Overview
Background
Professor David John Williams was the Initiator and 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 period from 2007 to 2022. 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 Copper Mine in Chile. 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 and currently being updated. He initiated in 2020 and largely delivers the AusIMM Tailings Management Professional Certificate Course that has been taken by almost 1,500 Tailings Practitioners worldwide.
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 and consulting 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
- Emeritus Professor David Williams is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
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
- ABC News Channel Interview of Professor David Williams from UQ: Government commits billions to critical mining over next decade | ABC News
- A Career Measured by Mining Geomechanics - Professor David Williams
- Ask the Experts #1 - Challenging Geotechnical Perceptions
- Mining needs a makeover. Our future depends on it_Article by Professor David Williams
- Interview with Professor David Williams, The University of Queensland (Australia)_Outstanding Geotechnicians Podcast
- High-definition UQ-branded Internationally-partnered Video Abstract #3 (internationally-partnered)
- High-definition UQ-branded Video Abstract #2
- High-definition UQ-branded Video Abstract #1
- Professor David Williams on a Podcast
- NSW Resources Regulator: Leading practice tailings management
- NSW Resources Regulator: Key life-cycle tailings management risks
- Settling and Dewatering of Slurries of Commercial Clays and Clay-Rich Tailings
Works
Search Professor David Williams’s works on UQ eSpace
2017
Conference Publication
Investigation of shear strength and breakdown of mine waste rock
Xu, Youwei, Williams, David and Serati, Mehdi (2017). Investigation of shear strength and breakdown of mine waste rock. 51st US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA United States, 25-28 June 2017. San Francisco, California, USA: ARMA.
2017
Conference Publication
Determination of thermal conductivity of soil using standard cone penetration test
Lines, Scott, Williams, David J. and Galindo-Torres, Sergio A. (2017). Determination of thermal conductivity of soil using standard cone penetration test. 2nd International Conference on Advances on Clean Energy Research, ICACER 2017, Berlin, Germany, 7 - 9 April 2017. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier BV. doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.07.036
2017
Conference Publication
Geotechnical characterisation of neutralised red mud for use in civil engineering construction and manufacturing
Quintero Olaya, Sebastian, Williams, David J., del Pilar Durante Ingunza, Maria and Serati, Mehdi (2017). Geotechnical characterisation of neutralised red mud for use in civil engineering construction and manufacturing. The 32nd International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19-22 March 2017. Chester, PA United States: The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management.
2017
Conference Publication
Modified Brazilian test for indirect measurement of tensile strength of brittle materials
Serati, Mehdi, Masoumi, Hossein, Williams, David J. and Alehossein, Habib (2017). Modified Brazilian test for indirect measurement of tensile strength of brittle materials. ARMA 2017: 51st U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, 25-28 June 2017. Alexandria, VA, United States: ARMA.
2017
Conference Publication
Effect of scalping on shear strength of aggregate
Xu, Youwei, Williams, David and Serati, Mehdi (2017). Effect of scalping on shear strength of aggregate. 51 st US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, United States, 25-28 June 2017. San Francisco, CA, United States: ARMA.
2016
Journal Article
Development of optimum pavement maintenance strategies for a road network
Khan, Misbah U., Mesbah, Mahmoud, Ferreira, Luis and Williams, David J. (2016). Development of optimum pavement maintenance strategies for a road network. Australian Journal of Civil Engineering, 14 (2), 85-96. doi: 10.1080/14488353.2017.1362823
2016
Journal Article
Experimental investigation of fracture process zone in rocks damaged under cyclic loadings
Ghamgosar, M., Erarslan, N. and Williams, D. J. (2016). Experimental investigation of fracture process zone in rocks damaged under cyclic loadings. Experimental Mechanics, 57 (1), 1-17. doi: 10.1007/s11340-016-0216-4
2016
Journal Article
Probabilistic reliability analysis of multiple slopes with genetic algorithms
Tun, Ye W., Pedroso, Dorival M., Scheuermann, Alexander and Williams, David J. (2016). Probabilistic reliability analysis of multiple slopes with genetic algorithms. Computers and Geotechnics, 77, 68-76. doi: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2016.04.006
2016
Journal Article
Measuring free ellagic acid: influence of extraction conditions on recovery by studying solubility and UV-Visible spectra
Williams, David J., Edwards, David, Chaliha, Mridusmita and Sultanbawa, Yasmina (2016). Measuring free ellagic acid: influence of extraction conditions on recovery by studying solubility and UV-Visible spectra. Chemical Papers, 70 (8), 1078-1086. doi: 10.1515/chempap-2016-0038
2016
Journal Article
Radio to microwave dielectric characterisation of constitutive electromagnetic soil properties using vector network analyses
Schwing, M., Wagner, N., Karlovsek, J., Chen, Z., Williams, D. J. and Scheuermann, A. (2016). Radio to microwave dielectric characterisation of constitutive electromagnetic soil properties using vector network analyses. Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, 13 (2) S28, S28-S38. doi: 10.1088/1742-2132/13/2/S28
2016
Journal Article
Dielectric measurement method for real-time monitoring of initial hardening of backfill materials used for underground construction
Karlovsek, Jurij, Schwing, Moritz, Chen, Zhen, Wagner, Norman, Williams, David J. and Scheuermann, Alexander (2016). Dielectric measurement method for real-time monitoring of initial hardening of backfill materials used for underground construction. Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, 13 (2) S19, S19-S27. doi: 10.1088/1742-2132/13/2/S19
2016
Journal Article
Swelling properties of natural and modified bentonites by rheological description
Barast, Gilles, Razakamanantsoa, Andry-Rico, Djeran-Maigre, Irini, Nicholson, Timothy and Williams, David (2016). Swelling properties of natural and modified bentonites by rheological description. Applied Clay Science, 142, 60-68. doi: 10.1016/j.clay.2016.01.008
2016
Journal Article
Theoretical treatment of disc cutters subjected to general cutting forces
Serati, Mehdi, Alehossein, Habib and Williams, David J. (2016). Theoretical treatment of disc cutters subjected to general cutting forces. Journal of Engineering Mathematics, 100 (1), 1-25. doi: 10.1007/s10665-015-9839-1
2016
Conference Publication
Interpretation of shear strength data for construction on mine tailings deposits
Williams, D. J. (2016). Interpretation of shear strength data for construction on mine tailings deposits. 5th International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterisation (ISSMGE TC-102 – ISC’5), Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 5-9 September 2016. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Australian Geomechanics Society.
2016
Conference Publication
Hertzian contact damage in a hollow circular cylinder
Serati, M., Williams, D. J. and Erarslan, N. (2016). Hertzian contact damage in a hollow circular cylinder. EUROCK2016, International Symposium of the International Society for Rock Mechanics (ISRM), Ürgüp-Nevşehir, Cappadocia, Turkey, 29-31 August 2016. Leiden, The Netherlands: CRC Press/Balkema. doi: 10.1201/9781315388502-12
2016
Conference Publication
Mine site rehabilitation - are we reinventing the wrong wheel?
Williams, D. J. (2016). Mine site rehabilitation - are we reinventing the wrong wheel?. Mine Closure 2016, Perth, WA, Australia, 15-17 March 2016. Perth, WA, Australia: Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG).
2016
Journal Article
Effects of saline coal seam gas water on consistency limits, compaction characteristics and hydraulic conductivities of clays used for liners
Indrawan, I. G. B., Williams, D. J. and Scheuermann, A. (2016). Effects of saline coal seam gas water on consistency limits, compaction characteristics and hydraulic conductivities of clays used for liners. Engineering Geology Special Publication, 27 (1), 227-237. doi: 10.1144/EGSP27.20
2016
Conference Publication
Hertzian contact damage in a hollow circular cylinder
Serati, M., Williams, D. J. and Erarslan, N. (2016). Hertzian contact damage in a hollow circular cylinder. ISRM International Symposium (EUROCK 2016), Ürgüp-Nevşehir, Cappadocia, Turkey, 29-31 August 2016. International Society for Rock Mechanics. doi: 10.1201/9781315388502-71
2016
Conference Publication
Mine site rehabilitation - laying geotechnical foundations
Williams, D. J. (2016). Mine site rehabilitation - laying geotechnical foundations. Mine Closure 2014: Ninth International Conference on Mine Closure, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1-3 October 2014. Nedlands, WA, Australia: Australian Centre for Geomechanics (ACG).
2016
Book
Preventing acid and metalliferous drainage - Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry
Jones, David R., Taylor, Jeff, Pape, Sophie, McCullough, C. D., Brown Paul, Garvie, Andrew, Appleyard, Steve, Miller, Stuart, Unger, Corinne J., Laurencont, Tania, Slater, Stephen, Williams, David, Scott, Peter, Fawcett, Mike, Waggitt, Peter and Robertson, Alan (2016). Preventing acid and metalliferous drainage - Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Emeritus Professor David Williams is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Doctor Philosophy
Utilisation of Mining Wastes as Backfill Material for Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls
Principal Advisor
-
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
Engineering Behaviour of Clay-sized Tailings Relevant to Their Disposal and Utilisation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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Doctor Philosophy
Engineering Behaviour of Clay-sized Tailings Relevant to Their Disposal and Utilisation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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Doctor Philosophy
Engineering Behaviour of Clay-sized Tailings Relevant to Their Disposal and Utilisation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
-
Doctor Philosophy
Behaviour of railway expansive soil subgrade under wetting and drying cycles
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
-
Doctor Philosophy
Settling, consolidation and desiccation of mine tailings slurry
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
Utilisation of Mining Wastes as Backfill Material for Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Walls
Principal Advisor
-
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
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
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Doctor Philosophy
Tunnelling related topic - Water mitigation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jurij Karlovsek
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Doctor Philosophy
Catastrophic rock and concrete brittle failures
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati
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Doctor Philosophy
The Value of Geotechnical Information as a Public or Private Asset
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jurij Karlovsek
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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
Assessment of hydrological and geotechnical behaviour of bauxite residue after filter pressing and repulping
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Thierry Bore, Dr Chenming Zhang
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Doctor Philosophy
Farming method and assessment of its application in bauxite residue using scaled laboratory model
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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Master Philosophy
Preventing fatalities tailings facilities failures: Pathways to action
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Jill Harris, Professor Deanna Kemp
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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
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Weather-induced Tailings Desiccation and Salt Uptake
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Geotechnical Behaviour of Soil Reinforced with Granular Columns Backfilled with Alternative Sand Sources
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Shallow geothermal testing methods and ground-source heat pump operation
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Sustainable Tailings Management: Improvement of Tailings Geotechnical Behaviour Using Bio-additives
Principal Advisor
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2020
Master Philosophy
Assessment of a farming method applied to bauxite residue using a laboratory model
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of Mine Tailings Using a Slurry Consolidometer
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Chenming Zhang
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2020
Master Philosophy
Unsealed road pavement management: Surface condition deterioration and sustainability modelling
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Shear strength characterisation of in-pit mud to ensure lowwall stability
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Bayesian methods to treat geotechnical uncertainty in risk based design of open pit slopes
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alan Huang
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Statistical Methods and Their Applications to Rock Mechanics Problems at Scale: Factor of Safety and Probability of Failure
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alan Huang
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Interface and Composite Behaviour of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soils
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati
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2017
Master Philosophy
Alumina Refinery Inputs and Processes Affecting Sedimentation, Consolidation and Desiccation of Seawater Neutralised Bauxite Residue
Principal Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Experimental Study of Geotechnical Behaviour and Parameters of Coal Washery Wastes
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Bulking and Subsequent Self-Weight and Saturation Settlements, and Geotechnical Stability of High Coal Mine Spoil Piles
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorival Pedroso
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Assessment of some engineering properties and testing methods of residual soil and highly weathered rock materials in QLD, Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Non-Destructive Testing of Tunnel Integrity using Ground Penetrating Radar
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
'Behaviour of stiff, fine-grained soil during the installation of screw auger displacement piles'
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
ESTIMATION OF TAILINGS SURFACE FLUXES AS PART OF CLOSURE COVER DESIGN
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorival Pedroso
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Effectiveness of Natural Clay, Compacted Clay and Geomembranes in Limiting Infiltration from Coal Seam Gas Water Ponds
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Static and Cyclic Laboratory Testing of Brisbane Rocks
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorival Pedroso
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Study of Liquid and Solid States of Treated Geomaterials Used as Liners
Principal Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Instrumentation and Monitoring of a Large-Scale, Potentially Contaminating Trial Waste Rock Dump
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor William Clarke
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2006
Master Philosophy
RISK ASSESSMENT FOR UNBOUND GRANULAR MATERIAL PERFORMANCE IN RURAL QUEENSLAND PAVEMENTS USING SEMI-QUANTITATIVE FAULT TREE ANALYSIS
Principal Advisor
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
REHABILITATION STUDIES ON TAILINGS STORAGE FACILITIES IN AN ARID HYPERSALINE REGION
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor D Lockington
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2004
Master Philosophy
INVESTIGATING THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF ACID GENERATING MINE WASTE ROCK DUMPS AIMED AT IMPROVED DUMP CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION
Principal Advisor
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2002
Master Engineering Sc
RISK ASSESSMENT OF TRANSMISSION LINE LATTICE TOWER FOUNDATIONS
Principal Advisor
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2024
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
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Physical Modelling of Spalling Failure in Underground Structures
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Mehdi Serati
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Hydro-micromechanical aspects of fracture propagation in brittle material
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
IMPROVEMENT OF A PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INCORPORATING FLOODING
Associate Advisor
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
Micromechanical and Microstructural Aspects Affecting Rock Damage, Fracture and Cutting Mechanisms
Associate Advisor
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2017
Master Philosophy
Micromechanical study of granular assemblies by true triaxial test simulations
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Dorival Pedroso
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2017
Doctor Philosophy
A new approach in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics to simulate hydraulically induced deformation processes in Geomechanics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Mechanical, hydraulic, and dielectric characterisation of fine-grained soils during densification.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Suffusion potential assessment by self-filtration criteria
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alexander Scheuermann
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Stiffness and Strength of Rock Cutting and Drilling Tools - Drag Bit and Roller Disc Cutters
Associate Advisor
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2010
Master Philosophy
Linear Programming for Scheduling Waste Rock Dumping from Surface Mines
Associate Advisor
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Media
Enquiries
Contact Emeritus 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
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