BOHOGS & BBUGS Rock Laboratory Testing Workshop
October 27, 2025
BOHOGS & BBUGS are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a Rock Laboratory Testing Workshop at the University of Queensland, St Lucia. This workshop will provide a practical introduction to key laboratory testing methods of rocks, with a particular focus on coal measures rocks and its application to coal mine geotechnical engineering.
If you would like to attend, please submit your expression of interest to admin@bbugs.org.au. Selected participants will be notified thereafter with further details.
Please note that places are strictly limited. An expression of interest does not guarantee a spot, as preference will be given to Geotechnical Engineers to support their professional development.
Date: Monday, 27th October 2025
Venue: The University of Queensland, St Lucia
Agenda:
- 9.30 AM to 12 PM – Theory Part #1
- 12 PM to 12.30 PM – Lunch Break
- 12.30 PM to 2 PM – Theory Part #2
- 2 PM to 3 PM – Site visit to UQ rock testing laboratory
Presenters:
Theory
Dr Kai Koosmen
Kai Koosmen is a Principal Geotechnical Engineer at PSM with over 13 years of experience. The majority of Kai’s work is on the design, operation and risk management for open pit mining operations, waste rock dumps and tailings storage facilities.
Kai started his career working in mine operations and study-based roles for a major mining house, joining PSM in 2016 after undertaking his PhD research. Kai has worked on numerous mining and quarrying projects that span multiple commodities of varying geological and technical complexity. He currently serves as an external geotechnical advisor for several large open pit mines within Australia and has had significant involvement on major international projects, including Ok Tedi (PNG), Lihir (PNG), Cerrejon (Colombia), Ban Houyaxai and Phu Kham (Laos). These roles have included deployments into site-based operations teams and major design studies.
Lab visit
Mr Sebastian Quintero Olaya
Currently working as a Senior Research Officer/Lab manager of the Geomechanics Engineering Centre lab at UQ. Currently in projects related to instrumentation and long term monitoring of drying and wetting cycles of large scale columns with tailings or soil. Over 5 years of experience testing mechanical, physical and chemical properties of soil and tailings. Specific experiences in consolidation, direct shear, triaxial, SWCC, sensor instrumentation and characterization tests.
Dr Chenming Zhang
Dr Chenming Zhang is a specialist in monitoring and modelling hydrological processes in coastal/terrestrial groundwater systems and tailings storage facilities, in particular the evaporation induced mass and heat transport in soil/tailings, hydrogeochemical dynamics in aquifer systems and waste rock dumps. He has been developing IoT-based geotechnical and environmental instruments to monitor continuously and in real-time the weather, soil and water conditions.
REQUEST MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION FROM COAL MINE SITES
Dr Davide Guccione from the University of Newcastle is looking to create a database of material characterization from different rock types and strengths. This will support his rockfall fragmentation project and is also relevant to an ACARP rockfall project at UoN.
Please reach out to davide.guccione@newcastle.edu.au if you would like to be involved. Davide is looking to gather information from borehole and subsequent lab characterisation, including:
- Rock type and condition (fresh, weathered, slightly weathered, etc.)
- From Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests:
- UCS
- Secant Elastic Modulus (at failure)
- Tangent Elastic Modulus
- From Brazilian Tests (Indirect Tensile Tests):
- Tensile strength
- Specimen dimensions (diameter and length)
- Force vs. Displacement curve, if available (raw data)
- Point Load Tests
- Toughness Test Mode I (K_Ic) (less common)
Exact locations are not essential—geological region is sufficient.
