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A workflow that links investigation to implementation

Our structured engineering workflow means you are supported through decision-making, installation and performance verification, not handed a standalone report.

The DAQ engineering cycle

Ten steps, applied in proportion to the problem. A small support query may pass quickly through several; a major study works through each in depth.

  1. Site investigation

    Desktop review, reconnaissance, pits and boreholes.

  2. Geological assessment

    Lithology, structure and groundwater.

  3. Rock mass classification

    RMR, Q and GSI from logging and mapping.

  4. Geotechnical analysis

    Empirical and kinematic assessment.

  5. Numerical modelling

    Where the mechanism demands it.

  6. Engineering design

    Support, layouts and slopes you can build.

  7. Risk assessment

    Consequence and exposure drive priorities.

  8. Implementation support

    On site during installation, with QA/QC.

  9. Monitoring

    Instruments and trigger levels verify the design.

  10. Continuous improvement

    Lessons fed into the next investigation.

Engineering philosophy

Investigate, understand, model, design, implement, monitor.

Evidence-based engineering

Decisions supported by geological, geotechnical, structural and monitoring evidence.

Risk-based decisions

Resources directed at the mechanisms with the greatest consequence and exposure.

Practical design

A sound design must also be constructible with your mining method and equipment.

Operational integration

Geotechnics embedded in mine planning, not working alongside it.

Continuous verification

Ground behaviour checked against design assumptions, with controls updated as conditions change.

Failure investigations

When cracking, instability or unexpected ground behaviour occurs, we follow an evidence chain to the mechanism before recommending a remedy.

Observed damageGeologyGround conditionsStructural conditionLoading and mining activityMonitoring dataFailure mechanismRemedial design

Applies to underground excavation failures, portal and decline instability, highwall failures, surface cracking and subsidence, and structures affected by blasting or groundwater.

Blast vibration and structural response

We combine blast-record review, PPV and airblast monitoring, waveform analysis, pre- and post-blast crack surveys and foundation investigation to separate blast-related damage from ground, construction and environmental causes, using measured evidence.

Geotechnical core logging of drill core trays

Ground conditions changing faster than your plan?

Talk directly to the engineer who will do the work. Critical incidents get an on-site assessment within 24 hours.

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