Technical auditing of rock mechanics modelling and rock engineering design

We present a procedure for technically auditing rock mechanics modelling and rock engineering design. As rock mechanics modelling becomes more sophisticated, with the ability to include more parameters and to be coupled with other disciplines such as hydrogeology, and as the requirements on rock engineering projects become ever more challenging, it is prudent, if not essential, to have some form of procedure for checking that the modelling and design are suitable within the limits of current knowledge. Accordingly, we present here an appropriate auditing procedure, and demonstrate its use with the examples of measurement of rock stress (as a soft audit) and modelling for the design of hydropower caverns in China (as a semi-hard audit), the auditing questions being tailored to the nature of the work being audited. The types of procedures demonstrated can be used from the initial project concept, through site investigation and modelling, to construction, monitoring and back analysis, allowing the whole process to be concurrently checked providing a transparent and traceable audit trail of results and associated decisions made.