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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. ...
Attention to members’ concerns paid off for Sanire’s North West branch. Attendance increased significantly during the year. Read branch chairman Lourens Scheepers’s report to find out how it was done.
The year started on a low again with poor attendance at the first quarter branch meeting. Time was spent on trying to understand why so few rock engineers attended the branch meetings. This problem had been discussed in 2009 as well, but obviously was not sufficiently addressed.
Insufficient advertising of the meeting was raised as a concern by the company representatives. The rock engineers indicated time as an issue. Lack of fun and socialising was also mentioned as a possible deterrent. It was decided to try and add more social interaction, so the next meeting was coupled with a golf day at the West Wits Mashie, and yes, more people attended...
In October the branch experienced a high with the successful hosting of the SANIRE local seminar. The theme was Shake Rattle and Roll. With hard work and dedication from all the branch committee members, the event was well advertised and arranged and therefore was well attended and concluded without setbacks or glitches.
The only negative issue was that some late registrations had to be refused as the venue was fully booked by that time.
A balanced group of presenters were chosen and a number of good presentations were given by rock engineers, seismologists as well as support product company representatives. The event generated good income.
| A new branch committee will be chosen at the last meeting for the year. |