Technical auditing of rock mechanics modeling and rock engineering design

In order to be able to implement a procedure for checking the adequacy of rock mechanics modeling and rock engineering design, the technical auditing approach has been developed. This is a procedure for formally examining modeling and design to ensure that they have captured the essence of the problem in hand. The main subject areas in rock mechanics are reviewed and the modeling problems highlighted. A range of engineering projects is Listed to illustrate the wide variety of engineering objectives and associated issues. The principles of technical auditing are presented and a case example included to illustrate the required supporting information and documentation. Technical auditing can be used 'before the event' to guide the modeling and design or 'after the event' to check that a model or a design has indeed addressed the technical objectives and included those variables, mechanisms and parameters required to represent the rock reality. The audit trail provides transparency and traceability for modeling and design.