NEWS 2015

Posted September 1, 2015 (Updated September 30, 2015)

Event: October 7, 2015

GSE: Annual Fall Wine & Cheese Event

Location: Papachase Room, Faculty Club, University of Alberta (11435 Saskatchewan Drive)

Time: 5:30 Registration, 6:00pm Appetizers, 6:30pm Presentation

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

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The Annual Wine and Cheese event is an opportunity to connect with students and colleagues in the local geotechnical community and to hear results of the latest research occurring at the U of A.

Please register for this event using the form below by October 5, 2015.

2014 Morgenstern Award Winner: Ahlam Abdulnabi - Prediction of Rainfall Runoff for Mine Waste Cover Systems

Soil cover systems are commonly utilized to isolate tailings or waste rock prone to forming Acid Rock Drainage (ARD). Predictions of infiltration quantities, that govern the design of a dry cover system, require direct runoff measurements for calibration purposes. Nevertheless, these measurements are rarely available, although surface runoff can be the single largest component of the water budget that directly reduces the quantity of precipitation available for infiltration. This presentation addresses the need for a reliable model to predict rainfall runoff for the design of soil covers. The laboratory and numerical simulations framework employed to develop such model is described. A summary of the design and construction of a special rainfall simulator apparatus is presented. In addition, runoff responses to simulated precipitations of different intensities applied to two types of soil covers (low hydraulic conductivity and capillary barrier) systems are discussed.

Ahlam Abdulnabi received her BSc. in Civil Engineering from Damascus University in Syria in 2009. After graduation, she worked as a geotechnical engineer for a geotechnical consulting firm. She came to the University of Alberta in pursuit of postgraduate studies, where she received her M.Eng. in Geotechnical Engineering. She is currently working on her PhD in Geoenvironmental Engineering under supervision of Dr. Ward Wilson. The principal focus of Ahlam’s research is unsaturated soil mechanics and soil-atmosphere modelling for mine waste management.

Recipient of the CGC Sponsorship: Matthew Schafer - Instrumentation and Investigation of a Landslide in the Thompson River Valley

The performance of instrumentation in moving landslides has always been a challenge in the geotechnical industry. Movements can cause issues relating to shearing of cables or the breaking of grout used for installation. The Ripley Landslide near Ashcroft, B.C., Canada has been previously investigated using sand-pack piezometers and slope inclinometers. An investigation and monitoring program was carried out in April 2013. Grouted-in piezometers and a Shape Accel Array were installed during this investigation. The monitoring results of this instruments have been validated to ensure their accuracy. These readings are now being used for further analysis to better understand the factors controlling the movements of the slide.

Matthew Schafer is a graduate of the University of Alberta Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He worked in industry before returning for a Masters degree in Geotechnical Engineering. Matthew has worked on various mining and infrastructure projects in the past and is interested in industry driven research. He is currently working in the Railway Ground Hazard Reseach Program and has been doing research at the Ripley landslide near Ashcroft, B.C. He has been involved in planning a field investigation program and characterizing the materials and movements of the slide.