Rotation of a single mesh element (triangle) in Plaxis 3D

Question

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen! 
 
 Is there a way to get the rotation of triangles of a mesh (single mesh element)? 
 I have dummy plates with low stiffness to evaluate the deformation of shallow foundations (slab) from different buildings above a NAT-Tunnel. Each building tolerates a different max. rotation (e.g. 1:500 or 1:750). In Plaxis 3D-Output I have only found the rotation option separated to the single direction (x,y,z), but is there a resulting rotation of a triangle of the mesh. I need the max. rotation of each triangle (Mesh Element) to check the max. allowed rotation. 
 
 Thx for the help 
 Best regards Philipp

Vasileios Basas · Answer

Hi Philipp, 
 You can use the "Distance measurement" tool (see the below image). This tool measures the distance between two nodes in the model, but it also shows you the difference between the deformed orientation and the original orientation (rotation) and the ratio of the deformation in the direction perpendicular to the line between the selected points (tilt). You can find more information in our Reference manual. 
 The Rotation option is available for Plates and Beams displaying the total rotation (Rotation) and the incremental rotation (&Delta;Rotation) of the selected plates with respect to the global axes . However, t o get the results on the local axes, you will need to do one of the following: 
 
 Take the second derivative of the displacements to calculate the curvature, 
 Use the bending moment value to back-calculate it (i.e., M = EI &kappa;) 
 If you know the relative angles between the two systems of axes (X, Y, Z) and (dir1, dir2, Z), you can use a transformation to mathematically derive &phi;1, &phi;2, &phi;3 from &phi;x, &phi;y, &phi;z.