Knowledge Base

Since PLAXIS 2D 2011, bending moments can be assigned as a value at a specific point on a plate. The bending moment can be defined by clicking the Point load button in the toolbar and clicking on the location on the plate where the bending moment is to be assigned. The value of the bending moment can be specified in the corresponding cell in the Point load window.

A positive value indicates a counter clockwise bending moment whereas a negative sign indicates a clockwise one:

Note that the Bending moment option is not accessible in the Point load window when the point is not located on a plate.

Value in calculation

Although the input values of bending moment can be specified in the geometry model, the actual value that is applied in a calculation may be changed in the framework of Staged Construction. Moreover, a bending moment may be increased globally by means of the load multipliers, just like the point load.

On a part of the geometry where both a rotation fixity and a bending moment are applied, the rotation fixity has priority over the bending moment during the calculations, provided that the rotation fixity is active. Hence, it is not useful to apply bending moment on a point with a rotation fixity. Also, it is not advised to apply bending moments directly to hinges or rotation springs: in these cases the bending moment is randomly applied to one of the plate elements.