Powerful geotechnical analysis software

LimitState:GEO provides unique geotechnical analysis capabilities to rapidly determine the critical failure mechanism and margin of safety for any problem.

Intuitive visualisations and animated failure mechanisms help you understand and communicate complex geotechnical behaviour with confidence.

Flexible modelling

From slopes and retaining walls to foundations and reinforced soil structures, LimitState:GEO provides direct insight into governing failure mechanisms, enabling more reliable, efficient designs and rapid design exploration.

Unique optimization technology

Powered by Discontinuity Layout Optimization (DLO), LimitState:GEO automatically identifies the governing failure mechanism, revealing actual failure behaviour instead of assumed failure modes.

GIF animation of a monitor showing YouTube play button over animation of LimitState:GEO explainer video

Brochure

Purchase

Releases

Download

A Wide Range Of Geotechnical Analysis Applications

From slope stability to deep excavations, LimitState:GEO geotechnical software can handle design and analysis problems of any geometry and with any loading conditions. There’s no need to resort to application specific hand calculations, spreadsheets or software applications that attempt to automate these.

Combine different geotechnical features into the same model and be confident that the critical failure mechanism is being identified, whether that involves slope stability, bearing capacity, structural overturning or a mixture of all these and more. Providing quick, accurate results gives the opportunity for deeper understanding of the problem; leading to better, more refined solutions.

Slope Stability

Unlike the traditional 'method of slices', there is no need to specify a solution type or entry/exit points. It is easy to include other slope stability features and directly identify the critical slip surface - even if non-circular.

Cantilever Walls

LimitState:GEO is as straightforward to use as conventional Limit Equilibrium methods, but can model global soil failure, retaining wall stability, bending failure, or any combination of these.

Reinforced Soil

LimitState:GEO models 1D and 2D soil reinforcement and interaction in a fully general way, using the same principles as conventional analysis, but with the capability to identify complex failure modes.

Footings / Foundations

LimitState:GEO goes beyond conventional bearing capacity formulae to provide a direct means of establishing bearing capacity for complex foundation geometries, ground profiles and loading conditions.

Seismic loading

LimitState:GEO allows application of pseudo static accelerations to any problem. Fixed accelerations can be applied, or the acceleration required to trigger instability can be found in a few simple steps.

Gabion walls

LimitState:GEO’s gabion wizard allows quick definition of gabion wall problem geometry. The software simultaneously checks both external and internal wall stability (gabion sliding, rotation or crushing).

Gravity retaining walls

LimitState:GEO is as easy to use as conventional Limit Equilibrium methods, but can directly handle complex geometries and loading conditions without the need for ‘correction’ factors.

Deep excavations

LimitState:GEO can model supported and unsupported excavations, taking account of the effects of surface surcharges. Identify a wide range of failure mechanisms, including base heave and lateral instability.

Software Benefits

Fast

Set up and solve geotechnical analysis problems in minutes, rapidly explore ‘what if’ scenarios. The generated slip-line failure mechanisms are quick and easy to interpret.

Powerful

A wide range of built-in material and pore-water pressure models. Specify ULS and Eurocode 7 partial safety factors, permanent or variable loading types and more.

Trusted

LimitState:GEO is verified against a comprehensive suite of benchmark geotechnical analysis problems.

Used by organizations in industry and academia in over 30 countries.

Analysis workflow

Define the problem geometry using the in-built drawing tools. Alternatively import DXF files directly or use the built in wizards to rapidly generate common geotechnical problems. Apply loading as required.
Define the material properties for the analysis or use predefined ‘typical’ soil properties. Assign to problem geometry using drag and drop or the Property Editor.
Material models include drained/undrained Mohr-Coulomb, strength varying with depth, 1D and 2D reinforcing elements. Draw simple water table or define pore pressures and assign to problem geometry.
Simple one click solve directly determines the critical failure mechanism using rigorous limit analysis. Choose between “Factor on Load” or “Factor on Strength” analysis with or without application of partial factors as required.
Automatic pre-analysis Diagnostics facility provides a quick check of the problem set up.
View and animate the slip-line mechanism solution for easy interpretation. View breakdown of numerical solution showing application of any factors.
Interrogate the solution for forces and moments on soil blocks and reinforcing elements.
Generate reports of the problem definition and results including free body diagrams of the mechanisms, or export selected data for further analysis

Analysis Technology

The Discontinuity Layout Optimization (DLO) approach used in LimitState:GEO to solve geotechnical analysis problems is underpinned by rigorous Limit Analysis theory. You can read more about how DLO identifies critical slip-line mechanisms in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

Step 1 - Define geometry, materials, loads and support

Step 2 - Nodes are distributed throughout the domain

Step 3 - Potential slip-lines connect the nodes

Step 4 - The critical slip-line mechanism is identified

How DLO works

The user specifies the problem geometry, material properties, loading and support conditions.
Nodes are distributed across the domain.
Potential slip-line discontinuities connect the nodes.
The layout of slip-line discontinuities forming the critical collapse mechanism are found using optimization, along with the corresponding margin of safety.

What are the benefits of DLO?

DLO will always find the global optimum solution (based on the specified nodal distribution)
DLO provides clear visualisation of the critical failure mechanism
It is fast and generally applicable, allowing users to undertake “what if?” type investigations for any type of problem