our approach
Research and Development
Beck Engineering has conducted extensive research in the area of rock property estimation, rock strength scaling and homogenisation.
One technique applied for these tasks is numerical homogenisation. This involves constructing a model of the rock mass using a discrete fracture network. The load-deformation response of the ‘synthetic’ specimen can be tested under static and dynamic loading conditions in order to investigate the complete stress strain response of the rock at different length scales.
Beck Engineering has conducted unique and detailed investigations into rock breakage and fragmentation.
The purpose of the work was initially to better quantify the fragmentation that occurs during cave initiation and propagation, but the research has yielded some interesting results for the detailed analysis of seismicity, ground support and the homogenisation of material properties.
Our approach
LRX: Discontinuum Finite-Element Simulation
LRX is BE’s flagship multi scale finite-element platform for rock-mechanics and mining-geotechnics problems. High-order, strain-softening elements and explicit discontinuity interfaces let a single model capture everything from regional stress fields to drive-level details, while numerical homogenisation links laboratory data to mine-scale behaviour. Realistic stress paths, anisotropic strength, excavation sequencing and transient groundwater effects act together so that stability phenomena–slope deformation, cave fragmentation and seismic response– emerge naturally rather than by assumption. These capabilities have been validated across a range of deposits worldwide, ensuring transferable insight.
Engineers receive full 3-D stress, strain and displacement fields for design verification, vulnerability mapping and ongoing calibration against field measurements. The same framework supports ad-hoc high-resolution submodels, probabilistic DFN simulations and quantified reliability metrics, turning LRX into a physics-grounded decision tool from concept through closure. Results are delivered in open, interoperable formats so site teams can iterate rapidly and trace decisions.
LRX couples seamlessly to BE-Hydro for saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow and to FS5 for caving initiation, propagation and subsidence analysis, keeping all physics on a consistent mesh.
FS5: Coupled Cave-Flow Simulation
FlowSim 5 (FS5) drives cave-flow research into the giga-particle era. Built on the Extended Position-Based Dynamics (XPBD) method, FS5 combines the particlescale realism of Discrete Element Methods with the computational reach of continuum models. GPU-accelerated domain decomposition lets it handle billions of heterogeneous particles while enforcing cohesion, friction and volume constraints, so gravity-driven mixing and lateral dispersion arise naturally instead of being prescribed. Because every particle carries ore-grade metadata, FS5 outputs time-based forecasts for recovered tonnes, dilution and recovery– metrics that directly inform draw-strategy optimisation.
To embed those particle-scale insights in a mine-scale framework, FS5 is tightly coupled with LRX, our finite-element solver. Running the two in tandem captures cave propagation, host-rock deformation and flow-induced ground movement with an accuracy that has out-performed all other tools in comparative studies and matched field data from operating mines.This integrated LRX-XPBD platform now supports investigations from laboratory columns to full block caves, enabling safer, more productive extraction pathways.
Advanced Fluid-Flow Coupling (AFC3)
BE-Hydro is Beck Engineering’s dedicated framework for simulating the two-way interaction between groundwater flow and rock mass deformation. Designed for mine-scale problems, it dynamically couples pore pressure with mechanical response using Terzaghi’s effective stress principle and strain-dependent hydraulic conductivity. This allows permeability to evolve with excavation, fault activation, and progressive damage, capturing fluid pathways and mechanical instabilities that uncoupled models ignore.
The simulation handles anisotropic, nonlinear, and scale-dependent flow by accurately representing geological discontinuities, from large faults to fine-scale fractures. Boundary conditions and spatially variable material properties are assigned directly from block models or geological domains, ensuring geologically consistent predictions of inflow, saturation, and deformation.
BE-Hydro supports both transient and steady-state analyses under saturated and unsaturated conditions. It is used in scenarios ranging from long-term drainage design to short-term excavation response and has been validated against field data across some of the world’s most complex open pit and underground mines.
Fully integrated with LRX, BE-Hydro maintains a unified mesh for seamless coupling in high-fidelity hydro-mechanical simulations.
LRX Dynamic: Probabilistic Seismic Simulation for Mining
We fuse full-3-D explicit dynamics with strain-softening rock mechanics to track real earthquake or blast waveforms as they race through waste dumps, pit slopes and deep workings. High-fidelity meshes embed faults, discontinuities and ground-support elements, revealing exactly where energy localises, structures yield and support systems engage- long before a single hole is drilled.
What sets LRX apart is breadth and realism: true 3-D wave propagation (no pseudo-dynamic shortcuts), whole-waveform fidelity that keeps every frequency in the input motion, multi-scale models that tie regional geology to bolt-level details, and seismicity itself as an output- complete with 4-D probability maps and moment-tensor matches. Mining engineers gain a forward-looking tool to test designs, quantify risk and optimise support under the precise shaking their site will face.