XY Stresses

Contours of stresses in the X, Y (and Z) directions can be viewed by selecting the desired option from the toolbar list.

The directions X, Y and Z refer to the local axes of your model. X and Y are the in-plane X and Y directions, and Z is the out-of-plane direction.

For a Plane Strain Analysis, the following stresses can be plotted:

• Sigma XX (normal stress in the X direction)

• Sigma YY (normal stress in the Y direction)

• Tau XY (shear stress in the XY plane)

For a horizontal excavation, Sigma XX and Sigma YY are the horizontal and vertical stresses respectively.

For a Complete Plane Strain Analysis, you can plot the above stresses, and also:

• Tau XZ (shear stress in the XZ plane)

• Tau YZ (shear stress in the YZ plane)