Seequent is the subsurface software company within Bentley Systems. Together, we’re helping build a more resilient future by connecting the built world above ground with the hidden world below it. It’s easy to purchase a Virtuoso Subscription, through Virtuosity, Bentley’s eStore, and still get the expert technical support from Seequent’s subsurface experts.

Reduce costs of onshore and offshore wind farms

PLAXIS Monopile Designer offers an enhanced design method that dramatically reduces the amount of steel needed for monopile foundations, lowering the overall costs of wind farms. It allows the transfer of results of the PISA Joint Industry Research Project into daily engineering practices.

Reducing costs gives you an edge in the highly competitive offshore wind industry. PLAXIS Monopile Designer enables less conservative dimensioning of each monopile in a wind farm, while less steel translates into lower fabrication, transportation, and installation costs.

PLAXIS_MonopileDesignerVideo_Overview Video Thumbnail

Reduce the length of piles

PLAXIS Monopile Designer allows you to analyze the ability of monopile foundations to resist lateral loads on the basis of a 1D Timoshenko beam finite element model. This enhanced design method provides accuracy – including large diameter monopiles and realistic soil reaction curves – while retaining many of the assumptions of the more conventional p-y approach. Research shows that this can potentially decrease the embedded length of piles by as much as 35%.

Jody Robinson
“By offering practitioner licenses of Bentley software and expert training to our engineers, Virtuosity helped us to quickly get going on our project. The team at Virtuosity is like an extended part of our project team!”
– Jody Robinson, M.S., E.I.T., Pacific NW Project Engineer, GeoStabilization International
Testimonial_Quote_Marks
“We were able to quickly develop the conceptual 3D model using topographic data, borehole logs, and 2D geologic cross-sections. Once the conceptual model was built, we were able to analyze multiple potential failure locations and orientations in excellent time. We highly recommend this software for analyzing similar projects.”
– Justin Knudsen, P.E. Senior, Civil/Geotechnical Engineer, Tierra Group

Technical Capabilities

Modeling Calculations Results Interoperability More

Modeling

  • Seamless integration with PLAXIS 3D
  • Nonlinear soil reaction curves for lateral loading, rotation, base shear, and base rotation (PISA) or lateral loading only (API)

Calculations

Automatically calibrate soil reaction curves

Although you can use PLAXIS Monopile Designer as a stand-alone application and supply your own soil reaction curves, pairing it with PLAXIS 3D will automate these calculations. PLAXIS 3D calibrates curves numerically, based on the design space and specific properties of the site, whether offshore or onshore.

  • Automatic calibration and optimization of numerical soil reaction curves (PLAXIS 3D)
  • Robust 1D kernel with highly efficient calculation times

Results

  • Realistic assessment of displacements and structural forces
  • Visualization and export of numerical (PLAXIS 3D) and parametric soil reaction curves

Seamlessly integrate with the PLAXIS environment

Using PLAXIS Monopile Designer in conjunction with PLAXIS 3D is simple and provides a robust and proven solution for offshore wind sites, whether bottom-fixed or floating. PLAXIS 3D provides a broad range of capabilities, multicore calculations, and 64-bit architecture. With add-on modules 3D PlaxFlow and 3D Dynamics, you can tackle the largest and most complex geotechnical models, including jackets, tripods, and suction anchors.

More Capabilities

  • Timoshenko beam theory ensures accurate results even for large diameter monopiles
  • Optimized design method for monopile foundations
Modeling

Modeling

  • Seamless integration with PLAXIS 3D
  • Nonlinear soil reaction curves for lateral loading, rotation, base shear, and base rotation (PISA) or lateral loading only (API)
Calculations

Calculations

Automatically calibrate soil reaction curves

Although you can use PLAXIS Monopile Designer as a stand-alone application and supply your own soil reaction curves, pairing it with PLAXIS 3D will automate these calculations. PLAXIS 3D calibrates curves numerically, based on the design space and specific properties of the site, whether offshore or onshore.

  • Automatic calibration and optimization of numerical soil reaction curves (PLAXIS 3D)
  • Robust 1D kernel with highly efficient calculation times
Results

Results

  • Realistic assessment of displacements and structural forces
  • Visualization and export of numerical (PLAXIS 3D) and parametric soil reaction curves
Interoperability

Seamlessly integrate with the PLAXIS environment

Using PLAXIS Monopile Designer in conjunction with PLAXIS 3D is simple and provides a robust and proven solution for offshore wind sites, whether bottom-fixed or floating. PLAXIS 3D provides a broad range of capabilities, multicore calculations, and 64-bit architecture. With add-on modules 3D PlaxFlow and 3D Dynamics, you can tackle the largest and most complex geotechnical models, including jackets, tripods, and suction anchors.

More

More Capabilities

  • Timoshenko beam theory ensures accurate results even for large diameter monopiles
  • Optimized design method for monopile foundations
Virtuoso Subscription

Stay nimble and lower costs

We’ve bundled a 12-month license for trusted Bentley and Seequent software with customizable training from experts and call it our Virtuoso Subscription. With lower upfront costs and flexible support options, businesses of all sizes can now compete with the industry’s heavy hitters.

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Browse a variety of upcoming training and previously recorded courses taught by our in-house, industry experts.

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Explore our Geotechnical webinars for best practices and engage with industry experts from Virtuosity and Seequent, The Bentley Subsurface Company.

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Read our Infrastructure Insights blog to find tips and tricks and Geotechnical user success stories from around the world.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is PLAXIS Monopile Designer?

PLAXIS Monopile Designer offers an enhanced design method that dramatically reduces the amount of steel needed for monopile foundations, lowering the overall costs of wind farms. It allows the transfer of results of the PISA Joint Industry Research Project into daily engineering practices.

Use PLAXIS Monopile Designer as a stand-alone tool for rule-based design method or in connection with PLAXIS 3D for numerical-based design method.

PLAXIS Monopile Designer—developed in collaboration with Oxford University and Fugro—brings state-of-the-art research to engineering practices. The software transfers the enhanced design method established in PISA Phase 1 and 2 to current design practices. And it will enable the capitalization of any future findings of PISA, which will be implemented into the software as they become available.

For decades, the PLAXIS engineering process has consistently delivered stable, robust, and well-defined geotechnical finite element software. PLAXIS Monopile Designer follows this proven process and has been validated via large-scale testing of monopile foundations at the two PISA test sites, the Dunkirk sand site and the Cowden clay site.

Where can I get PLAXIS Monopile Designer training or PLAXIS course?

If you want to receive tailored training or attend a PLAXIS Monopile Designer course that is specific to your project requirement, Virtuosity offers extra training and mentoring services. You can choose from tailor-made training, on-demand learning, consulting services, mentoring and more. Learn more about Expert Services at Virtuosity here.

What is the price of PLAXIS Monopile Designer? How much does PLAXIS Monopile Designer cost?

A practitioner license of PLAXIS Monopile Designer costs $10,065 USD. Prices vary per region. While there are various types of licensing available, a common choice is the 12-month practitioner license offered through Virtuosity, Bentley’s eCommerce store. When you purchase through Virtuosity, you get a Virtuoso Subscription which means you get both the software and the training, expert services, and custom mentoring you need to get started quickly.

What is Seequent?

Seequent, The Bentley Subsurface Company | Seequent is the subsurface software company within Bentley Systems. Together, we’re helping build a more resilient future by connecting the built world above ground with the hidden world below it. It’s easy to purchase a Virtuoso Subscription, through Virtuosity, Bentley’s eStore, and still get the expert technical support from Seequent’s subsurface experts.

System Requirements

Operating System

Windows 10, Windows 11

Graphics Card

Required: GPU with 256 MB OpenGL 1.3

Recommended: Avoid simple onboard graphics chips in favor of a discrete GPU from the nVidia GeForce or Quadro range with at least 128-bit bus and 1 GB of RAM, or equivalent solution from ATI/AMD

Processor

Required: Dual Core CPU
Recommended: Quad Core CPU

Memory

Recommended: minimum 8 GB
Large projects may require more.

Hard Disk

Minimum 2 GB free space on the partition where the WindowsTEMP directory resides, and 2 GB free space on the partition where projects are saved. Large projects may require significantly more space on both partitions. For best performance, ensure that the TEMP directory and the project directory reside on the same partition.

Video

Required: 1024 x 768 pixels, 32-bit color palette
Recommended: 1920 x 1080 pixels,32-bit color palette

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