PPolySim OS
For Educators · Retaining Structure Suite

Retaining Structure Suite for a canopy

Built for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs. Simulate a canopy live below — adjust the inputs and watch it respond, right in your browser.

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Retaining Wall

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Retaining Wall (Rankine)Live

Controls

Presets

Rankine theory gives the active earth pressure behind a wall from the coefficient Ka = tan²(45−φ/2). The soil pushes with a triangular pressure resultant Pa acting at one-third the height. The wall must resist overturning and sliding with adequate factors of safety. Educational tool, not a geotechnical design.

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Data Inspector

Ka0.333
Active thrust Pa48.0 kN/m
FS overturning1.82
FS sliding0.81

Governing equation

Reading this result: Sliding FS is 0.81, under the ~1.5 target — the wall could slide out. A wider base or a shear key would help.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

Soil Bearing Capacity (Terzaghi)Live
Allowable bearing pressure
400kPa
Allowable load ≈ 801 kN per metre of footing

Controls

Presets

Terzaghi's equation predicts the ultimate bearing capacity of a shallow footing as the sum of cohesion, surcharge, and self-weight terms, each with a bearing-capacity factor that grows sharply with the soil friction angle. Dividing by a factor of safety gives the allowable pressure. Educational tool, not a geotechnical design.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Nc30.1
Nq18.4
22.4
Ultimate qult1201 kPa

Governing equation

Reading this result: Mixed c-φ soil: all three terms contribute — deeper embedment and a wider footing both push the ultimate capacity higher.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

Groundwater Well DrawdownLive

Controls

Presets

Pumping a well lowers the water table into a cone of depression. Under the Thiem steady-state solution the drawdown is s(r) = Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): more pumping deepens the cone, higher transmissivity flattens it. Fundamental to well design, water supply, and contaminant capture.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Drawdown at well4.7 m
Drawdown at 50 m1.47 m
Radius of influence500 m

Governing equation

Reading this result: Drawdown is Q/(2πT)·ln(R/r): here it is about 4.7 m at the well and falls off logarithmically, so most of the depression sits in the first tens of metres.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this good for educators?
Yes — this version of "Retaining Structure Suite for a canopy" is framed for educators teaching it to a class. Drop a live demo into a lecture or assign it as a shareable link — no lab installs.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in any modern browser, free, with no account required.