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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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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. ...
Gerrit Kotze (Chairperson, NW Branch), explains “At the start of 2011, the newly elected branch committee of the SANIRE NW branch compiled a list of goals and objectives. We realised that we are not attracting young rock engineers and strata control officers to our meetings and this is the main reason why we face diminishing attendance by rock engineers at our meetings. We felt that we could make it exciting for young professionals to attend if we could give something that would make their life easy as they prepare for their rock engineering certificate exams. Once they realise the benefits of belonging to a professional organisation such as SANIRE, it would be easier for them to appreciate the benefits on offer, such as gaining technical knowledge, networking and to experience practical rock engineering”.
Strata control officers and junior rock engineers are invited to submit their projects to the chairperson of the North West Branch, Gerrit Kotze (
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). The organising committee are seeking interesting projects which incorporate the fields of numerical modelling, seismology, mine design etc. A panel comprising experts in the industry will evaluate the entries, and the finalists will be given an opportunity to present their projects at a branch meeting towards the end of 2011.
Says Vlok Visser (CEO: Open House Management Solutions): 'When the SANIRE NW organising committee approached us to be a sponsor, I realised that this is an opportunity for OHMS to be more involved with technical education and training in the industry. Mining companies and consultancies are well aware that we face a constant shortage of qualified and good quality rock engineers that enter the industry. We are planning a couple of courses for training in rock engineering and strata control for the industry but when the organising committee talked to us we realised that we could also contribute further in a fun manner in creating a platform for young rock engineers to further themselves and qualify as rock engineers. Our sponsorship will include a DELL laptop that the winner can use to develop further in his or her field of interest. We will also sponsor part of the event where finalists will present their projects.'
Details of the Portfolio competition will be launched at the next NW branch meeting which is planned for 14 July 2011. Enquiries can be directed to Michelle Rodel:
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