ISRM Newsletter No. 62 - June 2023

 

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

After the normalization of the human life, that was considerably affected by the Covid 19 pandemic throughout 2020 and 2021 in the whole World, as for other societies, 2022 became a positive year for ISRM and its face-to-face events have been successfully realized. The existence of positive conditions in terms of the pandemic in 2023 also enabled the continuation of ISRM activities successfully.

We feel especially pleased because our Society continues to grow. After the membership of Sri Lanka to ISRM in the second half of 2022, it is with great pleasure that we welcome the Bangladesh Society for Rock Mechanics (BSRM) in April 2023 as the new ISRM National Group. With the participation of Bangladesh to ISRM family, the total number of ISRM National Groups reached 59.

This year our Society is the sponsor of four specialized conferences. Since the 15th ISRM Congress will be held this year, the number of ISRM conferences in 2023 is less when compared with those in previous years, because no Regional Symposia take place in the year of the Congress. The ISRM specialized conferences are: 10th Nordic Grouting Symposium, 11-13 September 2023, Stockholm, Sweden; 1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-Resources Development, 2-7 December 2023, Colombo, Sri Lanka; 1st Chilean Congress in Rock Mechanics, 29 November-1 December 2023, Lima, Peru. The 15th ISRM Congress will be held in conjunction with the 72nd Geomechanics Colloquium between 11 and 13 October 2023 in Salzburg (Austria), where the ISRM was founded in 1962. The congress is organized by the Austrian Society for Geomechanics. The Organizing Committee prepares an interesting and attractive scientific program, organizes site visits to tunnel and rock engineering projects, short courses, workshops and seminars. I am also glad to inform you that during this Congress, the 8th Early Career Forum for young engineers will be organized by the ISRM Education Fund Committee under the support of the ISRM, the National Group of China and the National Group of Austria. In addition, the 8th international edition of the very popular rock mechanics game between university students, "RockBowl", will also be organized during the ISRM Congress.

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15th International ISRM Congress, Salzburg, Austria - early bird registration fee until 10.07.2023

The Austrian Society for Geomechanics is happy to invite you to the 15th International ISRM Congress in Salzburg, Austria in October 2023. Salzburg is the city where the ISRM was founded in 1962.

The ISRM Congress will be held in conjunction with the 72nd Geomechanics Colloquium, which has always been a perfect and prestigious meeting place for researchers and practitioners since its foundation in 1951. The success of this concept is reflected not only in the continuous meetings over more than 70 years, but also in the regular attendance of about 1000 participants.

We have received about 550 papers. Several interesting workshops, as well as field and cultural trips can be attended. Currently we are in the process of finalizing the program. You can find all updates and all other information on our website.

IMPORTANT: The early bird registration ends soon! Take advantage of the early bird registration fee until 10.07.2023 23:59 and REGISTER NOW. 

For further questions or ideas please contact our Secretariat.

Do you want us to keep you updated? Join the mailing list here.

If you have questions, ask us. We are ready at www.ISRM2023.com.

If you want to see the venue of the Congress and the city click here.

Wulf Schubert
President of the Austrian Society for Geomechanics
Chairman of the ISRM Congress 2023

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42nd ISRM Online Lecture by Prof. Antonio Bobet

The 42nd ISRM online lecture was delivered by Professor Antonio Bobet, from USA. The title of the lecture is: “The Mechanics and Imaging of Slip along Frictional Discontinuities”. It was broadcasted on 22 June 2023 and will remain available on the online lectures dedicated webpage.

Dr. Bobet is the Edgar B. and Hedwig M. Olson Professor in Civil Engineering at Purdue University. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Civil Engineering fromTechnical University of Madrid in Spain and a Doctor of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. He has extensive experience in practice. He was a senior geotechnical engineer at Euroestudios, consulting engineers, in Spain, for four years, and construction manager at Ferrovial, Spain, also for four years. Dr. Bobet’s areas of interest include rock fracture mechanics, wave propagation through fractured media and underground structures.

Dr. Bobet was elected member of the Board of Directors of the American Rock Mechanics Association in 2009, and served as its President from 2013 to 2015. He was the Chair of the 2012 U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium and is a member of the Geotechnical Advisory Board (GAB) of the Panama Canal. He was appointed a High-end Foreign Expert by the Government of China in 2016.

He has received a number of awards, including the ASCE 2011 Ralph B. Peck Award, the 2012 National Award for Significant Contributions in Science and Technology - SENACYT Panama, the 2012 ARMA Research Award and is the recipient of the 2022 George F. Sowers Lecture. In 2016, he was elected Fellow of the American Rock Mechanics Association, where he served as Chair from 2018 to 2022. He is the Co-Editor in Chief of the Underground Space Journal.

Click to open the  online lectures dedicated webpage.

ISRM International Symposium 2024 and 13th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium (ARMS13), 22-27 September 2024, New Delhi, India

It is an honour for India that the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (India) is hosting the prestigious ISRM International Symposium and the 13th Asian Rock Mechanics Symposium 2024 from 22-27th September 2024 in New Delhi. The symposium will focus on advances and innovative applied research on rock mechanics and rock engineering to address the problems and challenges posed in excavation of openings in rock for mining engineering, civil engineering and infrastructure development projects, and will discuss solutions to overcome these problems. Past experiences will be shared, and the application of new innovative technologies will be explored. The objective of the symposium is to bring together practicing engineers, planning and design engineers, researchers, academicians, and consultants, in the field of rock mechanics and rock engineering.

The theme chosen for Symposium is “Advances in Rock Mechanics - Infrastructure Development”. The Symposium SUB-THEMES are:

  1. Advancement in Site Investigations and Characterization of Rocks & Rock Masses
  2. Application of Advance Geophysical Investigation Techniques
  3. Constitutive Modelling of Rocks and Soils
  4. Rock Excavation Techniques-Drilling, Blasting and Mechanical Cutting
  5. Rock and Dump Slope Stability and Foundation Analysis
  6. Rock Supports, Instrumentations and Ground Improvement
  7. Design Methods and Analysis – Analytical and Numerical Modelling
  8. Preservation and Restoration of Ancient Monuments
  9. Deep Underground Mining Methods & Instrumentation
  10. Underground Space Development for Storages and other purposes
  11. Innovations and Applications of IOT in Rock Engineering
  12. Structural Health Monitoring and Rehabilitation
  13. Advancement in Laboratory Testing Techniques
  14. Geo-hazards and Risk Management
  15. Green Technologies for Zero Waste Generation and Sustainable Development
  16. Case Studies.

The Call for abstract submission is open! - Please note that the deadline for abstracts is 31st August 2023.

Registration is open now! Take advantage of the early booking until 31st March 2024.

“ISRM India cordially invites all the concerned participants”

For more information, click here to visit the ARMS13 website.

Symposium Secretariat email: contact@isrmindia.org or secretary@cbip.org.

ARMS13 Organising Committee

Eurock2024, Alicante, Spain, 15-19 July 2024: Abstract submission deadline extended to 31 July

Dear rock mechanics enthusiasts,

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you regarding the upcoming ISRM European Rock Mechanics Symposium (Eurock2024)! As you may already know, Eurock2024 will take place at the University of Alicante in Spain from July 15th to 19th, 2024. It promises to be a remarkable event that brings together experts and professionals from around the globe to explore the latest advancements in the field of rock mechanics and rock engineering.

We would like to inform you that the Organizing Committee has been inundated with numerous requests to extend the abstract submission deadline. We understand the immense value of your contributions and the efforts you have put into preparing your research. Taking all this into consideration, we are thrilled to announce that we have decided to extend the abstract submission deadline until the end of July!

This extension provides a fantastic opportunity for you to put the finishing touches on your abstracts and submit them before the new deadline. We encourage all participants who have not yet submitted their abstracts to seize this chance and submit them as early as possible. Your research and insights are invaluable to the success of Eurock2024, and we eagerly anticipate the diverse range of topics that will be covered.

To streamline the abstract submission process, we have provided detailed guidelines and a user-friendly online platform on our official website: https://eurock2024.com/. If you have any questions or need assistance, our dedicated organizing team is readily available to help. Simply reach out to us, and we will be more than happy to assist you.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation regarding this extension.

Mark your calendars and remember to submit your abstracts before the end of July. We eagerly look forward to welcoming you to the beautiful city of Alicante for Eurock2024.

Eurock2024 organizing committee

Election of the ISRM Regional Vice Presidents 2023/2027

The election of the ISRM Regional Vice Presidents for the term of office 2023-2027 will take place during the 2023 ISRM Council meeting, on 10 October, in Salzburg, Austria, on the occasion of the 15th ISRM International Congress.

The nominations submitted, including the nomination documents and videos, are available on the ISRM website in the following link https://isrm.net/page/show/1209?tab=1671. 

Proceedings of the 2022 Latin American Rock Mechanics Symposium now available

The IX Latin American Rock Mechanics Symposium was held in Asuncion – Paraguay, last October 16-19, 2023. Short courses and workshops, including industrial exhibitions and post-conference technical tours, preceded the Symposium. The Early Career Forum gave the young researchers and practitioners of the region new experiences, promoting interaction and exchanging ideas for improving their knowledge. At the same time, the Rock Bowl was, with the participants' enthusiasm, a vibrant show of ability and emotions. The Keynote Lectures offered the newest experiences and state of the art in many topics, oriented to the massive needs of infrastructure, in particular in developing countries.

It was an extraordinary event, the first after the difficult pandemic days, where the community shared again and had the opportunity to expose and discuss exciting topics in different areas.

The contribution of the authors can be found in the Proceedings, which you can download for free at the link: http://larms2022.com/proceedings/. The Proceedings will also be available at the ISRM Digital Library within a few weeks.

José Pavón
Chair of LARMS2022 Organising Committee

Webinars for Latin America

Next August, with the support of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (KSRM), webinars will be organised, mainly oriented to Latin America, as an initiative by Jose Pavon (ISRM VP).

The video conferences are certainly a good opportunity for Latin American and Korean colleagues to share the latest rock mechanics topics, and these types of video conferences are solid tools for connecting.

Sessions allow the audience to post questions to the speakers, aimed at engaging the audience and allowing them to ask additional questions, regardless of where they are. The chosen topics are related to excavation, tunneling, and slope stability, given by distinguished speakers.

It is important to mention that the webinars will be hosted on the internet platform Geotecnia Brasil (https://www.youtube.com/GeotecniaBrasil) for people who want to watch them whenever they can.

Click here to download the webinars flyer. You are kindly invitated to participate in an exciting presentation! 

4th European Rock Mechanics Debate

The fourth European Rock Mechanics Debate on "Two different tunnelling approaches: the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) and the Norwegian Method of Tunnelling (NMT)" took place online on 19 June 2023 and was streamed to the ISRM YouTube channel, where it can be watched. Click here to watch the debate.

The debate was chaired by Philippe Vaskou from France and featured the participation of Wulf Schubert from Austria, talking about "The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM)" and Krishna Kanta Panthi from Norway talking about " Norwegian Tunneling Principles for tunneling in hard rocks". A flyer with the contents and indicative rules of these debates can be downloaded here. Other debates will follow and will be announced on the ISRM website.

Leandro R. Alejano
SRM VP for Europe

Online Course of Slope Engineering by Professor Wu Shunchuan on the ISRM website

The online Course of Slope Engineering is being produced by Professor Wu Shunchuan from Kunming University of Science and Technology, China.

Focusing on the stability of slope engineering, the course starts from the basic concept and theory of slope, and then introduces the influencing factors, calculation methods, treatment measures and engineering effect monitoring of slope stability. The course has 10 parts, with a total of 37 lectures and will gradually be uploaded on the ISRM website.

The first three parts in a total of 8 lectures are now available in the following link: https://isrm.net/page/show/1682.

NGS 2023 - the 10th Nordic Grouting Symposium: Stockholm, Sweden, 12-13 September 2023

The 10th Nordic Grouting Symposium is organised by the Swedish Rock Engineering Association and will take place in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen, on 12-13 September 2023. The venue is located close to two of Stockholm city greatest underground construction sites which gives an opportunity to get a sight of the building boom right in the city center. Together with leading actors in the field of grouting in hard rock, participants will get the latest insights and explore the future challenges.

A technical tour to visit the infrastructure mega project Bypass Stockholm will take place prior to the symposium in the afternoon of 11 September. To secure your participation in the tour please register to the symposium by June 30.

The final symposium program is announced on the symposium website. Program highlights: keynotes by Håkan Stille and Kunt Garshol, professional discussion & workshop, symposium dinner and technical tour.

Registration is open until 21 August. The Symposium is an ISRM Sponsored Specialized Conference.

For more information click here to visit the conference website.

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1st Chilean Congress on Rock Mechanics, Santiago, Chile, 22-24 November 2023

The Chilean Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM National Group of Chile) and the University of Santiago (USACH) welcome you to the First Chilean Congress on Rock Mechanics, an ISRM sponsored Specialized Conference.

We are pleased to inform you that a total of 148 abstracts have been accepted for presentation, with 118 selected for oral presentations and 30 for poster sessions. This diverse array of contributions ensures a comprehensive exploration of rock mechanics topics, fostering meaningful discussions and knowledge sharing among participants.

As the congress approaches, we would like to remind authors that the deadline for draft paper submissions is 30th June. Furthermore, we are delighted to announce the participation of six distinguished keynote speakers: Catalina Alvarez (Itasca Chile), Carlos Carranza-Torres (University of Minnesota), Mark Diederichs (Queen’s University), Esteban Hormazábal (SRK), Stephen McKinnon (Queen’s University), and Eduardo Rojas (Codelco).

For more information and to register click here to visit the conference website.

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1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-Resources Development, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2-7 December 2023

The Sri Lankan Rock Mechanics and Engineering Society (SLRMES) invites you to participate in the 1st SLRMES Conference on Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-Resources Development to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka during December 2-7, 2023. This will be a ISRM Sponsored Specialized Conference.

The conference will cover advances in all areas of rock mechanics and rock engineering encompassing the fields of mining, civil, geological, and petroleum engineering, and geophysics and hydrogeology, focusing on the theme “Rock Mechanics for Infrastructure and Geo-Resources Development”. 

The first two days (Dec. 2 & 3) are allocated for short courses. Brochures of three excellent-quality, practically oriented short courses are available for viewing and possible selection for participation. The plenary and technical lectures of the conference are planned for the next two days (Dec. 4 & 5). A high-quality conference is expected with 4 keynotes, 12 session lead lectures, and 50-75 regular lectures. The last two days (Dec. 6 & 7) are allocated for technical and sightseeing tours. Information on a TBM tunneling technical tour and a graphite mine technical tour will be available in July for viewing and possible selection for participation. A PowerPoint is given covering many beautiful sightseeing spots in Sri Lanka for participants to select and arrange tourist visits as post-conference tours. 

The conference venue is located close to a beach area with magnificent views. Relevant information on highly economical hotels around the conference venue is given for participants to arrange their accommodation during the conference time. The deadline for early-bird registration is set for August 31, 2023. The conference fees are highly affordable. The conference registration and payment procedures will be available in July 2023. Information on obtaining visa and travel to Sri Lanka is given. If an invitation letter is required to attend the conference, please send an e-mail to the Conference Chair, Prof. Kulatilake (kulatila@arizona.edu).

For more information click here to visit the conference website.

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ISRM Rocha Medal 2025 - nominations to be received by 31 December 2023

Nominations for the Rocha Medal 2025 are to be received by the ISRM Secretariat by 31 December 2023. The winner will be announced during the 2024 ISRM International Symposium in New Delhi, India, and will be invited to receive the award and deliver a lecture at the ISRM International Symposium in 2025.

The Rocha Medal has been awarded annually by the ISRM, since 1982, for an outstanding doctoral thesis in rock mechanics or rock engineering to honour the memory of Past President Manuel Rocha while stimulating young researchers. Besides the Rocha medal awarded to the winner, one or two runner-up certificates may also be awarded.

Click here to download the announcement with details on the Rocha Medal 2025.

ISRM Sponsored Conferences

Click here to open the conferences webpage