Foundation Engineering Simulations

A collection of interactive 3D visualizations and simulations to help you master concepts in foundation engineering.

Lateral Earth Pressure - Theory & Concepts

At-rest, active, and passive earth pressures, Rankine's and Coulomb's theories.

Lateral Earth Pressure Calculator

Theory

Friction Angle,

\phi'

: 30°

Backfill Slope,

\beta

: 0°

Must be ≤ $\phi'$

Fixed Parameters:

Wall Height (H): 5.0 m
Soil Unit Weight ( $\gamma$ ): 18 kN/m³
Cohesion ( $c'$ ): 0 kPa

Active Coeff (

K_a

)

0.333

Force (

P_a

)

75.0 kN/m

Passive Coeff (

K_p

)

3.000

Force (

P_p

)

675.0 kN/m

Pressure Distribution vs. Depth

Loading chart...

Retaining Walls - Theory & Concepts - M S E Wall

Types of retaining walls, stability analysis, and design principles.

MSE Wall Internal Stability Visualizer

Wall Height (H = 6 m)

Friction Angle (φ' = 30°)

Unit Weight (γ = 18 kN/m³)

Active Earth Pressure Coeff.

K_a = \frac{1 - \sin(30^\circ)}{1 + \sin(30^\circ)} = 0.333

Maximum Pressure at Base

p_a = \gamma \cdot H \cdot K_a = 36.0 \text{ kPa}

Total Thrust Force

P_a = \frac{1}{2} \gamma H^2 K_a = 108.0 \text{ kN/m}

Deep Foundations (Piles) - Theory & Concepts - Pile Group Efficiency

Types, classification, load transfer, static/dynamic capacity, and pile group efficiency.

Pile Group Efficiency Analysis

Rows (

m

): 3

Columns (

n

): 3

Spacing Ratio (

s/d

): 3.0

CloseWide

Pile Diameter ( $d$ ): 0.4 m

Single Capacity ( $Q_{single}$ ): 500 kN

Clay Undrained Shear ( $s_u$ ): 80 kPa

Sum of Singles (

\Sigma Q_{single}

)

4500 kN

Block Capacity (

Q_{block}

)

19085 kN

Design Group Capacity (

Q_{group}

)4500 kN

Group Efficiency (

\eta

)100.0%

Plan View (Scale exaggerated)

Sheet Pile Walls and Braced Cuts - Theory & Concepts

Design and analysis of cantilever, anchored sheet pile walls, and braced excavations.

Cantilever Sheet Pile Visualizer

Excavation Depth ($H$): 4.0 m

Friction Angle ($\phi'$): 30.0°

Unit Weight ($\gamma$): 18.0 kN/m³

$K_a = 0.333$

$K_p = 3.000$

$D_{req} \approx 2.12 \text{ m}$

Total Length = 6.12 m

Machine Foundations - Theory & Concepts

Soil dynamics, natural frequency, and vibration isolation for equipment foundations.

Foundation Resonance Calculator

Dynamic Spring Constant ($k_z$): 8.5 $\times 10^5$ kN/m

Total Weight (Machine + Block): 1200 kN

Machine Operating Speed ($N$): 450 RPM

Natural Frequency ($f_n$)

13.27 Hz

Operating Freq ($f_m$)

7.50 Hz

Frequency Ratio ($f_n / f_m$)

1.77

Safe (High-Tuned)

Target ratio: > 1.5 (High-tuned) or < 0.5 (Low-tuned). Values near 1.0 indicate severe resonance.