ShoreKALC documentation

User manual and verifications.

Understand the staged excavation workflow, explore the numerical formulation, and review documented comparisons with established geotechnical analysis software.

User guide & technical reference

From model setup to results.

A single reference for the user interface, analysis theory and numerical implementation.

Cover of the ShoreKALC User, Theory, and Numerical Formulation Manual
102 PDF pagesFirst issue · 9 October 2026

ShoreKALC User, Theory, and Numerical Formulation Manual

Staged excavation and soil structure interaction: setting up a problem, defining construction stages, preparing the mesh and interpreting analysis results.

  • Geometry, strata, soil materials and initial stress
  • Wall properties, soil interfaces, struts and anchors
  • Surcharges, groundwater and stage water levels
  • Mesh sensitivity, results and numerical formulation
View manual PDF Download manual
01

Check the model mapping

Review geometry, materials, wall stiffness, supports, groundwater, loads and construction sequence.

02

Compare engineering results

Review wall movements, bending moments, shear forces and support forces across construction stages.

03

Read the stated limitations

Mesh, contact and reference-data differences affect interpretation. Solver convergence alone does not establish agreement.

Verification library

Documented benchmark studies.

Comparisons with published PLAXIS / DIANA results, including modelling differences and the scope of each study.

Benchmark 3 Q8 moment, anchor-force and heave results against published PLAXIS checkpoints
Benchmark 3PLAXISQ8

Tied-back excavation in sand

A 15 m deep excavation supported by two rows of prestressed anchors, following Seequent's PLAXIS 2D Mohr-Coulomb worked example.

  • Wall bending moment and anchor axial forces
  • Excavation-floor heave and construction stages
  • Three completed Q8 mesh-refinement runs

Recorded Q8 comparison: 8 October 2026. Published checkpoints are approximate; fixed-end anchor and other modelling differences remain documented.

Published PLAXIS example

The worked example explains soil regions, wall interfaces, anchor prestress and the staged excavation sequence, with reference results in section 3.1.

Read the PLAXIS example (PDF) →
View comparison reportDownload graphs
Benchmark 4 displacement and wall actions comparing published PLAXIS and DIANA curves with ShoreKALC element formulations
Benchmark 4PLAXIS / DIANAProduction Q8

Dry excavation with production Q8

A drained Mohr-Coulomb excavation study comparing published PLAXIS and DIANA curves with the production Q8 solver, using the published wall stiffness and self-weight.

  • Lateral displacement and wall actions
  • Wall self-weight and mesh refinement
  • Production wall profiles and result checks

Recorded production Q8 comparison: 8 October 2026. Published curves are digitised approximations; the study does not establish general mesh independence.

Published DIANA / PLAXIS benchmark

DIANA documents the sheet-pile-wall model and staged construction, then compares its Mohr-Coulomb results with PLAXIS. ShoreKALC's comparison covers the dry Case A.

DIANA model and construction stages →
DIANA results and PLAXIS comparison →
View comparison reportDownload graphs

Interpreting verification. Each report documents a particular model, solver version and comparison method. Review its assumptions, differences and unsuccessful runs alongside the results. These studies support engineering review and do not replace project-specific validation or independent design checks.