PRINCIPAL FIELDS OF ACTIVITY

The work realised by our firm in the geotechnical, quality control, environmental, structural and roofing fields encompasses the following:

Soil investigations

Quality control of materials

Earth work design

Design of foundations on permafrost

Ground water and hydrogeology

Environment, soil characterisation and observation wells, rehabilitation of contaminated sites

Instrumentation

Soil and rock stabilisation techniques including injection

Vibrations - determining dynamic soil parameters

Laboratory testing for construction materials

Forensic engineering and expert testimony

Mine tailings impoundment areas

The fields of application of our services include: residential, commercial and industrial buildings, harbours, dikes, dams, roads, railroads, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, mines, transmission lines, pipelines and environmental remediation.

DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES OFFERED
Our firm is currently involved in all the following geotechnical facets.

TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENT MANAGEMENT
• Hydrological study and water balance
• Fill plan, optimisation, planning, design and work supervision
• Continuous management deposition, elaboration of new tailings deposition techniques
• Risk evaluation
• Instrumentation
  
  GEOTECHNICAL
• Site studies, borings, soil and rock sampling, instrumentation and in-situ testing, observation wells and piezometers, laboratory testing
• Geotechnical investigations to locate quarries and preparation of dynamiting plans
• Ground water flow investigation studies including computer simulation of water table contamination, pumping and percolation testing
• Studies of foundations on permafrost - Design of thermosiphon systems
• Borrow pit searches, quarries, corridor selection for roads, pipelines or railroads by photo-interpretation
• Settlement analysis and stability studies for natural slopes and fills, soil or rock excavation stability
• Design of decantation basins for toxic waste, waste water, etc.
• Dams and dikes, tailings and mining dump design
• Rock mechanics, tunnels and excavation slopes
• Soil or rock stabilisation by grouting, pumping or compaction techniques
• Waterproofing of dams, tunnels, foundations, sewers
• Ground modification systems including vibroflotation, grouting and blast densification techniques
  
  SPECIAL STUDIES AND EXPERTISE
• Special laboratory testing on soil or rock samples
• Analysis of landslides and erosion
• Rock foundation analysis
• Concrete valuation programs and expertise
• Preparation of technical specifications
• Legal expertise for construction claims and foundation failures
• Instrumentation: inclinometers, piezometers, sampling wells and settlement indicators
• Pumping, pile loading and other tests
• Environmental audits, observation wells, soil and ground water contamination
  
  SITE INSPECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL
• Foundation inspections
• Pile and caisson inspection, load testing
• Supervision of landscaping projects and earthworks
• Concrete inspection, site and laboratory testing
• Supervision of bituminous concrete
  
  
  LABORATORY TESTING
  
• Physical testing of various construction materials
• Aggregates and construction stone.
• Concrete, mortar, modified concrete mixes
• Bituminous concrete
• Masonry, bricks
• Fire resistant materials
• Refractory materials.
• Floor tiles
  
  TECHNICAL MEANS
  Our firm presently has at its disposal a varied assortment of drilling equipment and in situ testing instruments.
  
  Drilling and boring equipment includes:
  
• Hollow stem auger drills, mounted on truck or all-terrain vehicles.
• Diamond drilling machines on skis.
• Portable drill to sample concrete.
• All-terrain vehicle.
• Portable equipment for work inside factories, tunnels.
• 5000 lbs. capacity barge for work over the water.
• BQ and NQ calibre "Wire line" rock coring equipment.
  
  Site testing equipment includes:
  
• "Nilcon" field vane testing machines.
• Piston and split spoon samplers for standard penetration testing.
• Packer equipment for permeability testing of soil and rock.
• Installation of instrumentation to 1,300 foot depths.
• Nuclear density gauges
• Onsite concrete slump and air entrainment testing equipment.
• Seismograph.
  
  Our firm also offers complete laboratory testing for soils, rock as well as testing on aggregates and concrete.