Engineering Consulting

Geotechnical Engineering

Delve Underground combines proven solutions with the latest technologies to provide cost-effective and risk-managed alternatives to the most challenging geotechnical and rock problems. As both designers and consultants, we closely collaborate with structural, civil, and electrical engineers within Delve Underground to develop drawings and specifications for private and public owners. Our geotechnical engineering expertise includes:

• Geotechnical Investigations and Characterization

• Foundation Engineering for Soil and Rock

• Retaining Walls & Structures

• Embankment Stability Design and Settlement Analysis

• Soil Slope Stability, Anchoring and Erosion Control 

• Rock Slope Stability analysis and Rock Fall Assessment,

• Geotechnical Mapping of Slopes and Tunnels 

• Seismic Hazards 

• Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering

• Tunnel Support Design and Stability Assessment

• Trenchless Technologies

• Blasting Design & Review

• Hydrogeology

• Dam Abutment Stability

• Geotechnical Instrumentation and Monitoring

• Rope Access Techniques

• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)/LiDAR

• Ground Improvement (Jet Grouting)

• Groundwater Control (Grouting)

Geohazards

The Delve Underground Geohazards Group includes a team of highly skilled engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers that specialize in the characterization and mitigation of a wide variety or geological hazards. Our teams of geoprofessionals are well versed in evaluating complex hazards impacting civil facilities including highways, pipelines, hydropower facilities, dams, and civil structures.

Our solutions are cost-effective and context sensitive, balancing the potential risks and outcomes with the need for practical solutions. Our array of services include:

• Geological and geological hazard mapping for a wide array of facilities
• Geotechnical asset management for highways and other linear infrastructure
• Emergency response and management of slope failures
• Integration of drone technology to rapidly develop 3D models and characterize site hazards
• Rock slope characterization and mitigation
• Use of roped access techniques to assess rock slope hazards
• Rock mass characterization for both surficial and underground facilities
• Rockfall hazard assessment, modeling and mitigation
• Landslide and debris flow evaluations and mitigation
• Construction support

Structural Engineering

Delve Underground’s Structural Engineering Practice Group is recognized in the heavy civil industry for its ability to develop constructable solutions for complex challenges. Our origins and history are born from the construction industry, which gives us insight into the constructability of designs. Whether it’s temporary, permanent, or rehabilitation-related design, we understand today’s construction techniques and the realities of bringing a project to completion beginning from concept to start-up. Our Structural services include:

• Seismic Design and Resiliency

• Fire Engineering

• Structures Modeling

• Structure Impact Assessment from Ground Movements

• Structures Instrumentation and Monitoring

• Structure Protection

Computational Engineering and Analysis

Delve Underground’s Computational Engineering and Analysis team includes highly trained numerical modeling specialists who are among the leading experts in their field. This team uses state-of-the-art, cutting-edge modeling knowledge and techniques to develop innovative and cost-effective solutions for complex underground structures. These solutions are developed aiming for design optimization, construction risk mitigation, and added reliability.

Our soil-structure interaction (SSI) modeling capabilities include two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) analyses for complex linear and nonlinear, static, and time-dependent problems. Our typical array of modeling services includes:

• Design and analysis for construction sequence and excavation methods

• Design of support for deep excavations (temporary and permanent)

• Seismic response of structures (pseudo-static and dynamic SSI analyses)

• Structural design and analysis for temporary and permanent structures

• Assessment of impacts of underground construction or future developments on adjacent existing structures

• Groundwater flow and coupled fluid-mechanical interaction analysis

• Thermal and coupled thermal-mechanical analysis

Pipeline Engineering

Pipeline systems are a vital part of our infrastructure, transporting water, wastewater, oil, gas, and other essential materials. They are a major investment, and Delve Underground helps ensure that they are designed and constructed safely and efficiently. We provide feasibility, planning, design, program management, and construction management services on a broad range of pipelines for raw and recycled water, liquid wastewater, and stormwater. We are on the forefront of seismic pipe resiliency design, and our expertise includes evaluating seismic vulnerability for existing pipeline systems; developing seismic mitigation strategies; analyzing seismic soil-pipe interaction numerical modeling; and developing practical seismic resiliency designs for various pipe materials and joints.

Design Technology/ Digital Engineering

At Delve Underground, we embrace and leverage Design Technology in all its forms. Design Technology comprises more than just Digital Engineering defined by 2D CAD, 3D modeling, and building information modeling (BIM). It goes beyond process simulation and virtual construction. Design Technology is an environment for the ever-evolving process of implementing and blending a broad range of technology platforms. This, coupled with our company’s expertise and underground heritage, makes it possible to solve the complex challenges found in underground projects.

Our range of tools varies as much as the ground types we encounter. We leverage Civil 3D, Rhinoceros 3D and SolidWorks for horizontal design, Revit for structures, and various other surface and solid modeling applications to close any geometry gaps. We can import various survey and field gathered digital data through automated means. Where possible, we automate the process with visual programming tools like Dynamo and Grasshopper to minimize repetition. We coordinate and communicate with all design disciplines and project stakeholders in federated 3D environments using Navisworks and Revizto, in shared cloud-based Common Data Environments.

Civil and Architectural Design

Delve Underground has a core group of staff that support our projects in various markets with their expertise in civil engineering and architectural services. Whether the project requires someone to lead a multidisciplined transportation team or simply provide guidance on how to integrate civil elements to complex design components, our Civil and Architecture team complements our core business projects to ensure our client gets a comprehensive solution.

Civil Engineering
Delve Underground has experience in all areas of civil engineering required to support our projects. These areas range from utility relocation design to grading and stormwater design. As a support role, we understand the bigger picture that our designs need to complement. Our team is experienced in providing civil services from conceptual planning through final design and construction on traditional design-bid-build, as well as on design-build projects.

Architecture
For the past 10 years, Delve Underground has benefitted from having in-house architecture services to support our larger transportation projects. These services have not only assisted our clients and teaming partners in developing effective solutions but have also contributed to the overall success of our projects. In addition, we have successfully extended this support across all our markets, enabling us to provide comprehensive solutions that fully address the requirements of each project.