• Mission
    SANIRE promotes advancement of the discipline of rock engineering through the following objectives: Mission
  • Mission (a)
    Encouraging interest and the advancement of education in rock engineering; Mission (a)
  • Mission (b)
    Maintaining professional practice and high standard of ethics; Mission (b)
  • Mission (c)
    Encouraging networking, collaboration and information exchange; Mission (c)
  • Mission (d)
    Identifying, promoting and facilitating rock engineering related research; Mission (d)
  • Mission (e)
    Providing access to the global rock engineering fraternity through the ISRM. Mission (e)
  • Vision
    To promote the interests of a vibrant Southern African rock engineering fraternity Vision

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

moshRock 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

rogerjohnsonRoger 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

exampaperComprehensive 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

saimmlogo2The 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

janniemaritzThe 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. ...

Dec 07 2010

Liaison with the SAIMM (South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy), SAIEG (South African Institute of Engineering Geologists), SAICE (South African Institute of Civil Engineers – Geotechnical Division), and SANCOT (South African National Committee on Tunnelling) has proven worthwhile. Read what William Joughin has to report:

Liaison brings results

Communication has been established with the SAIMM, SAIEG, SAICE and SANCOT. William Joughin serves on the SAIMM council and has attended SAIEG, SAICE (Geotechnical division) and SANCOT meetings. Information on symposia and technical evenings is communicated by email.

A geotechnical engineering code of practice was drafted by Peter Day (Jones & Wagner) for ECSA. This document is focused on the civil engineering industry, but should be more general. It deals with the identification and classification of geotechnical engineering work, levels of competence, criteria for assessment of competence, required competence, geotechnical engineering practice, interpretation and compliance.

Sanire was only involved during the final stages of the process and although several amendments were suggested, most of these could not be included in the first version because of the timing.

Peter Day indicated that he would consult with the governor of the steering committee and settle for key amendments, then consider a revision of the code after further consultation with the mining (rock) engineers. Sanire will continue to be involved in this process.

Sanire and the SAIMM jointly presented Rock Engineering for Managers in Hard Rock Tabular Mines. The course material was prepared and presented by Sanire members and the event was organised and marketed by the SAIMM. It was very successful and the profits are expected to provide significant income for Sanire.

Other events include:

  • Engineering The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme Seminar (SANCOT), 3 December 2010.
  • Minefill (SAIMM), 21-25 March 2011.
  • Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference (SAICE & SAIEG), 31 August-3 September 2011.

Liaising with purpose

The main purpose of the liaison role is to:
  • identify synergies with other organisations.
  • identify courses and symposia of mutual interest.
  • encourage interaction and discussion.
  • address the needs of members who practice in civil engineering and surface mining disciplines.

Upcoming Events

Mon May 28
EUROCK 2012 - ISRM International Symposium
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Sun Jun 24
46th US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium
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Tue Aug 07
ISRM Regional Symposium - II South American Symposium on Rock Excavations
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Mon Oct 15
ARMS 2012 - 7th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium
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Thu Oct 25
2012 SANIRE Symposium - “Mechanica Saxorum”
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    • Does anyone have Mock Exam papers for the May 2012 exam obtained from the relevant courses attended?
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