People
Current Members
(left to right) Michael, Dragana, Rui, Nikol, and Reza
(missing: Tommi Leinala)
Michael Diez d’Aux, MASc candidate, is investigating the effect of binder hydration on self-desiccation of cemented backfill and its impact on strength development with time
Dragana Simon, Research Engineer, is using electromagnetic and elastic waves to nondestructively characterize the development of bulk properties in plain and cemented materials
Rui Couto, MASc candidate, is determining how surface-deposited tailings shrink during drying, and the implications of the as-deposited bulk properties on the liquefaction potential of the tails stack
Nikol Kochmanova, MASc candidate, is assessing the effects of soil conditioning agents (including surfactants and polymers) on the rheological properties of treated soils
Reza Moghadam, PhD candidate, is using high-frequency triaxial testing equipment to evaluate the liquefaction potential of cemented backfill materials subjected to blasting-induced dynamic loads
Tommi Leinala, PhD candidate, worked with the tunnel boring machines on the Sheppard Subway Expansion Project in Toronto and has correlated machine performance to the varying ground conditions and different types of Soil Conditioning Agents used (he currently works with Terraprobe in Sudbury and is finishing the written portion of his Thesis)
Alumni
Recent Alumni have gone on to become university professors, research engineers, graduate students at other universities, and consultants to industry. For a complete list of alumni read this document
.
University Collaborators
A complete understanding of the liquefaction potential of mine tailings pastes, and the development of design tools to economically and effectively manage the risks associated with liquefaction, requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists. Collaborations are ongoing or planned with the following university professors: Will Bawden, Civil Engineering, Toronto
(geomechanical mine design and rock support systems); Giovanni Cascante, Civil Engineering, Waterloo (resonant column and non-destructive testing); Doug Hooton, Civil Engineering, Toronto (cement materials); Paul Simms, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton (unsaturated soil mechanics)