Design Methodology in Rock Engineering: Theory, Education and Practice

The first comprehensive treatment of the subject of design methodology in rock engineering, this book emphasizes that a good designer needs not only knowledge for designing (technical knowledge) but also must have knowledge about designing (an appropriate process to follow). Design methodology is today recognized in most fields as crucial to the success of a new product, process, or construction project.

This unique book starts with an appraisal of current trends concerning global design activities and competitiveness and gives an insight into how designers design. The state of the art in engineering design is given with a detailed exposé of all significant design theories and methodologies. It then presents a design methodology specifically for rock engineering and demonstrates its practical use on the basis of important case histories. To preserve the momentum of the design message, design education is also discussed. A separate chapter is devoted to skills development, presenting the designer with an extensive repertoire of widely available tools and concepts. The Appendix lists a compendium of useful design charts for rock engineering, traced after a thorough literature search. A Bibliography concludes the book with an up-to-date list of references.

Professor Z.T. Bieniawski, Ph.D., is Professor of Mineral Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University where he teaches graduate courses in mining and tunneling, as well as an undergraduate course in applied rock mechanics. He is the author of some 120 scientific publications, three textbooks, a collection of essays on communication and leadership, and of a historical novel. He directed and produced two scientific movies, three theatre plays, and designed the artwork for his five books. He has over 25 years of experience in mining, tunneling and design engineering, including large industrial projects. He travelled extensively to Europe, Africa, Australia, Japan and South America visiting construction sites and delivering invited lectures. He keeps up to date with engineering practice by his consulting activities in mining and tunneling, both in the USA and abroad. Professor Bieniawski is Past Chairman of the US National Committee on Tunneling Technology, a unit of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1985, he received the Rock Mechanics Award from the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers for ‘Outstanding contributions to rock mechanics through scientific and practical applications of strata control in coal mining and in rock tunneling.’