Yudha Dwi Prasetyo
2025
Software Tutorial
Slope Stability
Analysis
With
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Plaxis LE 2D
PLAXIS LE 2D is a geotechnical analysis software used to evaluate
the stability of slopes, excavations, embankments, and other earth
structures using limit equilibrium methods. It provides various
analysis options, including probabilistic, deterministic, and sensitivity
analyses, allowing engineers to assess potential failure mechanisms
and calculate factors of safety. With its intuitive interface, PLAXIS LE
2D enables users to model complex geometries, define
groundwater conditions, apply material properties, and evaluate
multiple slip surfaces efficiently.
You can download PLAXIS LE from the official Bentley Systems
website. The software is available for free through the Student &
Lecturer program. To access it, you can explore the menus on the
Bentley website to find the section where you can register for a
student account. Once your academic account is successfully
created, you will be able to download PLAXIS from the software
section provided for educational users. This gives students the
opportunity to learn and practice geotechnical analysis using
professional-grade tools at no cost.
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Create New Project You can follow the model settings shown below.
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Model the Existing Slope
You can create a geometric model in several ways, namely:
1. Drawing manually and directly
Draw the soil layers directly
according to the data
obtained. Once finished,
you can double-click to
complete the drawing.
2. Inputting geometric coordinate data
Click New, then
Properties.
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Model the Existing Slope
2. Inputting geometric coordinate data
After copying the
coordinate data from
Microsoft Excel, click
Paste, and then OK.
You can copy the coordinates from another
source, for example from Microsoft Excel,
and then copy them using Ctrl + C. Ensure
that the decimal separator setting (dot or
comma) same between Microsoft Excel and
Plaxis LE.
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Model the Existing Slope
[Link] from a DXF file
Click browse, then find where your DXF file is stored, and click next.
Select all objects by clicking each object while holding the Ctrl key,
or click the topmost object, then scroll down and click the
bottommost object while holding the Shift key. Next, click 'Import
Selected Objects' and 'OK'
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Define Parameter
Click New, then assign a name to the
soil layer, keep the method as Mohr-
Coulomb, and click OK.
Enter the soil parameters, then OK. Repeat the soil
layer creation process for the other layers.
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Define Parameter
Assign material parameters to the created geometry by
right-clicking on the soil layer geometry, then clicking
'Apply Material', and adjusting it according to the
applicable layer.
Alternatively, material assignment can be done by
clicking the geometry, then selecting 'Region'. On the
right side, under the 'Material' header, select the
material corresponding to the soil layer.
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Define Parameter
To define the groundwater level, click
'Pore-water' then 'Settings'. In the method
section, select 'Water Table', and then
click on the 'Water Table' button below it.
To input the groundwater level (water table) into the geometry, you can either
manually draw it by clicking 'Draw', clicking the groundwater level points, and
finishing with a double-click. Alternatively, you can copy the groundwater level
coordinates from Microsoft Excel and then click 'Paste Points'
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Identify Slip Surface
To define the slip surface (or failure plane), start by clicking 'Model' then 'Settings'. For the
search method, the 'Entry and Exit' method is typically used (you can try other methods
yourself). In this tutorial, we will use the 'Entry and Exit' method. Next, switch to the
'Calculation Methods' tab. You can select all methods, but for projects, the most commonly
used methods are usually Bishop and Spencer.
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Identify Slip Surface
Then, define the slip surface by
clicking 'Slips' and 'Entry and Exit'.
After that, click 'Draw' to start
drawing the estimated range
where the failure plane (slip
surface) will occur. Define the
range for both the entry and exit
points, then click 'OK'.
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Analyze FOS
To start the slope stability analysis based on the created data, click
'Solve' and then 'Analyze'. The calculation results for the Factor of
Safety (FOS) moment and FOS force will appear.
Next, click 'Visualize Result', and the most critical slip surface will be
displayed based on the entry and exit boundaries we defined.
If the resulting slip surface is located at the edge of the defined entry
or exit lines , the obtained FOS is not yet the most critical FOS.
Therefore, you need to redefine the entry/exit boundaries by widening
the range toward the current slip surface.
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Analyze FOS
If the slip surface is already located in the middle of the entry
and exit lines, then the resulting FOS (Factor of Safety) shown
is the most critical FOS."
If the FOS is less than the specified requirement, slope
reinforcement is needed to increase the resulting FOS. Based
on Indonesian standards, the minimum FOS value for long-
term stability is 1.5, and since the calculation result shows only
1.073, slope reinforcement is required.
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Add Reinforcement
To add reinforcement, return to the Input menu located on the left side
of the screen, and then go to 'Support' and 'Type Manager'. Define a
new reinforcement by clicking 'New'. Select the appropriate
reinforcement based on the slope conditions (you can try all options,
but this tutorial uses soil nailing). Click 'OK', and the properties
containing the soil nailing strength will appear. This strength is
determined by trial and error; it can be increased later if the strength
entered is still insufficient (i.e., the FOS requirement is not met). The
maximum limit of the soil nailing strength can be calculated based on
the applicable soil data and the soil nailing material used.
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Add Reinforcement
To input the reinforcement into the slope
geometry model, you can click 'Support
Geometry', click 'New', and then 'Draw'.
Draw the reinforcement according to the
planned location, or you can choose to
input the reinforcement coordinates.
If more than one row of reinforcement is used, click 'New' again and repeat the process
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Compare Result
Perform the analysis again by clicking 'Solve' and 'Analyze', then compare the effect of the reinforcement that has been
implemented to see if it meets the applicable standard.
Finally, the slope stability analysis is complete, with the output showing the resulting FOS value and the required reinforcement
configuration needed to raise the FOS to the minimum required limit.
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Extra : External Load
If external loads, such as road loads,
concrete loads, or building loads, are
applied to the slope, these loads must
be modeled on the geometry
Do this by clicking 'Loading' and then
selecting the appropriate load type.
For example, a road load is modeled
as a uniform load, so 'Distributed Load'
is selected. Next, click 'New' to add the
load. You can either enter the load
value and its location coordinates or
draw it directly by clicking 'Draw
Points'.
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FAILURE IS NOT THE OPPOSITE OF SUCCESS, IT'S PART OF THE PROCESS. ANALYZE, ADJUST, AND SOLVE.
Thank You
Reach us for more Information
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