PLAXIS 2D CE V20 Update 3 v20.03.00.60

The PLAXIS development team is pleased to announce the availability of PLAXIS MoDeTo CONNECT Edition V20 Update 3 is a software package intended for the design of monopiles asfoundation elements for offshore wind turbines under lateral loading conditions.

New in PLAXIS MoDeTo CONNECT Edition V20 Update 3 - Release: June 2020
PLAXIS MoDeTo CONNECT Edition V20 Update 3 (20.03.00.60) contains the following improvements and updates compared to PLAXIS MoDeTo CONNECT Edition V20 Update 2:

New features

Soil reaction curves in Design Verification
Soil reaction curves have been added for comparison between the Design Verification model and the 1D analysis.
Partially calculated state
Partially calculated state has been introduced to represent a 3D FEM model that did not finish the entire calculation. However, PLAXIS MoDeTo can still produce some curves from the results gathered.
Change in default value of max load fraction per step in 1D analysis
Default value of max load fraction per step in 1D analyses has been changed to 0.01, enabling smoother results without a significant increase in calculation time.
Streamlined the regeneration of 3D FEM models
The regeneration of 3D FEM models has been streamlined for speed and efficiency.
Improved navigation on tables
Navigation on tables has been improved by supporting the use of Enter key that allows navigating vertically between table cells.
Internal Python environment
PLAXIS MoDeTo now runs using the internal Python environment that is provided with PLAXIS 3D.
Technology preview: Exporting soil reaction curves
Export to SACS option has been added for Soil reaction curves.

Fixed issues
A large number of issues have been addressed, including:

[SW-28821] Performance improvements for the regeneration of existing 3D models
[SW-29869] Tables can now be navigated using the Enter key
[SW-42579] Soil reaction curves from 3D Design Verification models can now be displayed
[SW-46461] Results for the base shear force, H_B, are now displayed as a point load, separate from the distributed load values, p(z)
[SW-48235] Fixed issue with stress-dependency law of sand always using the horizontal stress instead of the minimum principal stress

PLAXIS MoDeTo (Monopile Design Tool) is a PLAXIS-based specific tool providing anenhanced design methodology for monopile foundations under lateral loading. Monopiledesign can be performed efficiently by using one-dimensional (1D) finite element (FE)analyses of a laterally loaded pile. The adopted design methodology is based on the PIleSoil Analysis (PISA) joint industry research project.The monopile is modelled by means of the Timoshenko beam theory whereas the soilreaction is modelled using calibrated or user-defined soil reaction curves. The calibrationof the soil reactions is based on three-dimensional (3D) finite element calculations usingPLAXIS 3D. In addition to the 1D design analysis, the design tool facilitates thegeneration and calculation of the PLAXIS 3D models, and the derivation of the soilreactions based on the calculation results. A real installation site can be represented withfinite element models in PLAXIS 3D and a site-specific 1D model can be calibrated andused for the design of monopile foundations.