Applied Geomechanics for Mining

The Department of Mining Engineering of the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences at Universidad de Chile offers the mining community the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Geomechanics for Mine Design.

This program responds to a current requirement of the mining industry at the national and international level, which faces new challenges including deepening of deposits, lower ore grades, construction under high-stress conditions, and interactions between open-pit and underground mining, among others. These factors frame new scenarios in which it is essential to have tools such as Geomechanics — a fundamental area for optimizing mine design and business.

This Diploma is aimed at professionals with experience in fields related to the mining industry who are seeking to specialize in geomechanics and mine design. Our program is at the forefront of the discipline and covers topics such as fundamentals of rock mechanics, rock excavation, geomechanics in underground and open-pit operations, as well as numerical modeling applications and case studies.

The main objective is for participants to learn and apply the processes and methodologies that are part of the development of geomechanics in mine design, so that they may develop critical thinking and focus on the search for best practices that can apply to and guide their professional reality.

Objectives

By the end of the program, students will be able to do the following:

• Explain the fundamental concepts of rock mechanics, supported by practical activities.
• Describe and analyze the knowledge and concepts needed to carry out rock excavations, including relevant aspects such as support design, rock mass reinforcement, and drilling and blasting.
• Understand the physical phenomena that determine functionality and operational interferences in selective and massive underground mining methods.
• Know the geomechanical tools applied to open-pit mine design, considering aspects of stability, risk, and control and monitoring methodologies.
• Understand the necessary stages for building a numerical model: identification and quantification of parameters, the importance of geometry, and the interpretation of results in terms of design acceptability.
• Apply the theoretical and practical aspects acquired throughout the Diploma to a case study drawn from their own professional experience.

More information

Department of Mining Engineering, Universidad de Chile
Address: Beauchef 850, Santiago

• Ingrid Thiele: ingrid.thiele@uchile.cl 
• Johanna Inostroza: johanna.inostroza@uchile.cl
• Verónica Möller: vmoller@uchile.cl