News and updates

RMC Paper 1 Download - Important Information

Friday, 30 March 2012

Dear SANIRE Member, we are apologizing for any problems being experienced during the download process, but we are experiencing very large download volumes. Be patient and try again. When successful downloading please check the following:

Install Paper 1 Material

o   Download the Installer file from the website
o   Double click of the Installer and allow it to install the information on your computer
o   When done, the Installer will create an Icon on your desktop that reads 'Rock Mechanics Theory', use this icon to open the document. You do not need to open any other files, but work through th...

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MOSHing towards zero harm

Monday, 19 March 2012

Rock related safety is a major issue. The Chamber of Mines' Mine Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) initiative is helping to address it. Find out more by reading on.

In 2003, representatives of the South African Mining industry - employers, labour unions and government - set historic and significant milestones for health and safety, to be reached by 2013, en route to zero harm for all employees.

The Chamber of Mines realised that the milestones, let alone the targets, would not easily be met without significant effort on the part of mines. Therefore the Chamber of Mines Learning Hub was ...

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From maths and computers to rock engineering

Monday, 19 March 2012

Roger Johnson's enjoyment of his job is based on the people he works with; the diversity in terms of commodity, geographic location and mining method; and the challenges and opportunities to introduce new technology, better practice and improved solutions. Here, he shares some of his ideas and experiences with Rock Talk.

Roger Johnson (56) had more of an interest in sport, the outdoors, music and social activities than in academics in his time as a scholar as La Salle College on the West Rand, but that was no predictor of his future.

Today, he has a slew of degrees and other qualifications t...

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March will bring your first free downloadable paper

Monday, 19 March 2012

Comprehensive rock engineering learning material for the South African mining industry is almost complete – and you can download it for free. Read more about it.

The writing of comprehensive rock engineering material for the South African mining industry started in the first half of 2011. It should be completed by end of March this year. At the time of writing this article, Paper 1 was complete. It should be available for download, free of charge, on the Sanire website by the time you read this article. The other papers will be available for download as and when they are completed.

Why is t...

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Design of Merensky Reef crush pillars

Monday, 19 March 2012

saimmlogo2 The Bushveld platinum group metal deposits are two distinct, shallow-dipping stratiform tabular ore bodies which strike for many hundreds of kilometres. Mining is extensive, with depths ranging from close-to-surface to 2300 m. The mining method is a variation of planar open stoping. Pillars are widely employed to support the open stopes. In the deeper levels, in-stope pillars are required to fail in a stable manner soon after being cut, and the residual pillar strength is used to stabilize the hangingwall. These pillars are commonly known as crush pillars. Little work has been done in the p...

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How Tuks makes positive change a constant

Monday, 19 March 2012

The University of Pretoria's Jannie Maritz asks: Are teaching and learning really making an impact? At Tuks, he thinks they are. Read on to find out why.

The University of Pretoria's department of Mining Engineering celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011. The first mining engineering student enrolled for the degree in 1961 and subsequently graduated in 1964.

A lot has changed on and around the campus, yet one thing has stayed the same: The quality of mining engineer graduating has improved. Every year, Tuks Mining is delivering around 30 newly developed mining engineers into the industry. ...

May 17 2011

10th Regional Rock Mechanics Symposium

Xth_Regional_Rock_Mechanics_Symposium_Ankara_Turkey_8-9_Dec_2011_copy Regional Rock Mechanics Symposia have been organized under the auspices of the Turkish National Society for Rock Mechanics (TUKMD) every two years. The VI^th , VII^th, VIII^th ,IX^thRock Mechanics Symposium were successfully organized with international participation on a regional basis in Konya, Sivas, Istanbul and Izmir.

The X^th symposium will be organized in Ankara, Turkey on December 08-09, 2011. All the engineers, researchers, designers and managers in the field of rock mechanics are invited to discuss their problems and research themes.

Symposium goals

• Encouraging the rock mechanics research in Turkey and its region.

• By contributing rock mechanics and its technology, developing a knowledge exchange opportunity and a knowledge-base which includes the ongoing studies and performing researches for regional countries.

• By highlighting the problems encountered during different rock engineering applications; encouraging the researchers to solve these problems which need solution.

• Presenting the rock mechanics studies performed in Turkey and its region and discussing the results obtained from them in regional basis.

• Addressing the rock mechanics and its outcomes to Turkish and regional country’s people who should be realized that they have been living on rock masses.

• Forming a bridge among national, regional and international rock mechanics knowledge and related researchers.

Venue

METU (Middle East Technical University) CCC Cultural and Convention Center

ANKARA-TURKEY

Language

Official languages of the symposium are Turkish and English.

Invited speakers

The event is planned to cover keynote lectures by well known scientists and professionals in the field of rock mechanics on emerging problems, new approaches and current developments.

Symposium subjects

Original researches and new developments

Theoretical and analytical studies

Numerical methods

Rock mechanics applications and tests

Geotechnical and in-situ measurements

Underground mining

Slopes and open pit mining

Quarrying

Drilling-blasting and ground vibration

Earthquake mechanism

Mine shafts

Underground excavations

Subways and tunnels

Foundation of dam and power stations

Oil and natural gas repositories

Radioactive waste storage

Military storage facilities

Geothermal energy applications

Oil-exploration drilling

Ground reinforcement studies

Rock mechanics assessment in urban areas

Paper invitation and important dates:

Authors who would like to submit a paper should send an electronic copy of the abstract (not more than 300 words with MS-Word or Open Office) to the Symposium Organizing Committee with Symposium Application Form before May 30, 2011.

Tours

Trips to local rock structure and historical places will be organized. Details will be announced on the symposium’s web site.

Exhibition

In conjunction with the symposium, an exhibition will be organized for companies offering machinery, equipment, instruments, software and services to the rock mechanics related industries.

Participation and symposium fees

Fees for registration are as follows:

	Before July31,2011	After July 31,2011
Authors	200 €	250 €
Accompanying person	100 €	125 €
Students	50 €	50 €
Exhibition stand (m²)	80 €	100 €

Symposium registration fee includes the followings; symposium proceedings, documents, lunches, cocktails and gifts. Those who would like to attend the symposium are kindly asked to fill the Symposium Application Form and send back to the organizing committee. Information related with the symposium will also be announced through the symposium’s web site. http://www.tukmd.org.tr/sempozyumlar/index_eng.php

For Foreign Participant € Account:

TÜRKIYE IS BANKASI ODTU Branch (Branch Code: 4229) Ankara / TURKEY

Account No: 080816812

Account Name: Türk Ulusal Kaya Mekanigi Dernegi

IBAN No: TR490006400000242293435062

Swift Code: ISBKTRISXXX

General comments

Information related to city and local weather condition, accommodation and arrival will be provided on the symposium’s web site:

http://www.tukmd.org.tr/sempozyumlar/index_eng.php

Correspondence address

Research Ass. B. Barış Çakmak

Research Ass. Esra Nur Gayretli