Friction: Edition 5 | March 2023
FROM THE EDITOR
Geotechnical professionals are always under pressure to provide accurate advice about mine design and operations. But even the most sophisticated analysis can become meaningless if the data it is based on is inadequate or inaccurate.
In this month's edition, we look at the practices and technology that is helping to take the guesswork out of geotechnical engineering. From literally listening to the earth to monitor movement to the adoption of a more accurate positioning system in Australia and New Zealand - these technological advances will help make our industry safer and more efficient.
Another area of Friction that is now more efficient is our events calendar. This month we launched a new look page, incorporating a map to make it easier to search for events by location. We've also added more events and training opportunities. You can check it out at friction.news/events.
Regards,
Tim Cartledge
Friction is made possible thanks to our contributors who offer up their valuable time and knowledge. If you know a geotechnical engineer who’d enjoy Friction, please forward this email to them or share any of our news and features on LinkedIn. You can also direct them to our sign-up link here.
The big possibilities of small noises
Background ambient noise conditions are ever-present right around the earth, but tuning into this hum of manmade and natural noises can build a powerful picture of what’s going on below the surface.
Friction caught up with Olaf Goldbach to explore how geotechnical professionals can use passive seismic monitoring to collect valuable data.
Q&A with Stephan Arndt
Everyone has a story to tell, and this month we asked Mining One’s Head of Technology & Innovation Stephan Arndt the hard questions.
NEWS, PUBLICATIONS AND UPDATES
New positioning system 50 times more accurate
A new positioning service now operating in Australia and New Zealand is expected to deliver huge benefits and greater safety to the mining industry. Precise positioning delivered by the Satellite-Based Augmentation System, SouthPAN, offers accuracy at as little as 10 centimetres: a significant improvement on previous accuracy of 5 to 10 metres.
Introduced in September 2022, the system will be progressively improved over coming years with safety of life applications to be available from 2028.
A new reality for geotech expos
In this geohug talk, Brenton Crawford from Datarock shows examples of how computer vision is being used in conjunction with traditional core photography to create deposit-wide datasets
Embracing a different geotechnical perspective
Geotechnical engineer Keith Mandisodza recently shared his experience of working for traditional landowners on a mine expansion amendment. Keith shares how the project actively engaged with communities of interest, and the objections raised against the project that had to be considered.
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