NEWS 2013

Posted August 26, 2013 (Updated September 24, 2013)

Event: September 23, 2013

GSE: Annual Fall Wine & Cheese Event

Location: Papachase Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta

Time: 5:30pm Reception, 6:30pm Presentations

Cost: $5 Members, $10 Non-members, $5 Students
(Student cost includes membership for the year)

The 2012/2013 season will begin with the traditional Annual Wine and Cheese event. Come out and connect with students and colleagues in the local geotechnical community.

Vivan Giang, MA, Communications & Grant Strategist, University of Alberta - The University of Alberta Geotechnical Book Project

Despite the substantial impact geotechnical engineering has on our everyday lives, few people know that University of Alberta played a major role in the development of the discipline internationally. The UofA Geotechnical Book Project will chronicle the history of geotechnical engineering in Edmonton enabled by the UofA and pay tribute to the visionaries who put the city on the frontier of innovation and exciting discovery in the field of geotechnical engineering. Through this presentation, GSE members will be invited to be involved in the production of this commemorative book.

Matthew Stewart, M.Sc., Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta - Removal of Contaminants from Oil Sands Tailings using Carbon-Based Adsorbents

The legacy for the oil sands mining industry has necessitated research into the thickening of tailings and removal of contaminants for mine closure. Many options exist for the removal of contaminants for oil sands tailings. An investigation into the combined removal of inorganic and organic contaminants was completed using industry waste products, providing an economic advantage over other potential treatment methods. The study suggests that both petroleum coke and wood residue may be used to treat tailings water. The development of waste treatment technologies can assist in mine design, both preliminary and operational, and closure. In an ideal world, treatment of waste can occur in step with mining, meaning a decreased environmental impact and legacy after closure.

Alireza Reoheni, Ph.D. Candidate, Geotechnical Engineering, CaRRL Researcher, University of Alberta - Ballast Issues on Railway Foundations

Ballast is the main structural part of the railroad which distributes the train loads to the underlying supporting structure without failure. The train running over the track exerts pressure from different directions (vertical, lateral and longitudinal) to the ballast through the wheel-rail-sleeper, combining static and dynamic forces. This pressure causes breakage in ballast aggregates which affects the dynamics of the rail and sub-structure as well as the drainage capability of the ballast layer. In this presentation, the effect of fine particles, either generated from aggregates crushing or pumped from the subgrade, on track performance will be discussed from a geotechnical point of view. In addition, maintenance methods and ways to conduct ballast in place evaluation will be explained.