# OPTUM G2

> Advanced 2D Geotechnical FEA and Limit Analysis Software

Canonical: https://www.ramcadds.com/products/optum-g2
Source: RAM CADDSYS product catalog — https://www.ramcadds.com/products
Last verified: 2026-07-18
Categories: infrastructure-geotechnical

OPTUM G2 is geotechnical software for 2D analysis that combines finite element analysis (FEA) with upper- and lower-bound limit analysis. It computes rigorous factors of safety, failure mechanisms, and deformation for slopes, foundations, retaining structures, and tunnels.

OPTUM G2 is 2D geotechnical analysis software from Optum Computational Engineering, distributed in India by RAM CADDSYS. It combines finite element analysis with Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA), which brackets the true collapse load between rigorous upper and lower bounds, and covers slopes, bearing capacity, retaining walls, braced excavations, seepage and consolidation. Strength Reduction FELA returns bounded safety factors in seconds, with built-in Eurocode 7 Design Approaches.

OPTUM G2 is developed by OptumCE and distributed by RAM CADDSYS in India. It combines classical limit analysis (bounding methods) with standard finite element analysis: rigorous upper- and lower-bound solutions bracket the true collapse load, so the safety factor arrives with a confidence interval rather than as a single unchecked number.

## Key points

- OPTUM G2 computes rigorous upper- and lower-bound brackets on the true collapse load through Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA) — the exact value is proven to lie between the bounds.
- Strength Reduction FELA (SR-FELA) progressively reduces soil strength until collapse, resolving slope and stability factors of safety within a negligible tolerance in seconds.
- Automatic adaptive mesh refinement concentrates elements at the failure zone, resolving collapse mechanisms accurately without manual mesh tuning.
- Built-in Eurocode 7 Design Approaches (DA1/1, DA1/2) and four user-definable partial-factor sets support national-annex ULS verification directly inside the software.
- A single 2D plane-strain or axisymmetric model covers limit analysis, elastoplastic deformation, seepage, consolidation and stochastic (Monte Carlo) analysis.
- RAM CADDSYS distributes and supports OPTUM G2 in India, alongside its 3D companion OPTUM G3 and the unified OPTUM GX package.
- Computes rigorous upper- and lower-bound brackets on the true collapse load via Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA) — a mathematical guarantee on safety
- Direct one-step limit-load / bearing-capacity calculation, avoiding slow incremental load-displacement runs
- Factors of safety for slopes computed in seconds using Strength Reduction Finite Element Limit Analysis (SR-FELA)
- Built-in automatic Eurocode 7 partial-factor Design Approaches (DA1/1, DA1/2) plus User 1–4 custom sets for national-annex ULS verification
- Automatic adaptive mesh refinement concentrates elements at failure zones — accurate collapse mechanisms with no manual mesh tuning
- Integrated limit, elastoplastic, seepage and consolidation analysis in a single 2D (plane-strain / axisymmetric) environment
- Stochastic (Monte Carlo) analysis option to propagate soil-parameter uncertainty into safety-factor distributions
- CAD geometry import for complex cross-sections, with a fast, robust solver that stays stable regardless of model complexity

## Why engineers pick it

- **Limit Analysis Methods** — Upper and lower bound limit analysis puts rigorous brackets on the true factor of safety. The exact answer is proven to lie between them.
- **Advanced Material Models** — Material library spanning Mohr-Coulomb, Tresca, Hoek-Brown (with softening / GSI), Modified Cam Clay, NGI-ADP, and EMC for accurate soil and rock behavior.
- **Seepage and Consolidation** — Variably-saturated steady-state and transient seepage with time-dependent consolidation analysis. Critical for embankment, dam, and retaining wall designs where drainage conditions govern.
- **Adaptive Meshing** — Automatic adaptive mesh refinement focused on failure zones ensures high-accuracy results with minimal user effort. Collapse mechanisms are resolved precisely without manual mesh tuning.

## Capabilities

- **Finite Element Limit Analysis (upper & lower bound)** — Computes guaranteed upper- and lower-bound solutions that bracket the exact collapse load using plasticity theory. The true factor of safety is provably contained between the two bounds, giving engineers rigorous confidence rather than a single deterministic estimate.
- **Strength Reduction (SR-FELA)** — Progressively reduces soil strength (c, tan φ, cu) until collapse to return the factor of safety. Combined with limit analysis it resolves slope and stability factors of safety within a negligible tolerance in seconds.
- **Elastoplastic deformation & staged construction** — Standard elastoplastic FEA for realistic settlement and displacement prediction, with activate/deactivate regions to model staged excavation and embankment construction sequences.
- **Seepage & consolidation** — Variably-saturated (confined and unconfined) steady-state and transient seepage, plus time-dependent consolidation analysis for pore-pressure and settlement evolution in soft soils.
- **Advanced material library** — Constitutive models from simple to advanced — including Mohr-Coulomb, Tresca, Hoek-Brown (with softening / GSI options), Modified Cam Clay, NGI-ADP and EMC — covering soils and rock masses.
- **Structural elements & adaptive meshing** — Plates, anchors, soil nails, geogrids/geotextiles, piles, interfaces and joints model support systems; automatic adaptive mesh refinement targets failure zones for high accuracy with minimal user effort.
- **Slope and Embankment Stability** — Upper and lower bound stability analysis for natural slopes, cut slopes, and embankments. Rigorous bracketing of safety factors with automatic failure mechanism detection.
- **Foundation Bearing Capacity** — Limit analysis of shallow foundation bearing capacity under eccentric, inclined, and combined loading. Results bound the true collapse load from both sides.
- **Retaining Wall Analysis** — Earth pressure analysis, stability checks, and deformation analysis for gravity walls, cantilever walls, anchored sheet piles, and propped excavations.
- **Tunnel Face Stability** — Face stability analysis for shallow and deep tunnels in soft ground. Critical pressure calculations for compressed air tunneling and mechanized shield drives.
- **Consolidation Analysis** — Time-dependent consolidation analysis for soft clay foundations, staged embankment construction, and ground improvement with prefabricated vertical drains.
- **Pseudo-Static Seismic Stability** — Pseudo-static seismic stability analysis for slopes, dams, and retaining structures using horizontal and vertical seismic coefficients.

## In depth

### Why do deterministic FEA safety factors leave geotechnical engineers exposed?

A single deterministic finite element run gives one safety-factor number with no built-in check on its accuracy — OPTUM G2 instead computes upper- and lower-bound solutions that mathematically bracket the true collapse load, so the exact answer is guaranteed to lie between them.

Ordinary FEA depends on the mesh, the solution algorithm and the analyst's judgement about convergence, and it hands back a single number with no independent check on how close that number is to the true collapse load. OPTUM G2's Finite Element Limit Analysis (FELA) applies plasticity theory to compute both an upper bound, from an admissible failure mechanism, and a lower bound, from an admissible stress field — the exact answer is provably contained between them. No deterministic run carries that check.

Because factors of safety carry regulatory weight, OPTUM G2 pairs that bracketing with built-in Eurocode 7 partial-factor Design Approaches (DA1/1, DA1/2, plus four user-definable sets), so results feed directly into national-annex ULS verification. Where the extra layer of confidence still isn't enough, a stochastic Monte Carlo option propagates soil-parameter uncertainty through the same model to show how variability affects the computed factor of safety.

### How does OPTUM G2 combine limit analysis with standard FEA in one workflow?

Engineers build a single 2D plane-strain or axisymmetric model — geometry, materials, staged construction — then run whichever analysis type the problem calls for: limit analysis for bounded collapse loads, Strength Reduction FELA for factors of safety, or elastoplastic FEA for deformation.

The same model geometry supports OPTUM G2's full material library — Mohr-Coulomb, Tresca, Hoek-Brown with softening and GSI, Modified Cam Clay, NGI-ADP and EMC — so soil and rock behaviour is represented directly rather than approximated for whichever solver runs. Structural elements (plates, anchors, soil nails, geogrids and geotextiles, piles, interfaces and joints) let the model include support systems for retaining walls, anchored and propped excavations, and reinforced soil, and automatic adaptive mesh refinement then concentrates elements at the failure zone once analysis starts, so accuracy does not depend on manual mesh tuning.

For problems governed by drainage, the same environment runs variably-saturated steady-state and transient seepage alongside time-dependent consolidation, tracking pore-pressure and settlement evolution through staged excavation or embankment construction. Complex cross-sections import directly from CAD, and the solver stays stable regardless of model complexity, so engineers move from geometry import to a bracketed safety factor or a settlement curve inside one program.

## Design codes

- **EN (Eurocode)** — EN 1997-1 (Eurocode 7) — Design Approach DA1 Combination 1 (DA1/1) / EN 1997-1 (Eurocode 7) — Design Approach DA1 Combination 2 (DA1/2) / User-defined partial-factor sets (User 1–4) for national annexes / custom Design Approaches / Unity (unfactored / characteristic) Design Approach

## Questions

### What is OPTUM G2 used for?

OPTUM G2 is a 2D geotechnical finite element program for stability and deformation analysis in plane-strain or axisymmetry. Engineers use it for slope stability, foundation bearing capacity, retaining walls, excavations, tunnels, seepage and consolidation.

### What makes OPTUM G2 different from PLAXIS or other geotechnical FEA tools?

OPTUM G2's distinguishing capability is Finite Element Limit Analysis — it computes rigorous upper and lower bounds that mathematically bracket the true collapse load. Most FEA tools give a single deterministic result; G2 brackets the answer, so you know the true safety factor lies between the two bounds.

### What is limit analysis, and why does the upper/lower bound matter?

Limit analysis applies plasticity theory to compute an upper bound (from an admissible failure mechanism) and a lower bound (from an admissible stress field) on the collapse load. The exact collapse load is guaranteed to fall between them — a provable confidence interval on stability.

### Does OPTUM G2 support Eurocode 7 design?

Yes. OPTUM G2 includes automatic application of partial factors according to Eurocode 7 Design Approaches. Seven approaches are available — Unity, DA1/1, DA1/2 and four user-definable sets (User 1–4) — applied automatically to c, tan φ and cu before analysis, which supports national-annex requirements.

### Which soil and rock material models does OPTUM G2 include?

OPTUM G2 ships with both simple and advanced constitutive models, including Mohr-Coulomb, Tresca, Hoek-Brown (with softening / GSI options), Modified Cam Clay, NGI-ADP and EMC, covering a wide range of soil and rock behaviour.

### What analysis types can OPTUM G2 run?

It supports Limit Analysis (upper/lower bound), Strength Reduction (factor of safety), Elastoplastic deformation, Seepage/groundwater flow, Consolidation, and Stochastic (Monte Carlo) analysis — all on the same 2D model.

### What structural elements can I model?

OPTUM G2 supports plates, anchors, soil nails, geogrids/geotextiles, piles, and interface/joint elements, so you can model retaining walls, anchored and propped excavations, reinforced soil and soil-structure interaction.

### Do I have to set up the mesh manually?

No. OPTUM G2 features automatic adaptive mesh refinement that concentrates elements where they matter — typically the failure zone — to deliver accurate collapse mechanisms and factors of safety without manual mesh tuning.

### Can OPTUM G2 handle uncertainty in soil parameters?

Yes. A stochastic analysis option runs the model in a Monte Carlo fashion using random distributions of specified parameters, so you can assess how soil-parameter variability affects the computed safety factor.

### What is the difference between OPTUM G2, OPTUM G3 and OPTUM GX?

OPTUM G2 is the 2D program (plane-strain / axisymmetric); OPTUM G3 is the 3D program; OPTUM GX is OptumCE's unified package that bundles 2D and 3D together. OPTUM G2 is now distributed as part of the OPTUM GX package.

### What are the system requirements for OPTUM G2?

OPTUM G2 runs on 64-bit Windows 10 with a 64-bit multicore Intel processor, a minimum of 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended), around 6 GB of disk space and the .NET Framework. It is a Windows-only desktop application.

### Is OPTUM G2 available in India through RAM CADDSYS?

Yes. RAM CADDSYS is the authorized distributor for OPTUM G2 (and OPTUM G3 / GX) in India, providing licensing, training workshops and ongoing technical support. Contact RAM CADDSYS for a quote, trial or demonstration.

### Are academic licences available for OPTUM G2?

Yes. OptumCE offers academic licensing for OPTUM G2 and OPTUM G3, and RAM CADDSYS has supplied academic licences to leading Indian engineering institutes for teaching and research, including through formal institutional tender processes. Contact us for academic pricing and procurement support.

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