Despite major improvements over the past several decades in computer methods for analyzing and synthesizing exploration and site investigation geological data for engineering purposes, which should have decreased project risk, unexpected failures and construction problems still occur. Often, this unexpectedness can be tied back to inadequate structural geological understanding of actual site-specific conditions. Part of this diminished appreciation of structural geological controls on rockmass behaviour can likely be attributed to inappropriate use of computational geostatistics, block modelling and geomechanics computer codes, without significant structural geological input. Part may be because of inadequate domaining in the raw data analysis phase, such that no differentiation was ever made between uncertainties due to true natural variability versus those due to data inadequacy. Modelled data error issues cannot easily be resolved once mixing and smearing of parameters have occurred as a result of earlier inappropriate synthesis of an uncontrolled database. The increased use, industry-wide, of inadequately calibrated, often totally unverified, geomechanics computer modelling for design of civil or mining projects is a worrying trend that needs reversing. Much more attention needs to be paid to properly sub-dividing project sites into realistic geological entities through use of rigorous geological structural domaining techniques, such that much better understanding is gained of project-specific geological risk. This in turn will lead to improved reliability and representativeness in project geomechanical parameter selection for use in design. This paper attempts to set out some guidelines to help practitioners undertake more rigorous domaining, as an aid to parameter selection for design.

尽管在过去的几十年中，用于分析和合成用于工程目的的勘探和现场调查地质数据的计算机方法取得了重大改进，本应降低项目风险，但仍会发生意外故障和施工问题。通常，这种意外可能与对实际地点特定条件的结构地质理解不足有关。对岩体行为的结构地质控制的这种减少的理解部分可能归因于计算地质统计学、块体建模和地质力学计算机代码的不当使用，而没有大量的结构地质输入。部分原因可能是原始数据分析阶段的域划分不足，这样一来，由于真正的自然可变性引起的不确定性与由于数据不足引起的不确定性之间没有任何区别。一旦由于早期对不受控制的数据库的不当合成而导致参数的混合和拖尾，建模数据错误问题就无法轻易解决。在整个行业范围内，越来越多地使用校准不足、通常完全未经验证的地质力学计算机建模来设计土木或采矿项目，这是一个令人担忧的趋势，需要扭转。需要更多地注意通过使用严格的地质结构域技术将项目地点适当地细分为现实的地质实体，以便更好地了解项目特定的地质风险。这反过来将导致在设计中使用的项目地质力学参数选择的可靠性和代表性得到提高。本文试图提出一些指导方针，以帮助从业者进行更严格的领域划分，作为设计参数选择的辅助手段。