ZSOIL ANALYSES
Nonlinear FE analyses offering single and 2-phase analyses:
- Plane strain
- Axisymmetric
- 3D
including partial saturation based on Bishop’s effective stress principle, with any combination of the algorithmic options that are listed below.
Initial state. Automatic evaluation of initial stress conditions including steady state flow: combination of gravity and initial-stresses allows an automatic reproduction of the most complex initial state conditions, including existing constructions.
Ultimate load and deformation analysis. Stress or strain-imposed simulations of typical geotechnical and structural boundary value problems such as excavation, foundation, construction, tunneling and many others.
Stability analysis. through tan(phi)-c reduction and stress level algorithms lead to a reliable assessment of safety factors and failure surfaces for the most general problem geometries. Simpler and more general than usual sliding surface approaches.
Possibility to analyze safety with respect to local material properties or features like contact surfaces.
Structural elements
- Truss (elastic or elasto-plastic)
- Anchor (elastic or elasto-plastic anchorage section)
- Beam (elastic) or composite beams (core material + reinforcement), with 2 or 5 Gauss points per element, displacement- and flexibility-based formulation respectively (displacement-based formulation compatible with interfaces and suitable for underground structures, flexibility-based formulation suitable for above ground structures – one finite element per structural member)
- Nail (embedded beam with ultimate shear strength resistance)
- Pile (embedded beam with Coulomb frictional interface), with local and non-local approaches for large and fine meshes, respectively
- Tendon (pretensioned or posttensioned cables)
- Membrane (elastic or elasto-plastic)
- Thin shell (elastic or non-linear composite)
- Thick shell (elastic or non-linear composite)
Prestress conditions (typically used for anchors, struts, tendons)
Imposed stress or strain conditions (e.g. design accounting for thermal dilation for struts)
Simulation of excavation and construction stages, simulation of fill for cut and cover construction, combined with any sequence of drivers, allowing removal or addition of construction parts, loads, boundary conditions etc, unloading control capability in order to simulate 3-dimensional effects in 2D. Continuous safety assessment.
Consolidation, volumetric and deviatoric creep and swelling (time dependent processes).
Flow, steady or transient, fully or partially saturated, with time dependent boundary conditions; fully arbitrary flow conditions with free surface, seepage surfaces, as well as rain inflow, impermeable zones, coupled or uncoupled with solid deformation can easily be accounted for.
Thermal/or moisture migration analysis: Transient thermal/or moisture migration analysis can be performed as a preprocessing in order to define temperature time-histories to be accounted for later in the mechanical analysis.
Dynamic time integration and Pushover analysis for structures, including soil structure interaction.
Skyline (efficient up to 10’000 elements), or Sparse solvers, tested up to over 1’500 000 DOFs for symmetric stiffness matrices and 1’000 000 DOFs for non-symmetric ones.
Constitutive models for continuum include:
- Elastic
- Elastic for structures (Continuum for Structures)
- Mohr-Coulomb
- Hardening Soil including small strain formulation (HS-Brick)
- Hoek-Brown, original and advanced formulations including hardening and softening mechanisms
- Multi-laminate for modeling foliated rocks
- Drucker-Prager
- Modified Cam-Clay
- Cap model
- Densification model for liquefaction
- Menétrey-Willam for simplified concrete behavior
- Damage-Plastic Concrete model (with fire extension) for advanced representation of concrete behavior
and a Virtual Lab to assist users in data preparation for soils.
Data preparation
- CAD assistance: import of geometries from DXF and Rhino formats
- Flexible and unconstrained workflow during model preparation
- Creating geological model based on boreholes and kriging interpolation
- Data import from existing models (materials, boreholes, geometry and many others)
- Possibility of assembling of a final model from subsidiary models (team-oriented workflow)
Analysis of results
- Post-processor enables a full inspection of computed variables in the form of color maps, diagrams, time-histories
- Envelope diagrams
- Data export to CSV files
- Python SDK for customizing data analysis and reporting
- Export of results to Paraview for alternative viewing
ZSOIL uses exclusively linear elements, enhanced (BBAR, enhanced strains, stabilized formulation) to overcome locking phenomena. Finite elements include: trusses, cables, beams, membranes, thin shells, thick shell and continuum for single and 2-phase media.
Recent features:
ZSwalls Diaphragm/sheet pile wall template on PC platform, also available as standalone software. Watch ZSwalls tutorial on YouTube.
Support and documentation
Hotline and an extensive online Help are available to users. A 200 pages Getting Started manual introduces the new user to all basic situations.
A number of case studies are discussed in papers selected from users meetings
– NUMERICS IN GEOTECHNICS AND STRUCTURES 2015
– ZSOIL in today’s projects, P. Jemec &al., Elea IC, with comparisons between PHASE2, PLAXIS 3D, SOFISTIK, & ZSOIL
ZSOIL is available under time unlimited, rental, single-user or network licenses. Academic discount applies. A free student version can be downloaded which includes all features, but with a reduced number of degrees-of-freedom.