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By J. Gunaselvam

This article deals with an investigation into the specification and use of appropriate seating systems to reduce whole-body vibration (WBV) exposure in typical vehicles used in the SA mining industry. The EU Directive EU/44/2002 to be legislated in 2005 in European countries, provides legal and economic motivation for this project. The criteria for seat selection can be condensed to the requirements in the directive, which mandates an action level of 0.5 m/s2and a vibration exposure limit of 1.15 m/s2 for an equivalent 8-hour daily exposure period. As part of this study six suspension seats, which the manufacturers claim satisfy the requirements in ISO 70966, were tested to determine the most suitable seat for an articulated dump truck. Six test subjects, three ?light? and three ?heavy? as specified in ISO 70966, were used to estimate the seat transmissibility functions in the vertical direction of the six different suspension seats. Transmissibility functions were measured in the laboratory with two excitation levels of 1 m/s2 and 2 m/s2 r.m.s. in the 0.5?30 Hz frequency range, as well as one spectrum approximating the EM5 spectral class. SEAT values were calculated for road vibration data measured on a typical articulated dump truck. A set of seat selection guidelines that can be followed by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, procurement officers and and the technical staff on a mine is proposed in this article. It is recommended that additional studies of the use and operating conditions of seating systems in the SA industry, as well as an epidemiological survey be commissioned to gather additional information on this subject. Nomenclature ADT Articulated dump truck DSTF Dynamic seat testing facility EM1 Frequency spectra associated with earth moving equipment (?articulated or rigid frame dumper?) according to ISO 7096 EU European Union ISO International Standards Organisation PSD Power spectral density r.m.s .Root mean square SEAT Seat effective amplitude transmissibility WBV Whole-body vibration

Jan 1, 2005

By David Winter

The geotechnical design, construction, and monitoring aspects of a tied back excavation 85 feet deep in Seattle, Washington are presented. The excavation was completed in overconsolidated deposits of sand, silt, and clay. Lateral soil pressures used in shoring wall design were the lowest to date for an excavation of this size in Seattle. Instrumentation data collected from hydraulic load cells and inclinometers were analyzed and are discussed. The data suggest the actual soil pressures felt by the wall were lower than the design values. Recommendations for future study, as well as future design modifications are given.

Jan 1, 1987

By Eric S. Lindquist

High groundwater levels combined with variable soil and rock profiles present challenges to the design and construction of deep excavation support systems. Increasingly, secant piling techniques are the preferred technical solution for shoring in these cases. Recent developments in drilling equipment, tooling and procedures allow cost-effective construction of deep, overlapped pile systems to tight tolerances in extremely difficult ground conditions. This paper summarizes critical design considerations for secant pile shoring systems, detailing recent advances in installation procedures and verification techniques that allow secant piles to be used for an expanding range of project conditions. Technically- and commercially-viable secant pile shoring designs require that stringent drilling tolerances be achieved in order to successfully provide combined structural support and groundwater cutoff systems, particularly for unreinforced circular secant pile shafts acting in ring compression. Modern drill rigs and tooling can advance fully cased shafts in geotechnical conditions which range from cohesionless soils below the groundwater table to hard rock, within a single drillhole. Down-hole instrumentation provides verification that tolerance requirements are met and allow secant pile shoring to be used at sites previously considered unacceptably risky. In California, secant pile shoring systems are being used for excavation depths of over 100 ft (30 m) on projects with challenging site conditions. Two case studies are presented detailing severe geotechnical conditions and excavation depths which represent the regional state of practice in secant piled excavation support. These projects provide real world examples of the design, construction and construction verification techniques that permit secant pile shoring to be used in more demanding geotechnical conditions and to greater depths than ever before.

Jan 1, 2011

By Ketan H. Trivedi

This paper describes the method of analyses used for the design of temporary and permanent Secant Pile Walls, describes various aspects of construction including, guide walls, sequence of pile installation, plan alignment and verticality tolerance, methods of drilling (auger, wash boring, cased and open holes), lateral bracing for secant piles, cutting of keys in secant pile walls for the connection of permanent floor slabs, sealing of water leaks and waterproofing. The paper concludes with a brief case history of a secant pile wall project recently constructed in New York City.

Jan 1, 2006

By Geoffrey Fosbrook, Donald Phillips, Anil Parikh

The Second Avenue Subway is a $16.8 billion project planned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City. It will reduce overcrowding and delays on the Lexington Avenue Line, improving travel for both city and suburban commuters, and improving access to mass transit for residents of the East Side of Manhattan. The project is a new, two-track, 13.5 km (8.5 mile) subway extending from Lexington Avenue at 125th Street in Harlem on the north end of Manhattan, to Water Street at Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan. The first phase of construction includes rock tunnels from 92nd Street to 62nd Street and connection to the existing 63rd Street station, three new stations, and track and systems from 105th Street to 63rd Street, allowing service between 96th Street and Brooklyn via an existing Broadway Line. The following describes the Project in detail, discusses the construction challenges addressed in the design, and the initial design/build contract to be awarded in 2005. A discussion of the planned mined construction of two rock caverns and a cut-and-cover station construction are also included.

Jan 1, 2005

During the second quarter of 1983, the economic recovery showed further strength abetted by the performances of consumer spending, residential investment, and the slowing down of inventory reductions. Real gross national product (GNP) increased from the first to second quarter at an annual rate of 9.2 percent, compared with 2.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 1982 to the first quarter of 1983 and an overall 1.9- percent decrease in 1982. Total industrial production increased 1.8 percent in July, and productivity as measured by output per man-hour increased 1.3 percent between 1982 and the first quarter of 1983 (table 1). Especially noteworthy .was the performance of real consumer durable goods expenditures, which increased at an annual rate of 32.0 percent from the first to the second quarter (about half of the increase consisted of automobile sales) and real consumer spending, which increased between these periods at an annual rate of 9.7 percent. Residential investment increased at an annual rate of 76.1 percent between the first and the second quarters,1/ and private housing starts by about 38,000 units in both March and May.

Jan 1, 1983

General economic conditions continued to improve in the second quarter of 1984 as real gross national product advanced at an annual rate of 7.5 percent (table 1). This followed an even larger first quarter annual rate increase of 10.1 percent. The slower second quarter growth was greeted as a sign that the economy is not over-heating. The signs of slowed growth in some sectors suggest that the recovery may continue well into 1985 without the inflation symptomatic of a rapid recovery. Most of the slowdown in growth was absorbed by business inventories, personal consumption of durable goods, and residential fixed investment. Business inventories grew by only 68 percent as much as in the first quarter, personal consumption for durable goods grew by 58 percent of the first quarter rate, and residential fixed investment slowed to only 44 percent of the first quarter growth. Sectors with accelerated growth in the second quarter included personal consumption of nondurable goods and of services, which increased at annual rates of 9.6 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, and Federal purchases of goods and services, which increased at an annual rate of 47.9 percent.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. G. Denkhaus

Please allow me the temerity to reply to your reply to my contribution as follows: A fracture is brittle if plastic deformation is absent or, conversely a fracture is ductile if plastic deformation is present. Consequently, brittleness is specified by the degree of plastic deformation at fracture. This is the generally accepted definition. If other material properties (e.g. the quorient or the product of the uniaxial compressive and tensile strengths) under certain conditions are influenced by brittleness, or brittleness by them, these should not be called brittleness. If the one or the other author does that, he simply uses imprecise language. Even your remark, that ?Inyang and Pitt (1990) stated that the ratio of the compressive strength (sc/st) is directly proportional to brittleness?, confirms that the two quantities are not considered the same. For example:? The well known definition that a material is linear?elastic if the strain is directly proportional to the stress?does not mean that stress (measured in MPa) and strain (measured in %) are the same thing.

Jan 1, 2003

By Joan Weinberg

The real gross national product (GNP) expanded by 2.3% during the second quarter, down from the anomalous 4.4% growth rate in the previous 3 months. If the expansion continues through October, it will have lasted 5 yr and become the second longest in 40 yr.2 As in the first quarter, improvement in U.S. exports played a role in the continuing--albeit slow--growth. More than 2 yr of declines in the dollar relative to currencies of other industrial countries have contributed to a slight reduction in the trade deficit in real (volume) terms, as real net exports of goods and services rose $1.9 billion (table 1). Exports grew a strong 12.1% while imports, which had fallen the previous two quarters, rose 7.4%. Manufactured goods and petroleum products accounted for most of the second quarter import increase. The American Petroleum Institute estimates that the volume of crude oil and refined products imports in the first half of 1987 surpassed those in the same period last year by 7.5%, reflecting falling domestic production and higher than expected demand. Expenditure on durable goods--those that last at least 3 yr-by both consumers and producers also contributed to the second quarter expansion. Personal consumption of durable goods rose 9.0%, after having fallen the two previous quarters. Motor vehicle purchases accounted for most of the second quarter increase and the first quarter decrease. Sales of automobiles surged in the last quarter of 1986, as consumers rushed to capture the sales tax deduction that was eliminated on January 1. Sales fell in the first quarter of 1987, but have now moved closer to the trend line exhibited in the first three quarters of 1986. Automobiles accounted for half the 0.8% July gain in retail sales, and two-thirds of the 1.4% June gain. Producers durable equipment purchases also rose this quarter, accounting for the increase in nonresidential fixed investment.

Jan 1, 1987

By Keith L. Harris

The economy continued to expand during the second quarter, but at a much slower pace than expected. According to latest estimates released by the Department of Commerce, the real gross national product (GNP) grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.6% compared with a revised growth rate of 3.8%2 for the first quarter of 1986 and 2.3% for the second quarter of 1985 (table 1). The strong growth of personal consumption expenditures, Government purchases of goods and services, and residential investment was moderated by the growing trade deficit, declining investment in business inventories, and the continuing lag in nonresidential investment. Much of the decreased capital spending for the nonresidential sector for the first and second quarters resulted from reduced petroleum exploration and drilling in response to low petroleum prices. Capital spending and trade continue to be areas of weakness for the economy. Real new plant and equipment expenditures for 1986 are estimated to be 1.3% below those of 1985 (table 2). Real net exports of goods and services decreased $24.6 billion, as exports declined 5.6% and imports grew 16.5%. About two-thirds of the $19.3 billion increase in imports was in petroleum and petroleum products, which, because of their lower prices, should help the economy in the future. In response to the sluggishness of the economy, the Federal Reserve System reduced its discount rate from 6.5% to 6% in early July. Inflation, as measured by the fixed-weighted GNP price index, declined from a revised 2.5% in the first quarter to 1.9% in the second quarter because of significantly lower energy prices.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. D. Hull

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Sc. (Eng.) (Mining) degree As a partial fulfilment for the degree of B.Sc. (Eng) (mining) at the University of the Witwatersrand, a dissertation was to be completed in the mining industry. This was done at Finsch mine, with the purpose of determining the best solution to the required secondary breaking problem. In order to complete the study of the secondary blasting method available for use in the new block 4, cave mining method at Finsch mine the following problem statement was identified and solved ?The methods currently in use, for the secondary breaking of oversize rocks at their source in the current production levels, are to be investigated, and their applicability to the new block 4mining project determined?. To effectively achieve this problem statement above; time was spent researching and investigating, in depth, the methods that are currently in use at both Finsch and Koffiefontein mines; so as to gain practical knowledge of these. The methods were identified and independently evaluated, taking into consideration factors such as costs of the equipment, time to break oversize rocks, advantages, disadvantages, safety and labour requirements, etc. This in turn then allowed for a direct comparison between the methods and the decision as to the best to apply to the new block 4 production level. The methods that were investigated included: ?Concussion blasting, where concussion bombs and lay-on charges are used to break hang-ups and boulders. ?Drill and blast methods, where holes are drilled in large rocks and charged manually with explosives. ?Emulsion secondary blasting, which is a new project in use at Koffiefontein mine from African Explosives Limited. ?The Ro-BustTM breaking system, a hydro-fracturing breaking system. Once all the methods had been evaluated and compared it was found that the Ro-BustTM Breaking system was the most applicable for the breaking of boulders, with, the Emulsion Blasting System being used for hang-ups. Further information and the more in-depth version of this report, is stored in the resource centre at De Beers?Finsch Mineand the School of Mining Engineering WITS University.`

Jan 1, 2002

By AIME AIME

LAST month we published (p. 440) the first half of the L discussion by O. E. Kiessling of the paper on copper by Mr. Vogelstein that appeared in the same-issue, but lack of space made it necessary to hold the remainder for this number. Mr. Kiessling now asks to have the last " sentence of the part already published revised to the form given in the first sentence which follows, and also asks that the two parts, though necessarily published separately, be read together, as a mistaken impression may be derived from the first Dart unless it is read in connection with the statement of the Bureau of Mines policy respecting secondary metals which is here published. .

Jan 1, 1931

By J. W. Furness

THE utilization and collection of waste materials have gone on for centuries, and have become a habit of the human race. The degree to which the salvaging of waste plays a part in a nation's industry depends largely on the availability of raw materials within the political confines of the country itself, or its ability to purchase such material from outside. When purchase is necessary careful economical use of the raw materials results. These economies, as a rule, are represented by lengthening the life of the given article as well as much re-use. For many years the steel industry of Italy and Japan has depended largely on importations of scrap, yet both are important. As long as the expenses incident to the conditioning and marketing of materials manufactured from salvaged waste are less than the cost of virgin material, the salvaged material will be re-fabricated and in many cases will compete with primary materials. One of the most obvious methods for furthering the efficient utilization of our limited mineral resources is the salvaging of mineral wastes. This method, moreover, in¬creases the available supply of a given material. If the price depends on a balance of supply and demand and the recovery from wastes enlarges. the supply, there can be no question but that it influences the sales price of primary.

Jan 1, 1931

By Judy B. Jones, Bradley A. Crenshaw, Theodore DePooter

This paper reviews groundwater issues leading to a secondary grouting program at the Chattahoochee Tunnel that was implemented subsequent to the contact grouting program. The secondary grouting program was developed based on infiltration data, geology, and testing programs. This paper includes a brief description of the geological features encountered, as well as describing the grouting program. The success of this grouting operation has been quantified by several methods, and is presented to help others project the costs and benefits of this type of program. Review of initial results and refinements of techniques are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2005

By J. C. Martin

Stmplified equations are developed for the flow of fluids in gas drive reservoirs in which the effects of gravity can be neglected. The results show that the pressure distribution is governed by a nonlinear heat flow type of equation, and the saturation distributions are related to the pressure by the same equations QS those developed by Muskat for the average pressure and saturations in gas drive reservoirs. Unrler certain conditions the equation for the pressure can be approximated by the linear form of the heat flow equatlon. This equation tk analogous to the equation for the pressure in single-phase compressible flow The analysis reveals that the equation for the pressure in n~ultiphase flows can be obtained directly from the equation for the pressure in slngle-phase flows by simply replacing the single-phase compressibility by the total compressibility and the single-phase mobility by the sum of the mobilities of all the fluids present. Perrine's method of pressure buildup analysis for multiphme flows is based on these same substitutions. Thus, the development presented in this paper constitutes a theoretical justification for Perrine's method of pressure buildup analysis. One of the most difficult problems associated with the production of oil is the determination of the flow of the fluids within the reservoirs. One purpose of this paper is to present the development of simplified equations for the flow in gas drive reservoirs. The other purpose is to present some of the needed theoretical foundation for the methods currently being used in the analysis of multiphase pressure buildup data. The analysis presented in this paper makes use of a partial linearization of the equations governing multiphase flows. It is felt that the process of linearizing or partially linearizing the nonlinear equations of multiphase flows can lead to useful results since this process has proved extremely valuable in the study of other fields of science and engineering where nonlinear equations are encountered. Pressure buildup data of shut-in wells have been used for many years to estimate the static reservoir pressure. These data have also been used in studying the aver- age permeability both away from and close to the well-bores. The majority of the buildup data are obtained from wells producing two or three fluids. As yet the theoretical foundations for the methods of buildup analysis used in connection with rnultiphase buildup data have not been established. A number of methods of analysis of pressure buildup data have been developed." Most of these methods apply only to single-phase flows, and almost all of the theoretical analysis is confined to single-phase flows. Perrine' developed a method of analysis for rnultiphase flows from the method for single-phase flows of Miller, Dyes, and Hutchinson.' He did this by simply replacing the single-phase compressibility by the multiphase compressibility and replacing the single-phase mobility by the sum of the mobilities of the fluids in the rnultiphase flows. Obviously, such a procedure lacks a certain amount of theoretical justification, and such practices can lead to erroneous results. Fortunately, Perrine's results have a theoretical justification, and this justification is presented in the following discussion. It is assumed that gravitational effects and the cornpressibility of the rock can be neglected. Under these assumptions the equations governing the simultaneous flow of gas, oil and water in porous media areo* The preceding equations can be expanded into the following expressions.

By B. H. Caudle, L. G. Loncarie

Pilot flooding is one method of evaluating a proposed secondary recovery project. However, the amount and rate of oil recovery from an unconfined pilot area is not usually the same as from an equal area in a large-scale flood. This is true because fluids are free to move across the boundary of a pilot area. The result is that some of the oil produced in a pilot flood may come from outside the designated area and some of the displaced oil may leave the pilot area completely. This paper presents the results of fluid-flow model studies on a five-spot pilot flood. Mobility ratios between 0.1 and to have been studied. The effects of changing the ratio of injection to withdrawal rates are shown. INTRODUCTION A small-scale field test, or pilot flood, is an accepted method for evaluating the applicability of a secondary recovery operation and the economic potential of that operation for a reservoir. The pilot flood is carried on in the same manner, with the same injected materials and at the same pressures as would be used were the secondary recovery program to be expanded to a larger area of the field or to the entire field. If the reservoir fluid and reservoir rock properties are the same in the pilot area as in the rest of the reservoir, the production, injection and other pertinent data associated with the pilot test will represent and measure what should be expected from a full-scale development of this secondary recovery program. There is one major exception which, unfortunately, has been overlooked by many and which has been awaiting quantitative definition. This is the sweep-out pattern the reservoir engineer must use in interpreting the pilot flood and in extrapolating it to the full-scale development. The sweep-out area in a pilot flood is not contained within the five-spot pattern. Further, there is oil flow into and/or out of the five-spot during a pilot test. Thus, production data from pilots must be interpreted with this different flow system and sweep pattern in mind. We have studied the sweep-out pattern that will exist for some conditions of operation of pilot flooding a single five-spot (four injection wells and one producer). In our study, reported here, we have assumed that the reservoir is relatively homogeneous and of uniform thickness in the pilot area. The results of this study en-able the engineer to predict the recovery, injection requirements and project life for a full-scale operation from the pilot flooding data. The effects of various injection to withdrawal-rate ratios and mobility ratios in a relatively gas-free (10 per cent pore volume or less) system are shown. Experimental Method The technique used in this study was the same as that for the X-ray shadowgraph studies of sweep-out pattern efficiencies.' The model of the pilot and surrounding area was made from a uniform packing of round-grain sand consolidated with an epoxy resin. Fig. 1 shows the relation between the model and the pilot area. Only one-eighth of the pilot area had to be represented in the model because we assumed equal injec-

By R. Siy, O. Neiman, B. Hilscher

"A full-scale prototype of “Jameson Downcomer” technology has been installed and tested on a Tailings Oil Recovery (TOR) vessel in Syncrude’s Mildred Lake extraction plant. Jameson Downcomers are a type of mineral flotation equipment used in the coal industry that Syncrude has extended to the recovery of secondary bitumen in the oil sand extraction process. The TOR vessels are currently being operated as single-gravity separation vessels, in series with the Primary Separation Vessels (PSV’s). We have developed a model to differentiate between “floating” and “non-floating” bitumen in the PSV’s, and then applied it to verify that the current TOR performance only captures the “floating” bitumen by simple separation. The existence of “non-floating” bitumen provides an opportunity for recovery enhancement by means of the Jameson Downcomers. To achieve bitumen recovery enhancement, middlings slurry is withdrawn from the TOR vessel, and passed through a number of parallel Jameson downcomers, within which the slurry is accelerated to a high-velocity free jet, and impinged upon the slurry surface inside the downcomer, in the presence of air. The aerated slurry is returned to the middlings zone inside the TOR, resulting in an incremental recovery improvement of bitumen in the TOR. The operation of the downcomers is thought to produce suitably small air bubbles for the flotation of bitumen, either by fluid shearing during the slurry jet impingement, and/or by micro-bubble nucleation. This full-scale prototype design has met or exceeded the recovery expectations of the original Research piloting, recovering at least 40% of the non-floating bitumen. In Syncrude Extraction, this provides high business value by a separation efficiency gain achieved with modest expenditure. As well, the system has demonstrated excellent operability and maintainability.INTRODUCTION Syncrude Overview Syncrude Canada Ltd. is one of the largest producers of crude oil from oil sands. Our crude oil production facility has the capacity to produce over 15% of Canada's total oil requirements. To do this, we surface mine oil sand, extract the raw oil known as bitumen from the sand using water-based processes, and upgrade that bitumen into sweet light crude oil by fluid coking, hydro processing, hydro treating and reblending. Our final product, Syncrude Crude Oil (SCO), is sent by pipeline to three Edmonton area refineries and to pipeline terminals which ship it to other refineries in Canada and the United States. The Syncrude operation is comprised of four major technology areas: Mining, Extraction, Upgrading and Utilities. As well, Syncrude invests more than $40 million annually in science and technology, and is among the top 50 companies in Canada for Research and Development (R&D) investment. Syncrude holds 21 active Canadian and U.S. patents."

Jan 1, 2012

By N J. Welham

This paper reports on an innovative professional development program for school science teachers run collaboratively between the Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing and Murdoch University. Ultimately the initiative aims at increasing the pool of school students with strong science and mathematics backgrounds while highlighting the challenging careers available in the mineral resource sector including the gold industry. The program is unique in that it seeks to develop a network of science teachers who may participate in a series of workshops, short courses and tours over several years. The objective is to raise secondary school studentsÆ awareness of potential careers within the minerals sector by exposing teachers to a real life, hands-on look into the mining and minerals resource industry. Though the program includes the breadth of the resource processing sector, the potential value to gold processing is in developing a greater pool of potential employees. The initiative allows teachers to develop a better insight into the practical applications of the theoretical sciences they are required to teach. The evolution of the program from the first trials with Western Australian teachers to the introduction of the initiative to Queensland teachers are reported on. Additionally, the results of a pilot study involving 40 participating teachers are described. This study used a questionnaire and follow-up interviews to gain quantitative and qualitative feedback from teachers. There is evidence that the professional development program has resulted in teachers acquiring a new found appreciation for the application of the fundamental chemistry and physics they teach within the school curriculum. Also reported are associations between teacher participation in this professional development program and changing attitudes towards the industry in a positive way. Finally, there is some indication that these positive teacher attitudes may result in their students developing a better understanding of the diversity and availability of career paths within this industry.

Jan 1, 2007

By James Douglas

THOUGH liberality is not supposed to be a prominent trait of the Scottish character, Canada owes to a Scotchman, Sir Wm. Macdonald, more than to any other of its people, not only wise ideas, but pecuniary help towards extending education: and another Scotchman, in New York, has sumptuously housed under one roof three branches of the engineering fraternity, of which we are one. Having thus created us members of the same family-for the metaphorical meaning of house and kinship is identical-Mr. Carnegie expresses more emphatically than even he could in words, that, by affording facilities for closest intercourse, he in¬vites the mechanical, electrical and mining engineers to par¬ticipate in the freest interchange of idea and experience, and to correlate and combine the results of their studies and activi¬ties; and, being members of the same household, to banish re¬serve and secrecy. And now we, the members of the - American Institute of Mining Engineers, meet as though we were at home in a neighboring country. For whether we meet in Canada, in England, or elsewhere, the Institute is always received as though no political or geographical divisions separated its members from those of congenial associations in the land of its host. In truth, the title which we have assumed claims for the sphere of our activities the whole American continent, regardless of such trifling details as boundary-lines. The fact that we meet to communicate each other's experience, to discuss our difficulties, and to seek each other's aid in solving the intricate problems that so often present themselves in the course of our profes¬sional life, is an acknowledgment of our individual helpless¬ness; and therefore an argument for united effort. But no effort can be of any value if there is an underlying suspicion

Jan 9, 1907

By Andreas Brandner

"At the beginning of 2007 the Austrian contractor PORR was awarded with remediation works for a 48-km long part of the railway line from Campina to Predeal – part of the Trans European main Corridors TEN-T priority line 22 Bucurest – Brasov, connecting the southeast European countries with the heart of Europe.Due to partly new realignment and change of regular sections as well as protection against rockfall and slope slide a huge bunch of slope stabilization works became necessary, which were awarded to the contractor PORR and their designer IB-Brandner.Following the studies of the tender documents for the planned protection measures responsible managers of PORR decided to propose an alternative protection design by IB- Brandner. Changing the original design a more flexible and environmentally compatible solution consisting of high performance net, soil nailing and rockfall protection systems (fences) was elaborated and adapted to local needs. During design process, several critical areas were identified and additionally taken into account.In the paper examples of the design and erection process show how difficulties in implementation starting with the presentation of the idea continuing to the realization on site were managed and a technically more sophisticated and commercially competitive solution could be delivered to the customer Romanian Railway – case study.The European Commission awarded – following an election process in which all citizens of the EU could join - the remediation project Railway line Campina – Predeal in Romania as the environmentally best EU co-financed infrastructure project. GENERAL PROJECT EVALUATIONDue to original design slope stabilization should be done by concrete slabs fixed with prestressed anchors and shotcrete cover.The area to be secured was limited to a 12-meter strip left and right from the railway track without reference to nature and local needs. Discussions with the client and his designer and rising awareness for the hazards to address took several months. Site visits in Austria to provide insight in the problems of dealing with natural hazards helped to convince the client of the needs and our alternative design."

Jan 1, 2017