated in the cut off wall. This is illustrated by how close the contours are in the cut of wall.

Flow Vectors
Flow vectors can be displayed through the following process:

1. Select Plot> Contours from the menu,

2. In the Contour Display section uncheck the Show Region Contours box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.
4. Select Plot > Vectors from the menu,
5. Click the Show Vector Layer box,
6. Press OK to close the dialog.

Zones of high-velocity flows can be seen in the following figure.

Earth Dam Cut Off Flow Vector Results

Flow Vectors show both the direction and the magnitude of the flow at specific points in the model. The cut off wall causes the majority of the flow to go either above the wall or below it. The increase in
gradients below the cut of wall is prominent in the screenshot above.

Flux Results
To view the total flux passing through the model, follow these steps:
1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager from menu,
2. Select Flux Sections Tab,
3. Double click Flux 1-Normal Flow to view the flux data,
5. Click the Ok button to go back to Report Manager dialog,
6. Repeat these steps for Flux2.

3 3.0E-4
Flux 1 (ft /s)
3 6.2E-3
Flux 2 (ft /s)

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Reservoir

The following example will introduce you to the three-dimensional Groundwater modeling environment. This example is used to investigate the flow and pressure conditions existing within a slope due to a
holding pond at the crest. The example is modeled using two regions, two surfaces, and one material. The model data and material properties are provided below.

The purpose of this model is to determine the flow out of the reservoir.

Project: Ponds
Model: Reservoir3D_GT
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Model Description and Geometry

A small holding pond of dimensions 27m wide and 24m long is created at the top of the slope. A slope of angle 45° begins 10m from the edge of the holding pond. The slope has a total height of 11m and
levels off for a distance of 3m.
Tutorial Manuals Page 43 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Mesh Settings
f. Analyze model
g. Results
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. On the General tab, select the following:
Module: Groundwater
System: 3D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Time Units: Days (day)
Model Name: RESERVOIR-GT
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog,
5. The new model will automatically be opened in the workspace.
NOTE:
All data provided below are also available in the Model Data Section

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into two regions, which are named Slope and Reservoir. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The regions can be created by cutting and
pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Slope. To do this, highlight the name and type the new text,
3. Press the New button to add a second region,
4. Change the name of the second region to Reservoir.

The shapes that define each region will now be created.

1. Select the row for the region Slope and click the Properties... button,
2. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
3. Copy the points for region Slope from the table provided below and paste them into the New Region Polygon dialog by clicking the Paste button,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. Move to the second region Reservoir by clicking the right arrow in the top right corner of the Region Properties dialog,
6. Copy the points for region R2 from the table provided below and paste them into the New Region Polygon dialog by clicking the Paste button,
7. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Region Properties dialog and the Regions dialog.
Region: Slope
X (m) Y (m)
0 0
14 0
24 0
24 27
14 27
0 27
0 17
0 10

Region: Reservoir
X (m) Y (m)
0 10
3 10
 Tutorial Manuals Page 44 of 273

3 17
0 17

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

This model consists of two surfaces and each will be defined by a different method. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface is already defined by default with a constant elevation of 0 m.
· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a grid of (X,Y) points and corresponding elevations.

1. Select Surface 2 in the Surface Selector at the top of the workspace,

2. Select Geometry > Surface Properties... from the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options drop-down and click the Paste Data Grid... button to open the Paste Data Grid dialog,
4. Copy the data for Surface 2 provided in the table below (do not include the header row) and paste the data into the dialog using the Paste Points button,
5. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog, click No to pop-up dialog,
6. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog.
Surface 2
X (m) Y (m) Z (m)
0 0 11
0 10 11
0 11 10
0 16 10
0 17 11
0 27 11
2 0 11
2 10 11
2 11 10
2 16 10
2 17 11
2 27 11
3 0 11
3 10 11
3 11 11
3 16 11
3 17 11
3 27 11
14 0 11
14 10 11
14 11 11
14 16 11
14 17 11
14 27 11
21 0 4
21 10 4
21 11 4
21 16 4
21 17 4
21 27 4
24 0 4
24 10 4
24 11 4
24 16 4
24 17 4
24 27 4

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 45 of 273

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. In this case the material remains fully saturated and we assume that the user has
measured the Saturated Volumetric Water Content and the Hydraulic Conductivity shown in the table below. It will be defined for both the slope and reservoir regions.

Material
Tabs Parameters Tutorial Soil
New Material Category Saturated
Volumetric Water Content Saturated VWC 0.35
Hydraulic Conductivity ksat (m/day) 2.17e-3

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a material,
3. Enter Tutorial Soil into the Material Name field,
4. Set Category to Saturated,
5. Click the OK button,
6. Next, click the VWC Properties... button,
7. Enter the Saturated VWC as provided in the table above,
8. Press OK to close the dialog,
9. Click the HC Properties... button,
10. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
11. Click OK to close the dialogs and return to the workspace.
Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block will be assigned a material.

1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Region Layer Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select Tutorial Soil from the material column drop-down for both regions/layers,
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.

d. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions, and surfaces have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions on the region shapes. A head = 2m will be defined on the Slope region toe
sidewall, with the Zero Flux condition being applied to the remainder. The Reservoir will be set to have a head of 10.5m as a Surface 2 boundary condition. The steps for specifying the boundary conditions
include:

1. From the menu, choose Boundaries > Boundary Conditions to open the Boundary Conditions dialog,
2. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
3. Set the name to Zero Flux by editing the name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Zero Flux boundary condition,
5. Click on the Add Sidewalls(s) button to open the Select Sidewalls dialog,
6. Click the check boxes beside the segments shown in the table below,
7. Click OK to close the dialog,

Zero Flux Assignments

Layer Region Start Point End Point
Layer 1 Slope (0, 0) (14, 0)
Layer 1 Slope (14, 0) (24, 0)
Layer 1 Slope (24, 27) (14, 27)
Layer 1 Slope (14, 27) (0, 27)
Layer 1 Slope (0, 27) (0, 17)
Layer 1 Slope (0, 17) (0, 10)
Layer 1 Slope (0, 10) (0, 0)

8. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,

9. Set the name to Head Constant 2m by editing the name field,
10. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will reveal the Constant entry field,
11. Enter a value of 2m in the Constant box,
12. Click on the Add Sidewalls(s) button to open the Select Sidewalls dialog,
13. Click the check boxes beside the remaining Sidewall for Layer: 1/Region: R1, namely Sidewall: (24, 0) - (24, 27) to assign the Head Constant,
14. Click OK to close the dialog,
15. Click the New button to the final boundary condition,
16. Name this one Surface Head 10.5m,
17. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select Head Constant and set the value to 10.5 m
Tutorial Manuals Page 46 of 273

18. Switch to the Surfaces tab and click the Add Surface(s) button,
19. Under the Surface: Surface 2 tree node, click the check box beside Region: Reservoir,
20. Click OK to close the dialog,
21. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

Now your screen will look like the image below

e. Mesh Settings (Mesh Settings)

The default mesh settings need to be adjusted to expedite solving the model.

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,

2. Change the value of Maximum Tetrahedron Volume to 1 m^3,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

g. Results (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

This section will give a brief analysis for each plot that was generated.

These reports are intended to provide the user with low-quality graphs which give a rough indication of the results. Creating professional-quality visualizations of the results can be accomplished in the Output
module, the use of which is described in the following section.

Solution Mesh and Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 47 of 273

3D Reservoir Mesh and Contour Results

Head Contours
As expected, the head is 10.5m at the left of the plot where this condition was specified as a boundary condition. The head decreases to 2m on the right edge of the plot where the boundary condition was set
to 2m.

Turn Off Mesh

The mesh can be turned off for certain regions through the following process:

1. Select Mesh > Mesh from the menu,

2. Select 'All' in the list and uncheck the Show Mesh checkbox,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Flow Vectors
Flow Vectors show both the direction and the magnitude of the flow at specific points in the model. Vectors illustrate that flow is from left to right in this view. Flow vectors can be displayed through the
following process:

1. Select Plot > Vectors from the menu,

2. Click the Show Vector Layer box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog. The default contour display is a contour flood.

Export File
Once the model has been analyzed with the solver, it can be visualized using the Output module by clicking on the Results icon on the process toolbar.

The current visualization can be exported on a standardized format through the following steps:

1. Select File > Screenshot from the menu,

2. Select a file name, and
3. Specify a file type.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Data

Region: Slope
X (m) Y (m)
0 0
14 0
24 0
24 27
14 27
0 27
0 17
0 10

Region: Reservoir
X (m) Y (m)
0 10
3 10
3 17
0 17

Surface 2
X (m) Y (m) Z (m)
0 0 11
0 10 11
0 11 10
0 16 10
0 17 11
0 27 11
2 0 11
2 10 11
2 11 10
2 16 10
2 17 11
2 27 11
3 0 11
3 10 11
 Tutorial Manuals Page 48 of 273

3 11 11
3 16 11
3 17 11
3 27 11
14 0 11
14 10 11
14 11 11
14 16 11
14 17 11
14 27 11
21 0 4
21 10 4
21 11 4
21 16 4
21 17 4
21 27 4
24 0 4
24 10 4
24 11 4
24 16 4
24 17 4
24 27 4

Slope Region Boundary Condition Summary

X Y Boundary Condition Constant
0 0 Zero Flux
14 0 Continue
24 0 Head Constant 2
24 27 Zero Flux
14 27 Continue
0 27 Continue
0 17 Continue
0 10 Continue

Material: Tutorial Soil

Material
Tabs Parameters Tutorial Soil
New Material Category Saturated
Volumetric Water Content Saturated VWC 0.35
Hydraulic Conductivity ksat (m/day) 2.17E-3

Return to Enter Data section

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Pond

The following example demonstrates how to setup a three dimensional seepage example that models the steady-state water flow from a pond to a body of water at the bottom of a slope.

Project: Ponds
Model: Pstr01_GT

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Model Description and Geometry

The model geometry contains 3 regions and two surfaces. The regions consist of a pond, lake, and slope. The top surface is a grid of elevations that define the slope. The grid of elevations is formed by
evenly spaced grid lines in both the x and y directions. The bottom surface has a constant elevation. A saturated soil is used to model the slope. The pond and lake are assigned constant head boundary
conditions equal to their respective elevations.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 49 of 273

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Mesh Settings
f. Analyze model
g. Results
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Groundwater
System: 3D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Time Units: Seconds (s)
Model Name: 3DPOND-GT
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog,
5. The new model will automatically be opened in the workspace.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Three dimensional model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported
from sources such as .DXF files or from existing models. For this example the geometry data is large in size and must be downloaded from a file.

This model will be divided into three regions, which are named Slope, Pond, and Lake. To add the necessary regions follow these steps:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Slope. To do this, highlight the name and type the new text,
3. Press the New button to add a second region,
4. Change the name of the second region from R2 to Pond,
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to create the Lake region.
The regions will now be created.
6. The region and surface data points are located in the "Groundwater Tutorial 3D Pond [...]" CSV files at following path: “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials”.
Note that this path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use. CSV files can
be open in spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or Libreoffice.
7. Select the row for the region Slope and click the Properties... button,
8. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
9. Copy the points on the Slope region file provided in the link above and paste them into the New Region Polygon dialog by clicking the Paste button,
10. Click OK to close the dialog,
11. Move to the second region by clicking the right arrow in the top right corner of the Region Properties dialog,
12. Copy the points on the Pond region file provided in the link above and paste them into the New Region Polygon dialog by clicking the Paste button,
13. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog,
14. Repeat this process for the Lake region,
15. Click OK to close the Region Properties dialog,
16. Click OK to close the Region dialog.
If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 50 of 273

This model consists of one layer and therefore two surfaces. By default every three dimensional model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface is already defined by default with a constant elevation = 0.
· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a grid of (X,Y) points and corresponding elevations.

1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
2. Select Surface 2 and click the properties button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options drop-down and click the Paste Data Grid... button to open the Paste Data Grid dialog,
4. Copy the points on the Surface 2 sheet provided in the link above and paste them into the Paste Data Grid dialog by clicking the Paste Points button,
5. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog, Click No on the pop-up asking if you want to keep existing grid points,
6. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,
7. Click OK to close the Surface dialog.
Now your screen will look like the image below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 51 of 273

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties. A saturated silt material will be used for the slope, with the material properties defined in the table below. This section will provide
instructions for creating this material.

Material
Tabs Parameters Silt
New Material Category Saturated
Saturated VWC 0.31
Volumetric Water Content
Specific Gravity, Gs 2.65
Hydraulic Conductivity ksat (m/s) 1.0E-05

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,
3. Type Silt as the material name and select Saturated from the drop down,
4. Click the OK button,
5. Next, click the VWC Properties... button,
6. Enter the Saturated VWC and Specific Gravity as provided in the table above,
7. Press OK to close the dialog,
8. Click the HC Properties... button,
9. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
10. Click OK to close the dialogs and return to the workspace.
Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block will be assigned a material.

1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Region Layer Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select Silt from the material column drop-down for all regions/layers,
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.

d. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and surfaces have been successfully defined the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. Two boundary conditions will be applied in this model. A surface head boundary
condition on Surface 2 for the Pond and Lake regions will be applied. The steps for specifying the boundary conditions include:

1. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions... to open the Boundary Conditions dialog,
2. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
3. Set the name to Heat Constant 47m by editing the name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will reveal the Constant entry field,
5. Enter a value of 47 m in the text box,
6. Switch to the Surfaces tab,
7. Click on the Add Surface(s) button to open the Select Surfaces dialog,
8. Click the check box beside the Region: Pond for Surface 2,
9. Click OK to close the dialog,
10. Click the New button to add a second boundary condition,
11. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
12. Enter a value of 12 m,
13. Click on the Add Surface(s) button to open the Select Surfaces dialog,
14. Click the check box beside the Region: Lake for Surface 2,
15. Press the OK button to close the dialog,
16. Press the OK button to close Boundary Conditions dialog

e. Mesh Settings (Mesh Settings)

The default mesh settings need to be adjusted to expedite the solving of the model.

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,

2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

3
Maximum Tetrahedron Volume (m ) 500
Global
Maximum Merge Distance (m) 1e-9

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.
Tutorial Manuals Page 52 of 273

g. Results (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Solution Mesh & Pressure Contours

The finite element mesh used to solve the model is displayed in the Output module. The default contours is a Pore-Water Pressure contour variable. The gradual decrease in elevation of the water table from
the Pond region down to the Lake region is shown.

Pond Example Mesh and Pore-Water Pressure Contours

Head Contours
The screenshot below shows the steady-state head contours.

To change the contours to head contours follow these steps:

1. Select Plot> Contours from the menu,
2. From the Variable Name drop-down select Water Pressure > h Head(m),
3. Click OK to close dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 53 of 273

Pond Example Head Contours

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Tailings Dam with Core and Filter

This example extends the PLAXIS Designer tutorial “Tailings Dam with Core and Filter” to create a Groundwater model and to conduct seepage modeling.
This original Groundwater model can be found under:
Project: MineTailings
Model: TailingsFacility_Flow_GT

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

a. Create model geometries
b. Apply material properties
c. Specify boundary conditions
d. Mesh Settings
e. Analyze model
Tutorial Manuals Page 54 of 273

f. Results

a. Create Model Geometries

The model geometries were created from PLAXIS Designer tutorial “Tailings Dam with Core and Filter” including all the regions and surfaces needed.

The geometries can also be created by the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Groundwater
System: 3D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Units: Day
Model Name: TailingsWithCoreAndFilter
4. Click the OK button to save the model and close the New Model dialog,
5. The new model will automatically be opened in the workspace.

Geometries for the model can be imported from the Groundwater public model TailingsFacility_Flow_GT.
1. Select the Geometry > Import > From Existing Model... menu,
2. The Import Geometry dialog will pop up. Select the appropriate project name MineTailings,
3. Select the TailingsFacility_Flow_GT model,
4. Press the Import button,
5. A pop up message will appear stating current surfaces, geometry, polylines, art objects, flux sections, and plots referencing a specific region to be deleted. Do you wish to continue? Click on Yes,
6. A pop up message will appear asking if you want to copy material properties and assignments. Click on NO.

The model geometries in Groundwater will look like:

b. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties. Four saturated materials will be used for the Till, Clay Core, Filter and Dam, with the material properties defined in the table below. This
section will provide instructions for creating this material.

Material
Tabs Parameters Till Clay Core Filter Dam
New Material Category Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated
Saturated VWC 0.32 0.25 0.45 0.3
Volumetric Water Content
Specific Gravity, Gs 2.65 2.65 2.65 2.65
Hydraulic Conductivity ksat (m/day) 1E-3 1E-8 1E+2 1E-2

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,
3. Type Till as the material name and select Saturated from the drop down,
4. Click the OK button,
5. Next, click the VWC Properties... button,
6. Enter the Saturated VWC and Specific Gravity as provided in the table above,
7. Press OK to close the dialog,
8. Click the HC Properties... button,
9. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
10. Repeat the above steps to create materials: Clay Core, Filter and Dam.
11. Click OK to close the dialogs and return to the workspace.
Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block will be assigned a material.

1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Region Layer Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Assign materials all regions/layers as provided in the following table,
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.

Region Name Layer Material

Model Extents 4 Dam
Model Extents 3 Clay Core
Model Extents 2 Filter
Model Extents 1 Till
PondBoundary 4 Dam
 Tutorial Manuals Page 55 of 273

PondBoundary 3 Clay Core

PondBoundary 2 Filter
PondBoundary 1 Till
RiverBoundary - New 4 Dam
RiverBoundary - New 3 Clay Core
RiverBoundary - New 2 Filter
RiverBoundary - New 1 Till

Set Limited Layers

1. Select Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu to open the Material Layers dialog,
2. Move to the Limited Layers tab,
3. For “PondBoundary” and “RiverBoundary – New” regions, uncheck the layers of Layer 1, Layer 2 and Layer 3 since only the top layer needs to be included in the model for these two regions.
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

c. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and surfaces have been successfully defined the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. Four boundary conditions will be applied in this model to represent upstream and
downstream boundary conditions. The steps for specifying the boundary conditions include:

NOTE:
A region may be selected in one of the following 3 ways:
1. click on the region with the mouse cursor in the workspace
2. selecting the region in the region selector located above the workspace
3. by selecting the region row in the Regions dialog.

1. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions... to open the Boundary Conditions dialog,
2. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
3. Set the name to Heat Constant 37m by editing the name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will reveal the Constant entry field,
5. Enter a value of 37 m in the text box,
6. Click the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewalls dialog,
7. Find the Layer 1 - Region: Model Extents node in the tree view and click the check box beside Sidewall: (10, 320) - (270, 320),
8. Click OK to close the dialog,
9. Move to the Surfaces tab and click the Add Surface(s) button,
10. Click on the checkbox beside Region: PondBoundary under Surface: Merged_Surface_T_Dam,
11. Click OK to close the dialog,
12. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
13. Set the name to Heat Constant 10.2m by editing the name field,
14. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will reveal the Constant entry field,
15. Enter a value of 10.2 m in the text box,
16. Select the Sidewalls tab,
17. Click the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewalls dialog,
18. Select Layer: 1 - Region: Model Extents in the Region Selector and Layer 1 in the Surface Selector, both found in the toolbar at the top of the workspace,
19. Check the boxes beside the last 4 Sidewalls in Layer 1 - Region: Model Extents i.e., Sidewall: (270, 10) - (213.078, 10) through to (79.549, 10) - (10, 10),
20. Click OK to close the dialog.
21. Move to the Surfaces tab and click the Add Surface(s) button,
22. Click on the checkbox beside Region: RiverBoundary - New under Surface: Merged_Surface_T_Dam,
23. Click OK to close the dialog,
24. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.
Now all the boundary conditions have been applied. Select Material option in the Surface Display Selector in the toolbar at the top of the workplace. Your screen will look like the image below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 56 of 273

d. Mesh Settings (Mesh Settings)

The Global meshes can be adjusted and the meshes of the Core and Filter can be refined through the following steps:

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,

2. Change Maximum Tetrahedron Volume to 1000 m3 and Maximum Merge Distance to 0.01 m,
3. Move to the Regions tab,
4. Enter 0.2 for Maximum Tetrahedron Volume (m3) of Model Extents/Layer3 and 0.1 for region Model Extents/Layer2,
5. Click Generate button to generate meshes,
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
Now your screen will look like the image below.

e. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

f. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Results and Discussion

This section will give a brief analysis for each plot that was generated.

These reports are intended to provide the user with low-quality graphs which give a rough indication of the results. Creating professional-quality visualizations of the results can be accomplished in the Output
module , the use of which is described in the following section.

Solution Mesh and Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 57 of 273

3D Mesh and Contour Results

3D Slicing
One 3D Slicing view can be created to check the Pore-Water Pressure distribution across the dam. To create the 3D Slicing view:

1. Select Plot > 3D Slicing … from the menu to open the Edit Slices dialog,
2. Click ‘New Slice’ button to add a new slice,
3. Select 'uw' in the list of Variable Name,
4. Select ‘Vertical Slice’ from the Plane Definition dropdown,
5. Enter (150, 195) and (150, 108) for the points in Plane Definition,
6. Press OK to close the dialog.
7. Select ‘New Slice’ from the Surface Selector on the top menu,
8. Click Plan (2D) View button on the top menu to see the Slicing view in 2D.

Now your screen will look like the following image. It shows the pore-water pressure distribution in the dam through the core and filter from upstream to downstream.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

References

Fredlund, D. G., and Xing, A., 1994, Equations for the soil-water characteristic curve, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 521-532.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Slope Stability Tutorial Manual
Tutorial Manuals Page 58 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Introduction

The Tutorial Manual serves a special role in guiding the first time users of the Slope Stability software through a typical example problem. The example is "typical" in the sense that it is not too rigorous on
one hand and not too simple on the other hand.

In particular this tutorial manual is designed to guide users through the range of reasonable models which may be encountered in typical slope stability modeling. The following examples represent the most
typical models encountered in the traditional slope stability modeling practice and therefore include:

Slope Stability Only

1. 2D Basic Slope
2. 2D Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Back Analysis
3. 2D Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Slope Search
4. 2D Weak Layer
5. 2D Geotextile
6. 2D Cannon Dam
7. 2D Spatial Variability
8. 2D Two-Way Sensitivity
9. 2D Material Properties Back Analysis
10. 2D Simple Probability
11. 2D Complex Probability
12. 2D Reinforced Slope Stability Analysis
13. 2D Rapid Drawdown
14. 2D MPA Example 1
15. 2D MPA Example 2
16. 3D Waste Pile Failure Wedges
17. 3D Submergence
18. 3D General Sliding Surface
19. 3D Rapid Drawdown
20. 3D Arbitrary Sliding Direction
21. 3D Tailings Storage Facility
22. 3D Heap Leach Pad
23. 3D Open Pit Analysis
24. 3D Complex Open Pit Analysis
25. 3D MPA Example 3

Groundwater Combined
1. 2D Hong Kong Rainfall Event

Groundwater Uncombined
2. 2D Complex Water Dam GT
3. 2D Tailings Dam
4. 3D Tailings Dam Extrusion

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Slope Stability Only

This section contains tutorials that are applicable to Slope Stability software only.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
2D Basic Slope

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Slope Stability and will set up a model using limit equilibrium method of slices with the Grid and Tangent search method for circular slip
 Tutorial Manuals Page 59 of 273

surfaces. The purpose of this model is to determine the factor of safety of a simple model. The model dimensions and material properties are in the next section.

This example consists of a simple slope with two layers and a water table. The problem is analyzed using the GLE (Fredlund) method. The purpose of this example is to illustrate the calculation of the factor of
safety for a simple slope example.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_2
Model: VW_9

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface

Model Description

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water
g. Analyze model
h. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Model Name: BASIC
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. On the Slip Surface tab and ensure that the following items are selected,
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Grid and Tangent

3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from
existing models.

This model will be divided into two regions, which are named Upper Soil and Lower Soil. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The shapes that define each material
region will now be created. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD, ii) using the dynamic input method, iii) cut and paste data or they may iv) import geometry from existing model. Each
option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Check the Manual entry option,
Tutorial Manuals Page 60 of 273

3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,

Minimum Maximum
X 0 40
Y 0 14

3. Click OK to close dialog,

4. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions as show below (perform the drawing in counter-clockwise order),
5. Double click to complete the region drawn,
6. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
7. Change the first region name from R1 to Upper Soil. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
8. Change the second region name from R2 to Lower Soil,
9. Click OK to close regions dialog.

Draw the Upper Soil Region according to the following figure:

Draw the Lower Soil Region according to the following figure:

· Dynamic Input
Alternatively, the regions can be created by using the dynamic input method. Follow these steps:
1. Ensure that Dynamic Input is turned ON in the task bar,
2. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon, the user will see coordinate values that change as the mouse is moved,
3. Enter 0 as the X coordinate for the first point,
4. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to move to the Y coordinate,
5. Enter 9 as the Y coordinate for the first point,
6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to finish point 1,
7. Repeat the steps 3-6 to enter the remaining data points using the data in the Upper Soil Region table below,
8. Use Shift + Enter after the last point to create region,
9. Repeat the steps 3-8 to create the second region using the data in the Lower Soil Region table.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Upper Soil. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
3. Press the New button to add a second region and name it Lower Soil,
4. Select the region Upper Soil and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
5. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Copy the region coordinate data for Upper Soil provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
7. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
8. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region Lower Soil,
9. Repeat the steps 4 to 7 to create region Lower Soil,
10. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: Upper Soil

X (m) Y (m)
0 9
0 14
10 14
20 9

Region: Lower Soil

X (m) Y (m)
0 0
0 9
20 9
30 4
40 4
40 0

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_2 from the projects list,
3. Select VW_9 in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 61 of 273

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. Upper soil region will have the Upper Soil applied to it and Lower Soil will have the
Lower Soil applied. In this case we assume that the user has measured the shear strength of the two materials and the results are shown in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating
the Upper Soil. Repeat the process to add the second material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Upper Soil Lower Soil
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 5 10
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 20 25
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 15 18

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Upper Soil for the material name in the dialog that appears and choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
4. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

5. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

6. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat these steps to create the Lower Soil material,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.
Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

10. Open the Region Properties dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
11. Select the Upper Soil region and assign the Upper Soil material to this region,
12. Select the Lower Soil region and assign the Lower Soil material to this region,
13. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

The Grid and Tangent method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected. Now the user must specify the graphical representation of the grid and tangent objects on the screen. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ,

2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
4. Move to entering the tangent values.
X (m) Y (m)
23 25
22 19
26 19
X increments: 4 `
Y increments: 6
5. Select the Tangent tab,
6. Enter the values for the tangent as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
7. Press OK to close the dialog.

X (m) Y (m)
15 4
15 2
29 2
29 4
Radius Increments: 2
The grid and tangent graphics will now be displayed on the CAD window and your screen will look like this
Tutorial Manuals Page 62 of 273

f. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table or a piezometric line must be specified as an Pore-Water for this model. In this model a piezometric line will be used. In order to specify that a piezometric line will be entered the user needs to
following these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Piezometric Lines... button to access the Piezometric Lines dialog,
4. Select the Piezometric line 1 on the top left hand side of the dialog,
5. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
6. Check Upper Soil and Lower Soil in Apply to Regions section,
7. Press OK to close the Piezometric Lines dialog,
8. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
0 11
15 8
30 3
40 3

Now your screen will look like this

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.
Tutorial Manuals Page 63 of 273

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

If the model has been appropriately entered into the software the approximate following results should be shown for the GLE (Fredlund) method. It should be noted that it is typically recommended that the
search grid of centers be somewhat larger in order to ensure that a critical center is not missed.

The correct results for this example are:

Slope Stability
Method
Moment Force
GLE (Fredlund) 1.467 1.467

The user can view the trial slip surfaces by selecting Slips > Slip Surfaces and checking the Show Trial Slip Surfaces checkbox.

The user can view the slice information by selecting Slips >Slice Information.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 64 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Back Analysis

This tutorial will introduce some of the features included in Slope Stability and will set up a model highlighting the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices calculation method. A back analysis approach is taken to
determine the factor of safety using a fully specified non-circular slip surface.

This model represents the slope in a large open pit coal mine. A thin coal seam is overlain by soft tuff. An existing failure in the slope shows that sliding occurs along the coal seam. There is a reservoir near
the crest and the water table line is high due to seepage.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_SarmaNonVerticalSlices
Model: OpenPit_SarmaNonVerticalSlices

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts

Model Description

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 65 of 273

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify non-vertical slices
g. Specify pore-water
h. Analyze model
i. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: SarmaBA
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. On the Slip Surface tab select the following items:
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Non-Circular
Search Method: Fully Specified
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab and select the method types as shown below:
Sarma Non-Vertical Slices
4. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from
existing models.

This model will consist of 1 region, with one set of material properties. The shape that defines the material region will now be created. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD, ii) cut and
paste data or they may iii) import geometry from existing model. Each option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Check the Manual entry option,
3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,
Minimum Maximum
X -10 227
Y -10 113

3. Click OK to close dialog,

4. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions as show below,
5. Double click to complete the region drawn,
6. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
7. Ensure the region name is assigned as R1.
8. Click OK to close regions dialog.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
3. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
4. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
5. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
6. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
4 17
0 17
0 0
216 0
216 103
204 103
178 99
165 90
140 88
68 37
50 25
30 24
29 26
17 26
Tutorial Manuals Page 66 of 273

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the completed tutorial model which is included in the distribution models.
Follow these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_SarmaNonVerticalSlices from the projects list,
3. Select OpenPit_SarmaNonVerticalSlices in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the material that will be used in the model. R1 region will have the R1 Soil applied to it. In this case we assume that the user has
measured the shear strength of the material as found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the R1 Soil.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Upper Soil
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 2
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 30
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 27.37

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Material for the material name in the dialog that appears and choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
4. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

5. On the Shear Strength tab, Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
6. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
7. Press OK to close the Materials Manager.
Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the material to the corresponding region.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Select the R1 region and assign the material to this region,
3. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

This model makes use of a fully-specified search methodology. A set of linear segments is used to define the slip surface. The geometry is specified through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Linear Segments ... from the menu,

2. Press New Slip,
3. Enter the linear segment coordinates from the table below, or copy the coordinates and press the Paste Points button,
4. Press OK to close the Fully Specified Slip Surface dialog.

Linear Segments
X (m) Y (m)
4 17
17 12
29 10
30 10
50 8
80 11
155 65
173 80
186 89
Tutorial Manuals Page 67 of 273

204 103

f. Specify Non-Vertical Slices

The no-vertical slices and settings are specified through the following steps:

1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,

2. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and press the settings button placed next to the selected Sarma Non-Vertical Slices option,
3. Select Bisection from the drop down menu for the Interslice Inclination Angle Calculation Method,
4. Select the Weighted Average Values option for the Sarma Non-Vertical Slice Boundary Shear Strength Parameters,
5. Copy the slice boundary data from the table below and click the Paste button to insert the values into the data grid,
6. Press OK to close the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Settings dialog,
7. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

Lower X (m) Lower Y (m) Upper X (m) Upper Y (m) Cohesion (kPa) Phi (deg) Apply
17 12 17 26 2 30 1
29 10 29 26 2 30 1
30 10 30 24 2 30 1
50 8 50 25 2 30 1
80 11 68 37 0 18 1
155 65 140 88 0 18 1
173 80 165 90 0 18 1
186 89 178 99 0 18 1

g. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table will be specified as the Pore-Water option for this model, follow these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Water Table... button to access the Water Table dialog,
4. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
5. Press OK to close the Water Table dialog,
6. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
0 17
4 17
17 23
29 22
30 22
50 24
70 33
146 80
166 89
180 96
204 103
216 103

Now your screen will look like this:

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results
Run Time: 0:01

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

 Tutorial Manuals Page 68 of 273

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

If the model has been appropriately entered into the software the approximate following results will be shown for the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices calculation method.

Slope Stability
Calculation Method
FOS
Sarma Non-Vertical
Slices 1.105

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Slope Search

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Slope Stability and will set up a model using limit equilibrium method of slices with slope search method for circular slip surfaces. The
purpose of this model is to determine the factor of safety of a simple model. The model dimensions and material properties are in the next section.

This example consists of a slope with one region and a water table. The problem is analyzed using the sarma non-vertical slices method. The purpose of this example is to illustrate the calculation of the
factor of safety for a Sarma Non-Vertical Slices method of a simple slope example.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_SarmaNonVerticalSlices
Model: Sarma_008

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 69 of 273

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface

Model Description

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify Pore-Water
f. Analyze model
g. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Model Name: SarmaSearch
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. On the Slip Surface tab and notice that the following items are selected:
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Slope Search
3. In the Number of Surfaces box enter 2000,

4. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
Sarma Non-Vertical Slices
5. Press the settings button placed next to the selected Sarma Non-Vertical Slices option to open the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices Settings dialog,

6. Select Global Minimum - Optimized from the drop down menu for the Interslice Inclination Angle Calculation Method,

7. Use the Weighted Average Values option for the Sarma Non-Vertical Slice Boundary Shear Strength Parameters,

8. Press OK to close the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices dialog,

9. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from
existing models.

This model will be divided into 3 regions. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The shapes that define each material region will now be created. The user may enter
geometry by i) drawing on the CAD, ii) copy and paste data or they may iii) import geometry from existing model. Options ii) and iii) are presented below.

· Copy and Paste

This model will be divided into three regions, named R1, R2, and R3. The shapes that define each region are created by the following steps.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
Tutorial Manuals Page 70 of 273

2. Click the New button 2 times to create the necessary regions,

3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps performed for R1 to create the remaining regions,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
0 657
40 654
80 633
0 626

Region: R2
X (m) Y (m)
0 626
80 633
160 589
0 589

Region: R3
X (m) Y (m)
0 589
160 589
200 589
200 570
0 570

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the completed tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. If
you have not already performed the Copy and Paste method above, then follow these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_3 from the projects list,
3. Select Sarma_008 in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shapes will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the material that will be used in the model. In this case we assume that the user has measured the shear strength of the materials
as can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the materials for the 3 regions.

Material
Tabs Parameters
d1 d2 low
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 12.6 13.5 5
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 32.3 34 40
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 22 22 23

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter d1 for the material name in the dialog that appears and choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
4. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

5. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

6. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat steps 2 to 7 to create the d2 and low materials,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.
Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

10. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
11. Select the R1 region and assign the d1 material to this region,
12. Select the R2 region and assign the d2 material to this region,
Tutorial Manuals Page 71 of 273

13. Select the R3 region and assign the low material to this region,
14. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table will be specified as the Pore-Water option for this model. Follow these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Water Table... button to access the Water Table dialog,
4. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
5. Press OK to close the Water Table dialog,
6. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
0 637
40 630
41.188 629.604
155.385 591.538
200 591.538

Now your screen will look like this

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results
Run Time: 0:01

g. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

If the model has been appropriately entered into the software the approximate following results should be shown for the Sarma Non-Vertical Slices calculation method.

The non-vertical slices may be shown by enabling the Show Slices option in the Slips menu. Each slice can then be selected with the mouse to view information for it.

The correct results for this example are:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 72 of 273

Slope Stability
Calculation Method
FOS
Sarma Non-Vertical
Slices 1.286

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Weak Layer

This Tutorial will guide users through a typical slope stability model and cover some key considerations to increase the user's ease of use in Slope Stability. This model is part of a set of models for the ACADS
verification program (Giam & Donald, 1989) described in the Slope Stability Verification Manual. The ACADS verification program received a wide range of answers for this model.

This model involves a weak layer, pore-water pressures, and surcharges. The tutorial will cover entry of soil parameters, application of external loads, and definition of a piezometric surface A non-circular slip
surface will be used and the resultant factor of safety will be discussed. This tutorial model differs from the verification model VS_9, primarily in the material properties applied.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_1
Model: VS_9_Tutorial

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Non-circular slip surface

Model Description
A block search for the critical noncircular failure surface is carried out by defining two line searches to block search squares within the weak layer. A number of different random surfaces were generated by
the search and the results compared well with the actual results.
Tutorial Manuals Page 73 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water
g. Specify loading conditions
h. Analyze model
i. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: WEAK
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Move to the Slip Surface tab and ensure that the following items are selected:
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Non-Circular
Search Method: Block
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. This model will be divided into three regions, which are named Upper Region, Weak Layer and Lower Region. Each region will have one of the materials specified
as its material properties. The shapes that define each material region will now be created. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD, ii) using the dynamic input method, iii) cut and paste data
or they may iv) import geometry from existing model. Each option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Check the Manual entry option,
3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,

Minimum Maximum
X 20 84
Y 15 40

3. Click OK to close dialog,

4. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions as show below (perform the drawing in counter-clockwise order),
5. Double click to complete the region drawn.

Draw the Upper Region Region according to the following figure:

Tutorial Manuals Page 74 of 273

Draw the Weak Layer Region according to the following figure:

Draw the Lower Region Region according to the following figure:

· Dynamic Input
Alternatively, the regions can be created by using the dynamic input method. Follow these steps:
1. Ensure that Dynamic Input is turned ON in the task bar,
2. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon, the user will see coordinate values that change as the mouse is moved,
3. Enter 20 as the X coordinate for the first point,
4. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to move to the Y coordinate,
5. Enter 27.75 as the Y coordinate for the first point,
6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to finish point 1,
7. Repeat the steps 3-6 to enter the remaining data points using the data in the Upper Region table below,
8. Use Shift + Enter after the last point to create region,
9. Repeat steps 3-8 to create the second region and third regions using the data in the Weak Layer and Lower Region tables.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button twice to create two new regions,
3. Change the names of R1, R2 and R3 to Upper Region, Weak Layer and Lower Region, respectively. To do this, highlight the name and type new text,
4. Select the region Upper Region and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
5. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Copy the region coordinate data for Upper Region provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
7. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
8. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region Weak Layer,
9. Repeat the steps preformed for Upper Region to create regions Weak Layer and Lower Region,
10. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: Upper Region

x (m) y (m)
20 27.75
20 18.88
84 36.8
84 40
80 40
70 40
67.5 40
43 27.75
23 27.75
Tutorial Manuals Page 75 of 273

Region: Weak Layer

x (m) y (m)
20 18.88
20 18.28
84 36.2
84 36.8

Region: Lower Region

x (m) y (m)
20 18.28
20 15
84 15
84 36.2

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from the existing model.
1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_1 from the projects list,
3. Select VS_9_Tutorial in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. Upper Region and Lower Region regions will have the Soil 1 applied to them and the
Weak Layer region will have Soil 2 applied to it. In this case we assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below. This section will provide
instructions on creating Soil 1. Repeat the process to add the second material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Soil 1 Soil 2
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 20 10
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 30 15
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 20 20

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a material,
3. Enter Soil 1 for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Shear Strength Type of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters found in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Shear Strength dialog,
9. Repeat steps 2 through 8 to create the Soil 2 material using the information provided in table above.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Region from the menu,
2. Select the Upper Region region and assign the Soil 1 material to this region,
3. Select the Weak Layer region and assign the Soil 2 material to this region,
4. Select the Lower Region region and assign the Soil 1 material to this region,
5. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

This particular model makes use of a block search methodology. The block search parameters may be entered through the following steps:

1. Open the block search dialog through the Slips > Block Search ... menu option,
2. In the Options tab, enter the left and right projection angles as show in the table below, The left and right projection angles are used to project the slip surface up to the ground surface, from the left
and right end points generated based on the above block search objects,
3. Move to the Lines tab,
4. Click New to create new line,
5. Enter the coordinates for line 1 as shown in the table below,
6. Click New to create line 2,
7. Enter the coordinates for line 2 as shown in the table below,
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 76 of 273

Block Search Options - Left Projection Angle

Start Angle 135 degrees
End Angle 155 degrees
No. of increments 2
Block Search Options - Right
Projection Angle
Start Angle 45 degrees
End Angle 65 degrees
No. of increments 2

Line 1
X (m) Y (m)
43 24.807
50 26.759

Line 2
X (m) Y (m)
70 32.376
80 35.179

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

f. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

Generally information will be entered either for a water table or a piezometric line. A piezometric line will be used in this model. In order to specify that a piezometric line will be entered the user needs to
following these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Piezometric Lines... button to access the Piezometric Lines dialog,
4. The Piezometric Lines dialog opens with Piezometric Line 1 ready to paste data,
5. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
6. If you need a second Piezometric Line, simply click the New button on the bottom right hand side of the dialog,
7. Press the Select All button in the Apply to Regions section to apply piezometric lines to all regions,
8. Press OK to close the Piezometric Lines dialog,
9. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.

Piezometric Line
X(m) Y(m)
20.0 27.75
43.0 27.75
49.0 29.8
60.0 34.0
66.0 35.8
74.0 37.6
80.0 38.4
84.0 38.4

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

g. Specify Loading Conditions (Loading)

Two distributed loads are applied in this numerical model. The instructions for applying these distributed loads are as follows:

1. Select Loading > Distributed Load ,

2. Click New button at the lower let hand corner of the dialog,
3. Select Constant type,
Tutorial Manuals Page 77 of 273

2
4. Move to the Acting Points sections and enter 20 kN/m for the start point magnitude,
5. Click Select button in the Acting Point section below the start point magnitude,
6. Select the upper Region or R1 using the arrow at the top right corner of the dialog,
7. Select point X=43, Y=27.75 to apply load over the defined horizontal region. To apply the load to a portion of the segment then the points will have to be added in the region,
8. Click OK to close the dialog,
9. Click New button at the lower let hand corner of the dialog,
10. Select Trapezoid type,
2
11. Enter 20 kN/m for the start point magnitude,
2
12. Enter 40 kN/m for the end point magnitude,
13. Click Select button in the Acting Points section below the start point magnitude,
14. Select the upper Region or R1 using the arrow at the top right corner of the dialog,
15. Select point X=80, Y=40,
16. click OK to close the Select region line segment dialog and distributed load dialog.

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. A dialog box pops up and asks if the user wants to save and continue the model, Click OK. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and
automatically solve,
2. Click OK to close solver dialog after solving,
3. Select the Results button to view results.

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model is completed the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The results will contain all trial slip surfaces as well as the most critical slip surface results.

Critical Slip Surface

In order to identify the most critical slip surface the user may perform the following steps:

1. Select "Slip Surfaces" from the menu item Slips, and

2. Click the Show Trial Slip Surfaces button, this will cause all the trial slip surfaces to not be displayed.

Slice Information
The user may also plot the slices used in the analysis of the critical slip surfaces through the Slips > Show Slices menu option. The information on any particular slice may be displayed through the Slice>
Slice Information dialog. A dialog will appear and the user may click on a new particular slice on the slope to display the details of that slice. The analysis results in a factor of 1.093 for the GLE (Fredlund)
method.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 78 of 273

The user can view the trial slip surfaces by selecting Slips > Slip Surfaces and checking the Show Trial Slip Surfaces checkbox.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Geotextile

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Slope Stability. The tutorial will set up a model using the Grid and Radius search method for circular slip surfaces. The purpose of this
model is to determine the effects of Geotextile reinforcements. The model dimensions and material properties are described in the next section.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_2
Model: VW_6_Fabric

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Grid and Tangent
· Support types
· Basic support principles

Model Description
Tutorial Manuals Page 79 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water
g. Specify loading conditions
h. Add Supports
i. Analyze model
j. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Model Name: GEOTEXTILE
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Grid and Tangent

3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:

GLE (Fredlund)
4. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. This model will be divided into two regions, which are named R1 and R2. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The
shapes that define each material region will now be created. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data or they may iv) import
geometry from existing model. Each option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
1. Select View > World Coordinate Systems,
2. Check the Manual entry option,
3. Enter the coordinates as shown in the table below,
Minimum Maximum
X 0 29
Y 0 15

3. Click OK to close dialog,

4. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon to draw regions as show below (perform the drawing in counter-clockwise order),
5. Double click to complete the region drawn,

Draw the R1 Region according to the following figure:

Tutorial Manuals Page 80 of 273

Draw the R2 Region according to the following figure:

· Dynamic Input
Alternatively, the regions can be created by using the dynamic input method. Follow these steps:
1. Ensure that Dynamic Input is turned ON in the task bar,
2. Select Geometry > Draw Region Polygon, the user will see coordinate values that change as the mouse is moved,
3. Enter 0 as the X coordinate for the first point,
4. Press the Tab key on your keyboard to move to the Y coordinate,
5. Enter 5 as the Y coordinate for the first point,
6. Press the Enter key on your keyboard to finish point 1,
7. Repeat the steps 3-6 to enter the remaining data points using the data in the R1 Region table below,
8. Use Shift + Enter after the last point to create region,
9. Repeat the steps 3-8 to create the second region using the data in the R2 Region table below.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create the second region R2,
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps 4 to 6 to create region R2 using the data below,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the changes.

Region: R1
x (m) y (m)
0 5
0 15
8 15
9 15
19 5

Region: R2
x (m) y (m)
0 3
0 5
19 5
29 5
29 3

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.
1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_2 from the projects list,
3. Select VW_6_Fabric in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 81 of 273

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. R1 region will have the Sandy Clay applied to it and R2 will have the Silty Clay
applied to it. This section will provide instructions on creating the Sandy Clay. In this case we assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below.
Repeat the process to add the second material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Sandy Clay Silty Clay
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 10 10
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 30 25
Unit Weight (kN/m3) 18 18

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a material,
3. Enter Sandy Clay for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Shear Strength Type of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters found in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Shear Strength dialog,
9. Repeat steps 2 - 8 to create the Silty Clay material using the information provided in the table above,
10. Click Ok to close the Materials Manager Dialog.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Region Properties dialog by selecting Geometry > Region Properties from the menu,
2. Select the R1 region using the arrows in the top right hand corner of the Region Properties Dialog and in the Region Settings section select the Material Sandy Clay from the drop down menu,
3. Select the R2 region using the arrows in the top right hand corner of the Region Properties Dialog and in the Region Settings section select the Material Silty Clay from the drop down menu,
4. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Region Properties dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Grid and Tangent method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in the previous step. Now the user must specify the graphical representation of the grid and tangent objects
on the screen. This is accomplished through the following steps:

GRID TAB
1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ,
2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
4. Move to entering the tangent values.
X (m) Y (m)
18 17
18 17
18 17

TANGENT TAB
1. Select the Tangent tab,
2. Enter the values for the tangent as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

X (m) Y (m)
12 4
12 4
20 4
20 4

Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 82 of 273

f. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

There are no Pore-Water associated with this tutorial.

g. Specify Loading Conditions (Loading)

There is a single line-load used for the current model. The following steps are required in order to apply this line load to the current model.

1. Open the Line Load dialog by selecting Loading > Line Load from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new line load object,
3. Enter a value of 10 kN for the Magnitude,
4. Click the Select button in the Acting Points Section,
5. Ensure that Region R1 is selected using the arrows at the top right corner of the dialog,
6. Select point X=8 Y=15,
7. In the Orientation section, make sure that the load has a Vertical orientation selected,
8. Click OK to close the dialog.
Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

h. Add Supports (Supports)

The next step is to add support to reinforce the slope.
1. Open the Support Type Manager dialog by selecting Supports > Type Manager from the menu,
2. Press the New button to open the New Support Property dialog,
3. Select Geotextile from the Support Type drop down menu and enter the name Geotextile,
4. Click OK, the Support Properties dialog will automatically open
5. Select Active in the Force Application section,
6. Set 0 kPa for Adhesion in the Pullout Strength section,
7. Click OK to accept all default parameters and close the Support Properties dialog, and OK again to close the Support Type Manager,
8. Open the Support Geometry dialog by selecting Supports > Geometry from the menu,
9. Click New to create a new support entry,
10. leave the Orientation as None and enter the following coordinates in the Support Line Section:
Start Point of the Line X = 18, Y = 6
End Point of the Line X = 6, Y = 6
11. Select Geotextile as the Support Property Type,
12. Click New to create a second support entry,
13. Leave the Orientation as None and enter the following coordinates in the Support Line Section:
Start Point of the Line X = 14, Y = 10
End Point of the Line X = 2, Y = 10
14. Select Geotextile as the Support Property Type,
15. Click OK, to close the dialog.
Tutorial Manuals Page 83 of 273

Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

i. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

j. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed. To switch between the
results of the different methods selected, click on the drop down menu (as shown below) at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The results of the calculation of the factor of safety and the critical slip surface for the GLE (Fredlund) Method are shown below. At the end of calculation the factor of safety is approximately 1.646. The
support force distribution in shown along each support in the screenshot below from 0 to 50 kPa.

The correct results for this example are:

Slope Stability
Method
Moment Force
GLE (Fredlund) 1.646 1.646

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Cannon Dam
 Tutorial Manuals Page 84 of 273

The Cannon Dam Model was published by Wolff and Harr (1987). The probabilistic analysis results from Slope Stability using the Monte Carlo method are compared to the results published in the paper by
Wolff and Harr for noncircular slip surfaces.

Wolff and Harr (1987) used the point-estimate method for their probability analysis failure for the Cannon Dam. The location of critical slip surface was assumed fixed and taken from their paper. The friction
angle input parameter for the Phase I and Phase II fills is calculated. The unit weights of the fills are back-calculated in order to match the factor of safety computed by Wolff and Harr.

The results published by Wolff and Harr (1987) are compared to those obtained by the Spencer and GLE (Fredlund) methods. It is assumed in the Slope Stability model that all the probabilistic input variables
are normally distributed.

This original model can be found under:

Project: SLOPES_Group_1
Model: VS_34_Monte

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Probabilistic analysis

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water Pressure
g. Analyze model
h. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Imperial
Slope Direction: Left to Right
Model Name: CANNON
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,

2. Move to the Slip Surface tab and ensure that the following items are selected:
Slope Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Non-Circular
Search Method: Fully-Specified
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
Spencer : Enter Min Lambda = -0.1; Max Lambda = 5

4. Move to the Sensitivity/Probability tab

5. Select the Probabilistic Analysis option,
6. Enter the following Probabilistic Parameters:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 85 of 273

Sampling Method: Monte-Carlo

Number of Samples: 15000
Generator Seed: 500
7. Select a Fixed critical slip surface location,
8. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input
method iii) cut and paste data or they may iv) import geometry from existing model. The cut and paste and import geometry from existing model options are presented below.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into seven regions, named R1 to R7. The shapes that define each region are created by the following steps.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button 6 times to create the necessary regions,
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided at the end of this tutorial and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps performed for R1 to create the remaining regions,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Verification_Slope Stability_Group1 from the projects list,
3. Select VS_34 in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials > Manager)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the six materials that will be used in the model. This section will provide instructions on creating the first material. In this case we
assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below. Repeat the process to add the remaining materials.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Phase I Fill Phase II Fill Material 3 Material 4 Spoil Fill Filter
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (psf) 2230 2901.6 1 1 3000 0
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 6.33 14.8 50 35 60 35
3
Unit Weight (lb/ft ) 150 150 150 150 150 120

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Phase I Fill for the material name
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the material Shear Strength Type,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Enter the Shear Strength parameters for the Phase I Fill material as provided in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Shear Strength dialog,
8. Repeat these steps for the remaining materials using the values in the following table. After adding all of the different material and properties, Click OK to close the Materials Manager Dialog.

Now that all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Region Properties dialog by selecting Geometry > Region Properties from the menu,
2. For each region the appropriate material type must be selected from the drop down menu in the Region settings section. The material assignments will be as follows:
R1: Phase II Fill
R2: Filter
R3: Phase I Fill
R4: Spoil Fill
R5: Material 3
R6: Material 3
R7: Material 4
3. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.
Because a probability analysis has been specified in the analysis settings the Probabilistic button is visible on the Materials Manager dialog. The probability parameters are specified as follows:

1. Select Materials > Manager ... from the menu if the Materials Manager dialog is not already open,
2. Click the Probabilistic... button to open the Probabilistic Parameters dialog,
3. Click the Add/Remove... button to open the Add/Remove Probabilistic Parameters dialog,
4. Expand the Phase I Fill and Phase II Fill tree items and check the c and Phi parameters for each item,
5. Click the OK button to close the dialog and populate the Probability Parameters data grid,
6. Enter the values shown in the table below for each material parameter,
Material Property Distribution Mean St. Dev. Rel. Min Rel. Max
Phase I Fill c Normal 2230 1150 2230 2230
 Tutorial Manuals Page 86 of 273

Phase I Fill Phi Normal 6.33 7.87 6.33 6.33

Phase II Fill c Normal 2901.6 1107.9 2901.6 2901.6
Phase II Fill Phi Normal 14.8 9.44 14.8 14.8

7. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Probabilistic Parameters dialog, and OK again, to close the Materials Manager Dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips > Linear Segments)

This model makes use of a fully-specified search methodology. The linear segments shape is used as the slip surface geometry. The geometry is specified through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Linear Segments ... from the menu,

2. Click the New Slip button,
3. Copy the linear segment data from the table provided below and enter the data into the dialog using the Paste button,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
X (ft) Y (ft)
-160.271 660.926
-47.496 545.537
-6.236 514.364
26.771 514.226
286.262 515.23
343.636 558.34

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

f. Specify Pore-Water Pressure (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table or a piezometric line must be specified as Pore-Water for this model. In this model a piezometric line will be used. In order to specify that a piezometric line will be entered, the user needs to
follow these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select the PWP tab, and choose Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method from the drop down menu,
3. Use the Piezometric Lines... button to access the Piezometric Lines dialog,
4. The Piezometric Lines dialog opens with Piezometric Line 1 ready to paste data,
5. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
6. Press the Select All button in the Apply to Regions section to apply piezometric lines to all regions,
7. Press OK to close the Piezometric Lines dialog,
8. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (ft) Y (ft)
-364.734 556.402
594.317 555.486

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion
 Tutorial Manuals Page 87 of 273

The critical slip surface for this numerical model is displayed when the model Results are first opened by the user.

Probabilistic Results
The summarized probabilistic model results are presented in the Graphs > Monte Carlo... menu option. This dialog displays the normal distribution of the factor of safety. From the Reports > Monte Carlo
Values... menu option, the reliability index, the probability of failure, and other values are given. The average FOS is 2.342.

The probabilistic analysis results from Slope Stability are compared to the results published in the paper by Wolff and Harr in the table below. The difference in factor of safety between the Slope Stability
probabilistic model and the published values is less around 1% for both the Spencer and GLE (Fredlund) calculation methods. The probability of failure is less than 1% for both Slope Stability methods and the
published value.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Data

Region Geometries
Region: R1
X (ft) Y (ft)
-362.901 609.581
-364.066 547.255
-140.1 547.234
-140.1 646.256
-128.181 646.256
-129.097 551.818
-19.534 549.951
397.175 542.848
343.636 558.134
267.91 578.407
213.814 581.158
30.439 610.498
-123.596 661.843
-160.271 660.926

Region: R2
X (ft) Y (ft)
-140.1 646.256
-140.1 547.234
411.261 538.826
397.175 542.848
-19.534 549.951
-129.097 551.818
-128.181 646.256

Region: R3
X (ft) Y (ft)
-364.066 547.255
-364.683 514.226
 Tutorial Manuals Page 88 of 273

-316.14 514.226
-181.359 456.463
-180.442 456.463
-105.259 456.463
26.771 514.226
497.42 514.226
411.261 538.826
-140.1 547.234

Region: R4
X (ft) Y (ft)
343.636 558.134
397.175 542.848
411.261 538.826
497.42 514.226
594.268 514.226
594.317 516.977
594.317 555.486

Region: R5
X (ft) Y (ft)
-364.683 514.226
-365.747 457.294
-181.359 456.463
-316.14 514.226

Region: R6
X (ft) Y (ft)
-105.259 456.463
593.237 456.464
594.268 514.226
497.42 514.226
26.771 514.226

Region: R7
X (ft) Y (ft)
-365.747 457.294
-366.568 413.37
592.484 414.287
593.237 456.464
-105.259 456.463
-180.442 456.463
-181.359 456.463

Return to Enter Geometry step

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Spatial Variability

This tutorial illustrates a re-analysis of a classic model analyzed using spatial variability. The "Basic" model is now re-analyzed and the differences to the classic solution are noted as parameters for the
spatial variation of soil properties are assumed.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: VW_9_Spatial

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface
· Spatial variability

Model Description
Tutorial Manuals Page 89 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up this tutorial model, we will utilize the Basic Slope tutorial model and enable spatial variability in the analysis. The steps to create this model fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify spatial variability of material properties
c. Analyze model
d. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the spatial variability model, save a copy of the Basic Slope model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. If the 2D Basic Slope tutorial has been completed on this computer, scroll to the Basic model in the MyProject project otherwise find the VW_9 in the Slopes_Group_2 project,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. If you have opened the Basic model, type the name SPATIAL for the New File Name and click OK to close the dialog. However, if you have opened the VW_9 model under the Slopes_Group_2
project, select the General tab, and choose MyProject under the Project drop down menu, choose 2D from the System drop down menu and type the name SPATIAL for the New File Name and
click OK to close the dialog.

PRODUCTIVITY TIP:
Rather than scrolling through the long list of Public models, use the filter feature to quickly find a model:
- Click the filter icon beside the Model column header
- Type the name of the model you are looking for where the word Search... appears in the filter dialog
- Click the OK button to accept the selection

b. Specify Spatial Variability of Material Properties (Materials > Spatial Variability)

The next step is to enable spatial variability. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,

2. Select the spatial variability tab,
3. Select the 2D Spatial Variability option with the following settings,
Generator Seed: 500
Covariance Function: dlavx2
4. Press OK to close the dialog.
Spatial variability allows a generation of random or user-specified fields of soil parameters (such as cohesion or friction angle) which vary spatially across any particular region. The next step is to generate a
random field for all soil parameters for both regions in the model.

1. Open the Spatial Variability Parameters dialog by selecting Materials > Spatial Variability... from the menu,
2. Select the Random Field Parameters tab and press the Add/Remove... button,
3. Click the Add All button to add all parameters for all regions to the list of random field parameters,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. The default values for the random field parameters are displayed in the data grid on the Random Field Parameters tab. To increase the spatial resolution of the random field parameters, enter the
following values for the Number of Grid X and Number of Grid - Y fields:

Material Number of Number of

Name Grid - X Grid - Y
Upper soil 50 10
Upper soil 50 10
Upper soil 50 10
Lower soil 100 10
Lower soil 100 10
Lower soil 100 10

6. Click OK to close the Spatial Variability Parameters dialog.

A screenshot of the spatial variability contours for the lower region (R2) is shown below. The user may change the spatial variability contour settings by selecting Materials > Spatial Variability Contouring...
from the menu.

NOTE:
The spatial variability contours for both regions are not displayed at the same time because the random field parameters may differ significantly between the
materials, in which case a single set of contours is not appropriate.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 90 of 273

c. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

d. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The critical slip surface for the numerical model is displayed when the model Results are first opened. The critical slip surface for GLE method is shown below. The FOS value has increased to 1.566 by using
spatial variability in the model.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Two-Way Sensitivity Analysis

This tutorial illustrates a re-analysis of a classic model analyzed using a sensitivity analysis. The "Basic" model is used as a starting point for the analysis and the relationship between cohesion and friction
angle is analyzed.

This model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: VW_9__Sensitivity_1

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 91 of 273

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface
· Sensitivity

Model Description

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up this tutorial model, we will utilize the Basic Slope tutorial model and enable two-way sensitivity in the analysis. The steps to create this model fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify sensitivity analysis
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify sensitivity parameters
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Analyze model
g. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the sensitivity model, save a copy of the Basic Slope model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. If the 2D Basic Slope tutorial has been completed on this computer, scroll to the Basic model in the MyProject project otherwise find the VW_9 in the Slopes_Group_2 project,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. In the Save As dialog select MyProject from the Project drop down menu,
6. For New File Name enter the name SENSITIVITY and click OK.

PRODUCTIVITY TIP:
Rather than scrolling through the long list of Public models, use the filter feature to quickly find a model:
- Click the filter icon beside the Model column header
- Type the name of the model you are looking for where the word Search... appears in the filter dialog
- Click the OK button to accept the selection

b. Specify Sensitivity Analysis (Model > Settings)

The next step is to enable sensitivity analysis. This is accomplished through the following steps:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the Sensitivity/Probability tab,
3. Click Sensitivity Analysis:
4. Choose:
Sensitivity Parameters: Two-Way Sensitivity
Critical Slip Surface Location: Floating
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to modify the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. Upper soil region will have the Upper Soil applied to it and Lower Soil will have the
Lower Soil applied. In this case we assume that the user has measured the shear strength of the two materials and can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on changing
parameter values for the Upper Soil. Repeat the process to adjust the parameters for the second material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Upper Soil Lower Soil
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 5 5
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 15 17
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 15 18

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Select the Upper Soil material and click on the Properties button to open the Material Properties dialog,
NOTE:
You can change the display color of the material by selecting the desired color from the Fill drop down menu on the Material properties: Mohr Coulomb dialog. Any
region that has a material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

3. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

4. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 92 of 273

5. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,

6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 to adjust the Lower Soil material properties,
7. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

d. Specify Sensitivity Parameters (Materials)

In a sensitivity analysis model input parameters are specified as varying to a range of properties for a given material in the model. Therefore, the model is run multiple times in increments as one or more of
the values are changed in a logical progression. A two-way analysis was specified in the previous step. In the two way analysis, the user is allowed to vary two separate parameters in a logical fashion, such
that the impact of the two parameters on the factor of safety can be determined. The c and phi parameters will be varied for region R1 in this model. We assume that the user has measured the Shear
Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below.

1. Select Materials > Manager ... from the menu,

2. Click the Sensitivity... button,
3. On the Parameters tab
4. Click the Add/Remove... button,
5. Expand the Uppersoil region and check the c and phi check boxes and click OK to include these material parameters in the sensitivity analysis. The default parameter ranges will be used and are
shown in the following table,

Global/Material Material Property Mean Min Max

Material Upper Soil c (kPa) 5 3 7.5
Material Upper Soil Phi (deg) 15 10 22.5

6. Move to the Two-Way Pairs tab,

7. Click on the data grid cell in the Parameter #1 column and click on the Edit... button,
8. Check the Material/Uppersoil/c parameter check box and click OK to close the dialog,
9. Click on the data grid cell in the Parameter #2 column and click on the Edit... button
10. Check the Material/Uppersoil/Phi parameter check box and click OK to close the dialog,
11. The list of parameter values for each model run can be seen on the One-Way Sensitivity Run List tab,
12. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

Now the user must specify the graphical representation of the grid and tangent objects on the screen. This is accomplished through the following steps:

GRID TAB
1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ,
2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
4. Move to entering the tangent values.
X (m) Y (m)
23 25
22 19
26 19
X increments: 4
Y increments: 6
TANGENT TAB
1. Select the Tangent tab,
2. Enter the values for the tangent as specified in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

X (m) Y (m)
15 4
15 2
29 2
29 4
Radius increments: 2

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

g. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Slip Surface
 Tutorial Manuals Page 93 of 273

The results of performing a sensitivity analysis can be seen under the menu item Sensitivity. The Plots dialog shows how the factor of changes by varying each parameter individually. The Two-Way
Sensitivity Graph dialog shows the factor of safety for each combination of sensitivity parameter values. The screenshot below shows that the factor of safety decreases with decreasing c and phi values and
increases with increasing c and phi values in this model.

1. Select Graphs > Two Way Sensitivity Graph from the menu,
2. Change the Contour Color Setting to Classic.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Material Properties Back Analysis

This is a complex example involving a weak layer, pore-water pressures and surcharges. The soil parameters, external loadings and piezometric surface are shown in the model. The GLE (Fredlund) analysis
method showed a factor of safety of 1.00 which is consistent with an actual failure surface.

This tutorial illustrates how to perform back analysis of material properties using sensitivity analysis. This technique allows users to determine the material strength required to achieve a given factor of
safety.

The tutorial uses sensitivity analysis to show users how to use back analysis to determine:
a) unknown cohesion of a material
b) unknown friction angle of a material
c) both cohesion and friction of a material

This original models can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_1
Model: VS_9_Back_Analysis, VS_9_Back_Analysis_c, VS_9_Back_Analysis_phi, VS_9_Back_Analysis_c_phi

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

 Tutorial Manuals Page 94 of 273

Model Description
This example consists of a simple slope involving a weak layer and a water table. A block search method is used to search for the slip surface. The problem is analyzed using the GLE (Fredlund) method.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Determine unknown cohesion

This is a complex example involving a weak layer, pore-water pressures and surcharges. The soil parameters, external loadings and piezometric surface are shown in the model.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use a one-way sensitivity analysis to perform a back-analysis to determine the cohesion of a material property assuming the friction angle is known and cohesion is
unknown.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up this tutorial model, we will utilize the weak layer tutorial model and enable sensitivity in the analysis. The steps to create this model fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify sensitivity analysis
c. Specify sensitivity parameters
d. Analyze model
e. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the sensitivity model, save a copy of the weak layer model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the VS_9_Back_Analysis model in the Slopes_Group_1 project,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. From the Project drop down list in the Save As dialog, choose MyProject,
6. Type the name Cohesion for the New File Name and click OK.

PRODUCTIVITY TIP:
Rather than scrolling through the long list of Public models, use the filter feature to quickly find a model:
- Click the filter icon beside the Model column header
- Type the name of the model you are looking for where the word Search... appears in the filter dialog
- Click the OK button to accept the selection

b. Specify Sensitivity Analysis (Model > Settings)

The next step is to enable sensitivity analysis. This is accomplished through the following steps:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the Sensitivity/Probability tab,
3. Select the Sensitivity Analysis option,
4. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Specify Sensitivity Parameters (Materials)

In a sensitivity analysis model input parameters are specified as varying to a range of properties for a given material in the model. Therefore, the model is run multiple times in increments as one or more of
the values are changed in a logical progression. In the one-way analysis, the user is allowed to vary one parameter in a logical fashion, such that the impact of the parameter on the factor of safety can be
determined. A sensitivity analysis was specified in the previous step. The cohesion will be varied for the Lower soil in this model. We assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength
parameters of the upper soil and only the friction angle is known for the Lower soil. Users may use their engineering judgment to make guesses at possible range of unknown cohesion values when
working on other models. Note that the mean values are used to determine the factor of safety in sensitivity analysis so any change in the mean values may affect the factor of safety.

1. Select Materials > Manager ... from the menu,

2. Select Lower soil and click Properties... button,
3. Change the cohesion to 7 kPa, this is guessed mean value because we assume the user does not know the material cohesion,
4. Click Ok,
5. Click the Sensitivity... button,
6. On the Parameters tab
7. Click the Add/Remove... button,
Tutorial Manuals Page 95 of 273

8. Expand the Lower soil region and check the c check box and click OK to include the material parameter in the sensitivity analysis. Enter the material parameters as shown in the table below. The
table shows that the unknown c value will vary between 6 and 8 kPa.

Global/Material Material Property Mean Min Max

Material Lower Soil c (kPa) 7 6 8

9. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model is completed the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar.

Critical Slip Surface

This result shows the critical slip surface and the factor of safety of 1.015.

The results of performing a sensitivity analysis can be seen under the Graphs menu item. The One-Way Sensitivity Graph dialog shows how the factor of safety changes by varying cohesion. The figure below
shows that the factor of safety increases with increasing cohesion values in this model.

1. Select Graphs > One Way Sensitivity Graph from the menu,
2. Ensure that GLE method is selected,
3. Ensure that Lower soil material is selected,
4. Ensure that c is checked.

The user can use the graph to determine which cohesion value corresponds with a factor of safety of 1.00 (actual slope failure). The data shows that cohesion of 6.5 kPa corresponds with factor of safety of
1.00. Also, this result can be compared with results from the initial model (VS_9_Back_Analysis) in which the lower soil with known cohesion of 6.5 kPa was used and the resulting factor of safety was 1.00.
Tutorial Manuals Page 96 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Determine unknown friction angle

This is a complex example involving a weak layer, pore-water pressures and surcharges. The soil parameters, external loadings and piezometric surface are shown in the model.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use a one-way sensitivity analysis to perform a back-analysis to determine the friction angle of a material assuming the cohesion is known and friction angle is unknown.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up this tutorial model, we will utilize the weak layer tutorial model and enable sensitivity in the analysis. The steps to create this model fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify sensitivity analysis
c. Specify sensitivity parameters
d. Analyze model
e. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the sensitivity model, save a copy of the weak layer model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the VS_9_Back_Analysis model in the Slopes_Group_1 project,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. From the Project drop down list in the Save As dialog, choose MyProject,
6. Type the name Phivalue for the New File Name and click OK.

PRODUCTIVITY TIP:
Rather than scrolling through the long list of Public models, use the filter feature to quickly find a model:
- Click the filter icon beside the Model column header
- Type the name of the model you are looking for where the word Search... appears in the filter dialog
- Click the OK button to accept the selection

b. Specify Sensitivity Analysis (Model > Settings)

The next step is to enable sensitivity analysis. This is accomplished through the following steps:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the Sensitivity/Probability tab,
3. Select the Sensitivity Analysis option,
4. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Specify Sensitivity Parameters (Materials)

In a sensitivity analysis model input parameters are specified as varying to a range of properties for a given material in the model. Therefore, the model is run multiple times in increments as one or more of
the values are changed in a logical progression. In the one-way analysis, the user is allowed to vary one parameter in a logical fashion, such that the impact of the parameter on the factor of safety can be
determined. A sensitivity analysis was specified in the previous step. The friction angle will be varied for the Lower soil in this model. We assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength
parameters of the upper soil and only the cohesion is known for the Lower soil. Users may use their engineering judgment to make guesses at possible range of unknown friction angle values when
working on other models. Note that the mean values are used to determine the factor of safety in sensitivity analysis so any change in the mean values may affect the factor of safety.

1. Select Materials > Manager ... from the menu,

2. Select Lower soil and click Properties... button,
3. Change the friction angle to 16 deg,
4. Click OK,
5. Click the Sensitivity... button,
6. Select the Parameters tab
7. Click the Add/Remove... button,
8. Expand the Lower soil region and check the phi check box. Click OK to include the material parameter in the sensitivity analysis and close the Add/Remove dialog. Enter the material parameters as
shown in the table below. The table shows that the unknown phi value will vary between 14 and 17 deg.

Global/Material Material Property Mean Min Max

Material Lower Soil Phi (deg) 16 14 17

9. Click OK to close the Sensitivity Dialog. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion
Tutorial Manuals Page 97 of 273

After the model is completed the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar.

Critical Slip Surface

This result shows the critical slip surface and the factor of safety of 1.038.

The results of performing a sensitivity analysis can be seen under the Graphs menu item. The One-Way Sensitivity Graph dialog shows how the factor of changes by varying friction angle. The screenshot
below shows that the factor of safety decreases with decreasing friction angle value and increases with increasing friction angle value in this model.

1. Select Graphs > One Way Sensitivity Graph from the menu,
2. Ensure that GLE method is selected,
3. Ensure that Lower soil material is selected,
4. Ensure that phi is checked.

The user can use the graph to determine which friction angle value corresponds with a factor of safety of 1.00 (actual slope failure). The data shows that friction angle of 15 deg corresponds with factor of
safety of 1.00. Also, this result can be compared with results from the initial model (VS_9_Back_Analysis) in which the lower soil with known friction angle of 15 deg was used and the resulting factor of
safety was 1.00.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Determine unknown c and phi parameters

This is a complex example involving a weak layer, pore-water pressures and surcharges. The soil parameters, external loadings and piezometric surface are shown in the model.

This tutorial demonstrates how to use a two-way sensitivity analysis to perform a back-analysis to determine the cohesion and friction angle of a material assuming both the cohesion and friction angle of a
material are unknown.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Tutorial Manuals Page 98 of 273

Model Setup

In order to set up this tutorial model, we will utilize the weak layer tutorial model and enable sensitivity in the analysis. The steps to create this model fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify sensitivity analysis
c. Specify sensitivity parameters
d. Analyze model
e. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the sensitivity model, save a copy of the weak layer model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the VS_9_Back_Analysis model in the Slopes_Group_1 project,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. From the Project drop down list in the Save As dialog, choose MyProject,
6. Type the name Backanalysis for the New File Name and click OK.

PRODUCTIVITY TIP:
Rather than scrolling through the long list of Public models, use the filter feature to quickly find a model:
- Click the filter icon beside the Model column header
- Type the name of the model you are looking for where the word Search... appears in the filter dialog
- Click the OK button to accept the selection

b. Specify Sensitivity Analysis (Model > Settings)

The next step is to enable sensitivity analysis. This is accomplished through the following steps:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the Sensitivity/Probability tab,
3. Select the Sensitivity Analysis option,
4. Check the Two-Way Sensitivity box in the Sensitivity Parameters Section,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Specify Sensitivity Parameters (Materials)

In a sensitivity analysis model input parameters are specified as varying to a range of properties for a given material in the model. Therefore, the model is run multiple times in increments as one or more of
the values are changed in a logical progression. In the two way analysis, the user is allowed to vary two separate parameters in a logical fashion, such that the impact of the two parameters on the factor of
safety can be determined. A two-way analysis was specified in the previous step. The friction angle and cohesion will be varied for the Lower soil in this model. We assume that the user has measured
the Shear Strength parameters of the upper soil and only the parameters for the Lower soil are unknown. Users may use their engineering judgment to make guesses at possible range of
unknown friction angle values when working on other models.

1. Select Materials > Manager ... from the menu,

2. Select Lower soil and click Properties... button,
3. Change the cohesion to 7 and the friction angle to 14, Click OK to Close the Material Properties: Mohr Coulomb dialog.
4. Click the Sensitivity... button,
5. On the Parameters tab
6. Click the Add/Remove... button,
7. Expand the Lower soil region and check the c and phi check boxes and click OK to include these material parameters in the sensitivity analysis and close the Add/Remove dialog. Enter the material
parameters as shown in the table below. The table shows that the unknown phi value will vary between 13 and 17 deg and the unknown cohesion value will be varies between 6 and 8 kPa.

Global/Material Material Property Mean Min Max

Material Lower Soil c (kPa) 7 6 8
Material Lower Soil Phi (deg) 14 13 17

8. Move to the Two-Way Pairs tab,

9. Click on the data grid cell in the Parameter #1 column and click on the Edit... button,
10. Check the Material/Lower soil/c parameter check box and click OK to close the Sensitivity Two-Way Edit dialog,
11. Click on the data grid cell in the Parameter #2 column and click on the Edit... button
12. Check the Material/Lower soil/Phi parameter check box and click OK to close the Sensitivity Two-Way Edit dialog,
13. Click OK to close the Sensitivity dialog. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model is completed the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 99 of 273

Critical Slip Surface

This result shows the critical slip surface and the factor of safety of 0.980.

The results of performing a sensitivity analysis can be seen under the Graphs menu item. The Two-Way Sensitivity Graph dialog shows the cohesion and friction angle values required to obtain a given factor
of safety. The user can also use the One-Way Sensitivity Graphdialog shows how the factor of changes by varying friction angle or cohesion.

1. Select Graphs > Two Way Sensitivity Graph from the menu,

The various contour colors represent the factor of safety values as shown in the contour legend. The graph shows pairs of cohesion and friction angle, which result in a particular factor of safety. This can
guide engineers on the required soil strength needed to obtain a given factor of safety.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Simple Probability

The simple probabilistic analysis results from Slope Stability using the Monte Carlo method are demonstrated in this example. The cohesion and friction angle are used as random variables in this example.
The result of the slope stability analysis is obtained using the Morgenstern-Price method. It is assumed in the Slope Stability model that all the probabilistic input variables are normally distributed.

This model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: SimpleProbability
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface
· Sensitivity/Probability

Model Geometry
Tutorial Manuals Page 100 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Defining Random Variables
f. Specify search method geometry
g. Specify Pore-Water
h. Analyze model
i. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: SIMPLE
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,

2. On the Slip Surface tab notice that the Slip Direction and Slip Shape are selected. Select Entry and Exit as the Search Method:
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab and only select the method type as shown below:
Morgenstern-Price
4. Move to the Sensitivity/Probability tab,
5. Select the Probabilistic Analysis option,
6. In the Probabilistic Parameters group box set:
Sampling Method: Monte-Carlo
Number of Samples: 5000
Generator Seed: 500
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data or they may iii) import geometry from
existing model. The cut and paste and import geometry from existing model options are presented below.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into two regions, which are named Embankment and Foundation. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The shapes that define each material
region will now be created.

· Define Embankment and Foundation Regions

1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Click New in the Regions Dialog. There are now two regions in the Regions dialog, R1 and R2,
3. Click in the cell under Name and change the name to Foundation from R1.
4. Double click the row with Embankment to bring up the Region Properties dialog or select the properties... button,
5. Click the New Polygon button on the right to bring up the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Input or paste the X and Y coordinates listed in the table Region: Foundation shown below using the Paste button,
7. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog and Click OK again to close the Region Properties dialog,
Tutorial Manuals Page 101 of 273

8. The region polygon Foundation is now created,

9. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Embankment region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Embankment will be replacing R2.
10. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region: Foundation
X (m) Y (m)
24 20
66 20
66 5
6 5
6 20

Region: Embankment
X (m) Y (m)
24 20
42 35
66 35
66 20

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_3 from the projects list,
3. Select SimpleProbability in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. In this case we assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters,
which can be found in the table below.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Embankment Foundation
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 30 10
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 40 25
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 20 20

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Embankment for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. Move to the Shear Strength tab and enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat these steps to create the Foundation material,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Select the Foundation region,
3. Choose Foundation material from the drop down menu,
4. Select the Embankment Region,
5. Choose Embankment material from the drop down menu,
6. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Regions dialog.

e. Specify Random Variables (Materials)

In order to perform the probability analysis, we must enter the Standard Deviation and Relative Minimum/Maximum values for each random variables to define the statistical distribution.

1. Open the Probabilistic Parameters dialog by selecting Material > Probabilistic Parameters from the menu,
2. Open the Add/Remove Probabilistic Parameters dialog by clicking Add/Remove button,
3. In Add/Remove Probabilistic Parameters dialog, expand the Embankment parameter and check c and Phi as random variables,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 102 of 273

4. Click OK, two rows of data (c and Phi) will be added to the Probabilistic Parameters,
5. Edit the probability parameters in the table as shown below:
Material Property Distribution Mean Std. Dev Rel. Min Rel. Max
Embankment c Normal 30 3 15 15
Embankment Phi Normal 40 3 20 20

6. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

f. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in the previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the Entry and Exit dialog through the Slips > Entry and Exit ... menu option,
2. Enter the X and Increment values for the entry range and exit range as specified in the table below (note that the Y coordinates are calculated automatically), the radius increments is also set to 6.
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range (Right Side) Exit Range (Left Side)
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 42 54 X 10 29
Increments 6 Increments 6
Radius
6
Increments

g. Specify Pore-Water (Pore Water > Settings)

In this model a piezometric line will be used. In order to specify that a piezometric line will be entered the user needs to following these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Piezometric Lines... button to access the Piezometric Lines dialog,
4. The Piezometric Lines dialog opens with Piezometric Line 1 ready to paste data,
5. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
6. Press the Select All button in the Apply to Regions section to apply piezometric lines to all regions,
7. Press OK to close the Piezometric Lines dialog,
8. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
6 20
24 20
37.5 25
47.5 27.5
66 30

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Slip Surface

Monte Carlo Results

In this method, a series of model runs are performed with a random sampling of each normally-distributed input parameter. The set of random input variables are obtained using random number generators
that produce the selected probability density function. If the model has been appropriately entered into the software the following results will be available.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 103 of 273

1. Select Graphs > Monte Carlo from the menu.

The expected Probability Density Function of the 5000 Monte Carlo factor of safety is as shown below:

The calculated factor of safety and its standard deviation is shown in the table below:

Slope Stability FOS Standard Deviation

Method
Moment Force FOS based on Probability
Morgenstern - Price 1.387 1.387 1.389 0.03471

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Complex Probability

This tutorial looks at the Slope Stability probabilistic analysis capabilities based on a published case history (Christian et al. 1994). The probabilistic analysis results from Slope Stability using the Monte Carlo
method and 1D spatial variability are demonstrated in this example. The cohesion and friction angle values of the soil layers are used as random variables in this example. The results of the slope stability
analysis are obtained through Ordinary/Fellenius, Bishop Simplified and the Janbu Simplified method. It is assumed in the Slope Stability model that all the probabilistic input variables are normally
distributed.

The models can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: James_Bay_sampling_everyslice, James_Bay_sampling30m
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface
· Sensitivity/Probability

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 104 of 273

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create Model
b. Specify Analysis Settings
c. Enter Geometry
d. Apply Material Properties
e. Defining Random Variables
f. Specify Search Method Geometry
g. Specify Spatial Variability of Slices
h. Analyze Model
i. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left To Right
Model Name: James Bay
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Move to the Slip Surface tab and ensure that the following items are selected:
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Grid and Point
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and only select the method type as shown below:
Ordinary/Fellenius
Bishop Simplified
Janbu Simplified
4. Move to the Sensitivity/Probability tab from the dialog,
5. Select Probabilistic Analysis option
6. In the Probabilistic Parameters group box:
Sampling Method: Monte-Carlo
Number of Samples: 30000
Generator Seed: 500
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data or they may iii) import geometry from
existing model. The cut and paste and import geometry from existing model options are presented below.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into five regions, which are named R1 through R5. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The shapes that define each material region will
now be created. Note that when drawing a geometric shape, information will be added to the region that is current in the Region Selector. The Region Selector is at the top of the workspace.

· Define R1-R5 Regions

1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Click New in the Regions Dialog 4 times to add regions R2 through R5.
3. Double click the row with R1 to bring up the Region Properties dialog or select the properties... button,
4. Click the New Polygon button on the right to bring up the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the data listed in the table Region: R1 below, and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog ,
7. The region polygon R1 is now created.
8. Repeat steps 3 - 7 to define regions R2-R5 region polygons according to the data provided in the table below,
9. After all 5 regions have been defined, click OK to close the Region Properties dialog. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region: R1 Region: R2 Region: R3 Region: R4 Region: R5

X (m) Y (m) X (m) Y (m) X (m) Y (m) X (m) Y (m) X (m) Y (m)
0 24 0 24 0 20 0 12 0 5.5
0 36 0 20 0 12 165 12 165 5.5
40 36 165 20 165 12 165 5.5 165 0
58 30 165 24 165 20 0 5.5 0 0
114 30 132 24
132 24

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.

1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_Group_3 from the projects list,
3. Select James_Bay_sampling_everyslice in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 105 of 273

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the materials that will be used in the model. Region R1 will be assigned the Embankment material. This section will provide
instructions on creating the Embankment material. It is assumed that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below. Repeat the process to add the other
materials.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Embankment for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab and enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat these steps to create the Clay Crust, Marine Clay and Lacustrine Clay materials,
9. Enter Till for the material name in the dialog that appears and choose Bedrock for the Shear Strength type of this material,
10. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.
Material Shear Strength Cohesion Friction Angle Unit Weight
Type (kPa) phi (deg) 3
(kN/m )
Embankment Mohr Coulomb 0 30 20
Clay Crust Mohr Coulomb 43 0 18.8
Marine Clay Mohr Coulomb 34.5 0 18.8
Lacustrine Clay Mohr Coulomb 31.2 0 20.3
Bedrock N/A N/A N/A

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Region Properties dialog by selecting Geometry > Region Properties from the menu,
2. Check that you have the R1 region selected, and if necessary switch to the R1 region by using the arrow buttons at the top right corner of the Region Properties dialog. In the Region Settings
section, under Material, choose Embankment for the material type,
3. Switch to the R2 region and assign the Clay Crust material to this region,
4. Switch the R3 region and assign the Marine Clay material to this region,
5. Switch the R4 region and assign the Lacustrine Clay material to this region,
6. Switch the R5 region and assign the Till material to this region,
7. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Random Variables (Materials)

In order to perform the probability analysis, we must enter the Standard Deviation and Relative Minimum/Maximum values for each random variables to define the statistical distribution.

1. Open the Probabilistic Parameters dialog by selecting Material > Probabilistic Parameters from the menu,
2. Open the Add/Remove Probabilistic Parameters dialog by clicking Add/Remove button at the lower left side of the dialog,
3. In Add/Remove Probabilistic Parameters dialog, expand the Embankment parameter and check Phi and Unit Weight as random variables,
4. Expand the Marine Clay and Lacustrine Clay parameters and check c as random variables in both,
5. Click OK, four rows of data will be added to the Probabilistic Parameters table,
6. Edit the probability parameters in the table as shown below:
Material Property Distribution Mean Std. Dev Rel. Min Rel. Max
Embankment Phi Normal 30 1 5 5
Embankment Unit Weight Normal 20 1 5 5
Marine Clay c Normal 34.5 8.14 24.42 24.42
Lacustrine Clay c Normal 31.2 8.65 26.05 26.05

7. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

f. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

The Grid and Point method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is accomplished
through the following steps:

1. Open the Grid and Point dialog through the Slips > Grid and Point ... menu option,
2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as specified in the table below, or copy them and click the Paste button on the Grid and Point dialog,
4. Select the Point tab,
5. Enter the values for the point as specified in the table below,
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
Grid Point
X Y X Y
Upper Left 85.9 128.3 85.9 5.5
Lower Left 85.9 128.3
Lower Right 85.9 128.3

g. Specify Spatial Variability of Slices (Materials > Spatial Variability)

The next step is to enable spatial variability. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1.Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,

2. Select the spatial variability tab,
3. In the Spatial Variability Option section, choose the 1D Spatial Variability option. In the 1D Spatial Variability section, choose Each Slice.
NOTE:
Tutorial Manuals Page 106 of 273

The sampling can also be controlled by a user-specified distance by selecting Distance and enter 30m for the distance value in the 1D Spatial Variability option.

4. Press OK to close the dialog.

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed. To view the results of the
probabilistic analysis, select Graphs > Monte Carlo, the normal density distribution of the factor of safety will then be plotted. To view the Probability Distribution Function, select the Curve Type to
Cumulative on the top right corner of the dialog.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Monte Carlo Results

In this method, a series of model runs are performed with a random sampling of each normally-distributed input parameter. The set of random input variables are obtained using random number generators
that produce the selected probability density function. If the model has been appropriately entered into the software the following results will be available.

Probability Density Function

1. Select Graphs > Monte Carlo from the menu.

The expected Probability Density Function of the 30000 Monte Carlo factor of safety using sampling Each Slice with 1D Spatial Variability with the Bishop method is as shown below:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 107 of 273

The calculated factor of safety and its standard deviation is shown in the table below for each of the search methods:

Slope Stability FOS FOS based on Probability Standard Deviation

Method
Moment Force (sampling every slice) (sampling every slice)
Ordinary 1.418 1.418 0.05938
Bishop 1.461 1.461 0.06218
Janbu Simplified 1.392 1.392 0.05737

If the model is reanalyzed with the 1D Spatial Variability set to a distance of 30m, the Probability Density function changes as below:

The new calculated factor of safety and its standard deviation is shown in the table below for each of the search methods:

Slope Stability FOS FOS based on Probability Standard Deviation

Method
Moment Force (sampling every 30m) (sampling every 30m)
Ordinary 1.418 1.423 0.1294
Bishop 1.461 1.465 0.1352
Janbu Simplified 1.392 1.396 0.1237

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Reinforced Slope Stability Analysis

The following example will introduce some of the features included in Slope Stability. This tutorial shows an embankment with a roadway along the top of the embankment. The slope downstream slope
stability was analyzed with no supports, with the addition of anchors, and then the addition of anchors and micropiles. The purpose of this model is to determine the effects of supports on the resulting Factor
of Safety. The model dimensions and material properties are described in the next section.

This original models can be found under:

Project:
Slopes_Group_3
: DFI_Case_Base_2D, DFI_Case_AnchorsOnly_2D, DFI_Case_Anchors_and_Micropiles_2D
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE
 Tutorial Manuals Page 108 of 273

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Entry and Exit
· Support types
· Basic support principles

Model Description

This model provides insight into the effect of external loadings, and different support types on the Factor of Safety.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Base Model

The purpose of this model is to assess the Factor of Safety with an active water table and the application of simulated highway loading.

Project: Slopes_Groups_3
Model: DFI_Case_Base_2D

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water
g. Specify Loading conditions
h. Analyze model
i. Results

The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Imperial
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: EBANKOD
4. Click on OK to accept changes.
Tutorial Manuals Page 109 of 273

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
Morgenstern-Price - Half Sine
4. Select the Convergence tab from the dialog and change the values for the Convergence Options as noted below:

Number of Slices: 50
Check the box for Minimum Slide Surface Depth and enter the value: 10 ft

5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. This model will be divided into seven regions, which are named R1 through R7. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties.
The shapes that define each material region will now be created. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) cut and paste data or they may iii) import geometry from existing model. Each
option is presented below.

· CAD Drawing
Please refer to the 2D Basic Slope example, section C for methodology.

· Cut and Paste

Alternatively, the regions can be created by cutting and pasting data from the tables below. Follow these steps:
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button in the Regions dialog 6 times to create regions R2 thru R7
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for Region: R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps 4 to 7 to create regions R2 through R7 using the data below,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the changes.

Region: R1
x (ft) y (ft)
467 203
475 203
500 203
503 203
515 202
527 203
552 202
592 198
520 175
422 147
333 119
466 193

Region: R2
x (ft) y (ft)
120 87
139 90
184 97
208 100
230 102
279 108
322 113
333 119
422 147
322 99
230 86
211.6 86

Region: R3
x (ft) y (ft)
0 40
158 53
230 61
278 73
322 88
373 99
322 99
230 86
211.6 86
120 87
50 78
0 76

Region: R4
Tutorial Manuals Page 110 of 273

x (ft) y (ft)
0 20
158 39
230 51
322 80
469 95
574 162
700 194
700 205
574 175
469 119
373 99
322 88
278 73
230 61
158 53
0 40

Region: R5
x (ft) y (ft)
372 155.3
457 201
467 203
466 193
333 119
322 113
279 108

Region: R6
x (ft) y (ft)
322 99
422 147
520 175
592 198
700 220
700 205
574 175
469 119
373 99

Region: R7
x (ft) y (ft)
0 20
0 0
700 0
700 194
574 162
469 95
322 80
230 51
158 39

· Import Geometry from Existing Model

Also, the regions can be created by importing them from existing models. In this tutorial, the geometry will be imported from the complete tutorial model which is included in the distribution models. Follow
these steps to import geometry from existing model.
1. Open the Import Geometry dialog by selecting Geometry > Import > From existing Model ... from the menu,
2. Select Slopes_3D from the projects list,
3. Select DFI_Case_Base_2D in the models list,
4. Click the Import button to import geometry,
5. Click Yes to Import Geometry pop-up message.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 111 of 273

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the materials that will be used in the model. This section will provide instructions on creating the materials. In this case we assume
that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters, which can be found in the table below.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Embankment Fill Colluvial 1 Silt and Clay Sand and gravel Rockfill Colluvial 2 Glacial Till
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (psf) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 32 30 25 36 45 34 38
3
Unit Weight (lbf/ft ) 125 125 120 130 135 125 135

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a material,
3. Enter Embankment Fill for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Shear Strength Type of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters found in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Shear Strength dialog,
9. Repeat steps 2 - 8 to create the remaining materials using the information provided in the table above,
10. Click Ok to close the Materials Manager Dialog.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. The next step is to define which materials are applied to which regions.

1. Select Geometry > Regions ...,

2. For each region the appropriate material type must be selected from the combo box. The material assignments will be as follows:

Region Material
R1 Embankment Fill
R2 Colluvial 1
R3 Silt and Clay
R4 Sand and Gravel
R5 Rockfill
R6 Colluvial 2
R7 Glacial Till

3. Click OK once the material assignments have been made.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is accomplished
through the following steps:

1. Open the Entry and Exit dialog through the Slips > Entry and Exit ... menu option,
2. Enter the X and Increment values for the entry range and exit range as specified in the table below (note that the Y coordinates are calculated automatically),
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range Exit Range
Right Side Left Side
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 310 603 X 0 335
Increments 10 Increments 10
Radius Increments: 10

f. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table or a piezometric line must be specified as Pore-Water for this model. In this model a piezometric line and water table will be used. In order to specify that a water table and piezometric line will
be entered, the user needs to follow these steps:
Tutorial Manuals Page 112 of 273

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ... from the menu,

2. Select the PWP tab, and choose Water Table as the Pore-Water Pressure Method from the drop down menu. This will allow a water table to be entered,
3. Use the Water Table... button to access the Water Table dialog,
4. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
5. Under the Apply to Regions section ensure the all boxes except for R4 are checked,
6. Check the Show Water Table Line box on the top right hand corner of the dialog,
7. Check the Show outside of model box on the top right hand corner of the dialog,
8. Press OK to close the Water Table dialog,
9. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 81
73.333 81
80 81
120 87
139 90
184 97
208 100
230 102
279 108
322 120
348.119 127.412
470 162
481.415 163.976
574 180
700 205

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

The user must then proceed to enter the piezometric line coordinates:
1. Select Pore-Water > Piezometric Line ...,
2. Select Piezometric Line 1 on the left hand side of the dialog box, and copy the X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below using CTRL-C and click the Paste Points button on the dialog to
enter the coordinates for the piezometric line,
3. Under the Apply to Regions section ensure the check box for R4 only is checked.
4. Click the box for Show Piezometric Line 1 on the top right hand corner of the dialog.
5. Press OK to close the dialog.
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 95
158 99
230 107
322 120
470 162
574 180
700 205

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 113 of 273

Now that there is a water table noted in the model, we must revisit the material properties to add in the Unit Weight for the different materials above the water table (WT).

1. Open the Material Properties dialog by selecting Materials >Manager from the menu,
2. Select the Embankment Fill material, and clicking the Properties button to open the Material Properties dialog
3. At the bottom of the dialog, under Unit Weight, Check the box Unit Weight Above WT so that you can enter in the value of 120 in the box to the right.
4. Click OK to accept the changes.
5. Compete steps 2 - 4 for all of the materials using the properties given in the table below:

Material
Tabs Parameters
Embankment Fill Colluvial 1 Silt and Clay Sand and gravel Rockfill Colluvial 2 Glacial Till
Unit Weight above WT
Shear Strength 3 120 120 117 125 130 120 130
(lbf/ft )

g. Specify Loading Conditions (Loading)

There are 2 distributed loads used for the current model. The following steps are required in order to apply these distributed loads to the current model.

1. Ensure you have Region 1 chosen.

2. Open the Distributed Load dialog by selecting Loading > Distributed Load from the menu,
3. Click the New button to create a New Distributed Load 1 object,
4. Under Orientation, choose Vertical.
5. Under Type, choose Constant.
2
6. Enter a value of 360 lb/ft for the Magnitude,
7. In the Acting Points Section, click the Select button and select the segment so that the Start Point equals 475 ft for X and 203 for Y; the End Point will be automatically calculated based on the
segment
8. Ensure the box Show Distributed Load 1 is checked in order to see the load on the model.
9. Click the New button to create a New Distributed Load 2 object,
10. Under Orientation, choose Vertical.
11. Under Type, choose Constant.
12. Enter a value of 360 lb/ft2 for the Magnitude,
13. In the Acting Points Section, click the Select button and select the segment so that the Start Point equals 527 ft for X and 203 for Y; the End Point will be automatically calculated based on the
segment
14. Check the box Show Distributed Load 2 in order to see the load on the model.
15. Click OK to close the dialog.

Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 114 of 273

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

j. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed. To switch between the
results of the different methods selected, click on the drop down menu (as shown below) at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The critical slip surface for the numerical model is displayed when the model Results are first opened. The critical slip surface for M-P method is shown below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 115 of 273

The X axis may be different than shown. In order to change your axis, go to View > World Coordinate System and change it from Automatic to Manual. Enter in -50 for X and -50 for Y and the axis will
change to be similar to that above.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Anchors Added

The purpose of this model is to assess the Factor of Safety with an active water table, simulated highway loading and anchor supports.

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: DFI_Case_AnchorsOnly_2D
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Slope Stability steps:
a. Save new model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Add Supports
d. Analyze Slope Stability model
e. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

This model is a continuation of the base model, 2D Support Example Base Model. If the previous model is open begin the model at Save New model.
Otherwise:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the EBANKOD model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model.

a. Save New Model

1. Select Open Input icon on the left of the workspace to return to Slope Stability.
2. Press File > Save As to save the new model,
3. Enter EBANKOD_Anchors as the New File Name,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
Morgenstern-Price - Half Sine
4. Select the Convergence tab from the dialog and change the values for the Convergence Options as noted below:

Number of Slices: 50
Check the box for Minimum Slide Surface Depth and enter the value: 10 ft

5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Add Supports (Supports)

The next step is to add support to reinforce the slope.
1. Open the Support Type Manager dialog by selecting Supports > Type Manager from the menu,
2. Press the New button to open the New Support Property dialog,
3. Select End Anchored from the Support Type drop down menu and enter the name End Anchored,
4. Click OK, the Support Properties dialog will automatically open
5. Select Active in the Force Application section,
6. In the Capacity and Spacing section, enter 10 ft for the Out-of-Plane spacing, and 327000 lbf for the tensile capacity.
7. Click OK to accept parameters and close the Support Properties dialog, and OK again to close the Support Type Manager,
8. Open the Support Geometry dialog by selecting Supports > Geometry from the menu,
9. Click the New button 5 times for the new support entries,
10. Select Support 1 in the left hand side of the dialog.
11. Leave the Individual Support button selected.
12. Leave the Orientation as None and enter the following coordinates in the Support Line Segment Section:
Start Point of the Line X = 431, Y = automatically calculated
End Point of the Line X = 546, Y = 150
13. Select end-anchored (End Anchored) as the Support Property Type,
14. Repeat from steps 10 to 13 to enter in the information for the remaining supports 2 - 5 using the data in the table below:

Support Individual or Multiple Supports Orientation

Start Point of the Line End Point of the Line Support Property Type
X Y X Y
Support 2 Individual 396 calculated 509 132 end-anchored (End Anchored)
Support 3 Individual 361 calculated 471 113 end-anchored (End Anchored)
Support 4 Individual 324 calculated 434 94 end-anchored (End Anchored)
Support 5 Individual 287 calculated 397 75 end-anchored (End Anchored)

15. Click OK, to close the Support Geometry dialog.

Tutorial Manuals Page 116 of 273

Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

e. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

f. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed. To switch between the
results of the different methods selected, click on the drop down menu (as shown below) at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The results of the calculation of the factor of safety and the critical slip surface for the Morgenstern-Price Method are shown below. At the end of calculation the factor of safety is approximately 1.587. The
support force distribution in shown along each support in the screenshot below from 0 to 3.27E+04 lbf.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 117 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Anchors and Micropiles Added

The purpose of this model is to assess the Factor of Safety with an active water table, simulated highway loading with anchor and micro-pile supports.

Project: Slopes_Groups_3
Model: DFI_Case_Anchors_and_Micropiles_2D
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Slope Stability steps:

a. Save a new model
b. Specify Search Geometry method
c. Add Supports
d. Analyze Slope Stability model
e. Results

The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

This model is a continuation of the model, 2D Support Example Anchors Added. If the previous model is open begin the model at a. Save New model.
Otherwise:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the EBANKOD model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model.

a. Save New Model

1. Select Open Input icon on the left of the workspace to return to Slope Stability
2. Press File > Save As to save new model,
3. Enter EBANKOD_Anchors_and_Micropiles as the New File Name,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit

3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:

Morgenstern-Price - Half Sine

4. Select the Convergence tab from the dialog and change the values for the Convergence Options as noted below:

Number of Slices: 50
Tutorial Manuals Page 118 of 273

Check the box for Minimum Slide Surface Depth and enter the value: 10 ft

5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Add Supports (Supports)

The next step is to add support to reinforce the slope.
1. Open the Support Type Manager dialog by selecting Supports > Type Manager from the menu,
2. Press the New button to open the New Support Property dialog,
3. Select Micropiles from the Support Type drop down menu and enter the name Piles,
4. Click OK, the Support Properties dialog will automatically open
5. Select Active in the Force Application section,
6. In the Capacity and Spacing section, enter 10 ft for the Out-of-Plane spacing, and 327000 lbf for the pile shear strength.
7. Click OK to accept parameters and close the Support Properties dialog, and OK again to close the Support Type Manager,
8. Open the Support Geometry dialog by selecting Supports > Geometry from the menu,
9. Click the New button for the new Support.
10. Select Support 6 in the left hand side dialog.
11. Leave the Individual Support button selected.
12. Leave the Orientation as None
13. Select Piles (Micro-pile) as the Support Property Type,
14. Enter the following coordinates in the Support Line Segment Section:
Start Point of the Line X = 278, Y = automatically calculated
End Point of the Line X = automatically calculated, Y = 71
15. After entering the End Point of the Line, Y, be sure to press the tab button so that the OK button is highlighted before you create the next support.
16. Repeat from steps 9 to 15 to enter in the information for the remaining supports 7 & 8 using the data in the table below:

Support Individual or Multiple Supports Orientation

Start Point of the Line End Point of the Line Support Property Type
X Y X Y
Support 7 Individual 255 calculated calculated 65 Pile (Micro-Pile)
Support 8 Individual 166 calculated calculated 53 Pile (Micro-Pile)

17. Click OK, to close the Support Geometry dialog.

Now you screen will look like the diagram below.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . The model results will be displayed. To switch between the
results of the different methods selected, click on the drop down menu (as shown below) at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Results and Discussion

The results of the calculation of the factor of safety and the critical slip surface for the Morgenstern-Price Method are shown below. At the end of calculation the factor of safety is approximately 1.727. The
support force distribution in shown along each support in the screenshot below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 119 of 273

If you do not want to see the different forces along the supports, go to Geometry>Object Visibility. Under the Supports tab, select the Support Line # . Then for each individual support chosen, uncheck the
Show Support Force Distribution box. Your results should now look like the following.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Rapid Drawdown

Water tables placed against earth levees over time will adjust to steady state conditions. If the water level against the earth levee is suddenly lowered then pore-water pressures in the earth levee may not
dissipate fast enough and can lead to a slope failure situation. The following example is used to illustrate the use of the total stress method (Duncan three-stage) for rapid drawdown analysis of a two-
dimensional storage dam model. The purpose of this model is to document the correct solution of the rapid drawdown methodology as presented by Duncan et al. (1990).

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: RDD_Pumped_Storage_Project_Dam
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
 Tutorial Manuals Page 120 of 273

· Geometry concepts
· Snapping coordinates
· Circular slip surface
· Duncan three-stage rapid drawdown

Model Description
The pumped storage project dam has a densely compacted, silty clay core. The lower portion of the upstream slope is a random zone with the same strength properties as the core. The upper portion of the
upstream slope and all of the downstream slope is a free draining rockfill. The rapid drawdown analysis water level is from 545 feet to 380 feet.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the following general categories:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Specify Pore-Water
g. Analyze model
h. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Imperial
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: DRAWDOWN
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Grid and Tangent
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:

GLE (Fredlund)
4. Check the Apply Rapid Drawdown Analysis check box,
5. Select the Advanced tab from the dialog and ensure that only the boxes for Use Steffensen's Iteration Method, and Set shear strength as zero when base in tension boxes are selected. Ensure Check
Trial Slip Surfaces having m-alpha < 0.2 is not selected.
6. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from
existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

The shapes that define each region will now be created. Refer to the data in the tables below for the geometry points for the four regions.

Define Region R1
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button 3 times to create the second, third and fourth regions,
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the Steps 4 - 7 to complete regions R2, R3, and R4,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: R1
X (ft) Y (ft)
1005 550
870 380
550 380
700 450
770 450
Tutorial Manuals Page 121 of 273

Region: R2
X (ft) Y (ft)
870 380
770 250
0 250
265 320
490 380
550 380

Region: R3
X (ft) Y (ft)
1005 550
1030 550
1300 250
770 250
870 380

Region: R4
X (ft) Y (ft)
1030 550
1800 250
1300 250

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. It is assumed that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters for the
two materials. These can be found in the table below.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Silty Clay Core Compacted Rockfill
New Material Strength Type Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (psf) 0 0
Friction Angle, phi (deg) 36 37
Apply Rapid Drawdown checked Unchecked
Shear Strength
Cohesion , cT (psf) 2000
Friction Angle, phiT (deg) 18
3
Unit Weight (lb/ft ) 140 142

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a material,
3. Enter Silty Clay Core for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab,

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters found in the table above,
8. Check the Apply Rapid Drawdown checkbox,
9. Enter the Cohesion, cT and the Friction Angle, phiT value found in the table
10. Press OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
11. Repeat steps 2 - 10 to create the compacted Rockfill material using the information provided in the table below.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Assign the compacted Rockfill material to region R1 using the drop down,
3. Assign the Silty Clay Core material to region R2 using the drop down,
4. Assign the Silty Clay Core material to region R3 using the drop down,
5. Assign the compacted Rockfill material to region R4 using the drop down,
6. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

The Grid and Tangent method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in Step b. Now the user must specify the exact geometry of these objects. This is accomplished through the
following steps:

GRID
1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ...,
2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as specified in the table below,
4. Move to entering the tangent values.
TANGENT
1. Select the Tangent tab,
2. Enter the values for the tangent as specified in the table below,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Grid
X (ft) Y (ft)
Tutorial Manuals Page 122 of 273

500 1000
500 725
900 725

X increments 10
Y increments 10

Tangent
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 380
0 320
1000 320
1000 380

Radius Increments 5

Your screen will now look like the image below.

f. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

The user must then proceed to enter the initial water table coordinates:
1. Select Pore-Water > Water Table ...,
2. Under the Points tab enter the X and Y coordinates as provided for the initial water table in the table below,
3. In the Apply To Regions Section, confirm that boxes for all regions are checked,
4. Press OK to close the dialog,
Initial Water Table:
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 545
1035 545
1300 260
1800 250

Your screen will now look like the image below.

The user must then proceed to enter the final water table coordinates:
5. Select Pore Water > Final Water Table ...,
6. Under the Points tab enter the X and Y coordinates as provided for the final water table in the table below,
7. In the Apply to Regions section, confirm that boxes for all regions are checked,
8. Press OK to close the dialog.
Final Water Table:
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 380
870 380
Tutorial Manuals Page 123 of 273

1300 260
1805 250

Your screen will now look like the image below.

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model has completed solving the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. To
switch between the results of the different calculation methods, click on the drop down menu at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view. The analysis results in a factor of safety of
1.501 for GLE (Fredlund) method. The critical slip surface for GLE (Fredlund) method is shown in the following screenshot.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D MPA Example 1

The purpose of the multi-plane analysis feature is to find the locations and approximate factors of safety for critical sliding masses in a model where the slope failure location is not obvious. For example, in
an open pit or river bank site, there are many potential slope failure locations. It is tedious and time-consuming to test each possible location one at a time through a sequence of analysis. The multi-plane
analysis feature allows quick and easy examination of many locations and sliding directions throughout the model, all at once.

This example is used to illustrate the multi-plane analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for the slope of an open pit. We will perform slope stability analysis on an open pit model using the 2D
 Tutorial Manuals Page 124 of 273

multi-plane analysis feature. This tutorial is to demonstrate the core functionalities of multi-plane analysis.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Open_Pit_wFault_MPA1

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Multi-plane analysis

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enable multi-plane analysis
c. Specify multi-plane analysis settings
d. Analyze Model
e. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the tutorial model, save a copy of the Open Pit Analysis model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the PIT3D model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model, you may also begin with the Open_Pit_wFault model in the Slopes_3D project if the
3D Open Pit Analysis tutorial was not created,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. In the Save As dialog, type the New File Name MPA1 and click OK to close the dialog and open the model.

b. Enable Multi-Plane Analysis (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Move to the Multi-Plane Analysis tab,
3. Select Enabled - Two dimensional Analysis. The default other settings in this tab are appropriate in most cases,
4. Move to the Convergence tab,
3
5. Check the Minimum Slide Surface Volume box and enter 5000 m . This is done because the automatic search methods will sometimes find very small or shallow slip surfaces, which often is not
desired.
6. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Specify Multi-Plane Analysis Settings (Model > Multi-Plane Analysis)

At this point, the existing search methods and 3D-specific features of the model are disabled, and the model is ready for defining the multi-plane analysis.

Create Planes
There are five ways to create planes. These are grouped into creating multiple planes automatically, or creating planes manually. Two of them (the elevation contour and polyline methods) are used to
automatically create multiple planes. The other three (the draw planes, new and from points methods) are used to manually create individual planes. In this tutorial, the "From Elevation Contour" method will
be used to create planes. This feature can be used to add many planes all around the pit in one action.
Tutorial Manuals Page 125 of 273

· From Elevation Contour method

1. Select Model > Multi-Plane Analysis... from the menu,
2. In the Create/Delete Planes tab, set the Distance between new planes to 250 m. This setting controls the distance between plane slope points for any planes that are created thereafter.
3. Then click the Pick Elevation button...,
4. Click on any point between elevations of 600 and 850 m in the open pit. Avoid picking a location high enough to spill outside of the main circular pit area.

You screen should look like the image below when performing step 4.

Your model will look like the image below if the planes have been set correctly. The lines projected on top of the model represent the new planes. You should see a number of lines, each indicating a location
and direction for a plane that represents a 2D slice that will be created for analysis. Each of these slices will become a full 2D Slope Stability model, and will be analyzed as any other such 2D model. You do
not have to manage these individual 2D models yourself, since the system does that automatically. However, you are free to examine and modify these 2D models if desired.

Configure Planes
The next step is to configure the newly created slices. The configuration controls are in the Slice Data and Search Method tabs. Every setting in those two tabs acts only upon the multi-plane analysis planes
that are currently selected. Each plane that was created is shown both graphically on the model, and in the tree view on the left side of the multi-plane analysis dialog. Since you have just created a set of
planes, the newly created planes are already selected. You can confirm this by making sure they are orange-red colored on the graphical representation, and have a blue background behind their text in the
tree view in the dialog.

1. Move to the Slice Data tab,

2. Change the Slope Limit Crest to 900 m. The default settings span the entire extents of the model. While this is acceptable, more efficient results are produced by restricting the slope limits,
3. Change the Slope Limit Toe to 900 m,
Keep the default settings of the multi-orientation and slope direction controls. The multi-orientation settings allow for testing multiple similar rotation angles for each plane. The slope direction settings
configure the sliding direction in the exported 2D models.
4. Move to the Search Method tab,
5. Select Slope Search method from the Search Method droplist,
6. Change the Number of Surfaces to 300,
7. Click OK to close the Multi-Plane Analysis dialog.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Visualize button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The model is displayed in the CAD with the lowest FOS for the whole model showing.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 126 of 273

1. Select Slips > Multi-Plane Analysis Model Slices... from the menu,
This dialog shows a breakdown of the results of each slice. Similar to the front-end controls, you may select a slice to see information about it such as the critical factor of safety.
2. Move to the Visualization Options tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider. This will raise all the result visualizations upwards above the model, so that you can see the parts that would normally
be hidden within the model.
3. It is usually also desirable to see the critical slip surfaces for the other planes. In the Visualization Options tab, from the "Show FOS for" drop-down, select one of the other two options that are not
currently selected. Note the displayed FOS values and outlines for the critical surfaces throughout the pit. The bottom of the outlines will only be visible if the explosion distance slider is still raised,
or if the model is made transparent in some way.

The user may also want to see some of the slip surface trials in each slice.
1. Select Slips > Slip Surfaces... from the menu,
2. Change the filter option to the 10 surfaces with the lowest factors of safety,
3. Then enable the checkbox to Show Trial Slip Surfaces,
4. Try changing the Results Filter Mode at the bottom right of the dialog. This setting allows you to filter each plane independently, or all planes together. For example, you can show the 10 most
critical slip surface trials in the whole model, or the 10 most critical in each slice plane. The difference between "Per Slip Point" and "Per Slip Plane" is only apparent when multiple orientations are
defined in the front-end dialog.

Trial slip surfaces at each plane location

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D MPA Example 2

The purpose of the multi-plane analysis feature is to find the locations and approximate factors of safety for critical sliding masses in a model where the slope failure location is not obvious. For example, in
an open pit or river bank site, there are many potential slope failure locations. It is tedious and time-consuming to test each possible location one at a time through a sequence of analysis. The multi-plane
analysis feature allows quick and easy examination of many locations and sliding directions throughout the model, all at once.

This example is used to illustrate the multi-plane analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for the slope of an open pit. We will perform slope stability analysis on an open pit model using the 2D
MPA feature.

This tutorial is an extension of multi-plane analysis tutorial Example 1. It is recommend that you be familiar with the functionality shown in Example 1 before following this tutorial. We will examine a few
more useful features in order to get more familiar with the multi-plane analysis functionality.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Open_Pit_wFault_MPA2

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Multi-plane analysis

Model Geometry
Tutorial Manuals Page 127 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enable multi-plane analysis
c. Specify multi-plane analysis settings
d. Analyze Model
e. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the tutorial model, save a copy of the Open Pit Analysis model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the PIT3D model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model, you may also begin with the Open_Pit_wFault model in the Slopes_3D project if the
3D Open Pit Analysis tutorial was not created,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. In the Save As dialog, type the New File Name MPA2 and click OK to close the dialog and open the model.

b. Enable Multi-Plane Analysis (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Move to the Multi-Plane Analysis tab,
3. Select Enabled - Two dimensional Analysis. The default other settings in this tab are appropriate in most cases,
4. Move to the Convergence tab,
3
5. Check the Minimum Slide Surface Volume box and enter 5000 m . This is done because the automatic search methods will sometimes find very small or shallow slip surfaces, which often is not
desired.
6. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Specify Multi-Plane Analysis Settings (Model > Multi-Plane Analysis)

At this point, the existing search methods and 3D-specific features of the model are disabled, and the model is ready for defining the multi-plane analysis.

Create Planes
There are five ways to create planes. These are grouped into creating multiple planes automatically, or creating planes manually. Two of them (the elevation contour and polyline methods) are used to
automatically create multiple planes. The other three (the draw planes, new and from points methods) are used to manually create individual planes. In this tutorial, the "From Elevation Contour" and "From
Polyline" methods will be used to create planes. These feature can be used to add many planes all around the pit in one action.

· From Elevation Contour method

1. Select Model > Multi-Plane Analysis... from the menu,
2. In the Create/Delete Planes tab, set the Distance between new planes to 125 m. This setting controls the distance between plane slope points for any planes that are created thereafter.
3. Then click the Pick Elevation button...
4. Click on any point between elevations of 600 and 850 m in the open pit. Avoid picking a location high enough to spill outside of the main circular pit area,
5. Move to the Slice Data tab,
6. Change the Slope Limit Crest to 900 m. The default settings span the entire extents of the model. While this is acceptable, more efficient results are produced by restricting the slope limits,
7. Change the Slope Limit Toe to 900 m,

Many times, a set of planes from a single elevation is not enough to examine every part of the model that is of interest. Often, it is desirable to add planes in more constrained parts of the model. For
example, as shown in the screenshot below, we will add more planes in the circled region.
Tutorial Manuals Page 128 of 273

We are interested in analyzing that part of the slope as well. There are several good methods to do this. One way to create the planes would be to change the "maximum distance of new planes from chosen
point" to 700 in the "From elevation contour" section, then pick an elevation along that slope to create planes. Another way would be to use the "Draw Planes" manual feature, in which case you would create
a series of planes one at a time by clicking a point at the top of the slope and another point at the bottom of the slope while drawing planes. Here, we will use the "From Polyline" method:

· From Polyline method

1. Move to the Create/Delete Planes tab,
2. Click the Draw Polyline button...,
3. Draw an approximate line from one end of the slope to the other (double click to end drawing the line) as shown by the red line in the screenshot below,
Notice that the tree view in the dialog now shows another set of planes, but they are grouped under a parent Polyline node, while the previous planes are grouped under an Elevation node in the tree.
You can select all planes that were created from a single action by clicking the parent node in the tree, which makes it easy to manipulate groups of planes at once. Since we just drew the new planes,
they are already selected.

Configure Planes
Now, we will set the slope limits for the new set of planes. Make sure that they are still the only ones selected, and not the other planes. We will use the other method for setting slope limits, rather than
entering them directly.

1. Move to the Slice Data tab,

2. Click on the Draw Polygon to Set Limits button...,
3. Draw a polygon encompassing the slope area (double click to end drawing the polygon) as shown by the red lines in the screenshot below,

4. Click the Select All button to select all planes,

5. Change the Number of angles to 3 to add multi orientation analysis at each plane location,
6. Move to the Search Method tab,
7. Select Slope Search method from the Search Method drop list,
8. Change the Number of Surfaces to 600,
9. Click OK to close the Multi-Plane Analysis dialog.

Your final model should look like the screenshot below

Tutorial Manuals Page 129 of 273

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Visualize button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The model is displayed in the CAD with the lowest FOS for the whole model showing.

1. Select Slips > Multiple-Plane Analysis Model Slices... from the menu,
This dialog shows a breakdown of the results of each slice. Similar to the front-end controls, you may select a slice to see information about it such as the critical factor of safety.
2. Move to the Visualization Options tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider. This will raise all the result visualizations upwards above the model, so that you can see the parts that would normally
be hidden within the model.
3. It is usually also desirable to see the critical slip surfaces for the other planes. In the Visualization Options tab, from the "Show FOS for" dropdown, select each of the other two options that are not
currently selected. Note the displayed FOS values and outlines for the critical surfaces throughout the pit. The bottom of the outlines will only be visible if the explosion distance slider is still raised,
or if the model is made transparent in some way.

Lowest FOS for whole model

 Tutorial Manuals Page 130 of 273

Lowest FOS at each plane location

FOS for each plane

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Waste Pile Failure Wedges

The following example is a waste pile failure controlled by a weak interface between the waste material and its foundation. This example will introduce you to the three-dimensional Slope Stability modeling
environment and to investigate the use of a wedge slip surface method in determining the critical slip surface. A simple geometry is utilized in this example which is extruded from a 2D cross-section.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: WastePileFailure_Wedges

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Snapping coordinates
· Slip surfaces in 3D

Model Description
A simple 120m by 180m area is created. A non-level plane is added to model the ground surface. A triangular pile is then added to the flat ground surface.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 131 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the following general categories:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Specify Pore-Water
d. Apply material properties
e. Extrude 2D model to 3D
f. Specify analysis settings
g. Specify search method geometry
h. Analyze model
i. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: WEDGE
4. Click on OK.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

The shapes that define each region will now be created. Refer to the two data tables below for the geometry points for each region.

Define Region R1
1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Select R1 and click the Properties... button,
3. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
4. Copy the points for region R1 from the table provided below and paste them into the New Region Polygon dialog by clicking the Paste button,
5. Click OK to close the Regions dialog
6. Click the New button to create a new material named R2.
7. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to define the region R2 using the data provided in the table below. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region 1: R1
X (m) Y (m)
120 5
0 5
0 10
20 12
80 18
120 22

Region 2: R2
X (m) Y (m)
120 22
80 18
20 12
80 58
120 30

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 132 of 273

c. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

Generally information will be entered either for a water table or a piezometric line. In this model a water table will be used. In order to specify that a water table will be entered the must perform the following
steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Surfaces as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Check the Allow application of RU coefficients with water surfaces or discrete points checkbox,
4. Use the Water Table... button to access the Water Table dialog,
5. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
6. In the Apply to Regions, confirm the boxes for R1 and R2 are checked,
7. Press OK to close the Water Table dialog,
8. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
0 10
20 12
80 18
120 22

Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the three materials that will be used in the model. The bottom region represents the foundation and will be assigned a clay material.
The top region represents a pile placed above the foundation and will be assigned a fill material. An additional material is created to later define a wedge corresponding to a discontinuity. It is assumed that
the user measured the Shear Strength parameters for the three materials, which can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the Fill material. Repeat the process to add
the other two materials.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Fill Clay Foundation Disc
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 0 50 0
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 35 20 12
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 18 20 0.001
Water Surfaces Off On On
Water Parameter
Ru Coefficent 0.4

1. Open the Materials Manager dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Fill for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. Move to the Shear Strength tab,
7. Enter the parameter values provided in the table above,
8. Move to the Water Parameters tab,
Tutorial Manuals Page 133 of 273

9. From the Applicaion Type drop-down list select Ru Coefficient Per Material,
10. Enter a Ru Coefficient value found in the table,
11. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties: Mohr Coulomb dialog,
12. Repeat steps 2 - 11 to create the Clay Foundation and Disc materials using the information provided in the table above.
13. Press the OK button on the Materials Manager dialog to accept the changes and close the dialog.

Once all three material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Region Properties dialog by selecting Geometry > Region Properties... from the menu,
2. Select the R1 region using the arrows at the top right of the dialog.
3. Under the Region Settings section select the Clay Foundation material from the combo box to assign this material to R1,
4. Select the R2 region by using the arrows at the top of the dialog and assign the Fill material to this region,
5. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

e. Extrude 2D Model to 3D (File > Save As)

All of the previous steps may be transferred to a 3D version of this model. A new model is created with 3D geometry by extruding the 2D cross-section from the current model. This is accomplished through
the following steps:

NOTE:
At this point the user may wish to analyze the 2D model to examine the factor of safety. This process is described in the steps h and i below.

1. First, save the current model by clicking File > Save from the menu,
2. Next, to begin the extrusion process select File > Save As... from the menu,
3. Select the General tab,
System: 3D
New File Name: User Multi Planar 3D
4. Select the Spatial tab,
5. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
Y minimum: 0m
Y maximum: 180 m
6. Press OK to close the dialog and accept the reset of some items,
7. The view will automatically change to 3D. If you want to change the View, select View > Mode > XZ to change the CAD back to a 2D side- profile view.
Now your screen will look like the diagram below.

NOTE:
X- and Y-coordinates in 2D become X- and Z-coordinates in 3D space with the model extrusion

The 3D geometry is now complete.

f. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Fully Specified Only
Select Types of Wedges
Fully Specified
Slip Surfaces:
Select Slip Towards Negative X
Direction:
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Press the Lambda button to open the Lambda Values dialog,
5. Enter a Start Value of -0.5,
6. Enter an Interval of 0.25,
7. Enter the Number as 8,
8. Press Generate,
9. Press OK to close the Lambda Values dialog,
10. Move to the Convergence tab. The number of columns in each direction will be doubled to provide increased accuracy,
11. Enter 100 for the Number of Rows,
12. Enter 60 for the Number of slices,
13. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

g. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

This model makes use of a fully-specified search methodology. The wedge shape is used as the slip surface geometry. Four wedges will be specified through the following steps:

1. Open the Wedges Sliding Surface dialog through the Slips > Wedges ... menu option,
2. Click the New button at the bottom left hand corner 4 times to create 4 wedges,
Tutorial Manuals Page 134 of 273

3. Enter the data for the 4 wedges as specified below,

4. Click OK to close the dialog.
X (m) Y (m) Z (m) Dip (deg) Dip Direction Discontinuity Material
0 90 10 7 0 Disc
60 90 12 32 0 None
0 90 -35 45 87 None
0 90 -35 45 -87 None

Note: Each sliding surface comprising a wedge plane is formed based on a single locating point (X, Y, Z) and dip/dip direction. The Dip is defined as the angle in degrees from the horizontal plane. The Dip
Direction is the azimuth of the direction that the dip is projected to the horizontal, a positive dip direction is defined as the clockwise angle from the negative X axis. The Dip direction is 90 degrees off of the
strike angle.

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model has completed solving the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. To
switch between the results of the different calculation methods, click on the drop down menu at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

Critical Sliding Mass

In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Under the Mass Explosion tab uncheck the Show Sliding Mass with Explosion under 3D View checkbox.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.133 for the GLE (Fredlund) method.

Column Information
The user may also plot the column information for a particular column chosen either in plan view or from a vertical cross-section. The column information settings are set in the Column Information dialog. To
access this dialog, first click on a 2D view of the model by selecting one of the 2D options under View > Mode. Then click the Slips > Column Base Information... menu item. Once the Column Information
dialog is closed by clicking OK, the user may select a particular column by clicking on it in the CAD. The details of the selected column will appear in the CAD.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 135 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Submergence

The following example is an upstream earth dam with a sloping clay core surrounded by granular material which is used to illustrate the use of a grid and tangent search method in determining the critical slip
surface of a submerged slope. The example is modeled using four regions, five surfaces, and four materials. A simple geometry is utilized in this example which is extruded from a 2D cross-section. This
example also demonstrates the toe submergence procedures of Slope Stability when the topmost material is water.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Grid_Tangent_Toe_Submergence_Deeper
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

This model is a modification of a submergence model originally presented in the CLARA-W verification manual.

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Snapping coordinates
· Slip surfaces in 3D

Model Description and Geometry

A simple 500ft by 200ft area is created. A non-level plane is added to model the underlying bedrock layer. The slope shape lying above bedrock is composed of 3 surfaces. The top surface intersects the water
table at a height 150.07ft.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 136 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the following general categories:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify Pore-Water
f. Specify search method geometry
g. Extrude 2D model to 3D
h. Analyze model
i. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Imperial
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: SUBMERGENCE
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,
2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Grid and Tangent
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Select the Convergence tab from the menu,
Number of slices: 50
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

The shapes that define each region will now be created. Refer to the tables below for the geometry points for the four regions.

Define Region R1
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button 3 times to create the second, third and fourth regions,
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 from the table provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps preformed for R1 to create regions R2, R3, and R4,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and click OK on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.
Tutorial Manuals Page 137 of 273

Region 1: R1
X (ft) Y (ft)
500 50
0 50
0 107
193 107
196 103
219 103
225 107
500 107

Region 2: R2
X (ft) Y (ft)
500 107
225 107
440 250
445 256
500 256

Region 3: R3
X (ft) Y (ft)
440 250
225 107
219 103
196 103
193 107
0 107
0 112
100 112
189 112
425 250

Region 4: R4
X (ft) Y (ft)
445 256
440 250
425 250
189 112
100 112
420 256

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the four materials that will be used in the model. The Extents region cuts through all the surfaces in a model, creating a separate
“block” on each layer. Each block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all blocks will be assigned a material. There are five surfaces resulting in four
layers. Each layer will contain a different material. It is assumed that the user measured the Shear Strength parameters , which can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on
creating the R1 material. Repeat the process to add the other three materials.

Material
Tabs Parameters
R1 RockFill Core Fill
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (psf) 2250 100 135 135
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 35 33 29 28
3
Unit Weight (lb/ft ) 160 135 135 135

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter R1 for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. Select the Shear Strength tab,
7. Enter the parameter values provided in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties: Mohr Coulomb dialog,
9. Repeat steps 2 - 8 to create the RockFill, Core, and Fill materials,
10. Press the OK button on the Materials Manager dialog to accept the changes and close the dialog.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Use the material drop list to assign materials as follows:
R1 - R1
R2 - Fill
R3 - Core
R4 - RockFill
3. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.
Tutorial Manuals Page 138 of 273

e. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

Pore-Water is generally associated with transient model runs. Their purpose is to provide a reasonable starting point for the solver. In a steady-state model, Pore-Water can be used to precondition the solver
to allow faster convergence. Generally speaking, the user will enter information either for a water table or a piezometric line. In this model a water table will be used. In order to specify that a water table will
be entered the user must perform the following steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Surface as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Water Table... button to access the Water Table dialog,
4. Copy X and Y coordinates as provided in the table below and click Paste Points button,
5. In the Apply to Regions section, make sure the boxes have been checked beside each region created,
6. Press OK to close the Water Table dialog,
7. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 150.012
184.472 150.012
247.595 146.263
266.837 134.826
451.8 137.39
500 137.39

Now your screen will look like the image below.

NOTE:
After water table points are entered or a water table is drawn, the points will be automatically adjusted based on intersections of the water table line with
regions. Corresponding points will be added to both the water table line and the regions.

f. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Grid and Tangent method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in Step b. Now the user must specify the graphical representation of the grid and tangent objects on the
screen. This is accomplished through the following steps:

GRID TAB
1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ...,
2. Select the Grid tab,
3. Enter the values for the grid as provided in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
4. Move to entering the tangent values.
X (ft) Y (ft)
90 550 Upper Left
90 440 Lower Left
160 440 Lower Right
X Increments: 6
Y Increments: 6

TANGENT TAB
1. Select the Tangent tab,
2. Enter the values for the tangent as provided in the table below (the grid values may also be drawn on the CAD window),
3. Press OK to close the Grid and Tangent dialog,
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 128 Upper Left
0 108 Lower Left
500 108 Lower Right
500 128 Upper Right
Radius Increments: 1

The grid and tangent graphics will now be displayed on the CAD window.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 139 of 273

g. Extrude 2D Model to 3D (File > Save As)

All of the previous steps may be transferred to a 3D version of this model. A new model is created with 3D geometry by extruding the 2D cross-section from the current model. This is accomplished through
the following steps:

1. First, save the current model by clicking File > Save from the menu,
NOTE:
At this point the user may wish to analyze the 2D model to examine the factor of safety. This process is described in the steps h and i below.

2. Next, to begin the extrusion process select File > Save As ... from the menu,
3. Select the General tab,
System: 3D
New File Name: Submergence 3D
4. Select the Spatial tab,
5. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
Y minimum: 0 ft
Y maximum: 200 ft
6. Press OK to close the dialog, the view should be changed to a 3D view, if not, proceed to step 7.
7. Select View > Mode > 3D to change the CAD to a 3D view.
NOTE:
X- and Y-coordinates in 2D become X- and Z-coordinates in 3D space with the model extrusion

Now that the model has been extruded to 3D the model settings need to be updated:

1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,

2. Select the Advanced tab in the dialog,
Uncheck the option Exclude the Trial Slip Surfaces that Have Columns Outside of Model Domain,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

The Y-coordinates for the search method geometry need to be updated in the 3D model:

1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ...,

2. Enter the following values for the Y-coordinate,
Min Value: 0
Max Value: 0
No. of 1
Increments:
3. Press OK to close the dialog.
The 3D model is now complete and ready to be analyzed. The view may be switched between 2D and 3D mode by using the View > Mode menu item.

Your model will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 140 of 273

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model has completed solving the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. To
switch between the results of the different calculation methods, click on the drop down menu at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view. In order to view the sliding mass area
more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Uncheck the Sliding Mass with Explosion checkbox.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.428 for GLE (Fredlund) method.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 141 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D General Sliding Surface

The following example is used to illustrate the use of a general sliding surface search method in determining the critical slip surface. The example is modeled using one region, three surfaces, and two
materials. The purpose of this model is to demonstrate the entry of three-dimensional surfaces defined as Grid.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: General_Sliding_Surface
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Snapping coordinates
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Surface definitions
· Pinch-outs

Model Description
A simple 680 m by 500 m area is created. Two surfaces that pinch-out form a wedge-like layer that contains the glacial till material. The remainder of the model is composed of a waste rock material. A
water surface exits near the midpoint of the slope.
Tutorial Manuals Page 142 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up the model described in the preceding section, the following steps are required. The steps fall under the following general categories:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Specify Pore-Water
e. Apply material properties
f. Specify search method geometry
g. Analyze model
h. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: SLIDING
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Fully Specified Only
Select Types of General Surfaces
Fully Specified
Slip Surfaces:
Select Slip Towards Negative X
Direction:
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Click on the Lambda button and enter 0 for the Start Value, Interval at 0.3, and Number at 10.
5. Click Generate to generate new lambda values and click OK to close the Lambda Values dialog,
6. Select the Convergence tab from the menu,
Note the number of slices: 50
7. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model will consist of a single region named Slope. To add the region follow these steps:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Slope. To do this, highlight the name and type the new text,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
The shapes that define the region will now be created. The geometry points for the Slope region are given in the table below.

· Define the Slope region

1. Select Slope in the Region Selector, found in the toolbar at the top of the workspace,
2. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
3. Click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

X (m) Y (m)
0 0
680 0
680 500
0 500

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 143 of 273

This model consists of three surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.
1. Select Surface 1 in the Surface Selector found at the top of the workspace,
2. Select Geometry > Surface Properties... from the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
3. For the Definition Options, select Constant from the drop-down,
4. Click on the Constant tab,
5. Enter a Surface Constant of 50,
6. Click OK to close the dialog,
· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a grid of (X,Y) points and corresponding elevations.

7. Select Surface 2 in the Surface Selector,

8. Go to Geometry > Surface Properties... in the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
9. Select Grid from the Definition Options drop-down
10. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to define the grid and elevations for Surface 2,
11. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
12. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 2 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D General Sliding Surface 2.csv.
13. Click the Paste Points button,
14. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
15. Click No when asked to keep the existing grid points,
16. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,
17. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog.
NOTE:
You can define a custom grid by using the Define Gridlines... button on the Surface Properties dialog and entering either a set of regular or irregular gridlines. The
elevation for each grid point defined by the gridlines must then be entered manually.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

· Define Surface 3
This surface will be defined by providing a grid of (X,Y) points and corresponding elevations. To create the surface

18. Go to Geometry > Surfaces... in the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
19. Click the New... button to create a new surface,
20. Click OK on the Insert Surfaces dialog to use the default surface settings,
21. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog,
22. Repeat Steps 7 - 17 to define Surface 3 using the (X,Y,Z) data grid found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D General Sliding Surface 3.csv.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 144 of 273

d. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

Pore-Water is often defined in terms of a water surface and that is the case in this example. In order to specify that a water surface will be entered the user must perform the following steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Surfaces as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Water Surface... button to access the Water Table Properties dialog,
4. Select Grid from the Definition Options drop-down
4. On the Elevations tab click the Paste Data Grid... button to define the grid and elevations for the water surface,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
8. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for water table found in the file titled Slope Stability Tutorial 3D General Sliding Surface Water.csv,
9. Click the Paste Points button,
10. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
11. Click No when asked to keep the existing grid points,
12. On the Apply tab, ensure that the water surface has been applied to all surfaces by clicking the Select All button,
13. Click OK to close the Water Table Properties dialog,
14. Click Ok to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.

e. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the two materials that will be used in the model. The Slope region cuts through all the surfaces in a model, creating a separate
“block” on each layer. Each block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all blocks will be assigned a material. There are 3 surfaces resulting in two
layers. In this case it is assumed that the user has measured the Shear Strength of each material, which can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the WasteRock
material. Repeat the process to add the GlacialTill material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
WasteRock GlacialTill
New Material Method Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 100 0
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 45 35
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 26 22
Water Parameter Application Type Water Surfaces Water Surfaces

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter WasteRock for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. Move to the Shear Strength tab
7. Enter the parameters provided in the table above,
8. Move to the Water Parameters tab,
9. In the Pore-water Pressure section ensure the Application Type is set to Water Surfaces,
10. Click the OK button to close the Mohr Coulomb dialog,
11. Repeat Steps 2 through 10 to create the GlacialTill material,
12. Press the OK button on the Materials Manager dialog to accept the changes and close the dialog.

Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all
blocks will be assigned a material.

1. Select Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu to open the Material Layers dialog,
2. Select GlacialTill from the drop-down for Layer 2,
3. Select WasteRock from the drop-down for Layer 1,
4. Close the Material Layers dialog using the OK button.

f. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips)

The General Sliding Surface method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in Step b. Now the user must enter the data grid for the surface. This is accomplished through the
following steps:

1. Select Slips > Weak Surfaces...,

2. Click New button to create a new weak surface, then click Properties to open the surface,
3. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to define the grid and elevations for the general sliding surface,
4. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
4. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 2 found in the file titled Slope Stability Tutorial 3D General Sliding Surface Weak.csv,
5. Click the Paste Points button,
5. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 145 of 273

6. Click OK to close the General Sliding Surface dialog.

The General Sliding Surface graphics will now be displayed on the CAD window.

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results.

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model has completed solving the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. To
switch between the results of the different calculation methods, click on the drop down menu at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view. In order to view the sliding mass area
more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Under the Mass Explosion tab check the Show Sliding Mass with Explosion under 3D View checkbox,
3. Move the Explosion distance slider to the right.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 2.2 for the GLE (Fredlund) method.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Rapid Drawdown

The following example is used to illustrate the analysis of the 2D Rapid Drawdown Example tutorial model extended to a three-dimensional model. The purpose of this model is to compare the factor of safety
to that found in the two-dimensional version of this model.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: RDD_Pumped_Storage_Project_Dam_3D
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Extruding to a 3D model
 Tutorial Manuals Page 146 of 273

Model Description
This model extends the 2D Rapid Drawdown Example tutorial model into three-dimensions by using a width of 1000 ft. All other aspects of this model are the same as those found in the two-dimensional
version.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the following general categories:

a. Open 2D Rapid Drawdown Example model

b. Extrude 2D Model to 3D
c. Analyze model
d. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Open 2D Rapid Drawdown Example Model

This model begins with a two-dimensional version. To open the model follow these steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. If the 2D Rapid drawdown Example tutorial has been completed on this computer, scroll to the Drawdown model in the MyProject project otherwise find the
RDD_Pumped_Storage_Project_Dam in the Slopes_Group_3 project,
4. Double-click on the selected row to open the model.

b. Extrude 2D Model to 3D
A new model is created with 3D geometry by extruding the 2D cross-section from the current model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. First, save the current model by clicking File > Save As from the menu,
2. Select the General tab, Select MyProject or any other project to save the new module in.
System: 3D
New File Name: DRAWDOWN 3D
3. Select the Spatial tab,
4. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
Y minimum: -500 ft
Y maximum: 500 ft
5. Press OK to close the dialog,
6. Press OK to accept the reset of some items.

NOTE:
X- and Y-coordinates in 2D become X- and Z-coordinates in 3D space with the model extrusion

The 3D model is now complete and ready to be analyzed.

Your screen will look like the image below.

c. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

 Tutorial Manuals Page 147 of 273

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

d. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the model has completed solving the user may view the results by pressing the Results icon on the process toolbar. The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. To
switch between the results of the different calculation methods, click on the drop down menu at the top of the screen and select the method you would like to view.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.792 for GLE (Fredlund) method.

Critical Sliding Mass

In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Adjust the Explosion Distance slider to see the 3D shape of the critical sliding mass.

The factor of safety is slightly higher than that found in the two-dimensional version of this model (2D Rapid Drawdown Example). This leads to the conclusion that adding the width dimension to the two-
dimensional model yields in a slightly more stable slope.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Arbitrary Sliding Direction

This example is used to illustrate the analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model using the Orientation Analysis feature of Slope Stability, i.e., a slip surface direction that does not follow the x-axis.
A range of slip surface directions is analyzed and the effect on the factor of safety for the slope is noted.

This example consists of a simple one layer slope. The model is analyzed using the Bishop Simplified method and the GLE (Fredlund) method. The purpose of this example is to analyze the stability of a
simple slope along several different slip surface directions and present the resultant factors of safety.

The model is developed from: Jiang et al., Can. Geotech. J. 40: 308-325 (2003). Jiang results were a FOS = 1.33 using the Dynamic Programming search method and the Janbu analysis method.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Arbitrary_Sliding_Direction
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
 Tutorial Manuals Page 148 of 273

· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Orientation analysis

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Specify analysis settings
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Analyze model
g. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Multiple Orientations
Model Name: ARBITRARY
4. Click on OK.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model contains a single region. Every model has one region defined by default. The shape that defines this region will now be created.

Define R1 Region
1. Select Geometry > Region Properties... from the menu,
2. Click the New Polygon button,
3. Copy and paste the region coordinates from the table below into the New Region Polygon dialog using the Paste Points button,
4. Press OK to close the dialogs.
Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
-10 -10
70 -10
70 70
-10 70

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 149 of 273

This model consists of two surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.
· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.
1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
2. Select the row containing Surface 1 in the surface list
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. For the Definition Option, select Constant from the drop-down,
5. Click on the Constant tab,
6. Enter an Elevation of 0,
7. Click OK to close the dialog.
· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.

1. Select the row containing Surface 2 in the surface list

2. Click the Properties... button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in Windows Explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
6. Open the "Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Arbitrary Sliding Direction Surface 2.csv" file, and then copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 2 from the file,
7. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
9. Click OK to the pop-up,
10. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog,
If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

c. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. On the 3D Slip Surface tab select the Entry and Exit search method,
3. Move to the Calculation Methods tab and select the method type as shown below:
Bishop Simplified
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Move to the Orientation Analysis tab
5. Enter Data for Slip Direction:
Start X: 26 End X: -4
Tutorial Manuals Page 150 of 273

Start Y: 32 End Y: 32
6. Enter the following Rotation Angles by clicking the Add Regular... button,
Start: -10
End: 10
Number of Increments: 5
Increment Value: 5
7. Move to the Convergence tab and enter the values as follows. Note that a coarser column grid and reducing number of slices are defined in order to decrease the model solving time. These
modifications were found to have little effect on the factor of safety compared to the default values.

Number of rows (Y direction): 80

Number of slices: 80
Tolerance: 0.001
Maximum number of iterations: 50
8. Press OK to close the dialogs.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. In this case we assume that the user has measured the Shear Strength parameters for the
Soil material found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the soil material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Soil
New Material Strength Type Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 11.7
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 24.7
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 17.66

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Soil for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
9. Click the OK button to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Once the material property has been entered, we must apply the material to the appropriate region. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. In this model there is only one region and one layer. The material is assigned to this block as follows.

1. Open the Material Layers dialog by selecting Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu,
2. Select the soil Material for Layer 1 from the drop down,
3. Press the OK to close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the settings for this method. This is accomplished through the
following steps:

ENTRY AND EXIT

1. Select Slips > Entry and Exit ...,
2. Press the "2D View" button,
3. Enter the values provided in the tables below,
4. Press OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range (Right Side)
Left Point Right Point
X* 14 21
Increments 6

Exit Range (Left Side)

Left Point Right Point
X* 2 8
Increments 6
Radius increments 6

Aspect Ratio
0.8
0.933
1.067
1.2

NOTE:
The X* and Y* coordinates are rotated coordinates, i.e., they are relative to the slip direction.

The grid and tangent graphics will now be displayed on the CAD window.
Tutorial Manuals Page 151 of 273

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

d. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.433 along the -5 degree sliding direction angle for the GLE method. A screenshot of the two-dimensional view along the sliding direction is shown below. This view
is accessed by clicking on the SD icon which appears below the toolbars on the top left hand side of the screen

Critical Sliding Mass

The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Move to the Mass Explosion tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 152 of 273

The factor of safety versus sliding direction angle is shown below for the GLE method. The dialog is available by clicking Graphs > FOS vs Sliding Direction Angle... in the menu. As displayed in the screenshot
below, the angle with the lowest factor of safety is the -5 degree slip direction angle. It should be noted that the most likely slip direction is now an additional searching parameter with a 3D slope stability
analysis.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Tailings Storage Facility

This example is used to illustrate the analysis of a three-dimensional Tailings Storage Facility. The model will be analysed with the Grid and Tangent search method for circular slip surfaces. The purpose of
this model is to determine the factor of safety of a Tailings Storage Facility. The model dimensions and material properties are in the next section.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Tailings_Storage_Facility

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Grid and Tangent method

Model Geometry
 Tutorial Manuals Page 153 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Specify Pore-Water
e. Apply material properties
f. Specify search method geometry
g. Analyze model
h. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to right
Model Name: 3DTSF
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Grid and Tangent
Select Slip Towards Positive X
Direction:
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:

GLE (Fredlund)
4. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a series of layers and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from existing
models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model contains one region which are used the define the model. Every model has one region defined by default. The shape that defines this region will now be created.

Define R1 Region
1. Select Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Select R1 and click the Properties button,
3. Click the New Polygon... button,
4. Copy and paste the region coordinates for R1 from the table below into the New Region Polygon dialog using the Paste button,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.
Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
0 0
360 0
360 350
0 350

Now your screen will look like the image below.

 Tutorial Manuals Page 154 of 273

This model consists of six surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces. The following steps create an additional four surfaces and then proceed to define each surface.

1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
2. Click New... to create a new surface,
3. Enter 4 in the Number of new surfaces field,
4. Click OK to accept settings.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Select the row containing Surface 1 in the surface list,
2. Click the Properties... button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
5. Click on the Import From File... button and navigate to “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in the file selector dialog,
NOTE:
This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose
to use.

6. Select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 1.csv,
7. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click No to remove existing grid points.

· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Use the right arrow button located at the top right of the Surface Properties dialog to move to the next surface in the list,
2. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
3. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
4. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 2.csv,
5. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
6. Click No to remove existing grid points.

· Define Surface 3
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Use the right arrow button to move to Surface 3,
2. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
3. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 3.csv,
4. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
5. Click No to remove existing grid points.

· Define Surface 4
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Use the right arrow button to move to Surface 4,
2. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
3. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 4.csv,
4. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
5. Click No to remove existing grid points

· Define Surface 5
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Use the right arrow button to move to Surface 5,
2. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
3. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 5.csv,
4. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
5. Click No to remove existing grid points.

· Define Surface 6
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Use the right arrow button to move to Surface 6,
2. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
3. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Surface 6.csv,
4. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
5. Click No to remove existing grid points,
6. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,
7. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

 Tutorial Manuals Page 155 of 273

d. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table or a piezometric surface must be specified as an Pore-Water for this model. In this model a water table will be used. To enter the water table data follow these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Surfaces as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Click on the Water Surface... button to enter the water table data,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid,
5. Click on the Import From File... button and select the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Tailings Storage Facility Water.csv,
6. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
7. Click No to remove existing grid points,
8. Move to the Apply tab and confirm that the water table is applied to all Region/Layer pairs, if not click the Select All button,
9. Press OK to close the Water Table Property dialog,
10. Press OK to close the Pore Water Pressure dialog.

e. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. This section will provide instructions on creating the soil material.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Tailings for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Undrained Strength for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu.
Any region that has a material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab and enter the parameter values given in the table below,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Follow Steps 1 to 7 for the remaining materials in the table below (note the difference in Method),
9. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

Material Method Cohesion Friction Unit Weight

(kPa) Angle (deg) 3
(KN/m )
Tailings Undrained Strength (Phi=0) 30 18
Dam Mohr Coulomb 5 37 20
Structural fill Mohr Coulomb 0 36 20
Clay Mohr Coulomb 20 18 19
Bedrock Bedrock

Once the material property has been entered, we must apply the material to the appropriate region. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. The material is assigned to this block as follows.

1. Open the Material Layers dialog by selecting Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu,
2. Assign the materials to layers as shown in the table below,
3. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

Layer Material
layer 5 Tailings
layer 4 Dam
layer 3 Structural fill
layer 2 Clay
layer 1 Bedrock

f. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Grid and Tangent method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry for each of these objects. In this tutorial, we will
select a random searching location for analysis. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ... from the menu,
2. In the Grid and Tangent tab, enter the grid and tangent values as shown in the table below,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Min. Value Max. value No. of

Increments
X-Coordinate 160 210 7
Y-Coordinate 200 200 0
Z-Coordinate 4890 4935 7
Tangent Planes 4833 4842 3

Aspect Ratios: 1, 1.5, 2

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 156 of 273

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . A discussion of the results can be found here.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.534 for the GLE (Fredlund) method.

Critical Sliding Mass

The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Move to the Mass Explosion tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider.

XZ Slice View
In this model, it is useful for the user to determine the layers which the critical slip surface intersects. These intersections may be clearly seen in the XZ Slice view shown in the following figure.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Heap Leach Pad

This example is used to illustrate the analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for a Heap Leach Pad. The model will be analysed with the Fully Specified - Wedges method. The purpose of this
model is to determine the factor of safety of a Heap Leach Pad with a weak layer under the ground surface. The model dimensions and material properties are in the next section.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Heap_Leach_Pad

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
 Tutorial Manuals Page 157 of 273

· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Fully specified wedge

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify analysis settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Specify Pore-Water
e. Apply material properties
f. Specify search method geometry
g. Analyze model
h. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to right
Model Name: HeapLeach
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Fully Specified Only
Select Types of Wedges
Fully Specified
Slip Surfaces:
Select Slip Towards Positive X
Direction:
3. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:

Spencer
4. Change the Min. Lambda to -0.5.
5. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a series of layers and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from existing
models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model contains one region which is used the define the model. Every model has one region defined by default. The shape that defines this region will now be created.

Define R1 Region
1. Select Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Select R1 and click the Properties button,
3. Click the New Polygon... button,
4. Copy and paste the region coordinates for R1 from the table below into the New Region Polygon dialog using the Paste button,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 158 of 273

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
0 0
264.555 0
354.949 165.35
568.678 222.764
620.302 263.352
647.525 327.943
641.889 340.285
621.088 337.001
590.802 348.405
513.052 426.413
446.927 521.802
425.952 540
0 540

Now your screen will look like the image below.

This model consists of 4 surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.
1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
2. Select the row containing Surface 1 in the surface list
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. For the Surface Definition Option, select Constant from the drop-down,
5. Click on the Constant tab,
6. Enter an Elevation of 2500,
7. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog.

NOTE:
Ignore the warning message

· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Select the row containing Surface 2 in the surface list
2. Click the Properties... button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE 21, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
6. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 2 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Heap Leach Pad Surface 2.csv,
7. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
9. Click No to remove existing grid points,
10. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog.

· Define Surface 3
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Click New to create a new surface,
2. Enter 2 in Number of new surfaces field,
3. Click OK to accept settings,
4. Select the row containing Surface 3 in the surface list
5. Click the Properties... button,
6. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
7. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
8. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
9. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 3 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Heap Leach Pad Surface 3.csv,
10. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
11. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
12. Click No to remove existing grid points,
13. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,

· Define Surface 4
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.
1. Select the row containing Surface 4 in the surface list
2. Click the Properties... button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
Tutorial Manuals Page 159 of 273

4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
6. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 4 found in the .CSV file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Heap Leach Pad Surface 4.csv,
7. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
9. Click No to remove existing grid points,
10. Click OK to any pop-up messages,
11. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,
12. Uncheck the display of all grids,
13. Click OK to close Surfaces dialog.

Now your screen will look like the image below.

d. Specify Pore-Water (Pore-Water > Settings)

A water table or a piezometric surface must be specified as an Pore-Water for this model. In this model a water table will be used. In order to specify that a water table will be entered the user needs to
following these steps:

1. Select Pore-Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Water Surfaces as the Pore-Water Pressure Method,
3. Use the Water Surface... button to access the Water Table Properties dialog,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
6. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Water Table found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Heap Leach Pad Water.csv,
7. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click No to remove existing grid points,
9. Move to the Format tab and uncheck the Show Grid Lines box,
10. Move to the Apply tab and click the Select All button,
11. Press OK to close the dialogs.

e. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. This section will provide instructions on creating the soil material.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Soil1 for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Shear Strength type of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu.
Any region that has a material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab and enter the parameter values given in the table below,
7. Click the OK button to close the Shear Material Properties dialog,
8. Follow Steps 1 to 6 for the remaining materials in the table below (note the difference in Method),
9. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

Material Shear Strength Cohesion Friction Angle Unit Weight

Type (kPa) (deg) 3
(kN/m )
Soil1 Mohr Coulomb 25 45 16
Bedrock Bedrock - - -
Ore Mohr Coulomb 14 35 21
Soil2 Mohr Coulomb 7 14 21

Once the material property has been entered, we must apply the material to the appropriate region. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. The material is assigned to this block as follows.

1. Open the Material Layers dialog by selecting Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu,
2. Assign the materials to layers as shown in the table below,
3. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

Layer Material
 Tutorial Manuals Page 160 of 273

layer 3 Ore
layer 2 Soil1
layer 1 Bedrock

f. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Fully Specified Wedges method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry for each of these objects. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Wedges ... from the menu,

2. Enter the data as shown in the table below (data can be copied and pasted using paste point button),
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Wedge X (m) Y (m) Z (m) Dip Angle (deg.) Dip Dir (deg.) Disc. Mat
1 604.964 270 2584.068 -1.563 0 Soil2
2 423.654 230.686 2589.051 -22.661 -83.446 Soil2
3 470.903 308.89 2587.686 -21.08 81.885 Soil2
4 267 270 2594.315 -47 0 Soil2

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon . A discussion of the results can be found here.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.343 for the Spencer method.

Critical Sliding Mass

The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Move to the Mass Explosion tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Open Pit Analysis

This example is used to illustrate the analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for the slope of an open pit. The slip direction is taken as parallel to the x-axis. An assumed fault is input into the
software. The searching for the slip surface uses a combination of elliptical entry and exit slip surfaces, as well as intersection with a fault.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Open_Pit_withFault

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Entry and Exit
· Fully Specified Wedges

Model Geometry
 Tutorial Manuals Page 161 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Specify analysis settings
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Analyze model
g. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model Name: PIT3D
4. Click on OK.

b. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Entry and Exit
Select Types of Wedges
Fully Specified
Slip Surfaces:
Select Slip Towards Negative X
Direction:
3. Move to the Calculation Methods tab and select the method type as shown below:

GLE (Fredlund)
4. Move to the Convergence tab,
5. Enter the values as follows. Note that a coarser column grid and reduced number of slices are defined in order to decrease the model solving time. These modifications were found to have little
effect on the factor of safety compared to the default values.
Number of rows (Y direction): 100
Number of slices: 100
Tolerance: 0.001
Maximum number of iterations: 50
Check Minimum slide surface depth (m): 50
Check Minimum number of active columns: 40
6. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a series of layers and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from existing
models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model contains a single region. Every model has one region defined by default. The shape that defines this region will now be created.

Define R1 Region
1. Select Geometry > Region Properties ... from the menu,
2. Click the New Polygon... button,
3. Copy and paste the region coordinates from the table below into the New Region Polygon dialog using the Paste button,
4. Press OK to close the dialogs.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 162 of 273

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
127 983
127 5982
4976.3 5982
4976.3 983

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

This model consists of two surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.

1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
2. Select the row containing Surface 1 in the surface list
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. For the Surface Definition Option, select Constant from the drop-down,
5. Click on the Constant tab,
6. Enter an Elevation of 0,
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.

1. Select the row containing Surface 2 in the surface list

2. Click the Properties... button,
3. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
4. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
5. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE 10, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
6. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 2 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Open Pit Analysis Surface 2.csv,
7. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
9. Click No to remove existing grid points,
10. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog.

Now your screen will look like the image below

· Define Surface 3
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.

11. Click New to create a new surface,

12. Click OK to accept settings,
13. Select the row containing Surface 3 in the surface list
14. Click the Properties... button,
Tutorial Manuals Page 163 of 273

15. Select Grid from the Definition Options,

16. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
17. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
18. Copy the (X,Y,Z) data grid for Surface 3 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Open Pit Analysis Surface 3.csv,
19. Click the Paste Points button on the Paste Data Grid dialog,
20. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
21. Click No to remove existing grid points,
22. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog,
23. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog.
Now your screen will look like the image below

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. In this case it is assumed that the user measured the Shear Strength parameters for the
three materials, which can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the soil material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Rock Hard Rock Weak Rock
New Material Strength Type Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 100 500 1
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 37 39 25
Unit Weight (kN/m3) 29 35 25

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Rock for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Shear Material Properties dialog,
9. Repeat Steps for Hard Rock and Weak Rock materials,
10. Press the OK button to close the dialog.
Once the material property has been entered, we must apply the material to the appropriate region. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. The material is assigned to this block as follows.

1. Open the Material Layers dialog by selecting Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu,
2. Select the Hard Rock Material for Layer 1 from the drop down,
3. Select the Rock Material for Layer 2 from the drop down,
4. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry for each of these objects. This is accomplished
through the following steps:

1. Select Slips > Entry and Exit ... from the menu,
2. Enter the data as shown in the screenshot below,

Entry Range Exit Range

Right Side Left Side
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 3847.313 4197.964 X 2702 3099
Increments 10 Increments 10
Radius
10
Increments

Y-Coordinate Aspect Ratios (Y/X)

Min. Value 3482.5 0.5
Max. Value 3482.5 0.6
Increments 0 0.7

3. Select Slips > Wedges ... from the menu,

4. Click New to add a new wedge entry,
5. Enter the data as shown in the screenshot below.

Dip angle Dip direction Discontinuity

Tutorial Manuals Page 164 of 273

X (m) Y (m) Z (m) (deg.) (deg.) Material

Wedge #1 3863 3482.5 900 35 0 Weak Rock

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

g. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Move to the Mass Explosion tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.47 along the x-axis sliding direction angle for the GLE method. A screenshot of the two-dimensional view along the sliding direction is shown below. This view is
accessed by clicking on the XZ icon which appears below the toolbars on the top left hand side of the screen

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Complex Open Pit Analysis
 Tutorial Manuals Page 165 of 273

This example is used to illustrate the analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for the slope of an open pit. The slip direction is taken as parallel to the x-axis. An assumed fault is input into the
software. The searching for the slip surface uses a combination of grid and tangent with a specified wedge.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Complex_Open_Pit

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Grid and Tangent with Fully Specified Wedges

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Specify analysis settings
d. Apply material properties
e. Specify search method geometry
f. Analyze model
g. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Multiple Orientations
Model Name: Complex_Open_Pit
4. Click on OK.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a series of layers and can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can be imported from sources such as .DXF files or from existing
models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model contains a single region. Every model has one region defined by default. The shape that defines this region will now be created.

Define R1 Region
1. Select Geometry > Region Properties ... from the menu,
2. Click the New Polygon... button,
3. Copy and paste the region coordinates from the table below into the New Region Polygon dialog using the Paste button,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 166 of 273

4. Press OK to close the dialogs.

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
46700 26100
46700 27300
47700 27300
47700 26100

This model consists of two surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.

1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu,

2. Select the row containing Surface 2 in the surface list
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. Select Grid from the Definition Options,
5. Click the Paste Data Grid... button to set up the grid for the selected surface,
6. Click on the Import From File... button and navigate to “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in the Select a XYZ/Grid Data File dialog,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path was chosen at installation.
7. Open and copy the (X,Y,Z) data for Surface 2 found in the file Slope Stability Tutorial 3D Complex Open Pit Analysis Surface 2.csv,
8. Click OK to close the Paste Data Grid dialog,
9. Click No to remove existing grid points,
10. Click OK to close the Surface Properties dialog.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.

1. Select Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu to open the Surfaces dialog,
2. Select the row containing Surface 1 in the surface list
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. For the Surface Definition Option, select Constant from the drop-down,
5. Click on the Constant tab,
6. Enter an Elevation of 600,
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

· Define Surface 3, 4, 5, 6
This surface will be defined by providing a regular grid of X and Y grid lines and corresponding elevations.

11. Click New to create a new surface,

12. Enter 4 in the Number of new surfaces box,
13. Click OK to accept settings,
14. Repeat steps 1-9 above to define Surfaces 3, 4, 5 and 6 using the (X,Y,Z) data grids found in the files corresponding to Surfaces 3, 4, 5, and 6,
15. Click OK to close the Surfaces dialog.

c. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the 3D Slip Surface tab,
Search Method: Grid and Tangent
Select Types of Fully Specified Slip Surfaces: Wedges
Select Slip Direction: Multiple Orientations
3. Move to the Calculation Methods tab and select the method type as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
4. Move to the Orientation Analysis tab and enter the start and end coordinates for the Slip Direction line as specified in the table below,

Value
Start X 47100
End X 47219.039
Start Y 26776
End Y 27220.259

5. In the Rotation Angles Relative to Slip Direction section, click the Add Regular button,
6. Enter the Settings as specified in the table below,
Value
Start -10
End 10
Number of Increments 5
Increment Value 5

7. Move to the Convergence tab,

8. Enter the values as follows. Note that a coarser column grid and reduced number of slices are defined in order to decrease the model solving time. These modifications were found to have little
effect on the factor of safety compared to the default values.
Value
Number of rows (Y direction) 75
Number of slices 75
Tolerance 0.001
Maximum number of iterations 50
Minimum Slide Surface Depth (m) 50

9. Press OK to close the dialogs.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material property for the material that will be used in the model. In this case it is assumed that the user measured the Shear Strength parameters for the
three materials, which can be found in the table below. This section will provide instructions on creating the soil material.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Soil1 Soil2 Soil3 Soil4 Soil5 Weak Layer
Material Type Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 95 54 100 60 116 1
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 34 35 45 25 30 10
Unit Weight (kN/m3) 26 26 29 30 26 20

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Soil1 for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
Tutorial Manuals Page 167 of 273

5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

6. Move to the Shear Strength tab

7. Enter the Shear Strength parameters given in the table above,
8. Click the OK button to close the Shear Material Properties dialog,
9. Repeat these steps to create the other materials shown in the table above,
10. Press the OK button to close the dialog.
Once the material property has been entered, we must apply the material to the appropriate region. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. The material is assigned to this block as follows.

1. Open the Material Layers dialog by selecting Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu,
2. Select the following materials for:
Layer 5 - Soil5
Layer 4 - Soil4
Layer 3 - Soil3
Layer 2 - Soil2
Layer 1 - Soil1
3. Press the OK button to close the dialog.

e. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Grid and Tangent with Fully Specified Wedges method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in a previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry for each of these
objects. This is accomplished through the following steps:

· Wedges
1. Select Slips > Wedges ... from the menu,
2. Click New to add a new wedge entry,
3. Enter the data as shown in the screenshot below.

Dip angle Dip direction Discontinuity

X (m) Y (m) Z (m)
(deg.) (deg.) Material
Wedge #1 46700 26700 1170 -23 -72 Weak Layer

· Grid and Tangent

4. Select Slips > Grid and Tangent ... from the menu,
5. Enter the data as shown in the tables below,
Min. Value Max. value No. of
Increments
X-Coordinate 47080 47320 6
Y-Coordinate 26776 26776 0
Z-Coordinate 1200 1440 6
Tangent Planes 863 1000 5

Aspect Ratios
(Y/X)
0.8
1
1.2

f. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Results button to view results

g. Output (Solve > Open Output))

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The sliding mass is displayed in the CAD for the selected calculation method. In order to view the sliding mass area more clearly the user may edit the Critical Sliding Mass dialog:

1. Select Slips > Critical Sliding Mass... from the menu,

2. Move to the Mass Explosion tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 168 of 273

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 0.619 along the sliding direction angle for the GLE method. A screenshot of the two-dimensional view along the sliding direction is shown below. This view is
accessed by clicking on the SD icon which appears below the toolbars on the top left hand side of the screen. Note that the majority of the critical mass follows the discontinuity material.

To illustrate the dependence of the model on the Material Properties of the Weak Layer try changing the friction angle of the material from 10 degrees to 25 degrees and solve the model again. The result is a
Factor of Safety closer to 1.0.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D MPA Example 3

The purpose of the multi-plane analysis feature is to find the locations and approximate factors of safety for critical sliding masses in a model where the slope failure location is not obvious. For example, in
an open pit or river bank site, there are many potential slope failure locations. It is tedious and time-consuming to test each possible location one at a time through a sequence of analysis. The multi-plane
analysis feature allows quick and easy examination of many locations and sliding directions throughout the model, all at once.

This example is used to illustrate the multi-plane analysis of a three-dimensional slope stability model for the slope of an open pit using 3D analysis. We will perform slope stability analysis on an open pit
model using the 3D multi-plane analysis feature. This tutorial is to demonstrate the core functionalities of multi-plane analysis.

Setup of 3D multi-plane analysis is performed the same way as in 2D multi-plane analysis, with the main difference being in the availability of search method options. Therefore, the Model Setup steps are
the same as in Multi-Plane Analysis Example 1.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: Open_Pit_wFault_MPA3

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements
 Tutorial Manuals Page 169 of 273

Prerequisite topics for building of this model include:

· Getting started
· Modeling steps
· 3D model generalities
· Geometry concepts
· Mass slicing
· Slip surfaces in 3D
· Multi-plane analysis

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enable multi-plane analysis
c. Specify multi-plane analysis settings
d. Analyze Model
e. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In order to create the tutorial model, save a copy of the Open Pit Analysis model. This is accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the PIT3D model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model, you may also begin with the Open_Pit_wFault model in the Slopes_3D project if the
3D Open Pit Analysis tutorial was not created,
4. Right-click on the selected model and choose Save Selected Model As ... from the pop-up context menu,
5. In the Save As dialog, type the New File Name MPA3 and click OK to close the dialog and open the model.

b. Enable Multi-Plane Analysis (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Move to the Multi-Plane Analysis tab,
3. Select Enabled - Three dimensional Analysis. The default other settings in this tab are appropriate in most cases,
4. Move to the Convergence tab,
3
5. Check the Minimum Slide Surface Volume box and enter 5000000 m . This is done because the automatic search methods will sometimes find very small or shallow slip surfaces, which is often
not desirable.
6. Press OK to close the dialogs.

c. Specify Multi-Plane Analysis Settings (Model > Multi-Plane Analysis)

At this point, the existing search methods are disabled, and the model is ready for defining the multi-plane analysis.

Create Planes
There are five ways to create planes. These are grouped into creating multiple planes automatically, or creating planes manually. Two of them (the elevation contour and polyline methods) are used to
automatically create multiple planes. The other three (the draw planes, new and from points methods) are used to manually create individual planes. In this tutorial, the "From Elevation Contour" method will
be used to create planes. This feature can be used to add many planes all around the pit in one action.

· From Elevation Contour method

1. Select Model > Multi-Plane Analysis... from the menu,
2. In the Create/Delete Planes tab, set the Distance between new planes to 250 m. This setting controls the distance between plane slope points for any planes that are created thereafter.
3. Then click the Pick Elevation button...,
4. Click on any point between elevations of 600 and 850 m in the open pit. Avoid picking a location high enough to spill outside of the main circular pit area.
Tutorial Manuals Page 170 of 273

You screen should look like the image below when performing step 4.

Your model will look like the image below if the planes have been set correctly. The lines projected on top of the model represent the new planes. You should see a number of lines, each indicating a location
and direction for a plane that represents a sub-model that will be created for analysis. Each of these slices will become a full 3D Slope Stability model, and will be analyzed as any other such 3D model. You
do not have to manage these individual sub-models yourself, since the system does that automatically. However, you are free to examine and modify the sub-models if desired.

Configure Planes
The next step is to configure the newly created slices. The configuration controls are in the Slice Data and Search Method tabs. Every setting in those two tabs acts only upon the multi-plane analysis planes
that are currently selected. Each plane that was created is shown both graphically on the model, and in the tree view on the left side of the multi-plane analysis dialog. Since you have just created a set of
planes, the newly created planes are already selected. You can confirm this by making sure they are orange-red colored on the graphical representation, and have a blue background behind their text in the
tree view in the dialog.

1. Move to the Slice Data tab,

2. Change the Search Limit Crest to 900 m. The default settings span the entire extents of the model. While this is acceptable, more efficient results are produced by restricting the slope limits,
3. Change the Search Limit Toe to 900 m,
Keep the default settings of the slip direction and slope direction controls. The multi-orientation settings allow for testing multiple similar rotation angles for each plane,
4. Move to the Search Method tab,
5. Select Slope Search method from the Search Method droplist,
6. Change the Number of Surfaces to 300,
7. Click OK to close the Multi-Plane Analysis dialog.

d. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve.
2. Select the Visualize button to view results.

e. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or click on Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The model is displayed in the CAD with the lowest FOS for the whole model showing. The usual 3D Slope Stability Results visualization features are shown as well: the critical sliding mass, the critical trial
outline (where it intersects the model), and the factor of safety contouring.
Tutorial Manuals Page 171 of 273

1. Select Slips > Multi-Plane Analysis Model Slices... from the menu,
This dialog shows a breakdown of the results of each slice. Similar to the front-end controls, you may select a slice to see information about it such as the critical factor of safety.
2. Move to the Visualization Options tab and adjust the Explosion Distance slider. This will raise all the result visualizations upwards above the model, so that you can see the parts that would normally
be hidden within the model.
3. It is usually also desirable to see the critical slip surfaces for the other planes. In the Visualization Options tab, from the "Show FOS for" drop-down, select one of the other two options that are not
currently selected. Note the displayed FOS values and outlines for the critical surfaces throughout the pit. The bottom of the outlines will only be visible if the explosion distance slider is still raised,
or if the model is made transparent in some way.

The user may also want to see some of the slip surface trials in each slice.
1. Select Slips > Slip Surfaces... from the menu,
2. Change the filter option to the 10 surfaces with the lowest factors of safety,
3. Then enable the checkbox to Show Trial Slip Surfaces,
4. Try changing the Results Filter Mode at the bottom right of the dialog. This setting allows you to filter each plane independently, or all planes together. For example, you can show the 10 most
critical slip surface trials in the whole model, or the 10 most critical in each slice plane. The difference between "Per Slip Point" and "Per Slip Plane" is only apparent when multiple orientations are
defined in the front-end dialog.

Trial slip surfaces at each plane location

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Groundwater Combined

This section contains tutorials that are applicable to the Groundwater and Slope Stability software. Models in this section are considered combined, as only 1 model file (.SVM) is used for the model definition.
Then the Groundwater and Slope Stability modules are run in sequence.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Hong Kong Rainfall Event
 Tutorial Manuals Page 172 of 273

This example is used to illustrate the use of a combined seepage and slope stability model considering the influence of climatic rainfall events on the resulting factor of safety. The climatic effects are
considered over a period of three days. The combination of Groundwater and Slope Stability and are used to model a transient change in pore-water pressure and the resultant changes in the factor of safety
for the slope. The model is based on site data taken from a slope in Hong Kong.

This example consists of a four-layer slope with a rainfall event applied to top of the slope. The purpose of this model is to illustrate the effect of the infiltration of the rainfall into the soil on the factor of
safety for the slope.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: HongKong_Rainfall_Event
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Groundwater steps:
a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply Groundwater material properties
d. Specify Groundwater initial conditions
e. Specify Groundwater boundary conditions
f. Specify FEM Options
g. Combine Slope Stability with Groundwater
h. Analyze Groundwater model
i. Results
Slope Stability steps:
j. Specify analysis settings
k. Apply Slope Stability material properties
l. Specify search method geometry
m. Specify pore-water pressure
n. Analyze Slope Stability model
o. Results

The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
This model is first created as a seepage only model in Groundwater. Later in the tutorial the slope stability module Slope Stability will be combined with Groundwater. To begin this tutorial create a new model
in Groundwater through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Groundwater
 Tutorial Manuals Page 173 of 273

System: 2D
Type: Transient
Units: Metric
Time Units: day
Model Name: HONGKONG
4. Click the OK button to save the model.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into four regions, which are named R1, R2, R3, and R4. The shapes that define each material region can be created by the following steps.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button 3 times to create the second, third and fourth regions,
3. Select the region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 provided below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps preformed for R1 to create regions R2, R3, and R4,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.

Region: R1
X (m) Y (m)
0 90.115
15.554 90.115
21.047 90.115
58.915 72.586
63.723 64.147
21.811 84.443
17.222 84.443
0 84.443

Region: R2
X (m) Y (m)
0 84.443
17.222 84.443
21.811 84.443
63.723 64.147
67.905 59.81
70.162 59.795
74.881 52.917
77.364 52.9
80.362 48
84.775 40.787
86.355 40.776
88.396 32.423
69.444 48.0
50.78 63.341
21.567 78.382
18.995 78.418
0 78.68

Region: R3
X (m) Y (m)
0 78.68
18.995 78.418
21.567 78.382
50.78 63.341
69.444 48
88.396 32.423
88.654 30.151
75.193 35.403
61.328 48
50.282 58.036
21.324 72.32
0 72.32

Region: R4
X (m) Y (m)
0 72.32
21.324 72.32
50.282 58.036
61.328 48
75.193 35.403
88.654 30.151
89.712 30
110 30
110 0
0 0

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 174 of 273

c. Apply Groundwater Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the four Groundwater materials used in the model. The parameter values for all materials are assumed to be measured by the user
and are provided in the table below. The SWCC and hydraulic conductivity data for the Colluvium and WeatheredGranite materials are provided in the tables below.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Colluvium WeatheredGranite LessWeatheredZone Bedrock
New Material Category Unsaturated Unsaturated Saturated Saturated
Saturated VWC 0.41 0.40 0.40 0.40
Volumetric Water Content
SWCC Fredlund and Xing Fit Fredlund and Xing Fit
ksat (m/day) 2.59 0.61 0.52 0.43
Unsaturated Hydraulic Modified Campbell
Modified Campbell Estimation
Hydraulic Conductivity Conductivity Estimation
p Preset Option Silty Clay Silty Clay
k minimum (m/day) 8.64E-06 8.64E-06

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,
3. Enter Colluvium for the material name,
4. Set Category to Unsaturated,
5. Click OK to close the dialog,
6. Click on the VWC Properties... button to open the Volumetric Water Content dialog,
7. Enter the Saturated VWC value found in the table above,
8. In the SWCC area, select Fredlund & Xing Fit as the fitting method,
9. Choose a Source Type of Data,
10. Click the Data... button located beside the Source selector to open the SWCC Laboratory Data dialog,
11. Enter the table of values for the VWC vs Suction provided in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Ctrl+c keyboard option and the Paste Points button,
12. Press Apply Fit to accept the changes and have the material parameters estimated by the Fredlund & Xing method,
13. Click the OK button to accept the entered information,
14. Click on the HC Properties... button to open the Hydraulic Conductivity Properties dialog,
15. Enter the ksat value found in the table above,
16. Select Modified Campbell Estimation from the Permeability Method drop-down,
17. Click on the Data... button
18. Enter the data for the Hydraulic Conductivity Laboratory Data provided in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Ctrl+c keyboard option and the Paste Points button,
19. Click OK to close the dialog,
20. Enter a k minimum value and p Preset Option found in the table above,
NOTE:
The p Preset Option is based on the users input of material. Please choose the material most similar to the properties provided.

21. Click OK to close Hydraulic Conductivity Properties dialog,

22. Repeat these steps for the three material remaining (note that only steps 1-7 and 13-14 are required for the saturated materials),
23. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.
Colluvium SWCC data:
Suction (kPa) VWC
0.37 0.41
2.20 0.39
3.41 0.37
5.18 0.35
8.07 0.34
10.95 0.33
15.52 0.31
20.09 0.30
26.34 0.28
32.60 0.26
42.21 0.24
55.17 0.23
77.67 0.21
121.96 0.20
179.71 0.18
238.58 0.17
 Tutorial Manuals Page 175 of 273

Colluvium hydraulic conductivity data:

Suction (kPa) k (m/day)
0.91 2.50
2.25 2.50
3.35 2.45
4.49 2.40
5.65 2.34
6.69 2.13
7.59 1.94
8.62 1.70
9.79 1.50
10.89 1.31
21.28 0.28
31.51 0.09
41.87 0.04
52.10 0.02
63.37 0.01
73.81 7.64E-3
85.97 4.97E-3
95.95 3.45E-3
104.83 2.48E-3
155.31 7.80E-3
206.47 3.19E-3
262.48 1.60E-4
306.36 9.09E-5
356.85 5.92E-5
407.08 3.85E-5
463.68 2.77E-5
506.57 1.99E-5
552.87 1.53E-5
603.40 1.17E-5

Weathered Granite SWCC data:

Suction (kPa) VWC
0.09 0.40
1.81 0.39
3.57 0.38
4.18 0.37
4.80 0.36
4.88 0.34
5.50 0.33
6.13 0.32
6.76 0.30
7.38 0.29
8.01 0.28
8.61 0.27
9.24 0.26
9.83 0.25
11.00 0.24
13.84 0.23
15.57 0.22
17.86 0.21
23.51 0.20
33.64 0.19
61.11 0.18
128.90 0.17
264.40 0.16

Weathered Granite hydraulic conductivity data:

Suction (kPa) k (m/day)
0.92 0.59
2.30 0.59
3.42 0.58
4.40 0.57
5.54 0.56
6.69 0.50
7.59 0.48
8.81 0.40
9.59 0.36
10.67 0.30
21.50 3.50E-2
31.39 7.39E-3
41.91 2.24E-3
52.32 9.46E-4
62.51 4.56E-4
73.03 2.43E-4
85.19 1.43E-4
95.27 8.69E-5
106.39 5.84E-5
152.09 1.23E-5
203.12 3.72E-6
Tutorial Manuals Page 176 of 273

253.40 1.62E-6
303.06 7.32E-7
346.59 4.03E-7
404.32 2.37E-7
452.17 1.44E-7
494.74 9.37E-8
540.50 6.72E-8
590.80 4.67E-8

· Assign materials to regions

The next step is to define which materials are applied to which regions.
1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open the Stage Settings dialog,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select the materials for the corresponding regions as shown in the table below,
4. Close the dialog using the OK button.
Region Material
R1 Colluvium
R2 WeatheredGranite
R3 LessWeatheredZone
R4 Bedrock

. Specify Groundwater Initial Conditions (Initial Conditions > Initial Head)

Initial head must be specified prior to solving a transient seepage model. In this case we will specify a water table.

1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Head ... from the menu,
2. Select the Water Table Type option and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Water Table ... from the menu,
4. Either copy and paste the water table data from the tale below into the data grid on the dialog using the Paste Points button or enter the coordinates into the data grid manually,
5. Click OK to close the Initial Water Table dialog.
X (m) Y (m)
0 15
110 15

Now your screen will look like the image below

e. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. A climate boundary condition will be applied to the ground surface.

A climate boundary condition will be applied to the model to simulate rainfall. The steps for specifying the boundary conditions are as follows:

1. Open the Climate Manager dialog by selecting Boundaries > Climate Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to open the New Climate Data dialog,
3. Enter Rainfall as the climate dataset name,
4. Click OK to close the New Climate Data dialog,
· Define Precipitation
5. Click the Precipitation button for the Rainfall entry to open the Precipitation Properties dialog,
6. Check Include,
7. For Input Option select Data - Global Intensity,
8. Set the Intensity Type to Parabolic,
9. Enter the data provided below in the data table. The data can be cut and pasted from the table below into the dialog,

Time (day) 3
Flux (m /day/m )
2

0 0.05
1 0
2 0
3 0

10. Switch to the Global Intensity tab,

11. Enter 8 hrs for the Intensity Start (# hrs),
12. Enter 14 hrs for the Intensity End (# hrs),
13. Move to the Runoff tab,
14. Select Runoff Correction Apply,
15. Click OK to save and close the Precipitation Properties dialog,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 177 of 273

16. Click OK to save and close the Climate Manager dialog.

· Apply boundary conditions to geometry
To apply the Rainfall precipitation event to the model ground surface perform the following steps:
1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions from the menu at the top of the CAD window,
2. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
3. Select the 4 segments in R1 from range (0, 90.115) to (58.915, 72.586),
4. Select the 7 segments in R2 from range (63.723, 64.127) to (86.355, 40.776),
5. Click OK to close the Add Segments dialog.
6. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
7. Set the name to Head Constant by editing the name field,
8. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
9. In the Constant box enter a head of 15,
10.Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
11.Select the segment (110, 30) - (110, 0) in R4,
12.Click OK to close the Add Segments dialog,
13.Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.
Now your screen will look like the image below

f. Combine Slope Stability with Groundwater (Model > Add/Remove Coupling)

Modeling of Groundwater and Slope Stability can be done independently or in Combination by specifying both Groundwater and Slope Stability modules in the same model file. This methodology makes it easy
to use the finite-element pore-water pressure results in the slope stability software. The steps to combine Slope Stability with Groundwater are as follows:

1. Press File > Save to save a copy of the steps so far in the current model, as the Add Coupling operation creates a new model,
2. Select Model > Add/Remove Coupling ...,
3. The Add/Remove Coupling dialog will be displayed,
4. Select Slope Stability in the Available Modules dropdown and press the Left Arrow (<-) button,
5. Enter HONGKONGCoupled as the New File Name,
6. Click OK to close the dialog.

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

h. Results (Solve > Results)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Results menu option or click on Output icon .

The model results will be displayed.

NOTE:
The remaining steps in this tutorial are related to the Slope Stability part of the model. To switch the model view to the Slope Stability component of the model select
Model > Slope Stability from the menu.

i. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Slope Stability from the menu,
2. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
3. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
4. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
5. Press the Lambda button to open the Lambda Values dialog,
6. Enter 0 for the Start Value,
7. Enter 0.3 for the Interval,
8. Enter 10 for the Number,
9. Select Generate,
10. Press OK to close the Lambda Values dialog,
11. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

j. Apply Slope Stability Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the four materials that will be used in the Slope Stability part of the model. It is assumed that the user measured the Shear Strength
parameters for the following material, which can be found in the table below.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Colluvium WeatheredGranite LessWeatheredZone Bedrock
Tutorial Manuals Page 178 of 273

New Material Method Unsaturated Phi-b Unsaturated Phi-b Unsaturated Phi-b Bedrock
Cohesion (kPa) 10 15.1 23.5
Friction Angle, phi (deg) 35 35.2 41.5
Shear Strength
Friction Angle, phi-b (deg) 10 10 10
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 19.6 19.6 19.6

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Select Colluvium for the material in the list,
3. Click the Change Method button to open the Change Method dialog,
4. Choose Unsaturated Phi-b for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Shear Strength tab, enter the parameter values provided in the table above for the Colluvium material,
7. Press OK to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat the steps for the WeatheredGranite and LessWeatheredZone materials,
9. Select Bedrock in the list,
10. Click the Change Method button to open the Change Method dialog,
11. Choose Bedrock for the Method of this material,
12. Click the OK button to close the Change Method dialog,
13. Click the OK button to close the Materials Manager dialog.

The material properties have already been assigned to regions in the Groundwater component of this model so they do not need to be re-assigned in Slope Stability.

k. Specify Search Method Geometry

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in the previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the Entry and Exit dialog through the Slips > Entry and Exit ... menu option,
2. Enter the X and Increment values for the entry range and exit range as specified in the table below (note that the Y coordinates are calculated automatically),
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range Exit Range
Left Side Right Side
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 17 42 X 78 90
Increments 6 Increments 6
Radius increments 3

l. Specify Pore-Water (Pore Water > Settings)

Pore-water pressure profiles from the Groundwater solution are used in the Slope Stability model. To specify which profiles are to be used in solving the Slope Stability model follow these steps:

1. Select Pore Water > Settings ...,

2. Click the Select Time Steps button to view the available pore-water pressure profiles,
3. By default, all Time Steps will be selected. Choose to deselect some times (optional),
4. Press OK to close the Select Time Steps dialog,
5. Press OK again to accept this list of time values.

m. Analyze Slope Stability Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will pop-up and automatically solve,
2. Select the Open Output button to view results.

n. Output (Solve > Open Output)

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

FOS vs. Time

The factor of safety vs time may be viewed as follows. Select Graphs > FOS vs. Time... from the menu. The graph shows the factor of safety decreasing due to the rainfall event. The rainfall event occurs
during the first day but the factor of safety continues to decrease as the rain infiltrates the soil.

Trial Slip Surface

The results for the calculation of the factor of safety may be seen below. By default, the critical slip surface is displayed for the selected time in the combo box at the top of the workspace. All trial slip
surfaces may be displayed by following these steps:

1. Select Slips > Slip Surfaces... from the menu,

 Tutorial Manuals Page 179 of 273

2. Click the Show Trial Slip Surfaces check box.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 1.966 for the GLE (Fredlund) method at time 0 days and 1.785 at time 3 days as shown in the following screenshots.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Groundwater Uncombined

This section contains tutorials that are applicable to Groundwater and Slope Stability software. Models in this section are considered uncombined, as 2 model files (.SVM) are used for the model definition.
Then the Groundwater and Slope Stability models are run in sequence. The combined model methodology is not available in the GT suite due to the complexity of staged analysis.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
2D Complex Water Dam

This example is used to illustrate the use of an uncombined seepage and slope stability model. This tutorial shows a water dam with a wall constructed directly into the soil bedrock foundation. The dam has a
maximum height of 15m. The phreatic surface as well as the upstream slope stability was analyzed at Dead Storage Level (5m) and Full Storage Level (17m) water storage levels.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: CWD1_PWP_GT, CWD3_PWP_GT, CWD1_GT, CWD3_GT
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

Model Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Dead Storage Level - Upstream Stability - Base Model
 Tutorial Manuals Page 180 of 273

The purpose of this model is to analyse the phreatic surface and upstream slope stability at a dead storage level.
This original model can be found under:
Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: CWD1_PWP_GT, CWD1_GT

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Groundwater steps:
a. Create Groundwater model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply Groundwater material properties
d. Specify Groundwater Boundary conditions
e. Mesh settings
f. Analyze Groundwater model
g. Results
Slope Stability steps:
h. Create Slope Stability model
i. Specify analysis settings
j. Import geometry
k. Apply Slope Stability material properties
l. Specify Search Geometry method
m. Specify Slope Stability pore water pressure
n. Analyze Slope Stability model
o. Results

The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.

NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
This model is first created as a seepage only model in Groundwater. Later in the tutorial the slope stability module Slope Stability will be created. To begin this tutorial create a new model in Groundwater
through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Groundwater
System: 2D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Time Units: day
Model name: CWD1PWPGT
4. Click the OK button to save the model.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user on the CAD window or defined as a set of coordinates which can be cut and pasted into the
software. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting it into the model.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into 8 regions, which are named R1 to R8.
1. Select Geometry > Regions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button 7 times to create R2 to R8
3. Select region R1 and click the Properties... button to open the Region Properties dialog,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Copy the region coordinate data for R1 below and click the Paste button on the New Region Polygon dialog to paste the region data into the data grid,
6. Click OK to close the dialog and create the new region,
7. Click the right arrow at the top right of the Region Properties dialog to move to the second region R2,
8. Repeat the steps preformed for R1 to create regions R2 to R8,
9. Click OK on the Region Properties dialog and on the Regions dialog to accept the region changes.
R1
X (m) Y (m)

0 0

36.55 0

39.55 0

120 0

120 5

100 5

56.5 5

55.5 5

54.5 5

39.55 5

38.55 5

37.55 5

36.55 5
Tutorial Manuals Page 181 of 273

0 5

R2
X (m) Y (m)

100 5

80.05 20

75.55 20

75.55 17

78.5 17

79.5 17

80.5 17

56.5 5

R3
X (m) Y (m)

56.5 5

80.5 17

79.5 17

55.5 5

R4
X (m) Y (m)

55.5 5

79.5 17

78.5 17

54.5 5

R5
X (m) Y (m)

75.55 20

74.55 20

74.55 17.4

74.55 17

75.55 17

R6
X (m) Y (m)

36.55 5

36.55 0

39.55 0

39.55 5

38.55 5

37.55 5

R7
X (m) Y (m)

38.55 5

39.55 5

54.5 5

78.5 17

75.55 17

74.55 17

R8
X (m) Y (m)

74.55 17

74.55 17.4

37.55 5

38.55 5

If the geometry has been created properly, your screen will look like the figure below at the end of this step.

c. Apply Groundwater Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the Groundwater materials used in the model. The volumetric water content and hydraulic conductivity parameters for all materials
were assumed to be measured by the user and are provided in the table below. Saturated material properties are utilized in this model due to the steady state analysis. If a transient-state analysis was
preferred, unsaturated material properties would be recommended.
Tutorial Manuals Page 182 of 273

Material
Tabs Parameters Foundation
Liner Layer Clayey Sand RockFill Filler Mat2 Filler Mat3 Grouted Zone Gabions
Bedrock
New Material Category Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated
Volumetric Water Content Saturated VWC 0.05 0.36 0.32 0.3 0.36 0.05 0.05 0.05
Hydraulic Conductivity ksat (m/day) 8.64E-06 6.912E-02 8.64E+02 4.32E+00 8.46E-01 8.64E-05 8.64E-04 8.64E-04

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Materials dialog,
3. Enter Liner Layer for the material name,
4. Set Category to Saturated,
5. Click OK to close the dialog,
6. Press the VWC Properties... button to open the Volumetric Water Content Properties dialog,
7. Enter the Saturated VWC value as provided in the table below,
8. Click OK to close the dialog,
9. Press the HC Properties... button to open the Hydraulic Conductivity Properties dialog,
10. Enter the ksat value as provided in the table above,
11. Click OK to close the dialog,
12. Repeat the above steps to create the remaining seven materials,
13. Press OK on the Materials Manager dialog to close this dialog.
· Assign materials to regions
1. Open the Stage Settings dialog by selecting Geometry > Stage Settings from the menu,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. For each region the appropriate material type must be selected from the combo box. The material assignments will be as shown in the table below,
4. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the dialog.

Region Material
R1 Foundation Bedrock
R2 RockFill
R3 Filter Mat2
R4 Filter Mat3
R5 Gabions
R6 Grouted Zone
R7 Clayey Sand
R8 Liner layer

5. Click OK once the material assignments have been made.

d. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. The background water table on the upstream side of the Dam will have
a head of 5 m. The downstream side of the Dam will have a review boundary condition applied. The steps for specifying these boundary conditions are as follows:

1. Select R1 from the region selector above the workspace,

2. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ....
3. Select the point (120, 0) in the boundary conditions list,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
5. Enter 5 in the Constant box,
6. Select the point (120, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
7. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Continue boundary condition,
8. Select the point (37.55, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
9. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
10. Enter 5 in the Constant box,
11. Select the point (36.55, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
12. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Continue boundary condition,
13. Click OK to close dialog,
14. Select R2 from the region selector above the workspace,
15. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ....
16. Select the point (100, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
17. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Review Boundary boundary condition,
18. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.
19. Select R8 from the region selector above the workspace,
20. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ....
21. Select the point (74.55, 17.4) in the boundary conditions list,
22. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
23. Enter 5 in the Constant box,
24. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

e. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Tab Parameter Value
2
Maximum Triangle Area (m ) 1
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Global Maximum Edge Length (m) 1.8
Tolerance of Coordinate (m) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

f. Run Groundwater Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. This action will write the solver file and open the SVCORE solver. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

g. Results (Solve > Results)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Results menu option or click on Results icon .

The model results will be displayed.

NOTE:
The remaining steps in this tutorial are related to the Slope Stability part of the model. To switch the model view to the Slope Stability component of the model select
Model > Slope Stability from the menu or click on the Slope Stability icon on the sidebar near the top left of the screen.

h. Create Slope Stability Model

To begin the Slope Stability part of this tutorial create a new model in Slope Stability through the following steps:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
Tutorial Manuals Page 183 of 273

3. Select the following entries:

Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Model name: CWD1GT
4. Click the OK button to save the model.

i. Import Geometry From Groundwater (Model > Geometry)

The geometry has already been established. The steps to import it from the model just created are:

1. Select Geometry > Import > From Existing Model ...,

2. The Import Geometry dialog will be displayed,
3. Select the CWD1PWPGT model in the list,
4. Click Import,
5. Click OK to the import message.

j. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:
1. Select Model > Settings ... from the menu,
2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Right to Left
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
4. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
5. Move to the Convergence tab. Many of the dam materials have zero cohesion, which when modeled may results in small shallow slip surfaces at the dam faces. Therefore, a minimum slip surface depth of
2m will be set to obtain more representation slip surfaces.
6. Check the Minimum Slide Surface Depth option,
7. Enter a value of 2 m,
8. Press OK to close the dialog.

k. Apply Slope Stability Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the three materials that will be used in the model.
Material
Tabs Parameters RockFill Filter Filter Grouted Foundation
Liner Layer Clayey Sand Gabions
Mat1 Mat2 Mat3 Zone Bedrock
Mohr Mohr Mohr Mohr
New Material Strength Type Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb
Coulomb Coulomb Coulomb Coulomb
Cohesion (kPa) 0 0 0 0 0 100 100 1000
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 33 33 42 39 37 45 45 45
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 19 19 21 20 19.5 22 22 25

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Materials dialog,
3. Enter Liner layer as the name,
4. Click the OK button,
5. In the Shear Strength tab,
6. Enter the Shear Strength parameter values provided in the table above
7. Press OK to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat the steps for the remaining materials,
9. Click the OK button to close the Material Manager dialog.
· Assign materials to regions
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. For each region the appropriate material type must be selected from the combo box. The material assignments will be as shown in the table below,

Region Material
R1 Foundation Bedrock
R2 RockFill Mat1
R3 Filter Mat2
R4 Filter Mat3
R5 Gabions
R6 Grouted Zone
R7 Clayey Sand
R8 Liner layer

5. Click OK once the material assignments have been made.

l. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips > Entry and Exit)

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected in the previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the Entry and Exit dialog through the Slips > Entry and Exit ... menu option,
2. Enter the X and Increment values for the entry range and exit range as specified in the table below (note that the Y coordinates are calculated automatically),
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range Exit Range
Left Side Right Side
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 57.078 72.85 X 32 50
Increments 10 Increments 10
Radius Increments: 3

m. Specify Pore Water Pressure (Pore-Water > Settings)

The pore water pressure will be specified as the results generated by the Groundwater model CWD1PWPGT created earlier:

1. Open the Pore Water Pressure dialog through the Pore-Water > Settings ... menu option,
2. Select Results (.dat) File as the Pore Water Pressure Method,
3. Browse to the output folder of the CWD3PWPGT model, and select the file GroundwaterResults.dat that was generated by Groundwater in the previous steps, The file path for this file will be:
Documents\PLAXIS LE 21\All Projects\MyProject\2D\SteadyState\CWD1PWPGT\output\GroundwaterResults.dat
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

n. Analyze Slope Stability Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will open and automatically solve,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 184 of 273

2. Select the Visualize Results button to view results.

o. Results (Solve > Open Output)

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The results for the calculation of the factor of safety may be seen below. By default, the critical slip surface is displayed for the selected time in the combo box at the top of the workspace. All trial slip
surfaces may be displayed by following these steps:

1. Select Slips > Slip Surfaces... from the menu,

2. Click the Show Trial Slip Surfaces check box.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 2.156 for the GLE (Fredlund) method is shown in the screenshot below. Note that many trial slip surfaces are found with the same FOS for this model and the one
presented as the critical slip surface may vary slightly. The trial list order is dependant on the analysis order presented to the solver and does not suggest an order of importance. All may be valid. The Slip
Surfaces dialog defaults to show the 10 surfaces with the lowest factors of safety. Other filter criteria may be set and more trials examined.

Trial FOS Center X Center Y Radius Max. Depth

1 2.156 42.657 25.211 19.868 2.453
2 2.156 44.099 23.844 17.881 2.209
3 2.156 42.949 26.957 21.639 2.671
4 2.156 44.391 25.591 19.652 2.428
5 2.156 45.833 24.224 17.665 2.182
6 2.156 43.241 28.704 23.410 2.890
7 2.156 44.683 27.337 21.423 2.647
8 2.156 46.125 25.971 19.436 2.401
9 2.156 47.567 24.604 17.449 2.156
10 2.156 43.532 30.451 25.180 3.109

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Full Storage Level - Upstream Stability

The purpose of this model is to analyze the phreatic surface as well as the upstream slope stability at a full storage level.
This original model can be found under:
Project: Slopes_Group_3
Model: CWD3_PWP_GT, CWD3_GT

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Groundwater steps:
a. Open Existing Model
b. Save New Model
c. Specify Groundwater Boundary conditions
d. Analyze Groundwater model
e. Results

Slope Stability steps:

f. Open Existing Model
g. Save New Model
h. Specify Pore-Water Pressure
i. Analyze Slope Stability model
j. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Tutorial Manuals Page 185 of 273

Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Open Dead Storage Level Upstream Groundwater Model

This model is a continuation of the base model, Dead Storage Level - Upstream Stability - Base Model.
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the CWD1PWPGT model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model.

b. Save New Model

1. Press File > Save As to save new model,
2. Enter CWD3PWPGT as the New File Name,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

c. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions.

1. Select R1 from the region selector above the workspace,

2. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ....
3. Select the point (37.55, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
4. Enter 17 in the Constant box,
5. Select the point (36.55, 5) in the boundary conditions list,
6. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Continue boundary condition,
7. Click OK to close dialog,
8. Select R8 from the region selector above the workspace,
9. From the menu select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ....
10. Select the point (74.55, 17.4) in the boundary conditions list,
11. Enter 17 in the Constant box,
12. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

d. Analyze Groundwater Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The SVCORE Solver dialog will open and automatically solve.

e. Results (Solve > Results)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Results menu option or click on Results icon .

The model results will be displayed.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Slope Stability icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

f. Open Dead Storage Level Upstream Slope Stability Model

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Use the Models view to display the list of all the models in the database,
3. Scroll to the CWD1GT model assigned to the MyProject project and double-click the row to open the model.

g. Save New Model

1. Press File > Save As to save new model,
2. Enter CWD3GT as the New File Name,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

h. Specify Pore Water Pressure (Pore-Water > Settings)

The pore water pressure will be specified as the results generated by the Groundwater model CWD3PWPGT created earlier:

1. Open the Pore Water Pressure dialog through the Pore-Water > Settings ... menu option,
2. Browse to the output folder of the CWD3PWPGT model, and select the file GroundwaterResults.dat that was generated by Groundwater in the previous steps, The file path for this file will be:
Documents\PLAXIS LE 21\All Projects\MyProject\2D\SteadyState\CWD3PWPGT\output\GroundwaterResults.dat
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

i. Analyze Slope Stability Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will open and automatically solve,
2. Select the Results button to view results.

j. Results (Solve > Results)

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Slope Stability design module click on the Open Input icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

The results for the calculation of the factor of safety may be seen below. By default, the critical slip surface is displayed for the selected time in the combo box at the top of the workspace. All trial slip
surfaces may be displayed by following these steps:

1. Select Slips > Slip Surfaces... from the menu,

2. Click the Show Trial Slip Surfaces check box.

The analysis results in a factor of safety of 9.944 for the GLE (Fredlund) method is shown in the screenshot below. The Slip Surfaces dialog defaults to show the 10 surfaces with the lowest factors of safety.
Other filter criteria may be set and more trials examined.

Trial FOS Center X Center Y Radius Max. Depth

6 9.945 44.998 39.568 34.445 4.253
8 10.313 51.725 33.193 25.177 3.110
10 10.516 53.967 31.068 22.088 2.729
 Tutorial Manuals Page 186 of 273

9 10.545 57.561 20.347 13.219 5.298

2 10.944 44.480 36.467 31.301 3.865
7 11.000 55.821 20.973 15.068 6.042
3 11.161 46.723 34.342 28.212 3.485
4 11.427 48.965 32.217 25.122 3.104
5 11.779 51.207 30.092 22.033 2.722
1 12.165 43.962 33.366 28.157 3.476

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Tailings Dam

This example is used to illustrate the use of an uncombined seepage and slope stability model. This tutorial shows a earth fill tailings dam with a clay core. The model examines whether the clay core and
downstream filter effectively dissipate the pore-water pressure in the downstream portion of the dam, and whether this pore-water dissipation will result in an acceptable factor of safety for the downstream
slope. Flow vectors will also be noted to consider a piping failure situation.

The next tutorial involves extruding this tutorial's tailings dam into 3D to examine the reduction in factory of safety due to considering the effects of 3D geometry.

This original models can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: 2D_TailingsDam_Groundwater, 2D_TailingsDam_SlopeStability
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Groundwater steps:
a. Create Groundwater model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply Groundwater material properties
d. Specify Stage Settings
e. Specify Groundwater boundary conditions
f. Specify Model Output
g. Modify Mesh Settings
h. Analyze Groundwater model
i. Results

Slope Stability steps:

j. Create Slope Stability model
k. Import geometry from Groundwater model
l. Specify analysis settings
m. Apply Slope Stability material properties
n. Specify search method geometry
o. Specify slope limits
p. Specify pore water pressure
q. Analyze Slope Stability model
r. Results

The details of these outlined steps are presented in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 187 of 273

a. Create Groundwater Model

This model is first created as a seepage only model in Groundwater. Later in the tutorial the slope stability model will be created in Slope Stability. To begin this tutorial, create a new model in Groundwater
as follows:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Groundwater
System: 2D
Type: Steady-State
Units: Metric
Time Units: Seconds (s)
Model Name: TAILINGSDAM_FLUX_2D
4. Click the OK button to save the model.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions and a series of layers. Geometry can be either drawn by the user or defined as a set of coordinates. Model Geometry can also be imported from sources such
as .DXF files, .SHP files or from existing models. In this example the geometry will be created by cutting and pasting the geometry into the model.

· Import Model Geometry

This model will be divided into nine regions. Each region will have one of the materials specified to describe the material properties. The user may enter the geometry by importing from the ESRI Shape file
provided in the Tutorials folder.

1. Select Geometry > Import > From ESRI Shape File ... from the menu,
2. Click the Browse... button,
3. Open “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in windows explorer,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
4. Select the file named Slope Stability Tutorial 2D Tailings Dam Geometry.shp,
5. Click the Next >> button,
6. In the Objects list, select all nine objects, i.e., Shape 1 through Shape 9,
7. Click on the Import Selected Objects button,
If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

8. Click OK to close the Import Regions from SHP file dialog,

9. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
10. Change the first region name from Shape 1_0 to Sandy Silt. To do this, highlight the name and type the new text,
11. Change the other eight regions as shown in the table below,
12. Click Ok to close the Regions dialog.

Original Name New Name

Shape 1_0 Sandy Silt 1
Shape 2_0 Sandy Loam
Shape 3_0 Earth Fill
Shape 4_0 Silt
Shape 5_0 Filter
Shape 6_0 Ore Tailings
Shape 7_0 Core
Shape 8_0 Sandy Silt 2
Shape 9_0 Bedrock

c. Apply Groundwater Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the eight materials used in the model. Note that all of the materials are isotropic and therefore the Ky-ratios remain at 1.0. This
section will provide instructions for creating each of the materials. In this case we assume that the user has measured Volumetric Water Content and Hydraulic Conductivity. Follow the steps below to set up
the material properties for the Tailings Dam materials.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Earth Fill Filter Sand Core Clay Sandy Silt Sandy Loam Silt Ore Tailings Bedrock
New Material Category Unsaturated Saturated Unsaturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated Saturated
Saturated VWC 0.368 0.4 0.458 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
SWCC - Fitting Method Fredlund and Xing Fit Fredlund and Xing Fit
Manual Parameter
SWCC- Source Type Data
Volumetric Water Entry
Content af 15
nf 1.5
mf 0.36
hr 3000
ksat (m/s) 1.00E-07 8.00E-05 1.00E-08 1.00E-07 8.00E-09 2.00E-07 3.00E-07 1.00E-10
Unsaturated Hydraulic Modified Campbell Modified Campbell
Conductivity Estimation Estimation
Hydraulic Conductivity
p Preset Option Sandy Loam User Input
p 10
k minimum (m/day) 1.00E-09 1.00E-14

Earth Fill
The Earth Fill material properties have been measured as follows using a tempe cell for the SWCC and a falling head test for the saturated hydraulic conductivity. Since the Earth Fill material will
experience partial saturation, in the model unsaturated initial properties must be entered.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 188 of 273

3. Enter Earth Fill for the material name,

4. Set Category to Unsaturated,
5. Click OK to close the dialog,
6. Click on the VWC Properties... button to open the Volumetric Water Content dialog,
7. Enter the Saturated VWC value for the Earth Fill found in the table above,
8. In the SWCC area, select Fredlund & Xing Fit as the fitting method from the drop-down selector,
9. Choose a Source Type of Data,
10. Click the Data... button located beside the Source selector to open the SWCC Laboratory Data dialog,
11. Enter the table of values for the VWC vs Suction provided in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Ctrl+c keyboard option and the Paste Points button,
12. Press Apply Fit to accept the changes and have the material parameters estimated by the Fredlund & Xing method,

Earth Fill: SWCC data

Suction (kPa) VWC
0.589 0.368
3.306 0.367
20.010 0.243
50.030 0.195
90.060 0.156
150.1 0.154

13. Click the OK button to accept the entered information,

14. Click on HC Properties... button,
15. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value from the table above in the Constant ksat sub-section,
16. In the Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, choose Modified Campbell Estimation as the Permeability Method from the drop down selector,
17. Under the p Preset Option drop down menu, choose the appropriate material as indicated in the table above,
18. Enter the k minimum value found in the table above,

NOTE:
The p Preset Option is based on the users input of material. Please choose the material most similar to the properties provided.

19. Click OK to close Hydraulic Conductivity dialog.

Filter Sand
The Filter Sand always remains saturated. Therefore a saturated material is created with a saturated volumetric water content and a saturated hydraulic conductivity. These values can be found in the
table above. Follow these steps to setup the material properties for the Filter Sand material

1. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,

2. Enter Filter Sand for the material name,
3. Set Category to Saturated,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. Click on the VWC Properties... button to open the Volumetric Water Content dialog,
6. Enter the Saturated VWC as provided in the table above,
7. Press Ok to close the dialog,
8. Click the HC Properties... button,
9. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value, found in the table above, in the Constant ksat sub-section,
10. Click the Ok button.

Core Clay
The Filter Sand always remains saturated. Therefore a saturated material is created with a saturated volumetric water content and a saturated hydraulic conductivity. These values can be found in the
table above. Follow these steps to setup the material properties for the Filter Sand material

1. Click the New... button to open the New Material dialog,

2. Enter Core Clay for the material name,
3. Set Category to Saturated,
4. Click on the VWC Properties... button to open the Volumetric Water Content dialog,
5. Enter the Saturated VWC as provided in the table above,
6. Press Ok to close the dialog,
7. Click the HC Properties... button,
8. In the Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity section, enter the ksat value in the Constant ksat sub-section,
9. Click the Ok button.

Remaining Materials
Follow the same steps as for the Core Clay to set up the material properties for the Sandy Silt, Sandy Loam, Silt, Ore Tailings and Bedrock materials.

d. Specify Stage Settings (Geometry > Stage Settings)

Now that all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding Regions.
1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ... from the menu to open Stage Settings dialog,
2. Select the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Select the material for the corresponding regions as shown in the table below,
4. Click OK to close the Stage Settings dialog.

Region Material
Sandy Silt 1 Sandy Silt
Sandy Load Sandy Loam
Earth Fill Earth Fill
Silt Silt
Filter Filter Sand
Ore Tailings Ore Tailings
Core Core Clay
Sandy Silt 2 Sandy Silt
Bedrock Bedrock

e. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions. A Head of 130 m will be defined on the upstream face of the Earth Fill
and Ore Tailings region with the No BC condition being applied to the remainder of the ground surface. The Core will be set to a No BC condition by default and will not need to be modified. A head of 90 m
will be defined on the downstream face of the Filter with No BC condition being applied to the remainder. A Head of 130 m will be applied to the left side of the model and a Head of 92 m to the right side.
The steps for specifying the boundary conditions are as follows:

NOTE:
A region may be selected in one of the following 3 ways:
1. click on the region with the mouse cursor in the workspace
2. selecting the region in the region selector located above the workspace
3. by selecting the region row in the Regions dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 189 of 273

1. Select the Earth Fill region by clicking on the region in the CAD window,
2. Right-click and select Boundary Conditions from the context menu,
3. Select the point (255.024, 106.563) from the list,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition. This will cause the Constant box to be enabled,
5. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
6. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
7. Select the Ore Tailings region by clicking on it in the CAD window,
8. Right-click and select Boundary Conditions from the context menu,
9. Select the point (136.552, 87.595) from the boundary conditions list,
10. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
11. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
12. Select the point (136.552, 106.563) from the bound conditions list,
13. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Continue boundary condition,
14. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.
15. Select the Filter region,
16. Right-click and select Boundary Conditions from the context menu,
17. Select the point (412.812, 91.826) from the boundary conditions list,
18. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
19. In the Constant box, enter a head of 92 m,
20. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
21. Select the Bedrock region,
22. Select the point (456.548, 54.516) from the boundary conditions list,
23. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
24. In the Constant box, enter a head of 92 m,
25. Select the point (136.552, 43.973) from the boundary conditions list,
26. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
27. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
28. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
29. Select the Silt region,
30. Select the point (456.541, 76.274) from the boundary conditions list,
31. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
32. In the Constant box, enter a head of 92 m,
33. Select the point (136.552, 58.338) from the boundary conditions list,
34. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
35. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
36. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
37. Select the Sandy Silt 2 region,
38. Select the point (136.552, 83.310) from the boundary conditions list,
39. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
40. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
41. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
42. Select the Sandy Silt 1 region,
43. Select the point (456.535, 87.971) from the boundary conditions list,
44. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
45. In the Constant box, enter a head of 92 m,
46. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,
47. Select the Sandy Loam region,
48. Select the point (136.552, 85.357) from the boundary conditions list,
49. From the Boundary Condition drop-down select a Head Constant boundary condition,
50. In the Constant box, enter a head of 130 m,
51. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and return to the workspace,

More information on boundary conditions can be found in the Boundaries section of the User's Manual

Now your screen will look like the image below

f. Specify Model Output (Results)

Flux sections are used to report the rate of flow across a portion of the model for a steady state analysis, and the rate and total volume of flow moving across a portion of the model in a transient analysis.
For the current model a flux section will be created at the location shown below.

1. Select Results > Flux Sections ... from the menu,

2. Select the New... button to create a new flux section,
3. Copy the flux data in the Flux 1 table below and paste into the Flux Section Properties dialog,
4. Click OK and Ok to close the Flux Section Properties and Flux Sections dialogs.
Flux 1
X Y
314 86.931
314 129.932

g. Modify Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

The default mesh settings need to adjusted to meet the node limits defined by the STUDENT level of authorization.
1. Select Mesh > Settings... ,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click the OK button to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Maximum Triangle Area (m )
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
 Tutorial Manuals Page 190 of 273

Maximum Edge Length (m) 2.5

Global Tolerance of Coordinate (m) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

h. Analyze Groundwater Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

i. Results (Solve > Results)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Results menu option or by clicking on Results icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to the Results and Discussion.

j. Create Slope Stability Model

To begin the Slope Stability part of this tutorial create a new model in Slope Stability as follows:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following entries:
Module: Slope Stability
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Model Name: TAILINGSDAM_SLOPE_2D
4. Click the OK button to save the model.

k. Import Geometry from Groundwater model (Model > Geometry)

The model geometry was already established during the creation of the Groundwater model section of this tutorial. The steps to import the geometry from an existing model as are as follows:

1. Select Geometry > Import > From Existing Model ... from the menu,
2. In the Import Geometry dialog, select the TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_2D model from the list,
3. Click the Import button,
4. Click OK in response to the import message.

l. Specify Analysis Settings (Model > Settings)

In Slope Stability the Settings dialog is used to specify the method for determining the critical slip surface and the details of the applicable search techniques to be used in the analysis. For this model the
settings will be entered as follows:

1. Select Model > Settings... from the menu,

2. Select the Slip Surface tab,
Slip Direction: Left to Right
Slip Shape: Circular
Search Method: Entry and Exit
4. Select the Calculation Methods tab from the dialog and select the method types as shown below:
GLE (Fredlund)
5. Move to the Convergence tab,
6. Check the Minimum Slide Surface Depth option,
7. Enter a value 0.5 m,
8. Press OK to close the Settings dialog.

m. Apply Slope Stability Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the eight materials that will be used in the model.

Material
Tabs Parameters
Earth Fill Filter Sand Core Clay Sandy Silt Sandy Loam Silt Ore Tailings Bedrock
New Material Method Unsaturated Fredlund Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb Mohr Coulomb No Strength Bedrock
Cohesion (kPa) 28 0 15 30 30 20 - -
Shear Strength Friction Angle, phi (deg) 30 32 30 30 30 32 - -
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 18 18 16 17 18 19 16 -

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Earth Fill,
3. Choose Unsaturated Fredlund for the Method of this material,
4. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
5. In the Shear Strength tab, enter the parameter values provided in the table above for the Earth Fill material,
6. Move to the SWCC tab,
7. Enter a Saturated VWC of 0.368 and a Fitting soil parameter of 1,
8. Press the Properties... button,
9. Select Laboratory Data from the Source selector,
10. Click the Data... button located beside the Source selector to open the SWCC Fit Method dialog
11. Enter the table of values for the SWCC Data found in the table below by copying and pasting them using the Paste Points button and press Ok to accept the changes,
12. Click on the Apply Fit button to fit the data,
13. Click the OK button to close the SWCC Fit Method dialog,
14. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
15. Click the New... button to create a material and enter the name Filter Sand,
16. Choose Mohr Coulomb for the Method of this material,
17. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
18. In the Shear Strength tab, enter the parameter values provided in the table above for the Filter Sand material,
19. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
20. Repeat Steps 15-19 for the remaining six materials,
21. Click the OK button to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Earth Fill: SWCC data

Suction (kPa) VWC
0.589 0.368
3.306 0.367
20.010 0.243
50.030 0.195
90.060 0.156
150.1 0.154

Now that all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding Regions.
1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
2. For each region the appropriate material type must be selected from the combo box. The material assignments will be as shown in the table below,
Tutorial Manuals Page 191 of 273

3. Click OK once the material assignments have been made.

Region Material
Sandy Silt 1 Sandy Silt
Sandy Load Sandy Loam
Earth Fill Earth Fill
Silt Silt
Filter Filter Sand
Ore Tailings Ore Tailings
Core Core Clay
Sandy Silt 2 Sandy Silt
Bedrock Bedrock

n. Specify Search Method Geometry (Slips > Entry and Exit)

The Entry and Exit method of searching for the critical slip surface has already been selected a the previous step. Now the user must specify the geometry that defines the search method. This is
accomplished through the following steps:

1. Open the Entry and Exit dialog through the Slips > Entry and Exit... menu option,
2. Enter the X and Increment values for the entry range and exit range as specified in the table below (note that the Y coordinates are calculated automatically),
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Entry Range Exit Range
Left Side Right Side
Left Point Right Point Left Point Right Point
X 310 326.835 X 360 424.184
Increments 10 Increments 10
Radius 10
increments

o. Specify Slope Limits (Slips > Slope Limits)

To limit the trial slip surfaces under consideration the Slope Limits will be adjusted as follows:

1. Open the Slope Limits dialog through the Slips > Slope Limits... menu option,
2. Uncheck the Use Default Slope Limits checkbox,
3. Enter a value of 300 for the Left X limit,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

p. Specify Pore-Water Pressure (Pore Water > Settings)

Pore-water pressure profiles from the Groundwater model TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_2D (created earlier) solution are used in the Slope Stability model. To specify which profiles are to be used in solving
the Slope Stability model follow these steps:

1. Select Pore Water > Settings ...,

2. Select Results (.dat) file as the Pore Water Pressure Method,
3. Click the Browse... button,
4. Browse to the output folder of the TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_2D model and select the file GroundwaterResults.dat,
(The default location is C:\Users\<username>\Documents\PLAXIS LE 21\All Projects\MyProject\2D\SteadyState\TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_2D\output\)
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

q. Analyze Slope Stability Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will open and automatically solve,
2. Select the Results button to view results.

r. Results (Solve > Open Output)

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once you have analyzed the Groundwater model, the default Results display the pore-water pressure contours and the finite element mesh used to obtain the solution.

The following plots are typically desired for a seepage analysis. Each plot, as well as a brief description, is displayed below.

Solution Mesh & Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.
Tutorial Manuals Page 192 of 273

Earth Dam Mesh and Contour Results

The most important contour in the above plot is the one that corresponds to zero pressure. This contour represents the phreatic surface. The above design would be acceptable as the water table exits the
dam at the beginning of the filter. If the water table had extended to the toe of the dam, there would be concern that the toe of the dam would become unstable due to a piping failure.

The user is able to control the contour settings by selecting different contour lines or showing the contour labels.

To change to contour lines only, follow these steps:

1. Select Plot > Contours... from the menu,
2. Select Lines as the Contour Plot Type,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.
To adjust the contours, follow these steps:
1. Select Plot > Contours... from the menu,
2. Select the appropriate Variable Name,
3. In the Contour Variable section check:
Show Variable Description
Show Level Legend
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

Turn Off Mesh

The mesh can be turned off for certain regions through the following process:
1. Select Mesh > Mesh... from the menu,
2. Select the All radio button and uncheck Show Mesh checkbox,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Turn Off Region Fill

To display the vectors on a white background the Region Fill can be disabled:
1. Select Geometry > Region Fill... from the menu,
2. Uncheck the Show Region box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Flow Vectors
Flow vectors can be displayed through the following process:
1. Select Plot > Vectors... from the menu,
2. Click the Show Vector Layer box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Zones of high-velocity flows can be seen.

Flow Vectors show both the direction and the magnitude of the flow at specific points in the model. The low conductivity of the core causes the majority of the flow to go up and over the core causing
increased gradients in this area. The other area of interest is at the filter. Vectors illustrate that flow is exiting the dam in this region.

Head Contours
To change the contours to head contours follow these steps:
1. Select Plot> Contours > Contour Settings... from the menu,
2. From the Variable Name drop-down select h (head),
3. In the Contour Variable section de-select:
Show Level Legend
Show Variable Description
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Click OK to close dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 193 of 273

Earth Dam Flow Head Contours

As expected, most of the head is dissipated in the core of the dam. This is illustrated by how close the contours are in the core. The maximum head in the model occurs on the upstream face of the dam and
is equal to 130. This is expected, as this was the boundary condition set on the upstream face of the dam.

Flux Results
To view the total flux passing through the dam follow these steps:
1. Select Graphs> Graph Manager... from menu,
2. Select Flux Section Tab,
3. Double click Flux 1 for Flux Section Report dialog to pop-up,
4. Below the Instantaneous Flow Rate the results for the Normal Flow in (m3/s) will be presented:
Normal Flow in (m3/s) = 4.3E-08
5. Exit out of the dialog to go back to Graph Manager dialog.

Once the Slope Stability model has been solved the following will be displayed for the GLE (Fredlund) method.

The correct results for this example are:

Slope Stability
Method
Moment Force
GLE (Fredlund) 1.777 1.777

The user can view the trial slip surfaces by selecting Slips > Slip Surfaces... and checking the Show Trial Slip Surfaces checkbox.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 194 of 273

The user can view the slice information by selecting Slips > Slice Information
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
3D Tailings Dam Extrusion

This tutorial utilizes the models built in the 2D Tailings Dam tutorial extruding the 2D geometry to 3D to examine the reduction in factory of safety due to considering the effects of 3D geometry.

As in the 2D Tailings Dam tutorial, this example is used to illustrate the use of an uncombined seepage and slope stability model. This tutorial shows a earth fill tailings dam with a clay core. The model
examines whether the clay core and downstream filter effectively dissipate the pore-water pressure in the downstream portion of the dam, and whether this pore-water dissipation will result in an acceptable
factor of safety for the downstream slope. Flow vectors will also be noted to consider a piping failure situation.

This original models can be found under:

Project: Slopes_3D
Model: 3D_TailingsDamExt_Groundwater, 3D_TailingsDamExt_Slope Stability
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required to set up the model:

Create Groundwater steps:

a. Extrude 2D Groundwater model to 3D
b. Mesh settings
c. Analyze Groundwater model
d. Results
Create Slope Stability steps:
e. Extrude Slope Stability 2D model to 3D
f. Specify pore water pressure
g. Analyze Slope Stability model
 Tutorial Manuals Page 195 of 273

h. Results
The details of these outlined steps are detailed in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Extrude 2D Groundwater Model to 3D (File > Save As)

The model created in the 2D Tailings Dam tutorial may be converted to a 3D version. A new model is created with 3D geometry by extruding the 2D cross-section of the current model. This is accomplished
through the following steps:

NOTE:
If the 2D Tailings Dam tutorial has not been completed, the distribution model 2D_TailingsDam_Groundwater located in the Slopes_3D Project may be used.

1. First, open the previously created Groundwater model,

2. Next, to begin the extrusion process select File > Save As from the menu,
3. Select the General tab,
System: 3D
New File Name: TAILINGSDAM_FLUX_3D
4. Select the Spatial tab,
5. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
Y minimum: 0m
Y maximum: 250 m
6. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
7. Press Ok to close the dialog. The view should be switched automatically to a 3D view. If not, proceed to Step 8.
8. Select View > Mode > 3D to change the CAD window to a 3D view.

NOTE:
X- and Y-coordinates in 2D become X- and Z-coordinates in 3D space with the model extrusion

b. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... ,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click the OK button to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

3
Maximum Tetrahedron Volume (m ) 600
Global
Maximum Merge Distance (m) 1e-9

c. Analyze Groundwater Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver will automatically begin solving the model.

d. Results (Solve > Results)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Results menu option or by clicking on Results icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to the Results and Discussion.

NOTE:
To transfer from viewing results to the Groundwater design module click on the Groundwater icon found on the left vertical tool bar.

e. Extrude Slope Stability 2D Model to 3D (File > Save As)

The 2D model created with the above steps may be converted to a 3D version. A new model is created with 3D geometry by extruding the 2D cross-section of the current model. This is accomplished through
the following steps:

NOTE:
If the 2D Tailings Dam tutorial has not been completed, the distribution model 2D_TailingsDam_Slope Stability located in the Slopes_3D Project may be used.

1. First, open the completed Groundwater model,

2. Next, to begin the extrusion process select File > Save As from the menu,
3. Select the General tab,
System: 3D
New File Name: TAILINGSDAM_Slope Stability_3D
4. Select the Spatial tab,
5. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
Y minimum: 0m
Y maximum: 250 m
6. Enter the following model extrusion parameters,
7. Press Ok to close the dialog. The view should be switched automatically to a 3D view. If not, proceed to Step 8.
8. Select View > Mode > 3D to change the CAD window to a 3D view.

NOTE:
X- and Y-coordinates in 2D become X- and Z-coordinates in 3D space with the model extrusion

f. Specify Pore Water Pressure (Pore Water > Settings)

The pore water pressure will be specified from the results generated by the Groundwater model TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_3D created earlier:

1. Open the Pore Water Pressure dialog through the Pore-Water > Settings ... menu option,
2. Select Results (.dat) File as the Pore Water Pressure Method,
3. Browse to the output folder of the TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_3D model, and select the file GroundwaterResults.dat that was generated by Groundwater in the previous steps. The default
location is C:\Users\<username>\Documents\PLAXIS LE 21\All Projects\MyProject\2D\SteadyState\TAILINGSDAM_Groundwater_3D\output\
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

g. Analyze Slope Stability Model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to analyze the model.
1. Select Solve > Analyze from the menu. The Slope Stability Solver dialog will open and automatically solve,
2. Select the Visualize Output button to view results.

h. Results (Solve > Open Output)

To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.
Tutorial Manuals Page 196 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once you have analyzed the model, the default Results display the pore-water pressure contours and the finite element mesh used to obtain the solution.

The following plots are typically desired for a seepage analysis. Each plot, as well as a brief description, is displayed below.

Solution Mesh & Pressure Contours

The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver. The default contour display is a contour Lines and Flood.

Earth Dam Mesh and Contour Results

The most important contour in the above plot is the one that corresponds to zero pressure. This contour represents the phreatic surface. The above design would be acceptable as the water table exits the
dam at the beginning of the filter. If the water table had extended to the toe of the dam, there would be concern that the toe of the dam would become unstable due to a piping failure.

The user is able to control the contour settings by selecting different contour lines or showing the contour labels.

To change to contour lines only, follow these steps:

1. Select Plot > Contours... from the menu,
2. Select Lines as the Contour Plot Type,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.
To adjust the contours, follow these steps:
1. Select Plot > Contours... from the menu,
2. Select the appropriate Variable Name,
3. In the Contour Variable section check:
Show Variable Description
Show Level Legend
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Press OK to close the dialog.

Turn Off Mesh

The mesh can be turned off for certain regions through the following process:
1. Select Mesh > Mesh... from the menu,
2. Select the All radio button and uncheck Show Mesh checkbox,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Turn Off Region Fill

To display the vectors on a white background the Region Fill can be disabled:
1. Select Geometry > Region Fill... from the menu,
2. Uncheck the Show Region box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Flow Vectors
Flow vectors can be displayed through the following process:
1. Select Plot > Vectors... from the menu,
2. Click the Show Vector Layer box,
3. Press OK to close the dialog.

Zones of high-velocity flows can be seen.

Flow Vectors show both the direction and the magnitude of the flow at specific points in the model. The low conductivity of the core causes the majority of the flow to go up and over the core causing
increased gradients in this area. The other area of interest is at the filter. Vectors illustrate that flow is exiting the dam in this region.

Head Contours
To change the contours to head contours follow these steps:
1. Select Plot> Contours... from the menu,
2. From the Variable Name drop-down select h (head),
3. In the Contour Variable section de-select:
Show Level Legend
Show Variable Description
4. Check Show Region Contours below the Per-Region Settings,
5. Click OK to close dialog.
Tutorial Manuals Page 197 of 273

Earth Dam Flow Head Contours

As expected, most of the head is dissipated in the core of the dam. This is illustrated by how close the contours are in the core. The maximum head in the model occurs on the upstream face of the dam and
is equal to 130. This is expected, as this was the boundary condition set on the upstream face of the dam.

Slope Stability
Method
Moment Force
GLE (Fredlund) 2.113 2.113

The user can view the trial slip surfaces by selecting Slips > Slip Surfaces and checking the Show Trial Slip Surfaces checkbox.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 198 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

References

Duncan, J. M., Wright, S. C., Wong, K. S. 1990. Slope stability during rapid drawdown. Proceedings of H. Bolton Memorial Symposium, Vol. 2.

FlexPDE 6.x Reference Manual, 2007. PDE Solutions Inc. Spokane Valley, WA 99206.

FlexPDE 7.x Reference Manual, 2017. PDE Solutions Inc. Spokane Valley, WA 99206.

Giam, P.S.K. and I.B. Donald (1989), "Example problems for testing soil slope stability programs", Civil Engineering Research Report No. 8/1989, Monash University, ISBN 0867469218, ISSN 01556282.

Jiang, J. C. 2003. The effect of strength envelope non linearity on slope stability computations. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 308-325.

Wolff, T. F., Harr, M. E. 1987. Slope design for earth dams. Reliability and Risk Analysis in Civil Engineering 2, pp. 725-732.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Dynamics Tutorial Manual

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Introduction
 Tutorial Manuals Page 199 of 273

This section of the Tutorial Manual provides typical example problems presenting how to perform dynamic seismic analysis using Dynamics.

1. 2D Footing Seismic
2. 2D Embankment Dam Seismic
3. 2D Basic Embankment Seismic
4. 3D Basic Embankment Seismic
5. 3D Foundation Seismic
6. 3D Slope Seismic
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
2D Footings Seismic

The following example will introduce the use of dynamic loads in seismic analysis. The purpose of this model is to determine the displacement response of a simple model to dynamic forces. The model
dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of a slope and two footings. Dynamic distributed loads are applied on both footings. The model contains a main Till region and a thin Clay Shale region passing through the main region
underneath the slope.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_2D
Model: 2D_TwoFootingsOnSlope_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Define Time dependencies
f. Define dynamic loads
g. Specify model output
h. Mesh settings
i. Analyze model
j. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Dynamics
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Time Units: s
Model Name: SlopeFooting2D
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data. In this example, we use the cut and paste
option to create the geometry.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 200 of 273

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into three regions, which are named Ground, Seam, and Base. The shapes that define each region will now be created.

· Define Regions

1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,

2. Click New in the Regions Dialog twice to create new regions, R1, R2, and R3, in the Regions dialog.
3. Click in the cell under Name and change the name to Ground from R1,
4. Double click on the Ground region row or select the properties... button to bring up the Region Properties dialog,
5. Click the New Polygon button on the right to bring up the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Input or paste the X and Y coordinates listed in the table Region: Ground shown below using the Paste button,
7. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog and Click OK again to close the Region Properties dialog,
8. The region polygon Ground is now created,
9. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Seam region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Seam will be replacing R2.
10. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Base region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Base will be replacing R3
11. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region: Ground
X (m) Y (m)
5 41
6 41
8 40
10 40
25 38
40 38
73 32
73 36
64 37
59 39
54 39
52 40
48 41
42 41
38 42
35 43
31 43
27 44
25 45
22 46
19 47
15 47
12 46
12 43
5 43

Region: Seam
X (m) Y (m)
5 38
8 37
10 37
24 36
42 35
57 33
73 30
73 32
40 38
25 38
10 40
8 40
6 41
5 41

Region: Base
X (m) Y (m)
5 38
5 20
73 20
73 30
57 33
42 35
24 36
10 37
8 37

If the geometry has been entered correctly, your screen should look like the figure below.
Tutorial Manuals Page 201 of 273

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter material properties for the materials that will be used in the model. In this tutorial, we have two materials named Till and Clay Shale with properties presented
in the table below.

Parameters Material
Till Clay Shale
Method Linear Elastic Linear Elastic
Young's Modulus (kPa) 50000 3000
Poisson's Ratio 0.35 0.4
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 26 26

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Clay Shale for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Linear Elastic for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Parameters tab, enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to create the Till material,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Now, we should apply the materials to their corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Select the Ground region,
3. Choose Till material from the drop down menu,
4. Select the Seam Region,
5. Choose Clay Shale material from the drop down menu,
6. Select the Base Region,
7. Choose Till material from the drop down menu,
8. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Regions dialog.

e. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step of creating the model is specifying the boundary conditions. The right and left boundaries of the domain are fixed in the x-direction. Nonreflecting boundary condition is assigned to the bottom
boundary of the model to avoid wave reflection from this boundary. The boundary conditions are assigned as follows:

1. Right-Click on the Base Region in the drawing space,

2. Select Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
4. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists, choose X Fixed and Y Free boundary conditions
5. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
6. Click the check boxes beside Segment: (5, 38) - (5, 20) and Segment: (73, 20) - (73, 30) under the Region: Base branch of the selection tree,
7. Click the check boxes beside Segment: (73, 30) - (73, 32) and Segment: (5, 41) - (5, 38) under the Region: Seam branch of the selection tree,
8. Click the check boxes beside Segment: (73, 32) - (73, 36) and Segment: (5, 43) - (5, 41) under the Region: Ground branch of the selection tree,
9. Click the Ok button to close the dialog,
10. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
11. Select the Nonreflecting boundary condition in the x-direction. The boundary condition in the y-direction will automatically switch to Nonreflecting,
12. From the Assigned Motion list select None in both x- and y-directions (i.e., no motion will be transferred from this boundary to the model),
13. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
14. Click the check box beside Segment: (5, 20) - (73, 20) under the Region: Base branch of the selection tree,
15. Click OK to save the Boundary Conditions and return to the workspace.

Base

Start Point End Point Boundary Condition

(5,38) (5,20) Fixed/Free
(5,20) (73,20) Nonreflecting
(73,20) (73,30) Fixed/Free

Seam
 Tutorial Manuals Page 202 of 273

Start Point End Point Boundary Condition

(73,30) (73,32) Fixed/Free
(5,41) (5,38) Fixed/Free

Ground

Start Point End Point Boundary Condition

(73,32) (73,36) Fixed/Free
(5,43) (5,41) Fixed/Free

If all boundary conditions are defined correctly, the model should look like the screenshot below.

e. Define Time Dependencies (Dynamic > Time Dependencies)

Before defining dynamic loads, the user should define time dependencies that describe the variation of loads over time. This is done by defining Time Functions. Time functions can be defined either by i) using
the built-in Time Function generator or ii) pasting data to the data table. In this example, we explain both methods.

· Using built-in Time Function generator

1. Open the Time Function dialog by selecting Dynamic > Time Dependencies from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new Time Function. A new Time Function named Time Function 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. From the Function drop-down list, select Harmonic, and enter the other fields according to the table below,
4. Click the Generate button to generate the time function. The values will be shown in the data table.
5. Click on the Graph button to display Time Function 1.

Parameter Value
Function Harmonic
Increment 0.01
Start 0
Duration 10
Amplitude 1
Frequency 1
Phase 3.14

The time function should look like the graph below.

· Copy and paste data

1. Open the Time Function dialog by selecting Dynamic > Time Dependencies from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new Time Function. A new Time Function named Time Function 2 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. Open "C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials" in Windows Explorer,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 203 of 273

NB: This path depends on the folder chosen by the user when PLAXIS LE was installed, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
4. Click on "Dynamics Tutorial 2D Footings Time Function 2.CSV" and click open,
5. Copy data in the CSV file and Click on the Paste Points button to paste data to the data table,
6. Click on the Graph button to display Time Function 2.

Time
Function
2
should
look
like
the
graph
below.

f. Define Dynamic Loads (Boundaries > Distributed Load)

The next step is to define dynamic loads by defining distributed loads and assigning the defined time dependencies to them. In this tutorial, we define two dynamic distributed loads, as follows:

1. Select Boundaries > Distributed Load to open the Distributed Load dialog,
2. Click on the New button to create a new distributed load. A new load named Distributed Load 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
2
3. Set Magnitude to 80 kN/m
4. Click on the Select... button, the Select the Region Line Segment dialog will open,
5. Make sure that the Region is shown as Ground at the top of the dialog (Otherwise, use the arrows at the upper right corner of the dialog to switch to the Ground region),
6. From the Polygon list, select the row representing point (12, 43) then select OK to close the dialog,
7. From the Time Function drop-down list, select Time Function 1 to be assigned to this distributed load,
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to define the second dynamic load named Distributed Load 2, and set the dynamic load parameters according to the table below.
9. Click OK to close the Distributed Load dialog.

Dynamic Load Magnitude Region Line segment Assigned Time Function

2
Distributed load 1 80 kN/m (12, 43) Time Function 1
2
Distributed load 2 100 kN/m (59, 39) Time Function 2

g. Specify Model Output (Output)

Six history plots will be defined to record displacement along the surface of the slope. The steps for defining the history output plots are as follows:

1. Select Output > Graph Manager... from the menu to open the Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select Point tab,
3. Click the New button to add a new point graph,
4. Input top-left in the title text box, choose All in variable combo box,
5. In the point tab, insert the values of X and Y for point, top-left, from the table below,
6. Press OK to close dialog,
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for other points using the values provided in the table below,
8. Press OK to close the Graph Manager dialog,

Title Variable X Y
top-left All 15 47
top-right All 19 47
mid-left All 31 43
mid-right All 35 43
bottom-left All 42 41
bottom-right All 48 41

To define the number of output time steps, follow the steps below:

1. Select Results > Plot Manager from the menu,

2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 30,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

The screen should finally look like the screenshot below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 204 of 273

h. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Global Maximum Triangle Area (m )
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Maximum Edge Length (m) 2
Tolerance of Coordinate (m) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose Newmark in Analysis Method and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once dynamic analysis is completed, the results can be displayed in the Output mode.

· Undeformed and Deformed Mesh

The plots below display the finite element mesh generated by the solver, and the deformed mesh at different time steps.

· Undeformed Mesh

The mesh plot shows the finite element mesh generated by the solver.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 205 of 273

· Deformed Mesh

To display the deformed mesh, follow the steps below:

1. Select Mesh > Mesh... from the menu,

2. In the Deformed Mesh Scaling panel, set the scale factor in the X direction to 100,
3. Make sure that the Lock option is selected to ensure proportional scaling in both X and Y directions,
4. In the Mesh Settings panel, uncheck Show Mesh,
5. Click OK to close the dialog,
6. From the Time drop-down list in the tool bar, select the time at which you want to display the deformed mesh.

The deformed mesh (with scale factor 100) at three different time steps are displayed in the plots below:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 206 of 273

· Displacement Contours and Acceleration Vectors

Follow these steps to view Displacement Contours.

1. Select Plot > Contours from the menu to open Contours dialog,
2. In the General tab, from the Variable Name drop down list, select Uy under the Displacement tree,
3. Under Contour Color Settings, check the Reverse Color Map box,
4. Switch to the Display tab,
5. Under Color Settings, enter a value of 0.005 for Delta
6. Click OK to close the dialog.

Follow these steps to view Acceleration Vectors.

1. Select Plot > Vectors from the menu to open Vectors dialog and select the General tab
2. In the Choose Variables panel, select Ax from the Horizontal drop down list and Ay from the Vertical list,
3. Under Vector Settings, check the Show Vector Layer box,
4. Switch to the Display tab,
5. Set the line Weight to 2,
6. Set the Arrow Head Length to 20%,
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

Follow these steps to remove the mesh from the results display.

1. Select Mesh > Mesh... from the menu to open Mesh dialog and select the General tab,
2. Under Mesh Settings, uncheck both Show Mesh and Show Deformed Mesh boxes,
3. Set the scaling factors in both X and Y directions to 1,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 207 of 273

Vertical displacement contours and Acceleration Vectors at three different time steps are illustrated in the figures below.

· Output Plots

The output time-history plots defined in the Model Setup section can be displayed by following these steps:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 208 of 273

1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager... from the menu to open Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select History tab and select the point, top-left, then click on the Graph button. The Seismic Plot Summary dialog will open,
3. From the left panel, select Ux to display the time-history plot of the horizontal displacement at the selected point.

The time-history plot of the horizontal displacement at point, top-left, should be similar to the graph below.

Repeat the steps above to view time-history plots for other points.

· Vertical velocity at point, mid-right:

· Vertical acceleration at point, bottom-right:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 209 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Embankment Dam Seismic

The following example will introduce the use of seismic motion and non-reflecting boundary condition for seismic analysis. The purpose of this model is to determine the deformation response of an
embankment dam under seismic motions. The model dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of an embankment dam model with six regions.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_2D
Model: 2D_EmbankmentDam_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Define seismic motions
e. Specify boundary conditions
f. Specify model output
g. Mesh settings
h. Analyze model
i. Results

The details of the outlined steps are presented in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
 Tutorial Manuals Page 210 of 273

The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Dynamics
System: 2D
Units: Metric
Time Units: s
Model Name: EmbankmentDam2D
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

In this example, we import the geometry from an existing model. The model has been divided into six regions, which will be named R1 through R6. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its
material properties. The shapes that define each material region will now be imported.

1. Select Geometry > Import > From Existing model... from the menu. The Import Geometry dialog will open,
2. Select "Slope_Group_1" project from the Projects list,
3. From Models list, select "VS_5" and click Import,
4. Select "Yes" in the first pop-up dialog and "No" in the second to import the geometry without materials.

If the geometry has been imported correctly, your screen should look like the figure below.

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

In this example we have four different materials with material properties presented in the table below.

Material
Parameters
Rock Fill Transition Filter Core
Method Linear Elastic Linear Elastic Linear Elastic Linear Elastic
Young's Modulus (kPa) 62000 60000 55000 50000
Poisson's Ratio 0.3 0.3 0.35 0.4
3
Unit Weight (kN/m ) 20.4 20.4 20.4 18.1

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Rock Fill for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Linear Elastic for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Parameters tab, enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to create the Transition, Filter, and Core materials,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Once all material properties were entered, we apply the materials to the corresponding regions.

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Assign material, Rock Fill, to regions, R1 and R6, by selecting the region and choosing, Rock Fill, from the Material drop-down list,
3. Assign material, Transition, to regions, R2 and R5,
4. Assign material, Core, to region, R3,
5. Assign material, Filter, to region, R4,
6. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Regions dialog.

At the end of this step, your screen should look similar to the screenshot below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 211 of 273

d. Define Motion (Dynamic > Seismic Motion)

In this example, we simulate the ground displacement using a harmonic Time Function. Follow the steps below to define the Time Function.

1. Open the Time Function dialog by selecting Dynamic > Time Dependencies from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new Time Function. A new Time Function named Time Function 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. From the Function drop-down list, select Harmonic, and enter the rest of the fields according to the table below,
4. Click the Generate button to generate the time function. The values will be shown in the data table,
5. Click OK to close the dialog.

Parameter Value
Function Harmonic
Increment 0.02
Start 0
Duration 5
Amplitude 0.1
Frequency 10
Phase 0

Next, we use the generated Time Function to define a motion. Follow the steps below to define a new motion using an existing Time Function.

1. Open the Motion dialog by selecting Dynamic > Seismic Motion from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new motion. A new motion named Motion 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. Select the Time Function option,
4. From the Time Function list choose Time Function 1 to be the source of data for Motion 1. The data will be imported from Time Function 1 and its peak value and duration will be shown in the
Peak and Duration fields,
5. From the Motion Type drop down list, select Displacement,
6. Click on the Graph button to display the defined motion,
7. Close the graph and click OK to close the dialog.

The defined seismic motion should look like the diagram below.

e. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions. Non-reflecting boundary conditions will be applied to the base of the model along with a motion in the x-direction. The rest of the boundaries will remain
free. The following steps will define the boundary conditions of this model.

1. Click on the R1 Region in the drawing space,

2. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
4. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
5. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose Nonreflecting in either X or Y directions. The boundary condition in the other direction will automatically change to Nonreflecting,
6. From the Assigned Motion list select Motion 1 in the X direction and None in the Y direction,
7. Click the check box beside Segment: (0, 0) - (168.1, 0) under the Region: R1 branch of the selection tree,
8. Click on the check boxes beside the remaining segments, as listed in the table below, for the other Regions in the model,
9. Click OK to close the dialog,
10. Click OK to save the Boundary Conditions and return to the workspace,
Tutorial Manuals Page 212 of 273

Region Start Point End Point Boundary Condition Assigned Motion

R1 (0,0) (168.1,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None
R2 (168.1,0) (200.7,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None
R3 (200.7,0) (307.1,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None
R4 (307.1,0) (310.7,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None
R5 (310.7,0) (372.4,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None
R6 (372.4,0) (648,0) Nonreflecting Motion 1/None

f. Specify Model Output (Results)

Four history output plots will be defined in this tutorial to record the displacement along the cross-section of the dam. Follow the steps below to define history output plots.

1. Select Results > Graph Manager... from the menu to open the Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select Point tab,
3. Click the New button to add a new point graph,
4. Input crest in the title text box, choose All in variable combo box,
5. In the point tab, insert the values of X and Y for point, crest, from the table below,
6. Press OK to close dialog,
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for other points using the values provided in the table below,
8. Press OK to close the Graph Manager dialog,

Title Variable X Y
crest All 321.6 162
top All 328.8 146.1
mid All 331.3 130.6
base All 307.1 0

To define the number of output time steps, follow the steps below:

1. Select Results > Plot Manager from the menu,

2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 30,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

At the end of this step, the model should look like the figure below.

Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

The default values of mesh settings are used for generating the mesh, in this example. To view the default values and generate the mesh, follow the steps below.

1. To view mesh settings, select Mesh > Settings... from the menu. The table below presents the default values.
2. To generate the mesh, click Generate button in the Mesh Settings dialog, or select Mesh > Generate from the menu.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Global Maximum Triangle Area (m )
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Maximum Edge Length (m) 14.49
Tolerance of Coordinate (m) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

h. Analyze model (Solve )

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose Newmark in Analysis Method,
3. Set analysis parameters according to the table below and click OK to close the dialog,
4. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

Parameter Value
Newmark Delta 0.53
Newmark Alpha 0.27
Damping Ratio (%) 1.0
Min Frequency (Hz) 0.1
Max Frequency (Hz) 10

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .
 Tutorial Manuals Page 213 of 273

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Results and Discussion

The results can be displayed in the Output mode once the solver has finished analysis.

The finite element mesh generated by the solver is illustrated in the figure below.

· Displacement Contours

Follow these steps to view Displacement Contours.

1. Select Plot > Contours from the menu to open Contours dialog,
2. In the General tab, from the Variable Name drop down list, select Ux under the Displacement tree,
3. From the Contour Plot Type drop down list, select Flood,
4. Under Contour Color Settings, check the Color Gradient and Reverse Color Map boxes,
5. Switch to the Display tab,
6. Under Color Settings, enter a value of -0.05 for Min Level Value, 0.05 for Max Level Value, and 0.01 for Delta
7. Click OK to close the dialog,
8. Select Mesh > Mesh... from the menu to open Mesh dialog and select the General tab,
9. Under Mesh Settings, uncheck both Show Mesh and Show Deformed Mesh boxes,
10. Click OK to close the dialog.

The figures below display horizontal displacement Contours over the first 1.5 seconds of the analysis. The wave front traveling from the base towards the crest of the dam can be recognized in the figures.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 214 of 273

· Displacement Time-History Plots

The output time-history plots defined in the Model Setup section can be displayed by following these steps:

1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager... from the menu to open Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select History tab and select point, crest, then click on the Graph button. The Seismic Plot Summary dialog will open,
3. From the left panel, select Ux to display the time-history plot of the horizontal displacement at the selected point,
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for other points to view their time-history plots.

The time-history plot of the horizontal displacement at all selected points are presented below.

· Horizontal Displacement at point, crest:

Tutorial Manuals Page 215 of 273

· Horizontal Displacement at point, top:

· Horizontal Displacement at point, mid:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 216 of 273

· Horizontal Displacement at point, base:

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

2D Basic Embankment Seismic

The following example will introduce some of the features included in seismic analysis using Newmark method. The purpose of this model is to determine the deformation response of a simple model under an
applied earthquake. The model dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of a simple embankment with four regions.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_2D
Model: 2D_BasicEmbankment_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

Tutorial Manuals Page 217 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Define earthquake motions
e. Specify boundary conditions
f. Specify model output
g. Mesh settings
h. Analyze model
i. Results
The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Dynamics
System: 2D
Units: Imperial
Time Units: s
Model Name: Embankment2D
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data. The cut and paste option is presented below.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into four regions, which are named Foundation, Embankment, Core, and Top. Each region will have one of the materials specified as its material properties. The shapes that
define each material region will now be created.

· Define Regions
1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Click New in the Regions Dialog three times to create four new regions in the Regions dialog, R1, R2, R3, and R4.
3. Click in the cell under Name and change the name to Foundation from R1.
4. Double click the Foundation region row to bring up the Region Properties dialog or select the properties... button,
5. Click the New Polygon button on the right to bring up the New Region Polygon dialog,
6. Input or paste the X and Y coordinates listed in the table, Region: Foundation, shown below using the Paste button,
7. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog and Click OK again to close the Region Properties dialog,
8. The region polygon, Foundation, is now created,
9. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Embankment region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Embankment will be replacing R2.
10. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Core region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Core will be replacing R3,
11. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to define the Top region polygon according to the data provided in the table below. Note that the Name Top will be replacing R4,
12. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region: Foundation
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 0
500 0
500 107
225 107
219 103
196 103
193 107
0 107
Tutorial Manuals Page 218 of 273

Region: Embankment
X (ft) Y (ft)
225 107
500 107
500 256
445 256
440 250

Region: Core
X (ft) Y (ft)
0 107
193 107
196 103
219 103
225 107
440 250
425 250
189 112
100 112
0 112

Region: Top
X (ft) Y (ft)
100 112
420 256
445 256
440 250
425 250
189 112

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the four materials that will be used in the model. In this case we assume that the user has measured elastic parameters, which can
be found in the table below.

Parameters Material
Foundation Rock Fill Core Fill
Method Linear Elastic Linear Elastic Linear Elastic Linear Elastic
Young's Modulus (psf) 2100000 1250000 1050000 1150000
Poisson's Ratio 0.35 0.3 0.4 0.3
3
Unit Weight (lbf/ft ) 127 127 115 115

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Foundation for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Linear Elastic for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Parameters tab, enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog,
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 to create the Rock Fill, Core, and Fill materials,
9. Press OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Once all material properties have been entered, we must apply the materials to the corresponding regions.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 219 of 273

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Select the Foundation region,
3. Choose Foundation material from the drop down menu,
4. Select the Embankment Region,
5. Choose Fill material from the drop down menu,
6. Select the Core Region,
7. Choose Core material from the drop down menu,
8. Select the Top Region,
9. Choose Rock Fill material from the drop down menu,
10. Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the Regions dialog.

d. Define Earthquake Motions (Dynamic > Seismic Motion)

In this step, we define the earthquake motions that should be applied to the model for seismic analysis. The motions will be applied as boundary conditions to the model in the next step. In this tutorial, we
import, from an existing file, the North-South component of the acceleration record of the El Centro earthquake (1940).

1. Open the Motion dialog by selecting Dynamic > Seismic Motion from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new motion. A new motion named Motion 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. Select the Motion File option and click on the Import button, The file import dialog will open.
4. Go to "C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials" in the dialog,
NB: This path depends on the folder chosen by the user when PLAXIS LE was installed, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
5. Click on "Dynamics Tutorial 2D Embankment Motion 1.gss" and click open. The motion will be imported to the table and its peak value and duration will be shown in the Peak and Duration
fields,
6. From the Motion Type drop down list, select Acceleration and check Use g-unit,
7. Click on the Graph button to display the imported seismic motion,
8. Click OK to close the dialog.

If the seismic motion has been imported correctly, the graph will look like the diagram below.

e. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions. The earthquake should be applied to the base of the model and non-reflecting boundary conditions will be applied to the sides to avoid wave reflection.
The steps to specify the boundary conditions using the Right-Click menu are as follows:

1. Click on the Foundation Region in the drawing space,

2. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
4. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose X Motion and Y Fixed boundary conditions,
5. From the Assigned Motion list select Motion 1 to be assigned to the bottom boundary,
6. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
7. Click the check box beside Segment: (0, 0) - (500, 0) under the Region: Foundation branch of the selection tree,
8. Click OK to close the dialog,
9. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
10. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose Nonreflecting in either X or Y directions. The boundary condition in the other direction will automatically change to Nonreflecting. Make sure
that the Assigned Motion is set to None for both directions,
11. Click on the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
12. Click the check boxes beside the segments specified in the table below for the Foundation, Embankment and Core branches of the selection tree,
13. Click OK to close the dialog,
14. Click OK to save the Boundary Conditions and return to the workspace.

Region Start Point End Point Boundary Condition Assigned Motion

Foundation (0, 0) (500, 0) Motion/Fixed Motion 1
Foundation (500, 0) (500, 107) Nonreflecting None
Foundation (0, 107) (0, 0) Nonreflecting None
Embankment (500, 107) (500, 256) Nonreflecting None
Core (0, 112) (0, 107) Nonreflecting None

Now your screen should look like the image below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 220 of 273

f. Specify Model Output (Output)

In this model we are interested in deformation through the embankment and along the top edge. Therefore, five history plots will be defined in the following steps:

1. Select Output > Graph Manager... from the menu to open the Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select Point tab,
3. Click the New button to add a new point graph,
4. Input top in the title text box, choose All in variable combo box.
5. In the point tab, insert the values of X and Y for point, top, from the table below,
6. Press OK to close dialog,
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for other points using the values provided in the table below,
8. Press OK to close the Graph Manager dialog.

Title Variable X Y
top All 500 256
crest All 420 256
base All 500 107
toe All 100 112
g1 All 0 112

To define the number of output time steps, follow the steps below:

1. Select Results > Plot Manager from the menu,

2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 10,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

Your screen will look similar to the screenshot below.

Tutorial Manuals Page 221 of 273

g. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.

Tab Parameter Value

2
Global Maximum Triangle Area (ft )
Minimum Interior Angle (deg) 30
Maximum Edge Length (ft) 15
Tolerance of Coordinate (ft) 0.001
Element Type Triangle

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose Newmark in Analysis Method and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once seismic analysis is completed, the results can be displayed in the Output mode.

Solution Mesh
The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver.

· Acceleration Time-History Plots

Time-history output plots has been recorded for the points defined in Model Setup. Follow these steps to view time-history output plots.

1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager... from the menu to open Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select History tab and select the point, top, then click on the Graph button. The Seismic Plot Summary dialog will open,
3. From the left panel, select Ax to display the time-history plot of the horizontal acceleration at the selected point,
4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for other points to view their time-history plots.

The plots below present the variation of horizontal acceleration over time at the five output points defined in the model.
When a seismic analysis is completed, the seismic solver will automatically store the average time-history data for all defined output points in a ".slp" file that can be imported to Slope Stability for dynamic
seismic slope stability analysis. The file will be stored in the output directory of the current model folder. For this model, the time-history file is named, Embankment2D.slp.

· Horizontal Acceleration at point, top:

Tutorial Manuals Page 222 of 273

· Horizontal Acceleration at point, crest:

· Horizontal Acceleration at point, base:

Tutorial Manuals Page 223 of 273

· Horizontal Acceleration at point, toe:

· Horizontal Acceleration at point, g1:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 224 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Basic Embankment Seismic

The following example will introduce some of the features included in seismic analysis using Newmark method. The purpose of this model is to determine the deformation response of a simple model under an
applied earthquake. The model dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of a simple embankment with four regions.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_3D
Model: 3D_Embankment_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 225 of 273

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Apply material properties
c. Define earthquake motions
d. Specify boundary conditions
e. Specify model output
f. Analyze model
g. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
In this tutorial, a 3D model is built by extruding an existing 2D model. The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the 2D_BasicEmbankment_Seismic model (from Seismic_2D project)
2. Select File > Save As from the menu
3. Under the General tab, set System to 3D and set New File Name to Embankment3D
4. Under the Spatial tab, set the Minimum field to 0 and the Maximum field to 150，
5. Click OK to close the dialog and open the new model.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

b. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

When extend 2D model into 3D model, the materials in the 2D model will be also stored in the 3D model. Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each
block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all blocks will be assigned a material.

1. Select Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu to open the Material Layers dialog,
2. Select each material and assign it to relative layer base on the following table.
3. Close the Material Layers dialog using the OK button.

R5 R6 R7 R8 R9
Layer 4 Core Rock Fill Rock Fill Rock Fill Fill
Layer 3 Core Core Core Rock Fill Fill
Layer 2 Core Core Fill Fill Fill
Layer 1 Foundation Foundation Foundation Foundation Foundation

c. Define Earthquake Motions (Dynamic > Seismic Motion)

The seismic motion should already be setup since the model is extended from a 2D model.

d. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions. The earthquake should be applied to the base of the model and non-reflecting boundary conditions will be applied to the sides to avoid wave reflection.
The steps to specify the boundary conditions using the Right-Click menu are as follows:

Surface

1. Setup Surface boundary condition.

2. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Delete any existing boundary conditions by selecting them from the list on the left side of the dialog and pressing the Delete button,
4. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
5. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose X Motion, Y Free and Z Free boundary conditions,
6. From the Assigned Motion list select Motion 1 to be assigned to the bottom boundary,
7. Choose Surfaces tab and click on the Add Surface(s) button to open the Select Surfaces dialog,
8. Click the check box beside Region: R5 under the Surface: Surface 1 branch of the selection tree,
Tutorial Manuals Page 226 of 273

9. Repeat for Regions R6, R7, R8 and R9 as shown in the table below,
10. Click OK to close the dialog,

Region Surface Boundary Condition Assigned Motion

R5 Surface 1 Motion / Free / Free Motion 1
R6 Surface 1 Motion / Free / Free Motion 1
R7 Surface 1 Motion / Free / Free Motion 1
R8 Surface 1 Motion / Free / Free Motion 1
R9 Surface 1 Motion / Free / Free Motion 1

Sidewalls

11. Setup Sidewall boundary conditions,

12. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
13. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists, choose X Nonreflecting, Y Nonreflecting and Z Nonreflecting boundary conditions,
14. From the Assigned Motion list select None for all directions,
15. Choose Sidewalls tab and click on the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewall dialog,
16. Expand the Layer: 3/Region: R5 section of the tree and click the check box beside Sidewall: (0, 0) - (0, 150),
17. Check the same Sidewall for Layer: 1/Region 5,
18. Then under both Layer: 2/Region: R9 and Layer: 1/Region: R9 check Sidewall: (500, 150) - (500, 0),
19. Click OK to close the Select Sidewalls dialog,
20. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
21. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists choose X Free, Y Fixed and Z Free boundary conditions,
22. Check all of the sidewalls as indicated in the table below for the Free / Fixed / Free Boundary Condition,
23. Click OK to close the dialog.
24. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and complete the boundary condition assignment.

Region Layer Start Point End Point Boundary Condition Assigned Motion
R5 Layer 1 (0, 0) (0, 150) Nonreflecting NONE
R5 Layer 1 (0, 150) (100, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R5 Layer 1 (100, 0) (0, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R5 Layer 3 (0, 0) (0, 150) Nonreflecting NONE
R5 Layer 3 (0, 150) (100, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R5 Layer 3 (100, 0) (0, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 1 (100, 150) (225, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 1 (225, 0) (100, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 3 (100, 150) (225, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 3 (225, 0) (100, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 4 (100, 150) (225, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R6 Layer 4 (225, 0) (100, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 1 (225, 150) (440, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 1 (440, 0) (225, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 2 (225, 150) (440, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 2 (440, 0) (225, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 3 (225, 150) (440, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 3 (440, 0) (225, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 4 (225, 150) (440, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R7 Layer 4 (440, 0) (225, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 1 (440, 150) (445, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 1 (445, 0) (440, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 2 (440, 150) (445, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 2 (445, 0) (440, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 4 (440, 150) (445, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R8 Layer 4 (445, 0) (440, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R9 Layer 1 (445, 150) (500, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R9 Layer 1 (500, 0) (445, 0) Free / Fixed /Free
R9 Layer 1 (500, 150) (500, 0) Nonreflecting NONE
R9 Layer 2 (445, 150) (500, 150) Free / Fixed /Free
R9 Layer 2 (500, 150) (500, 0) Nonreflecting NONE

NOTE:
The user does not need to set Sidewalls boundary conditions for the layers with zero thickness.

f. Specify Model Output (Output)

1. Select Output > Plot Manager from the menu,
2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 10,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

h. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose Newmark in Analysis Method and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

This model may take more than 1 hour to run.

i. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
Results and Discussion
Tutorial Manuals Page 227 of 273

Once seismic analysis is completed, the results can be displayed in the Output mode.

Solution Mesh
The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver.

X Displacement at Time = 0.06s

X Displacement at Time = 19.86s

X Displacement at Time = 39.96s

 Tutorial Manuals Page 228 of 273

Cross section at Y = 80 ft , Time = 39.96s, Variable: sxy (xy total stress)

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Foundation Seismic

The following example will introduce some of the features included in seismic analysis using Newmark method. The purpose of this model is to determine the deformation response of a simple model under an
applied earthquake. The model dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of a simple embankment with four regions.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_3D
Model: 3D_Foundation_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

This model might need more than 40 mins to run.

Model Description and Geometry

Tutorial Manuals Page 229 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply material properties
d. Define earthquake motions
e. Specify boundary conditions
f. Specify model output
g. Analyze model
h. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Dynamics
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Time Units: s
Model Name: Foundation3D
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data. The cut and paste option is presented below.

· Cut and Paste

This model will be divided into two regions, which are named R1 and R2.

· Define Regions
1. Select Geometry > Regions from the menu,
2. Click New in the Regions Dialog to create a new region in the Regions dialog, R1 and R2.
3. Double click the R1 region row to bring up the Region Properties dialog or select the properties... button,
4. Click the New Polygon button on the right to bring up the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Input or paste the X and Y coordinates listed in the table, Region: Foundation, shown below using the Paste button,
6. Click OK to close the New Region Polygon dialog and Click OK again to close the Region Properties dialog,
7. The region polygon, Foundation, is now created,
8. Repeat steps 3 - 7 to define the R2 region polygon according to the data provided in the table below.
9. Click OK to close the Regions dialog.

Region: R1
Tutorial Manuals Page 230 of 273

X (m) Y (m)

0 0

0.5 0

0.498 0.039

0.494 0.078

0.486 0.117

0.476 0.155

0.462 0.191

0.446 0.227

0.426 0.261

0.405 0.294

0.38 0.325

0.354 0.354

0.325 0.38

0.294 0.405

0.261 0.426

0.227 0.446

0.191 0.462

0.155 0.476

0.117 0.486

0.078 0.494

0.039 0.498

0 0.5

Region: R2

X (m) Y (m)

0.5 0

0.498 0.039

0.494 0.078

0.486 0.117

0.476 0.155

0.462 0.191

0.446 0.227

0.426 0.261

0.405 0.294

0.38 0.325

0.354 0.354

0.325 0.38

0.294 0.405

0.261 0.426

0.227 0.446

0.191 0.462

0.155 0.476

0.117 0.486

0.078 0.494

0.039 0.498

0 0.5

0 3.5

3.5 3.5

3.5 0

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 231 of 273

This model consists of two surfaces. By default every model initially has two surfaces.

· Define Surface 1
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.
1. Select Surface 1 in the Surface Selector found at the top of the workspace,
2. Select Geometry > Surface Properties... from the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
3. For the Definition Options, select Constant from the drop-down,
4. Click on the Constant tab,
5. Enter a Surface Constant of 0,
6. Click OK to close the dialog,
· Define Surface 2
This surface will be defined by providing a constant elevation.
7. Select Surface 2 in the Surface Selector found at the top of the workspace,
8. Select Geometry > Surface Properties... from the menu to open the Surface Properties dialog,
9. For the Definition Options, select Constant from the drop-down,
10. Click on the Constant tab,
11. Enter a Surface Constant of 2.5,
12. Click OK to close the dialog,

c. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the materials that will be used in the model.

Material
Parameters
Soil
Method Linear Elastic
Young's Modulus (kPa) 20000
Poisson's Ratio 0.3
Unit Weight (kN/m^3) 27

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Soil for the material name in the dialog that appears
4. Choose Linear Elastic for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Parameters tab, enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog.

Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all
blocks will be assigned a material.

1. Select Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu to open the Material Layers dialog,
2. Select Soil from the drop-down for Layer 1, R1
3. Select Soil from the drop-down for Layer 1, R2
4. Close the Material Layers dialog using the OK button.

d. Define Earthquake Motions (Dynamic > Time Dependencies)

In this step, we define the time function that should be applied to the model for seismic analysis. The motions will be applied as boundary conditions to the model in the next step.

1. Open the Time Dependencies dialog by selecting Dynamic > Time Dependencies from the menu,
2. Click the New button to create a new time function. A new motion named Time Function 1 will be created and shown in the left panel,
3. You can find the time function data in the Model Data.
4. Copy the time function data, then click Paste Points button to paste data into Time Function 1.
5. Click on the Graph button to display the time function,
6. Click OK to close the dialog.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 232 of 273

If the time function has been inputed correctly, the graph will look like the diagram below.

e. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions. The earthquake should be applied to the base of the model and non-reflecting boundary conditions will be applied to the sides to avoid wave reflection.
The steps to specify the boundary conditions using the Right-Click menu are as follows:

Surface

1. Setup Surface boundary condition.

2. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
4. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose X Nonreflecting, Y Nonreflecting and Z Nonreflecting boundary conditions,
5. From the Assigned Motion list select None to be assigned to the bottom boundary,
6. Choose the Surfaces tab and click on the Add Surface(s) button to open the Select Surfaces dialog,
7. Click the check box beside Region: R1 under the Surface: Surface 1 branch of the selection tree,
8. Do the same for Region: R2 for Surface 1,

Region Surface Boundary Condition Assigned Motion

R1 Surface 1 Nonreflecting None
R2 Surface 1 Nonreflecting None

Sidewalls

9. Setup Sidewall boundary conditions,

10. Switch to the Sidewalls tab and click the Add Sidewalls(s) button,
11. Expand Region: R2 under the Layer 1 branch of the selection tree and choose Sidewall: (0, 3.5) - (3.5, 3.5) and Sidewall: (3.5, 3.5) - (3.5, 0),
12. Click OK to close the Select Sidewalls dialog,
13. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
14. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists, choose the X Free, Y Fixed and Z Free boundary conditions,
15. Choose Sidewalls tab Click on the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewall dialog,
16. Expand Region: R1 under the Layer 1 branch of the selection tree and choose Sidewall: (0, 0) - (0.5, 0),
17. Choose the same Sidewall under the Region: R2 branch,
18. Click OK to close the Select Sidewalls dialog,
19. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
20. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists, choose the X Fixed, Y Free and Z Free boundary conditions,
21. Choose Sidewalls tab Click on the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewall dialog,
22. Expand Region: R1 under the Layer 1 branch of the selection tree and choose Sidewall: (0, 0.5) - (0, 0) by checking the box,
23. Expand Region: R2 under the Layer 1 branch of the selection tree and choose Sidewall: (0, 0.5) - (0, 3.5),
24. Click OK to close the Select Sidewalls dialog,
25. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog and complete the boundary condition assignment.

Region Layer Start Point End Point Boundary Condition Assigned Motion
R1 Layer 1 (0, 0) (0.5, 0) Free/Fixed/Free
R2 Layer 1 (0, 0.5) (0, 3.5) Fixed/Free/Free
R2 Layer 1 (0, 3.5) (3.5, 3.5) Nonreflecting None
R2 Layer 1 (3.5, 0) (0.5, 0) Free/Fixed/Free
R1 Layer 1 (0, 0.5) (0, 0) Fixed/Free/Free
R2 Layer 1 (3.5, 3.5) (3.5, 0) Nonreflecting None

f. Specify Model Output (Output)

In this model we are interested in deformation through the embankment and along the top edge. Therefore, five history plots will be defined in the following steps:

1. Select Output > Graph Manager... from the menu to open the Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select Point tab,
3. Click the New button to add a new point graph,
4. Input Surface1 in the title text box, choose All in variable combo box.
5. In the point tab, insert the values of X, Y, and Z for point, Surface1, from the table below,
6. Press OK to close dialog,
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for other points using the values provided in the table below,
Tutorial Manuals Page 233 of 273

8. Press OK to close the Graph Manager dialog.

Title Variable X Y Z
Surface1 All 1.5 1.5 2.5
Surface2 All 3 3 2.5

To define the number of output time steps, follow the steps below:

1. Select Results > Plot Manager from the menu,

2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 15,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

g. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose Newmark in Analysis Method and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

This model will be run for about 40 mins.

h. Output (Solve > Open Output)
The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once seismic analysis is completed, the results can be displayed in the Output mode.

Solution Mesh
The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver.

Deformed Mesh Scaling set to 100.

total Displacement at Time = 1.33s

total Displacement at Time = 4.63s

Tutorial Manuals Page 234 of 273

· Acceleration Time-History Plots

Time-history output plots has been recorded for the points defined in Model Setup. Follow these steps to view time-history output plots.

1. Select Graphs > Graph Manager... from the menu to open Graph Manager dialog,
2. Select History tab and select the point, top, then click on the Graph button. The Seismic Plot Summary dialog will open,
3. From the left panel, select Ax to display the time-history plot of the x-direction acceleration at the selected point,
4. From the left panel, select Ay to display the time-history plot of the y-direction acceleration at the selected point,
5. From the left panel, select Az to display the time-history plot of the z-direction acceleration at the selected point,
6. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for other points to view their time-history plots.

The plots below present the variation of horizontal acceleration over time at the five output points defined in the model.
When a seismic analysis is completed, the seismic solver will automatically store the average time-history data for all defined output points in a ".slp" file that can be imported to Slope Stability for dynamic
seismic slope stability analysis. The file will be stored in the output directory of the current model folder. For this model, the time-history file is named, 3D_Foundation.slp.

· X-direction Acceleration at point, surface 1:

· Y-direction Acceleration at point, surface 1:

 Tutorial Manuals Page 235 of 273

· Z-direction Acceleration at point, surface 1:

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Data

Time Function
Time (s) Value
0 0
0.01 0.0628
0.02 0.125
0.03 0.187
0.04 0.249
0.05 0.309
0.06 0.368
0.07 0.426
0.08 0.482
0.09 0.536
0.1 0.588
0.11 0.637
0.12 0.685
0.13 0.729
0.14 0.771
0.15 0.809
0.16 0.844
0.17 0.876
0.18 0.905
0.19 0.93
0.2 0.951
0.21 0.969
0.22 0.982
Tutorial Manuals Page 236 of 273

0.23 0.992
0.24 0.998
0.25 1
0.26 0.998
0.27 0.992
0.28 0.982
0.29 0.969
0.3 0.951
0.31 0.93
0.32 0.905
0.33 0.876
0.34 0.844
0.35 0.809
0.36 0.771
0.37 0.729
0.38 0.685
0.39 0.637
0.4 0.588
0.41 0.536
0.42 0.482
0.43 0.426
0.44 0.368
0.45 0.309
0.46 0.249
0.47 0.187
0.48 0.125
0.49 0.0628
0.5 0
0.51 -0.0628
0.52 -0.125
0.53 -0.187
0.54 -0.249
0.55 -0.309
0.56 -0.368
0.57 -0.426
0.58 -0.482
0.59 -0.536
0.6 -0.588
0.61 -0.637
0.62 -0.685
0.63 -0.729
0.64 -0.771
0.65 -0.809
0.66 -0.844
0.67 -0.876
0.68 -0.905
0.69 -0.93
0.7 -0.951
0.71 -0.969
0.72 -0.982
0.73 -0.992
0.74 -0.998
0.75 -1
0.76 -0.998
0.77 -0.992
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Tutorial Manuals Page 237 of 273

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Tutorial Manuals Page 238 of 273

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Tutorial Manuals Page 239 of 273

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3.37 0.729
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3.39 0.637
3.4 0.588
3.41 0.536
3.42 0.482
Tutorial Manuals Page 240 of 273

3.43 0.426
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4.16 0.844
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4.18 0.905
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4.2 0.951
4.21 0.969
4.22 0.982
Tutorial Manuals Page 241 of 273

4.23 0.992
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Tutorial Manuals Page 243 of 273

5.83 0
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Tutorial Manuals Page 244 of 273

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Tutorial Manuals Page 245 of 273

7.43 0
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Tutorial Manuals Page 246 of 273

8.23 0
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Tutorial Manuals Page 247 of 273

9.03 0
9.04 0
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9.2 0
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9.3 0
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9.33 0
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 Tutorial Manuals Page 248 of 273

9.83 0
9.84 0
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9.97 0
9.98 0
9.99 0
10 0

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

3D Slope Seismic

The following example will introduce some of the features included in seismic analysis using Newmark method. The purpose of this model is to determine the deformation response of a simple model under an
applied earthquake. The model dimensions and material properties are defined in the next section.

This example consists of a simple embankment with four regions.

This original model can be found under:

Project: Seismic_3D
Model: 3D_Slope_Seismic

license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 3D LE with Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

This model might need more than 40 mins to run.

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

The following steps will be required in order to set up the model described in the preceding section. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Model Setting
c. Enter Geometry
d. Apply material properties
e. Define earthquake motions
f. Specify boundary conditions
g. Specify model output
h. Specify mesh settings
i. Analyze model
j. Results

The details of these outlined steps are given in the following sections.
NOTE:
Tutorial Manuals Page 249 of 273

Any values on the dialogs that are not specifically mentioned in the steps below are assumed to be the default values currently present.

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog,
2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Dynamics
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Time Units: s
Model Name: Slope3D
4. Click on OK to accept changes.

b. Model Setting (Settings)

The following steps are required to set the model settings:

1. Select Model > Settings... from the menu,
2. Select General tab,
3. Check Use Relative Displacement for the Deformed Mesh,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

Model geometry is defined as a set of regions. The user may enter geometry by i) drawing on the CAD ii) using the dynamic input method iii) cut and paste data.

1. Select Geometry > Import > From Existing Model from the menu,
2. Select the Slopes_3D project,
3. Select the Arbitrary_Sliding_Direction model,
4. Click Import,
5. A dialog may appear asking if you want to proceed despite current surfaces, regions, geometry, etc. being deleted. Click Yes,
6. A dialog may appear asking if you want to retain material properties. Click No.

If all model geometry has been entered correctly the shape will look like the diagram below.

d. Apply Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the materials that will be used in the model.

Parameters Material
Slope Material
Method Linear Elastic
Young's Modulus (kPa) 18000
Poisson's Ratio 0.2
Unit Weight (kN/m^3) 21

NOTE:
When a new material is created, you can specify the display color of the material using the Fill Color box on the Material Properties menu. Any region that has a
material assigned to it will display that material's fill color.

1. Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
2. Click the New... button to create a material,
3. Enter Slope Material for the material name in the dialog that appears,
4. Choose Linear Elastic for the Method of this material,
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The Material Properties dialog will open automatically,
6. In the Parameters tab, enter the parameter values given in the table above,
7. Click the OK button to close the Material Properties dialog.

Each region will cut through all the layers in a model, creating a separate “block” on each layer. Each block can be assigned a material or be left as void. A void area is essentially air space. In this model all
blocks will be assigned a material.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 250 of 273

1. Select Materials > Material Layers ... from the menu to open the Material Layers dialog,
2. Select Slope Material from the drop-down for Layer 1, R1
3. Close the Material Layers dialog using the OK button.

e. Define Earthquake Motions (Dynamic > Time Dependencies)

In this step, we define the time function that should be applied to the model for seismic analysis. The motions will be applied as boundary conditions to the model in the next step.

1. Open the Motion dialog by selecting Dynamic > Seismic Motion from the menu
2. Click the New button three times. Three new motions named Motion 1, Motion 2, and Motion 3 will be created and shown in the left panel
3. Change the name of Motion 1 to Motion X, Motion 2 to Motion Y , Motion 3 to Motion Z,
4. Select Motion X and click on the Import button. The file import dialog will open.
5. Go to “C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials” in the dialog,
NOTE:
This path depends on the folder chosen by the user when PLAXIS LE was installed, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they
chose to use.

6. Click on "ElCentroEW_Disp.gss" and click open. The motion will be imported to the table and its peak value and duration will be shown in the Peak and Duration fields,
7. Repeat steps 3-5 for Motion Y and Motion Z, using the files “ElCentroNS_Disp.gss and “ElCentroUP_Disp.gss” respectively.
8. Press OK to close the Motion dialog.
9. Open reference motion dialog by selecting Dynamic > Reference Motion from the menu
10. Choose Motion X for X direction, Motion Y for Y direction and Motion Z for Z direction.
11. Press OK to close the Reference Motion Dialog.

If the seismic motions have been inputted correctly, the graphs will look like the diagram below. The imported motions are the three components of the well known El Centro Earthquake (Imperial Valley, 1940)
displacement record.

Motion X :

Motion Y:

Motion Z:
Tutorial Manuals Page 251 of 273

f. Specify Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

The next step is to specify the boundary conditions. The earthquake should be applied to the base of the model and non-reflecting boundary conditions will be applied to the sides to avoid wave reflection.
The steps to specify the boundary conditions using the Right-Click menu are as follows:

Surface

1. Setup Surface boundary condition,

2. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
3. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
4. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down lists, choose the X Motion, Y Motion and Z Motion boundary conditions,
5. From the Assigned Motion lists select Motion X, Motion Y and Motion Z respectively to be assigned to the bottom boundary,
6. Choose the Surface tab and click on the Add Surface(s) button to open the Select Surfaces dialog,
7. Click the check box beside Region: R1 under the Surface: Surface 1 branch of the selection tree,
8. Click OK to close the dialog,

Sidewalls
9. Setup Sidewall boundary condition,
10. Click the New button to add a boundary condition,
11. From the Boundary Conditions drop-down list, choose X Nonreflecting, Y Nonreflecting and Z Nonreflecting boundary conditions,
12. From the Assigned Motion lists select None for all directions,
13. Choose Sidewalls tab and click on the Add Sidewall(s) button to open the Select Sidewall dialog,
14. Click the check boxes beside all four sidewalls listed under Region: R1,
15. Click OK to close the Select Sidewalls dialog,
16. Click OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

g. Specify Model Output (Output)

To define the number of output time steps, follow the steps below:
1. Select Output > Plot Manager from the menu,
2. Select Output Times tab,
3. Set Number of Steps to 60,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

h. Mesh Settings (Mesh Settings)

The default mesh settings need to be adjusted to expedite the solving of the model.

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,

2. Enter the values for the mesh setting parameters as shown in the table below and click Generate to produce the finite element mesh for the model,
3. Click OK to close the dialog.
Tab Parameter Value
3
Maximum Tetrahedron Volume (m ) 30
Global
Maximum Merge Distance (m) 1e-9

i. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The next step is to set analysis parameters and analyze the model.

1. Select Solve > FEM Options from the menu. The FEM Options dialog will open,
2. Choose HHT in Analysis Method and click OK to close the dialog,
3. Select Solve > Analyze in the menu. The solver dialog will appear and start solving the model.

This model will be run for about 40 mins.

j. Output (Solve > Open Output)

The visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option or clicking on the Open Output icon .

The model results will be displayed. To view the results in more detail proceed to Results and Discussion.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

Once seismic analysis is completed, the results can be displayed in the Output mode.
Tutorial Manuals Page 252 of 273

Solution Mesh
The Mesh plot displays the finite-element mesh generated by the solver.

Showing only the deformed mesh with Deformed Mesh Scaling set to 10,

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Consolidation Tutorial Manual

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

 Tutorial Manuals Page 253 of 273

Introduction

The Tutorial Manual serves a special role in guiding the first time users of the PLAXIS LE software through a typical example problem. The example is "typical" in the sense that it is not too rigorous on one
hand and not too simple on the other hand.

The Tutorial Manual serves as a guide by: i) assisting the user with the input of data necessary to solve the boundary value problem, ii) explaining the relevance of the solution from an engineering
standpoint, and iii) assisting with the visualization of the computer output. An attempt has been made to ascertain and respond to questions most likely to be asked by first time users in the following
examples:

1. 1D Consolidation - Instant Filling

2. 1D Consolidation - Staged Filling
3. Pseudo-3D Consolidation
PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021
1D Consolidation - Instant Filling

This example introduces how to solve large strain consolidation. The problem is 10 m instantaneously filled and the model is run for 30 years (10950 days). This example demonstrates the ability to simulate
the large strain consolidation process of oil sands tailings and other soft soil whose settlements are large.

Project Name: Consolidation

Model Name: 1D-ConsolidationInstantFilling
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE and Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up the model described in the preceding section, the following steps will be required. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Stage Settings
d. Specify Groundwater initial conditions
e. Specify Groundwater boundary conditions
f. Apply Groundwater material properties
g. Inputs for Stress
h. Specify model output
i. Mesh settings
j. Analyze model
k. Results

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:
 Tutorial Manuals Page 254 of 273

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Consolidation
System: 1D Vertical
Units: Metric
Time Units: day
Model Name: 1DLSCINSTANT
4. Click OK to close the dialog

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

The model being used has 1 single region with the following steps

1. Select Geometry > 1D Thicknesses...,

2. Enter 10 in the reference level box,
3. Enter 10 in thickness box,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

Now your screen should look like the image below

c. Apply Groundwater Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the Groundwater materials used in the model.

Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
1. Click the New... button to open the New Materials dialog,
2. Enter "Oil Sands" for the material name and Saturated Consolidation for Category,
3. Click OK,
4. Click on the HC Properties... button to open the Hydraulic Conductivity dialog,
5. Select Single Power Function Fit in the ksat Options and click the Data... button to open Ksat Vs. Void Ratio dialog,
6. Copy the data from the table below and click Paste Points,
7. Click OK to close dialog
8. Press OK and OK to close Hydraulic Conductivity and Materials Manager dialogs respectively.

Hydraulic
Void Ratio Conductivity
(m/day)
0.89 3.15e-06
1.04 1.32e-05
1.41 5.41e-05
2.53 7.30e-04
2.59 1.09e-03

Once the material has been entered and we must assign the material to the region using Stage Settings below.

d. Stage Settings (Geometry > Stage Settings)

1. Select Geometry > Stage Settings ,
2. Click the Add Stage button to add a new stage,
3. Enter the Duration and Time Increments,
The final result should be the same as the below table.
4. Select the Region Stage Settings tab,
5. Select Oil Sands material for the region R1 for both stage 1 and 2,
6. Select Stage 1 and set the Region Name R1 as "Constructed" in the Action drop down
7. Click Ok to close Stage Settings dialog. (Click Yes to Time Update questions)

Stage Name Duration End Time Initial Time Min. Time Max. Time Maximum Body Load Include Steady
 Tutorial Manuals Page 255 of 273

Increment Increment Increment Iteration Coefficient Displacement

Stage 1 1 1 1e-5 1e-5 0.001 6 0 checked unchecked
Stage 2 10949 10950 10.95 1e-5 1095 6 0 checked unchecked

e. Specify Groundwater Initial Conditions (Initial Conditions)

Initial conditions must be specified prior to solving a transient consolidation model. In this case we will specify a water table as an initial condition.

1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Head ... from the menu,
2. Select the h0 - Initial Head in the Variable option and choose Constant in the Type option,
3. Enter 10m in the head.

f. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions

1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,

2. Click the New button to add a new boundary condition,
3. Rename the boundary condition to Excess Pore Pressure by editing the Name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Excess Pore Pressure - Constant boundary condition,
5. In the Constant field enter a value of 0 kPa,
6. Click the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
7. Click the check box beside Region: R1 - Y: 10 in the selection tree and click Ok to close the dialog,
8. Change the Boundary Name to Surface by clicking in the Boundary Name column of the grid,
9. Select OK to close the dialog,
10. Click the New button to add another boundary condition,
11. Rename the boundary condition to Zero Flux by editing the Name field,
12. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Zero Flux boundary condition,
13. Click the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
14. Click the check box beside Region: R1 - Y: 0 in the selection tree and click Ok to close the dialog,
15. Change the Boundary Name to Base by clicking in the Boundary Name column of the grid,
16. Select OK to close the dialog
17. Select OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog.

g. Inputs for Stress

Similarly, initial conditions, boundary conditions and material properties are needed for Stress

Click the Model > Stress from the menu

Initial Conditions
1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Void Ratio ... from the menu,
2. Chose Initial Void Ratio as Variable,
3. Enter 3.29 for Constant Void Ratio,
4. Click Ok to close dialog.

Boundary Conditions
1. Select Boundaries > Displacements ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to add a new boundary condition,
3. Rename the boundary condition to Free by editing the Name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Y Free boundary condition,
5. Click the Add Point(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
6. Click the check box beside Region: R1 - Y: 10 in the selection tree and click Ok to close the dialog,
7. Select OK to close the dialog,
8. Click the New button to add a new boundary condition,
9. Rename the boundary condition to Fixed by editing the Name field,
10. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Y Fixed boundary condition,
11. Click the Add Point(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
12. Click the check box beside Region: R1 - Y: 0 in the selection tree and click Ok to close the dialog,
13. Select OK to close the dialog,
14. Click Ok to close dialog.
Tutorial Manuals Page 256 of 273

Material Properties
1. Select Materials > Material Manger from the menu,
2. Select Oil Sands in the Material Name and click Properties button,
3. Enter 0.3 for Poisson's Ratio,
4. Click Data button to open Compression data dialog,
5. Copy the data in the table below and click Paste on the opened dialog,
6. Click OK to close dialog,
7. Click Apply Fit button to calculate A and B values,
8. Enter Specific Gravity value of 2.28 and Minimum Stress Limit value of 0.1 kPa,
9. Select Loading tab and enter Ko = 0.6,
10. Click OK to close the Power Function dialog,
11. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Stress (kPa) Void Ratio

1.1 2.53
2.2 2.27
8.7 1.85
68.8 1.25
274.3 0.89

h. Specify Model Output (Output)

A number of relevant output plots will be generated by default for both Groundwater and Stress. For instructions on customizing the output plots see the User Manual or other Tutorial examples.

Groundwater
1. Select Model > Groundwater...,
2. Select Output > Graph Manager ...,
3. On the Range tab, click Add Defaults,
4. Select all the elevation entries and click the Multiple Update button,
5. In the Update Method tab, change time Increment to 365 days and click Ok to close the dialog,
6. Click on Flux Sections tab and select both flux sections present,
7. Click on Multiple Update button,
8. On the update method tab, change time Increment to 365 days and click Ok to close the dialog,
9. Click Ok to close Graph manager.

Stress
1. Select Model > Stress...,
2. Select Output > Graph Manager ...,
3. On the Range tab, click Add Defaults,
4. Select all the range data and click on Multiple Update,
5. In the Update Method tab, change time Increment to 365 days and click Ok to close the dialog,
6. Click the Ground Surface tab,
7. Click Add New Graph button at the bottom left corner of the dialog,
8. Select Ym (y deformed coordinate) under the variable drop list,
9. Select update Method tab and change time increment to 365 days.
10. Click Ok and Click Ok to close Graph Manager dialog.

i. Mesh Settings (Mesh > Settings)

The next step is to change the mesh settings.

1. Select Mesh > Settings... from the menu,

2. In the Global tab enter the mesh data as shown in table below,
3. Press OK to close the Meshing Settings dialog, and accept the Mesh Reset message.

Global Meshing Settings Option Total Nodes

Total Nodes 100
Mesh Layout Denser at the top
Tutorial Manuals Page 257 of 273

j. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The current model is run by selecting the Solve > Analyze menu option.

k. Results (Solve > Open Output)

Upon completion of the solver, the visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the computation for the model has been completed, the below figures show the results at 3650 days (10 years), 7300 (20 years) and 10950 days (30 years)

· Initial thickness

· Final thickness after 30 years (10950 days)

Tutorial Manuals Page 258 of 273

· Void Ratio

· Effective stress
 Tutorial Manuals Page 259 of 273

· Output of Settlement

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

1D Consolidation

This example introduces how to solve large strain consolidation. The problem is 10 m high filled in 5 stages with a total time for each stage of 2 months, in which the first month is continuously filled with a
total thickness of 2 m and the second month for quiescent consolidation. The filling stage is finished after 10 months and the model is run for 30 years (10950 days). This example demonstrates the ability to
simulate the large strain consolidation process of oil sands tailings and other soft soil whose settlements are large.

Project Name: Consolidation

Model Name: 1D-ConsolidationStagedFilling
license required to complete this tutorial: PLAXIS 2D LE and Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements

Model Description and Geometry

Tutorial Manuals Page 260 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup

In order to set up the model described in the preceding section, the following steps will be required. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Enter geometry
c. Apply Groundwater material properties
d. Stage Settings
e. Specify Groundwater initial conditions
f. Specify Groundwater boundary conditions
g. Inputs for Stress
h. Specify model output
i. Analyze model
j. Results

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager dialog ,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Consolidation
System: 1D Vertical
Units: Metric
Time Units: day
Model Name: 1DLSCSTAGED
4. Click OK to close the dialog

b. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

The model being used has 5 regions with the following steps

1. Select Geometry > 1D Thicknesses...,

2. Set the List Direction as Low-to-High (this will place R1 at the base of the bottom for a more intuitive region order),
3. Enter 0 in Reference Level (datum elevation) box,
4. Enter the following thicknesses in the list box,

2
2
2
2
2

4. Click OK to close dialog,

5. Select Mesh > Settings and change Maximum side length to 0.1 m,
6. Click OK to close dialog, then choose to generate the mesh in the prompt that appears.

c. Apply Groundwater Material Properties (Materials)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the Groundwater materials used in the model.

Open the Materials dialog by selecting Materials > Manager ... from the menu,
1. Click the New... button to open the New Materials dialog,
2. Enter "Oil Sands" for the material name and Saturated Consolidation for Category,
 Tutorial Manuals Page 261 of 273

3. Click OK to close the dialog,

4. Click on the HC Properties... button to open the Hydraulic Conductivity dialog,
5. Select Single Power Function Fit in the ksat Options and click Data... button to open Ksat Vs. Void Ratio dialog,
6. Copy the data from the table below and click Paste Points,
7. Click OK to close dialog,
8. Click OK and OK to close Hydraulic Conductivity and Materials Manager dialogs respectively.

Hydraulic
Void Ratio conductivity
(m/day)
0.89 3.15e-06
1.04 1.32e-05
1.41 5.41e-05
2.53 7.30e-04
2.59 1.09e-03

Once the material has been entered we must assign the material to the regions.

1. Open the Stage Settings dialog by selecting Geometry > Stage Settings from the menu,
2. Move to the Region Stage Settings tab,
3. Go through each stage and select the Oil Sands material for each region that shows Yes in the Exists section of the table,
4. Leave the Stage Settings dialog and proceed to the next section.

d. Stage Settings (Geometry > Stage Settings)

1. Click on the Model Stage Settings tab of the Stage Settings dialog,
2. Click the down arrow to the right of the Add Stage button and select the Add Stages option,
3. Enter 10 for the Number of stages (which brings the total number of stages to 11),
4. Click OK to close the Add Stages dialog, and choose No if a prompt follows,
5. Click on Set Default Time Increments and enter the data and stage names as shown in the table below. Note that you may click on a column header to assign the same value to each row.
The final result should be similar as the below table.

Stage Name Duration End Time Initial Time Min. Time Max. Time Maximum Body Load Include Steady
Increment Increment Increment Iteration Coefficient Displacement
Construct L1 30 30 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Q1 30 60 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Construct L2 30 90 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Q2 30 120 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Construct L3 30 150 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Q3 30 180 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Construct L4 30 210 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Q4 30 240 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Construct L5 30 270 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Q5 30 300 0.03 0.03 3 6 0 checked unchecked
Quiescent 30 yrs 10650 10950 1.065 1.065 10.65 6 0 checked unchecked

NOTE:
Click on Set Default Time Increments button when the Duration and Body Load Coefficients are entered to automatically calculate the other values. Also, clicking on the column header can be used to
set a value for the entire column.

6. Select the Region Stage Settings tab,

7. Select the Stage Name Construct L1 and set the Region Name R1 as Constructed in the Action drop down,
8. Select the Stage Name Construct L2 and set the Region Name R2 as Constructed in the Action drop down,
9. Select the Stage Name Construct L3 and set the Region Name R3 as Constructed in the Action drop down,
10. Select the Stage Name Construct L4 and set the Region Name R4 as Constructed in the Action drop down,
11. Select the Stage Name Construct L5 and set the Region Name R5 as Constructed in the Action drop down,
12. Click OK to close Stage Settings dialog. (Click Yes to Time Update questions)

NOTE:
The Stages Q1 through Q5 simulate quiescent periods of 30 days in between the filling phases during which the material is allowed to consolidate.

e. Specify Groundwater Initial Conditions (Initial Conditions)

Initial conditions must be specified prior to solving a transient consolidation model. In this case we will specify a water table as an initial condition. The below steps applied for all 5 regions
1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Head ... from the menu,
2. Select the h0 - Initial Head in the Variable option and choose Constant in the Type option,
3. Enter 2 m in the head
4. Click OK to close dialog

f. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundaries)

Now that all of the regions and the model geometry have been successfully defined, the next step is to specify the boundary conditions

Apply boundary conditions:

1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions ... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to add a new boundary condition,
3. Rename the boundary condition to Excess Pore Pressure by editing the Name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Excess Pore Pressure - Constant boundary condition,
5. In the Constant field enter a value of 0 kPa,
6. Click the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
7. Click the check boxes beside the top of each defined region, namely Region: R1-Y: 2, Region: R2-Y: 4, Region: R3- Y: 6, Region: R4=Y: 8 and Region: R5-Y: 10 in the selection tree and click
Ok to close the dialog,
8. Change the Boundary Name to Surface by clicking in the Boundary Name column of the grid,
9. Select OK to close the dialog,
10. Next add a Zero Flux Boundary Condition by clicking the New button and changing the name to Zero Flux,
11. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Zero Flux boundary condition,
12. Click the Add Segment(s) button to open the Select Segments dialog,
13. Click the check box beside Region: R1-Y: 0,
14. Select OK to close the dialog,
15. Change the Boundary Name to Base by clicking in the Boundary Name column of the grid,
16. Select OK to close the Boundary Conditions dialog,

g. Inputs for Stress

Similarly, initial conditions, boundary conditions and material properties are needed for Stress

Click the Model > Stress from the menu.

Initial Conditions for all regions

Tutorial Manuals Page 262 of 273

1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Void Ratio ... from the menu,
2. Choose "vr0 - Initial Void Ratio" as the Variable,
3. Enter 3.29 for Constant Void Ratio.

Boundary Conditions
Region: R1
1. Select Boundaries > Displacements... from the menu,
2. Click the New button to add a new boundary condition,
3. Rename the boundary condition to Fixed by editing the Name field,
4. From the Boundary Condition drop down select a Y Fixed boundary condition,
5. Click the Add Point(s) button to open the Select Points dialog,
6. Click the check box beside Region: R1-Y: 0 to assign the boundary condition,
7. Select OK to close the dialog,
8. Click OK to close the Displacements dialog.

Region: R2, R3, R4 and R5

Both points are set as "Y Free" Boundary Conditions. These are the default values, so there is no need to add any explicit boundary conditions.

Material Properties
1. Select Materials > Material Manger from the menu,
2. Select Oil Sands in the Material Name and click Properties button,
3. Click Data... button to open Compression data dialog,
4. Copy the data and the table below and click on the opened dialog,
5. Click Ok to close dialog,
6. Click Apply Fit button to calculate A and B values,
7. Enter Specific Gravity value of 2.28 and Minimum Stress Limit value of 0.1 kPa,
8. Select Loading tab and enter Ko = 0.6,
9. Click OK to close the Power Function dialog,
10. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Stress (kPa) Void Ratio

1.1 2.53
2.2 2.27
8.7 1.85
68.8 1.25
274.3 0.89

h. Specify Model Output (Output)

A number of relevant output plots will be generated by default for both Groundwater and Stress. For instructions on customizing the output plots see the User Manual or other Tutorial examples.

Groundwater
1. Select Model > Groundwater...,
2. Select Output > Graph Manager... ,
3. Click Add Defaults,
4. Multi-select all the range data plots in the list view and click on Multiple Update button,
5. On the update method tab change time Increment to 365 days and click OK to close the dialog,
6. Select the Flux Sections tab and select both flux sections present,
7. Click on Multiple Update button,
8. On the Update Method tab, change time Increment to 365 days and click OK to close the dialog,
9. Click OK to close Graph manager.

Stress:
1. Select Model > Stress...,
2. Select Output > Graph Manager ...,
3. On the Range tab, click the Add Defaults button,
4. Multi-select all of the range data plots in the list view and click on Multiple Update,
5. In the Update Method tab, change time Increment to 365 days and click OK to close the dialog,
6. Click the Ground Surface tab,
7. Click Add New History Graph button at the bottom left corner of the dialog,
8. Select Ym (Y deformed coordinate) under the variable drop list,
9. Select the Update Method tab and change time increment to 365 days,
10. Click OK to close the Graph Manager dialogs.

i. Analyze model (Solve > Analyze)

The current model is run by selecting the Solve > Analyze menu option.

j. Results (Solve > Open Output)

Upon completion of the solver, the visual results for the current model may be examined by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option.

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the analysis of the model has been performed, the changes in the model over time can be explored by viewing the output at different time steps. The following figures show the depth and void ratio
changes as the tailings consolidate after the filling is complete.

· Filling completed (270 days)

Tutorial Manuals Page 263 of 273

· 6 years after filling (2190 days)

Tutorial Manuals Page 264 of 273

· 30 years after construction (10950 days)

Tutorial Manuals Page 265 of 273

The figures below show the results at 365 days, 3650 days (10 years), 7300 days (20 years) and 10950 days (30 years). These graphs can be viewed by opening the Graphs > Graph Manager... from the
menu.

· Void ratio

· Effective stress
Tutorial Manuals Page 266 of 273

· PWP

· Output of Settlement
 Tutorial Manuals Page 267 of 273

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Pseudo-3D Consolidation

This example introduces the concept of pseudo-3D analysis for modeling the three-dimensional large-strain consolidation of oil sands tailings and other soft soils with large settlements. The pseudo-3D
methodology is coupled with a depositional model in order to account for the 3D effects of slurried deposition. This combined process is critically important for the planning of new tailings management
facilities (TMFs). The deposition process is represented through a 3D methodology to determine the true surface of the tailings over time. The consolidation process is modeled through a discretization of the
3D consolidation model into a grid of 1D numerical models. The deformation of the 1D models provides an approximation of the 3D consolidation model vs. time as well as the tailings volume as a function of
time.

The design of TMFs requires the numerical modeling of large-strain consolidation to represent the release of water with time. This example alternates filling and quiescent consolidation stages over 5 years for
a deep deposit. The tailings are left to consolidate for another 100 years (36,500 days). The pit geometry where the tailings are to be deposited is oval in shape. It is roughly 600m long, 400m wide, and 50m
3
deep with a total capacity of about 2.3 million m .

Project Name: Consolidation

Model Name: Oil_Sands_Tailings_Management_Facility
Minimum license required to complete this PLAXIS 3D LE and Geotechnical SELECT Entitlements
tutorial:

Model Description and Geometry

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Model Setup
Tutorial Manuals Page 268 of 273

In order to set up the model described in the preceding section, the following steps will be required. The steps fall under the general categories of:

a. Create model
b. Specify model settings
c. Enter geometry
d. Specify Stress material properties
e. Stage Settings
f. Specify Stress initial conditions
g. Specify Stress boundary conditions
h. Specify Groundwater material properties
i. Specify Groundwater initial conditions
j. Specify Groundwater boundary conditions
k. Specify depositional boundaries
l. Analyze model
m. Back end results

a. Create Model
The following steps are required to create the model:

1. Open the PLAXIS LE Manager ,

2. Click the New Model button or select Models > Create New Model from the menu (By default the model will be assigned to the MyProject project and saved in the associated Parent folder),
3. Select the following:
Module: Consolidation
System: 3D
Units: Metric
Time Units: day
Model Name: OIL_SANDS_TAILINGS_MANAGEMENT_FACILITY
4. Click OK to close the dialog

b. Specify Model Settings (Model > Settings)

Click the Model > Stress from the menu.

1. Select Model > Settings... from the menu,

2. Check the Pseudo-3D Analysis check box to enable the pseudo-3D analysis option,
3. On the Pseudo-3D tab, set the Number of X Columns and Number of Y Columns to 60,
4. Set the Time Increment to 3650 days,
4. Click OK to close the dialog.

NOTE:
There is a minimum number of columns required in the analysis in order to meet the volume error tolerances specified in the Model Settings. This number depends on the ground surface, deposition
boundary, and error tolerances specified. If an insufficient column density has been set the analysis will be prevented from beginning and the user will be asked to update the number of columns to
the recommended density. The user may specify a greater column density than what is required to meet the error tolerances if they wish to have greater column detail in the back end result. This,
however, comes at the cost of longer model runs times.

c. Enter Geometry (Geometry)

There are several geometric components that form the basis for a pseudo-3D analysis of a tailings management facility (TMF).

· Deposition Boundary: A depositional boundary region in plan view is used to define the extents of the area where deposition is to occur. This forms the limits for the placement of the 1D columns.

· Ground Surface: A ground surface in the form of a grid or triangulated mesh is used to represent the topology of the TMF prior to the deposition of tailings. The ground surface together with the
deposition boundary define the lower and outer bounds of the depositional volume. The volume is enclosed above by using the shape of the depositional surface as defined by the filling scenario.

· Deposition Points: One or more deposition points will define where the deposition of tailings originates from. A deposition point object composed of multiple locations may be used for each stage in
the filling scenario. This means that the deposition locations can change at each stage and that deposition may occur from multiple locations simultaneously. Deposition points cannot be located
outside of the depositional boundary. The algorithm for creating the depositional surfaces will automatically snap each deposition point located outside of the depositional boundary to the nearest
location on the boundary. Deposition points located anywhere inside the depositional boundary will not be moved.

· Define Deposition Boundary

The regions shown in the Regions dialog serve as a list to choose the deposition boundary from for the TMF in the pseudo-3D analysis. Only the region that is set as the deposition boundary (step k) will
affect the pseudo-3D analysis. So any number of regions may be added to the Regions dialog with only the one specified as the deposition boundary affecting the analysis. The steps for defining the region
that will be used in this analysis are:

1. Open the Regions dialog by selecting Geometry > Regions... from the menu,
2. Change the first region name from R1 to Pit Boundary. To do this, highlight the name and type the new text,
3. Click the Properties... button,
4. Click the New Polygon... button to open the New Region Polygon dialog,
5. Select and copy the values provided in the table below and Paste them into the dialog by clicking the Paste button,
6. Click OK to close the dialogs.
Region: Pit Boundary
X (m) Y (m)
658 209
638 381
575 390
475 425
356 409
302 413
201 432
92 428
46 396
74 343
147 222
242 125
300 83
374 54
553 73
604 98
645 153

· Define Ground Surface

The surfaces shown in the Surfaces dialog serve as a list to choose the ground surface from for the TMF in the pseudo-3D analysis. By default every 3D model initially has two constant surfaces in the
Surfaces dialog. We will import an additional grid surface of (X,Y,Z) scatter from a CSV file that will be used as the ground surface in the pseudo-3D analysis. So any number of surfaces may be added to the
Surfaces dialog but only the one specified as the ground surface (step k) will affect the pseudo-3D analysis.
 Tutorial Manuals Page 269 of 273

1. Open the Surfaces dialog by selecting Geometry > Surfaces... from the menu,
2. Press the New... button to open the Insert Surfaces dialog,
3. Change the Surface Name to Ground Surface and click OK to accept the other default values on the dialog,
4. Click the Properties... button to open the Surface Properties dialog,
5. Click the Import Data Grid... button,
6. Enter "C:\Program Files\Bentley\Geotechnical\PLAXIS LE 21\Tutorials" in address bar,
NB: This path is dependent on the folder chosen by the user when they installed PLAXIS LE, but it will always be in the sub-folder "Tutorials" of whatever path they chose to use.
7. Select Pseudo3D_Ground_Surafce.csv and click open,
8. Click Yes on the pop-up dialog to replace the current data with the data from the file,
9. Move to the Format tab and click the Show Fill checkbox to turn on the fill for the new Surface,
10. Click the Surface Contour Settings... button to open the Surface Elevation Contour Settings dialog,
11. Check the Show Elevation Contours checkbox to turn on elevation contouring,
12. Click OK to close the Surface Elevation Contour Settings dialog,
13. Click OK to close both the Surface Properties and Surfaces dialogs.

· Define Deposition Points

Deposition points define the location from which the tailings are deposited. This location defines the peak of the depositional surface created for a particular deposition point. Multiple locations may be defined
by using multiple deposition points. All deposition points are assumed to be active for the full duration of each filling Stage. Deposition cannot lie outside the depositional boundary. If located outside the
depositional boundary, they will be automatically moved to the nearest point on the depositional boundary once a boundary has been chosen.

1. Open the Deposition Points dialog by selecting Geometry > Deposition Points... from the menu,
2. Press the New... button to create new Deposition Points object,
3. Change the Name to DP1,
4. Set the Deposition Boundary drop-down to Pit Boundary,
5. Enter coordinates x=575, y=395, z=52 into the grid view. Note that the deposition points may also be drawn directly on the CAD by using the Draw button on the dialog.
6. Click the Points Style button and enter the following settings,
Weight: 1px
Size: 30px
Color: Red
Symbol: Filled circle
7. Click OK to close the Point Style and Deposition Points dialogs.

d. Define Stress Material Properties (Materials > Material Manager)

The next step in defining the model is to enter the material properties for the Stress materials used in the model.

1. Select Materials > Manager... from the menu,

2. Click the New... button to open the New Materials dialog,
3. Enter Oil Sands for the material name and Power Function Fit for the Method,
4. Click OK to close the dialog,
5. Click Data... button to open the Compression Data dialog,
6. Copy the data in the table below and click the Paste Points,
7. Click OK to close the dialog,
8. Click Apply Fit button to calculate A and B values (A=5.04, B=-0.278)
9. Enter Specific Gravity value of 2.28 and Minimum Stress Limit value of 0.1 kPa,
10. Select Loading tab and enter Ko = 0.6,
11. Click OK to close the Power Function Fit dialog,
12. Click OK to close the Materials Manager dialog.

Stress (kPa) Void Ratio

1.1 4.85
2.2 4.25
8.7 2.71
68.8 1.45
274.3 1.12

e. Stage Settings (Geometry > Stage Settings)

3
This example alternates filling and quiescent stage actions over 6 stages. A total tailings volume of 2,080,500 m will be added to the TMF during three separate filling stages. The 1 degree slope of the
tailings surfaces prevents the full capacity of the pit from being consumed. As a phase 2 of this model the user may want to add another deposition point on the opposite side of the pit in order to use all of
3 3 3
the available volume in the pit. A volume of 730,000 m is added in the first filling stage, 693,500 m during the second filling stage, and 657,000 m during the third filling stage. The tailings are then left to
consolidate for another 100 years (36,500 days).

1. Open the Stage Settings dialog by selecting Geometry > Stage Settings... from the menu,
2. Enter Filling Data for each stage as shown in the table below,
Note that after the first two rows are entered the Duplicate button can be used to duplicate a selected row and append it to the list to speed up entry of the filling data.
3. Click OK to close the Stage Settings dialog.

Stage Name Duration End Time Action Filling Rate Deposition Points Surface Slope Material
(day) (day) 3
(m /day) (deg)
Construct L1 365 365 Filling 2,000 DP1 1 Oil Sands
Q1 365 730 Quiescent
Construct L2 365 1,095 Filling 1,900 DP1 1 Oil Sands
Q2 365 1,460 Quiescent
Construct L3 365 1,825 Filling 1,800 DP1 1 Oil Sands
Quiescent 100 yrs 36,500 38,325 Quiescent

NOTE1:
The Stages Q1 and Q2 simulate quiescent periods of 365 days in between the filling phases during which the material is allowed to consolidate.

NOTE2:
To help determine the volume to be deposited at each stage and the total capacity of the pit the user may wish to use the Filling Curve feature. This feature will generate a volume vs elevation curve
for the chosen Ground Surface and Depositional Boundary. Setting these parameters is described below in Step k.

f. Specify Stress Initial Conditions (Initial Conditions > Initial Void Ratio)
Initial conditions must be specified prior to solving a transient consolidation model. In this case we will specify a constant void ratio for all material layers in the model.
1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Void Ratio... from the menu,
2. Enter the following values and click OK to close the dialog.
Scope: Global
Variable: vr0
Type: Constant
Void Ratio: 3.29

g. Specify Stress Boundary Conditions (Boundary > Boundary Conditions)

 Tutorial Manuals Page 270 of 273

Displacement boundary conditions are automatically set by the software and cannot be modified by the user. The values applied to each 1D model in the analysis are:

Column Bottom: Fixed

Column Top: Free

The Stress component of the analysis is now complete. Initial conditions, boundary conditions, and material properties are also require for the Groundwater component of the analysis.

Click Model > Groundwater from the menu to move to define the seepage analysis settings.

h. Specify Groundwater Material Properties (Materials > Material Manager)

The hydraulic conductivity curve will be represented by a power function that is best fit to a set of laboratory data collected for the Oil Sands material used in this model.

1. Select Materials > Manager... from the menu,

2. Single click on the line containing the Oil Sands material in the list view and click HC Properties button to open the Hydraulic Conductivity dialog,
3. Select Single Power Function Fit in the ksat Options and click Data... button to open the KSat Vs. Void Ratio dialog,
4. Copy the data from the table below and click Paste Points,
5. Click OK to the close dialog. The C and D parameters that lead to the best fit Power Function to the data will automatically be calculated (C=8.027E-006, D=5.075)
6. Click OK to close the Hydraulic Conductivity and Materials Manager dialogs.

Void Ratio Hydraulic conductivity

(m/day)
0.89 3.15e-06
1.04 1.32e-05
1.41 5.41e-05
2.53 7.30e-04
2.59 1.09e-03

i. Specify Groundwater Initial Conditions (Initial Conditions > Initial Head)

A global initial condition will be used for all 3 layers (filling stages) in the model. The initial Head will be automatically calculated based on the initial Void Ratio defined in Stress.

1. Select Initial Conditions > Initial Head... from the menu,

2. Check that the following values are set and click OK to close the dialog.
Scope: Global
Variable: h0
Type: Calculated

j. Specify Groundwater Boundary Conditions (Boundary Conditions)

An excess pore-pressure constant of 0 m will be applied to the active top layer at each stage and a zero flux will be applied to the ground surface. In the pseudo-3D methodology, a single top boundary
condition and a single bottom boundary condition are set. The software automatically applies the top boundary condition to the top of the model at each stage for all columns. This means that the same top
and bottom boundary conditions get automatically applied for all stages for all columns.

1. Select Boundaries > Boundary Conditions... from the menu,

2. Set the Column Top Boundary to Excess Pore Pressure Constant = 0,
3. Set the Column Bottom Boundary to Zero Flux,
4. Select OK to close the dialog.

k. Specify Depositional Boundaries (Pseudo-3D Analysis > Deposition Boundaries)

The depositional boundaries to be used in the pseudo-3D analysis will now be chosen. Once these are specified the center point for all of the individual 1D models will be shown on the CAD.

1. Select Pseudo-3D Analysis > Deposition Boundaries... from the menu,

2. Choose Ground Surface from the drop down for Ground Surface,
3. Pit Boundary will automatically be set for the Boundary because it's the only Region defined in the model,
4. Click OK to the close dialog.

NOTE:
At this point the user may wish to generate the depositional surfaces without running the consolidation analysis. This is accomplished by selecting the Pseudo-3D Analysis > Generate Depositional
Surfaces menu item. The visibility format options for the depositional surfaces are located in the Model > Settings... dialog in Stress. The depositional surface for the third filling stage is visible below.

l. Analyze Model (Solve > Analyze)

The current model is run by selecting the Solve > Analyze menu option. The analysis for this model takes about 30 minutes to complete.

m. Open Results (Solve > Open Output)

Upon completion of the solver, the visual results for the current model may be examined by clicking the Visualize button on the solver dialog or by selecting the Solve > Open Output menu option. A default
set of common plots and contour variables are automatically present in the results.
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PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

Results and Discussion

After the analysis of the model is complete, the changes in the model over time can be explored by viewing the output at different time steps in the back end of the software. The following figures show the
elevation and void ratio at the final time across all columns. The 3D effects of the ground surface geometry are clearly visible in the figure showing the deformed vertical coordinate. For variable plots
associated with individual columns, select a column location object on the CAD by clicking on it and then either right-click or go to the Graphs > Individual Column > Graph Manager... menu item.

· Column elevations at final simulation time 38,325 days (105 years) in relation to the pit surface

· Top view of void ratio at final simulation time 38,325 days (105 years)

· Side view of void ratio at final simulation time 38,325 days (105 years)
Tutorial Manuals Page 272 of 273

· Value Blanking of columns for void ratio variable at final simulation time 38,325 days (105 years) (columns with Y < 250m are hidden)

· Graph of total tailings volume for all columns over time (Graphs > Global > Tailings Volume vs Time...)

3
Time (days) Tailings Volume (m )
0 0
365 716,742
730 697,021
1,095 1,372,779
1,460 1,340,965
1,825 1,976,757
3,650 1,806,282
7,300 1,658,050
10,950 1,590,235
14,600 1,552,063
18,250 1,527,914
21,900 1,511,509
25,550 1,499,806
29,200 1,491,175
32,850 1,484,639
36,500 1,479,589
38,325 1,477,490
Tutorial Manuals Page 273 of 273

· Graph of cumulative surface flux (expelled water) for all columns over time (Graphs > Global > Cumulative Top Surface Flux vs Time...)

PLAXIS LE Help Manual - 3/1/2021

References

Fredlund, D. G., and H. Rahardjo, 1993. Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils. John Wiley & Sons, New York