Who should attend
The course is designed for geotechnical engineers involved in civil and mining projects who have limited geological backgrounds.
This course is intended to complement the Wollongong based Field Engineering Geology course which is aimed at geologists and geotechnical engineers involved in civil and mining projects who have a working knowledge of geology and wish to develop their engineering geological skills.
Aims of the course
Good ground engineering models are essential. If you know how soil and rock materials and their defects are formed you can anticipate where they might occur (the site geology), their engineering properties and construction issues that might arise. The aim of this course is to give students enough basic knowledge and skills for them to have the confidence to apply geological principles and methods in their work and to continue to learn about geology so that they can make better engineering judgments and decisions.
Teaching is based primarily on guided field exercises, supported by class exercises and case histories, and makes full use of the Adelaide coastline and nearby hills, which have excellent geological exposures ranging from very soft normally consolidated marine clays (Holocene age) to very strong quartzites(Precambrian age). Students who complete the course should come away with knowledge and skills that enable them to:
- recognize many geological features which are significant in soil and rock engineering
- record such features and include them in geological models
- appreciate the main processes by which soil and rock masses have been formed
- understand the variability’s which result from these processes, and the limitation they impose in sampling, testing and analysis
- understand regional and detailed geological plans, and be able to compile cross sections from them
- communicate more successfully with other geotechnical professionals, designers and constructors involved in ground engineering
- use stereographic projection methods to solve simple 3 – dimensional problems.
Accreditation and Presenters
The course is approved by the Australian Geomechanics Society and the University of New South Wales will grant 6 units of credit advance standing towards a M.Eng.Sci degree for students completing the course. The course is also recognized by Engineers Australia as equivalent to two years of CPD requirement.
Engineering geologists Fred Baynes, Mark Eggers and Phil Flentje will present the course on behalf of the Australian Geomechanics Society. They bring to the course more than 80 years of experience in the observation, recording, interpretation and presentation of geological data in the field and in communicating the information in drawings and reports to designers and constructors of civil and mining works in Australia and overseas.
When
Next proposed to run late September 2013.
Where
University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide and nearby field sites on the Fleurieu Peninsula and within the Adelaide Hills.
Numbers
The course will be limited to a maximum of 18 students. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and only upon receipt of payment.
A teacher to student ratio of 1 to 6 will be maintained throughout this course.
Accommodation
Information on accommodation will be provided here as arrangements develop. We require all participants to stay in the nominated motel. This accommodation will be maintained for the duration of the course. Booking the Wollongong accommodation will be your own responsibility.
Enquiries
For further information about the course contact:
Phil Flentje
Phone: (02) 4221 3056
Email: pflentje@uow.edu.au
For more background information, please download the 2011 Course registration brochure.
