This course expands on components of the MINE8140 Mining Geomechanics course by providing a more comprehensive and theoretical understanding of the engineering principles involved. In addition, the course includes practical underground mining industry design approaches and rock mechanics applications. The course is intended to demonstrate how closely numerical methods relate to their practical applications to mining rock mechanics and to equip the students with knowledge of key numerical methods used in mining engineering.


There is an increasing need for both engineering and geoscience professionals to understand, manage and, in many instances, undertake complex rock mechanics investigations. Even where professionals are involved in engaging specialist consultants, it is important that they have an understanding of the issues to be investigated, and the capabilities and limitations of rock mechanics design tools – whether they be stress analysis software packages, analytical methods or analysis of data from instrumentation.


This course is intended to extend personnel who already have an overview and basic understanding of mining geomechanics as applied to underground mining applications. It will equip them with a number of theoretical concepts and engineering principles, as well as relevant, practical rock mechanics design tools. Specific areas covered in the course include: definition of a boundary value problem- equilibrium equations, constitutive models and boundary conditions; the theories and applications of Finite Element Method (FEM), Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Boundary Element Method (BEM) to mining engineering; practical use of a number of computational software packages.

The course is presented in the form of lectures, interactive discussions, tutorial and laboratory sessions and hands-on practical work with stress analysis packages. It will be presented by a number of specialists from both within the university and from external specialist consultants.