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Professor David Williams
Professor

David Williams

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 53642

Overview

Background

Professor David John Williams is the Director of the Geotechnical Engineering Centre within the School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland, an industry-funded centre that has attracted AUD10 million in funding over the last 15 years. He also manages the industry-sponsored Large Open Pit Project, involving 10 global mining company sponsors, with current funding of USD1 million per year. He has over 40 years of teaching, research and consulting experience, and is internationally recognised for his expertise and experience in mine waste management and mine closure, pertaining to tailings dams in particular. He was a member of Expert Panel investigating technical causes of Brumadinho tailings dam failure and is on a number of Tailings Independent Technical Review Boards, including for Escondida. He authored in 2009 and 2016 Tailings Management Handbook, as part of the Commonwealth Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry. He is on Working Party for the Australian National Committee for Large Dams Guidelines on Tailings Dams – Planning, Design, Construction, Operation and Closure, published in 2012, with an Addendum in 2019.

David received his BE (Hons I) in Civil Engineering from Monash University in 1975 and his PhD in Soil Mechanics from the University of Cambridge in 1979. His research interests include:

  • Physical characterisation of mine tailings deposition, including beaching, hydraulic sorting, sedimentation, consolidation, desiccation and loading
  • Store and release cover systems for potentially acid forming mine wastes
  • Co-disposal of mine tailings and coarse-grained mine wastes
  • Dewatering and densification of mine tailings
  • Dewatering of mineral products
  • Moisture movement within mine wastes
  • Settlement of coarse-grained mine wastes
  • Strength of coarse-grained mine wastes
  • Engineered rehabilitation of mine sites
  • Risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis of mine site rehabilitation and closure
  • Long-term seepage and runoff from mine tailings storages
  • Characterisation of potentially acid forming waste rock dumps
  • Application of high-resolution digital stereo-photography to monitoring erosion from mine waste slopes
  • Mined landform evolution and design

Availability

Professor David Williams is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor (Honours) of Engineering, Monash University
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge

Research impacts

Professor Williams' research on mine tailings continues to be applied to improve the dewatering and densification of tailings deposited as a slurry. He developed the store and release cover system for potentially acid forming mine wastes for application in semi-arid and seasonally dry climates, which has been applied worldwide. He characterised the deposit formed on the pumped co-disposal of coal mine washery wastes; a method that has been widely adopted in the coalfields of eastern Australia and Indonesia. The co-disposal of coarse-grained mine wastes and tailings is also being applied. His research on the wetting-up of mine waste rock dumps has contributed to understanding of rainfall infiltration into and seepage from waste rock dumps.

The shear strength and settlement of coarse-grained mine wastes have become important as the scale of waste rock dumps and spoil piles increases. Professor Williams has been a pioneer in the application of risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis to mine site rehabilitation and closure. In addition, he applied high-resolution digital stereo-photography to monitoring erosion from mine waste slopes. He has pioneered mined landform evolution and design.

Shortlisted Media and Video Outputs

Works

Search Professor David Williams’s works on UQ eSpace

415 works between 1981 and 2024

1 - 20 of 415 works

2024

Journal Article

Disclosure hesitancy and disaster risk: a survey of tailings professionals in the global mining industry

Kemp, Deanna, Sharma, Vigya, Harris, Jill, Blitz, Nellie and Williams, David (2024). Disclosure hesitancy and disaster risk: a survey of tailings professionals in the global mining industry. Minerals Engineering, 215 108821, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2024.108821

Disclosure hesitancy and disaster risk: a survey of tailings professionals in the global mining industry

2024

Journal Article

Tensile strength and dilative characteristics of compacted unsaturated clay-sized metalliferous tailings for bulk earthworks

Tian, Hua, Williams, David J. and Mandisodza, Keith (2024). Tensile strength and dilative characteristics of compacted unsaturated clay-sized metalliferous tailings for bulk earthworks. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, 83 (9) 359. doi: 10.1007/s10064-024-03860-1

Tensile strength and dilative characteristics of compacted unsaturated clay-sized metalliferous tailings for bulk earthworks

2024

Journal Article

Mechanical behavior, petrography and microstructural analysis of mining waste recycled bricks

Ingunza, Maria P. D., Williams, David, Serati, Medhi and Olaya, Sebastian Q. (2024). Mechanical behavior, petrography and microstructural analysis of mining waste recycled bricks. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s10163-024-02051-0

Mechanical behavior, petrography and microstructural analysis of mining waste recycled bricks

2024

Conference Publication

Effects of polymer modified binder on asphalt mixes of flexible pavement used in Western Australia and its impacts on dynamic modulus

Nega, Ainalem, Gedafa, Daba and Williams, David (2024). Effects of polymer modified binder on asphalt mixes of flexible pavement used in Western Australia and its impacts on dynamic modulus. International Conference on Transportation and Development 2024, Atlanta, GA, United States, 15 - 18 June 2024. Reston, VA, United States: American Society of Civil Engineers. doi: 10.1061/9780784485538.020

Effects of polymer modified binder on asphalt mixes of flexible pavement used in Western Australia and its impacts on dynamic modulus

2024

Journal Article

Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass

Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Olaya, Sebastian Quintero, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 3633-3634. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02786-5

Correction: Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass

2024

Journal Article

Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass

Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik, Grizi, Athina and Javadi, Akbar A. (2024). Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 42 (5), 1-18. doi: 10.1007/s10706-024-02748-x

Shear Strength and Consolidation Behaviour of Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Backfilled with Crushed Waste Glass

2023

Journal Article

Instrumented column testing on long-term consolidation and desiccation behaviour of coal tailings under natural weather conditions

Zhang, Wenqiang, Zhang, Chenming, Lei, Ximing, Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Zhu, Yuyang, Zhao, Zicheng, Jensen, Steve and Williams, David John (2023). Instrumented column testing on long-term consolidation and desiccation behaviour of coal tailings under natural weather conditions. Acta Geotechnica, 19 (4), 1891-1909. doi: 10.1007/s11440-023-01984-4

Instrumented column testing on long-term consolidation and desiccation behaviour of coal tailings under natural weather conditions

2023

Journal Article

Crack mode-changing stress level in porous rocks under polyaxial stress conditions

Mutaz, E., Serati, M. and Williams, D. J. (2023). Crack mode-changing stress level in porous rocks under polyaxial stress conditions. Acta Geotechnica, 19 (2), 1-21. doi: 10.1007/s11440-023-01994-2

Crack mode-changing stress level in porous rocks under polyaxial stress conditions

2023

Conference Publication

On the use of crushed waste glass in green asphalt mixes

Kumar, Aayush, Serati, Mehdi, Vangla, Prashanth, van Wijk, Ian, Williams, David and Ramana, G. V. (2023). On the use of crushed waste glass in green asphalt mixes. International Conference on Airfield and Highway Pavements, Austin, TX, United States, 14-17 June 2023. Reston, VA, United States: American Society of Civil Engineers. doi: 10.1061/9780784484906.004

On the use of crushed waste glass in green asphalt mixes

2023

Journal Article

Consolidation testing of tailings in a slurry consolidometer using constant rate and accelerated loading

Islam, Shriful, Williams, David J. and Bhuyan, Md Habibullah (2023). Consolidation testing of tailings in a slurry consolidometer using constant rate and accelerated loading. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 176 (3), 295-305. doi: 10.1680/jgeen.21.00065

Consolidation testing of tailings in a slurry consolidometer using constant rate and accelerated loading

2023

Journal Article

Engineering properties of fine-grained red mud

Tian, Hua, Williams, David J., Mandisodza, Keith, Zhang, Chenming, Olaya, Sebastian Quintero, Zhang, Wenqiang and Tang, Chongyi (2023). Engineering properties of fine-grained red mud. International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment, 37 (6), 399-418. doi: 10.1080/17480930.2023.2212575

Engineering properties of fine-grained red mud

2023

Journal Article

Cost-effectiveness of tailings dewatering and stacking

Flottmann, Sophie, Williams, David and Kazmi, Danish (2023). Cost-effectiveness of tailings dewatering and stacking. Australian Geomechanics Journal, 58 (1), 81-88. doi: 10.56295/agj5814

Cost-effectiveness of tailings dewatering and stacking

2023

Conference Publication

Coupled thermo-mechanical study of crack initiation stress threshold in porous sandstone

Moravej, S., Mutaz, E., Serati, M. and Williams, D.J. (2023). Coupled thermo-mechanical study of crack initiation stress threshold in porous sandstone. Eurock 2022 - Rock and Fracture Mechanics in Rock Engineering and Mining, Helsinki, Finland, 11 - 15 September 2022. Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics Publishing. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1124/1/012022

Coupled thermo-mechanical study of crack initiation stress threshold in porous sandstone

2023

Conference Publication

Biaxial Loading of Brazilian Disc Samples

Serati, M., Mottaghi, R., Williams, D. J. and Chen, Z. (2023). Biaxial Loading of Brazilian Disc Samples. Rock and Fracture Mechanics in Rock Engineering and Mining, Helsinki, Finland, 11-15 September 2022. Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1124/1/012017

Biaxial Loading of Brazilian Disc Samples

2023

Conference Publication

Validation of the crack mode-changing stress in circular tunnels under generalized triaxial tensile stress states

Mutaz, E., Serati, M., Williams, D.J. and Quintero, O.S. (2023). Validation of the crack mode-changing stress in circular tunnels under generalized triaxial tensile stress states. Eurock 2022 - Rock and Fracture Mechanics in Rock Engineering and Mining, Helsinki, Finland, 11 - 15 September 2022. Bristol, United Kingdom: Institute of Physics Publishing. doi: 10.1088/1755-1315/1124/1/012068

Validation of the crack mode-changing stress in circular tunnels under generalized triaxial tensile stress states

2023

Book Chapter

Management of coal tailings

Williams, David J. (2023). Management of coal tailings. The coal handbook: towards cleaner coal supply chains. (pp. 561-589) edited by Dave Osborne. Cambridge, MA, United States: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-12-824328-2.00008-x

Management of coal tailings

2022

Journal Article

Kaolin clay reinforced with a granular column containing crushed waste glass or traditional construction sands

Kazmi, Danish, Serati, Mehdi, Williams, David J., Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Qasim, Sadaf, Cheng, Yi Pik and Carraro, J. Antonio H. (2022). Kaolin clay reinforced with a granular column containing crushed waste glass or traditional construction sands. International Journal of Geomechanics, 22 (4) 04022030. doi: 10.1061/(asce)gm.1943-5622.0002322

Kaolin clay reinforced with a granular column containing crushed waste glass or traditional construction sands

2022

Conference Publication

The effect of minor principal stress on the crack damage stress threshold

Mutaz, E., Serati, M., Bahaaddini, M. and Williams, D.J. (2022). The effect of minor principal stress on the crack damage stress threshold. 10th International Symposium on Rockbursts and Seismicity in Mines, Tucson, AZ, United States, 26-28 April 2022. Englewood, CO, United States: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).

The effect of minor principal stress on the crack damage stress threshold

2022

Conference Publication

Repurposing of the Genex Kidston mine site in Queensland, Australia

Williams, D. J., McGhie, A. and Short, T. (2022). Repurposing of the Genex Kidston mine site in Queensland, Australia. 15th International Conference on Mine Closure, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 4–6 October 2022. Perth, WA, Australia: Australian Centre for Geomechanics. doi: 10.36487/ACG_repo/2215_57

Repurposing of the Genex Kidston mine site in Queensland, Australia

2022

Conference Publication

Review of mine waste capping methodologies for use in semi-arid regions of Queensland, Australia

Williams, D. J. (2022). Review of mine waste capping methodologies for use in semi-arid regions of Queensland, Australia. 15th International Conference on Mine Closure, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 4-6 October 2022. Crawley, WA, Australia: Australian Centre for Geomechanics. doi: 10.36487/ACG_repo/2215_73

Review of mine waste capping methodologies for use in semi-arid regions of Queensland, Australia

Funding

Current funding

  • 2024 - 2027
    PAF Cell and Centre Pit Dump Instrumentation
    Grange Resources (Tasmania) Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2024
    Undrained shear strength and consolidation changes of centrifuged red mud trial pans
    RTA Yarwun
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2024
    Water and salt transport at an environmental watering site in Lower River Murray
    Murray-Darling Basin Authority
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Non-invasive and real-time monitoring of slurry tailings density and velocity in transmission pipeline using the Electrical Resistance Tomography method
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2025
    Phosphate Hill Gypsum Storage Facility Rehab Trials
    Phosphate Hill Gypsum Storage Facility Rehab Trials
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    Catastrophic Rock and Concrete Brittle Failures
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2024
    Large Open Pit Project III (LOP III)
    Fortescue Metals Group Limited
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2024
    Assessment and Deployment Trial of Tailings Monitoring Probe
    Hermes & Soteria Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2023
    Geotechnical testing on Red Mud samples Phase 2 testing program (Assessment of hydrological and geotechnical behaviour of bauxite residue with varying sample treatment using large desiccation columns)
    Rio Tinto Aluminium Limited
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Recharge and drying in an e-watering site of the Lower Murray 2022-23
    South Australian Department of Environment and Water
    Open grant
  • 2022
    Long-term performance of 'store and release' cover system and slope treatment on PAF waste rock dumps at Kidston Gold Mine, Queensland
    CRC TIME Limited
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    ASSESSMENT OF HYDROLOGICAL AND GEOTECHNICAL BEHAVIOUR OF BAUXITE RESIDUE AFTER FILTER PRESSING AND REPULPING
    RTA Yarwun
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Long-term Water and Salt Balance during Environmental Watering of The Lower Murray Floodplain - Field Monitoring, Laboratory Experiment and Numerical Modelling
    Murray-Darling Basin Authority
    Open grant
  • 2021
    Recharge and Drying in an E-Watering Site of The Lower Murray
    South Australian Department of Environment and Water
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    A systematic and systemic review of mined landform stability and its impact on transitioning for regional benefits
    CRC TIME Limited
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Current tools, techniques and gaps in evaluating mine closure (CRC TiME project led by Curtin University)
    Curtin University
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2021
    Salt migration on compacted red mud into natural cover
    Queensland Alumina Limited
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Geotechnical Engineering Centre
    The Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2021
    Engineering the strength and consolidation of reclaimed soft soil
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2020
    Cost-effective improvements to tailings and water management, and closure, at Mineral Escondida
    Minera Escondida Limitada
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    National rock, concrete and advanced composite testing capability
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2014
    X-ray Microscopy Facility for Imaging Geo-materials (ARC LIEF grant administered by Monash University)
    Monash University
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2014
    Optimising the design, construction and cost-effectiveness of screw auger piles in fine-grained cohesive soils
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Investigation and modelling of the dewatering, stability and water management of deep open pit iron ore mines
    UQ Collaboration and Industry Engagement Fund
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2013
    Improved Dewatering, Management and Rehabilitation of Problematic, Clay-Rich Coal Mine Tailings
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2011 - 2012
    Soil Behaviour During the Installation Process of Auger Displacement Piles
    Go8 Australia - Germany Joint Research Co-operation Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2014
    Bulking and subsequent self-weight and saturation settlements and geotechnical stability of high coal mine spoil piles
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    A new elasto-plastic model for predicting the response of soils to a stress reduction induced by major civil engineering constructions
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2010 - 2011
    Measurements of Pressure Profile along Elongated Sensors Using Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR)
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2012
    Effectiveness of deep natural clay, compacted clay and geomembranes in limiting seepage from coal seam gas production water evaporation ponds
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Characterisation of Lateritic Nickel Ore Processing Residues to Effect Sustainable Storage
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Dynamic Analyses of Rock Exavation using Tunnel Boring Machines
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Protection Against Fire and Explosions in Tunnels
    UQ FirstLink Scheme
    Open grant
  • 2006 - 2008
    Improving the Control of Product Coal Moisture Based on Unsaturated Soil Mechanics Principles
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2003 - 2007
    Development of Innovative Landform and Closure Designs for Potentially Contaminating Surface Waste Rock Dumps
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2002 - 2004
    Development of a Risk Assessment and Cost-Effectiveness Model for Optimising Geotechnical Roadway Assets
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2000 - 2003
    Predicting long-term runoff and seepage from tailings storage facilities to facilitate cost-effective and timely closure and lease surrender
    ARC (Australian Postgraduate Award-Industry)
    Open grant
  • 2000 - 2003
    Predicting long-term runoff and seepage from tailings storage facilities to facilitate cost-effective and timely closure and lease surrender
    ARC Collaborative Grant (SPIRT)
    Open grant
  • 1999
    Column leaching tests of acid sulphate soils
    CSIRO
    Open grant
  • 1999 - 2000
    Risk Management Strategies for the Surrender of Open Cut Dragline Spoil Pile Areas
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 1998
    Engineering properties of waste rock and tailings material - western moreton coal fields and tarong coal mine
    ACIL Australia Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 1997
    Development of Novel Techniques for Evaluating the Sustainability of Mine Site Rehabilitation
    ARC Australian Research Council (Small grants)
    Open grant
  • 1996
    Acid Mine Drainage
    Tarong Coal
    Open grant
  • 1996
    Erosion Parameters
    BHP Australia Coal Limited
    Open grant
  • 1995 - 1998
    Kidston Gold Mines co-disposal of wastes research.
    Kidston Gold Mines Limited
    Open grant
  • 1995 - 1999
    Kidston Gold Mines waste rock dump rehabilitation research.
    Kidston Gold Mines Limited
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor David Williams is:
Available for supervision

Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Risk Assessment and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Rehabilitating Open Cut Coal Mine Spoil Areas

    Risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis techniques are becoming an essential tool in defending the choice of rehabilitation strategy for open cut mines. An existing risk assessment and cost-effectiveness analysis tool developed for the rehabilitation of open cut coal mine spoil areas will be applied to a number of typical spoil areas, and the cost-effectiveness of different rehabilitation strategies assessed.

  • Optimising the Earthworks Involved in Reshaping Open Strip Coal Mine Spoil Piles

    Surface coal mining by dragline leaves a legacy of surface disturbance in the form of spoil piles. The rehabilitation of spoil pile areas involves substantial earthworks, which constitute the major cost of rehabilitation. Minimising the amount of earthworks required minimises the cost of rehabilitation. Typically, spoil piles are reshaped from the angle of repose of the spoil (about 37 degrees) to a constant angle of less than 10 degrees. An alternative strategy would be to reproduce, as closely as possible, the pre-mining distribution of slope angles and lengths, which can be determined from pre-mining topographic plans. By comparing the pre-mining and post-mining topographic plans, it is possible to determine the minimum earthworks required to mimic the general pre-mining landform.

  • Laboratory Testing of Waste Rock and Tailings Mixtures to Assess Their Suitability as Cover Materials

    The requirements of a cover material for potentially contaminating materials, whether they be sulphidic or saline mine wastes, industrial, or domestic wastes, is that the material can achieve a low hydraulic conductivity, preferably hold saturation, be resistant to desiccation and erosion, and possibly be suitable as a growth medium. There is potential for mixtures of inert, durable waste rock and tailings to satisfy these requirements. A range of waste rock and tailings mixtures will be assessed for their suitability in the laboratory.

  • Laboratory Testing of Coal Washery Wastes to Assess the Applicability of Pumped Co-Disposal

    Coal washing is carried out in order to produce a product that meets market specifications. The waste products from washing coal are coarse reject, typically in the size range from 50 mm down to 0.5 mm and tailings typically passing 0.5 mm. Conventionally, the two waste streams are disposed of separately, the coarse reject to surface dumps and the tailings as an aqueous slurry to a surface storage facility. A number of mines dispose of the two waste streams together by pumping. The applicability of the pumped co-disposal of coal washery wastes depends on a number of parameters, which can be assessed by laboratory testing and field trials. The focus of the thesis will be laboratory testing for suitability to pumped co-disposal.

  • Laboratory Leachate Column Testing of Potentially Acid Forming Waste Rock

    Laboratory leachate columns are used to simulate the leachate likely to be generated under field conditions. However, the columns are typically put through regular cycles of air-flow and flooding, during which leachate samples are collected for analysis. The Australian climate is anything but regular. A number of columns will be filled with potentially acid forming waste rock, and each subjected to a different sequence of air-flow and flooding, ranging from a regular sequence of events to replicating actual climatic conditions, and the resulting leachate quality and quantity compared.

  • Instrumented Laboratory Column Experiment on Mine Tailings

    Mine tailings are conventionally disposed of as an aqueous slurry to a surface storage facility. During the operation of the facility, water is decanted from the tailings and recycled to the processing plant. Incident rainfall must also be accommodated, with water lost to evaporation, seepage and entrainment within the tailings. On closure of the facility, the water balance includes incident rainfall, infiltration, evaporation and seepage. The laboratory column experiment will impose various aqueous boundary conditions on a 2 m high column of tailings, which will be instrumented to determine the moisture and suction profiles of the tailings and hence the direction and magnitude of any flow.

  • Erosion Measurement Using High-Resolution Digital Stereo-Photographs

    Erosion off disturbed slopes, such as mined land, is difficult to measure. Conventionally, sediment traps are constructed at the toe of the slope to collect both bed load and suspended sediment. However, these systems are difficult and expensive to maintain. An alternative method is the use of high-resolution digital stereo-photographs, from which a three-dimensional image of the slope can be constructed using specialised software. The three-dimensional image highlights erosion gullies and sediment plumes, and allows the erosion loss and downstream sedimentation to be calculated digitally. The surface texture of the slope can also be estimated digitally from close-up digital photographs. This technique will be applied to mine slopes in the Ipswich Coalfields, which were studied 12 months earlier, allowing an accurate picture to be obtained of the erosion loss over the 12 month period.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Settling, consolidation and desiccation of mine tailings slurry

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Analytical model for the setup of driven piles

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The tailings dam design process: Design parameters and assessment methodologies

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Measuring the deformation of mine waste facilities

    Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Behaviour of railway expansive soil subgrade under wetting and drying cycles

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Utilisation of Mining Wastes as Backfill Material for Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Partha Narayan Mishra

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Engineering Behaviour of Clay-sized Tailings Relevant to Their Disposal and Utilisation

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Improved consolidation and shear strength of soft soil based on a novel ground improvement technique

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Thierry Bore, Professor Alexander Scheuermann

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Biocementation for Dispersive Soil Stabilization: Optimization and Up-scaling

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Thermo-Mechanics of Asphalt Mixes with Crushed Waste Glass Aggregates

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Farming method and assessment of its application in bauxite residue using scaled laboratory model

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Assessment of hydrological and geotechnical behaviour of bauxite residue after filter pressing and repulping

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Continuous analysis of the timeseries data to predict early TARP for a closed Tailings storage facility using data driven methods.

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Tunnelling related topic - Water mitigation

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jurij Karlovsek

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Value of Geotechnical Information as a Public or Private Asset

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jurij Karlovsek

  • Master Philosophy

    Preventing fatalities tailings facilities failures: Pathways to action

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Jill Harris, Professor Deanna Kemp

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Catastrophic rock and concrete brittle failures

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Investigating the Crack Growth and Failure Mechanisms in Sprayed Concrete (Shotcrete) under Cyclic Loading

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Zhongwei Chen, Dr Mehdi Serati

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor David Williams directly for media enquiries about:

  • Dumps - mine waste
  • Earthquakes - engineering
  • Engineering - earthquake
  • Engineering - geotechnical
  • Foundations - engineering
  • Geomechanics - mines
  • Geotechnical engineering
  • Landform design - mining
  • Mine rehabilitation
  • Mine waste disposal
  • Rehabilitation - mine sites
  • Slope stability - mining

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au