The Geomechanics Research Centre at Laurentian University in Sudbury is intended as a cornerstone of a centre of excellence in mining in Ontario, says Dr Peter Kaiser in a report made to the university’s board of governors recently.
One of the roles of the centre will be to co-operate with the mining department at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and the department of civil engineering at the University of Toronto in instituting joint research and instructional programs
The Northern Development Fund awarded $1 million to the chair of Rock Mechanics and Ground Control for a 5-year period to support research in rock mechanics and ground control. Of a further $100,000 provided to upgrade rock mechanics facilities, half was used for computing, laboratory data, acquisition and rock test automation The remainder was directed to purchasing field test equipment.
Kaiser. a director of the centre, says it will conduct applied research activities to complement those at other universities in the areas of field instrumentation and monitoring, and to use mines as laboratories. Technical priorities are to be established and refined over the next year but will deal exclusively with topics related to underground openings in hard rock.
The centre is structured to work in co-operation with research co- investigators and associates in deciding academic staff from Laurentian, adjunct professors from other universities and industrial partners. The centre will work in co- operation with the Centre in Mining and Mineral Exploration Research, the Mining Health and Safety Branch of the Ontario Ministry of Labor, Canmet and the Ontario Geological Survey. Additional funding needed
To establish a credible and productive research centre, Kaiser emphasized that additional funding will be required to equip it properly. Among the priorities are field monitoring equipment, improved laboratory equipment for sample preparation and a major test frame for shear testing of discontinuities in hard rock. Funds for research co-operation between Queen’s University and the University of Toronto are also needed for the transport and subsistence of graduate students, for communication and for the start-up of a short course program.
Current activities up to June, 1988, illustrate that the centre is well on the way to fulfilling its mandate. A professional development seminar is scheduled for June 1 and 2 on Rock Mass Failures in Hard Rock Mining at Laurentian University and staff of the GRC will participate in a CIM (Calgary) seminar on Borehole Stability. At present the GRC is working on a research contract for Inco Ltd. related to the Solar Neutrino Observatory on S tress Back-Analysis for Atomic Energy of Canada and on Borehole Stability for NSERC.
A $79,686 equipment grant from NSERC was recently awarded to Kaiser and Dr S. P. Singh for a Stress, Stress Change and Displacement Monitoring System. NRC also awarded Kaiser an operating grant for Detection, Prediction and Control of Rock Mass Failure Modes. A research proposal to AECL for numerical modelling of an excavation response experiment and for data interpretation of stress measurements has also been accepted. Some of this will be undertaken in co-operation with the department of civil engineering at the University of Alberta. Underground support systems
In addition, a major proposal with Dr E. Hoek of the University of Toronto and adjunct professor at Laurentian was recently delivered for industry funding through the Mining Research Directorate. The proposal deals with the design of support systems for underground mining excavations in hard rock. Expected supplemental research funds for 1987/88 should easily exceed $100,000, Kaiser predicted.
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