Implementation of spatial variability in PLAXIS

Implementation of spatial variability in PLAXIS

Pană, Paul (TU Delft Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

van den Eijnden, A.P. (mentor)
Brinkgreve, R.B.J. (mentor)
Soleymani Shishvan, M. (mentor)

Delft University of Technology

Geo-Engineering

2022-12-09

As a consequence of the difficulty to obtain complete direct information about the subsurface, and the importance of heterogeneity of soil properties in geotechnical design, a desire exists in the geotechnical community for a smarter use of the available data in common practice. The objective of this thesis is to provide a potential solution for this, by implementing the Random Finite Element Method (RFEM) in PLAXIS, a well-known geotechnical calculation software package, allowing users to stochastically model engineering problems while accounting for the spatial variability of soil properties.

As a result of this project, practitioners can use the upside of stochastic analysis using RFEM to derive new insights about the behavior of their system, such as potential soil-related asymmetries, all while obtaining a better picture of the risks associated with a certain design. As with any technological advancement, responsible use of the framework is required to ensure the upside is attained and computational concerns do not hinder the use of the model, feature which still requires further research and improvement.

Heterogeneity
RFEM
PLAXIS
User-Defined Soil Model (UDSM
scale of fluctuation
probability of failure
FEM
spatial variability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:81b2faa6-7234-4c81-92a6-aaea09dd6b07

Student theses

master thesis

© 2022 Paul Pană