Research
From prominent industries to health and safety organizations to hi-tech labs a mile underground, our research spans the globe.
At South Dakota Mines, research doesn’t always begin with a doctorate. Even freshmen dive in from day one, surveying underground and training with mine rescue teams at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, landing industry internships, or embarking
on senior design projects focused on research and development.
Recent Grants Focus On Mine Safety and Industry Support
Dr. Robert Hall - Research Interests
My research focuses on improving the operations of mechanical equipment in the mining industry. To do this I have been targeting a variety of projects with differing companies and integrating expertise from other disciplines. My efforts to improve the
current state of mining equipment can be categorized into these areas: machine maintenance and reliability, comminution and energy reduction, and intelligent machines.
Maintenance and Reliability
I have been actively involved in this area for the last 20 years and consider it a strategic area for continued research. I intend to continue to use collaborative projects with Industry for collecting data and to apply statistics, neural nets and other
data mining tools to deepen the understanding of equipment behavior in the mine. Parallel to this the industry interaction allows a gradual migration of tools and skills to the sponsoring companies. This is done via formalized training courses as
well as from normal project interactions.
Once an understanding of the equipment, its environment and corresponding interactions is developed this knowledge can be used to assess strategies for optimization of management procedures, equipment selection and life cycle planning. The ultimate result
will be tools developed (software\hardware and business processes) from the research that will assist the industry in becoming more cost effective and efficient.
Comminution Technologies and Energy Reduction
I am interested in understanding the mechanisms of comminution and how improvements can be made in design and selection of equipment for specific applications. This has led to work in evaluating wear in gyratory crushers, scale up technologies for stirred
mills and energy evaluation of high pressure grinding rolls. I believe there is much to be learned in this area and would continue to pursue research in this area. Parallel to this is an interest in wear and its mitigation. This is a significant area
for mining that has not been well addressed by academics to date.
Intelligent Machines
Much of the existing work on automation of mining equipment has been on applying technology to existing equipment designs. As well, the majority of the work has been for underground mining equipment. I am pursuing work on open pit equipment automation
using advance controls systems and vision Over the last several years I have been working on intelligent digging funded both by NSERC and Industry. This research has opened several areas for development.
Improving Mine Ventilation
With the discovery of near-surface mineral deposits declining, exploring for deep-seated deposits and finding innovative ways to mine them is one solution to meet the ever-growing need. Awarded $1.25 million from the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health, Assistant Professor Purushotham Tukkaraja, PhD, will design more advanced underground ventilation systems in underground block caving mines to create safer working environments and more profitable production for companies.
Learn more about Tukkaraja’s research.
A Different Kind of Pipeline
Boasting industry experience stretching from North and South American to Africa, Associate Professor Andrea Brickey, PhD, is now applying her expertise to rebuilding the faculty pipeline in US universities. Brickey’s $300,000 SME award will fund
undergraduate and graduate students to further her research on hi-tech simulation and mine planning, as well as professional development opportunities. Read more about Brickey’s industry background and research.
Dr.Rudrajit Mitra
My area of expertise includes rock mechanics, mining systems engineering focusing on resource efficiency through use of digitalization, VR/AR and innovation in learning & teaching. Prior to joining the School of Mines, I have been involved
in research across Germany, South Africa and Australia. I have over 130 research publications in book chapters, journals, peer-reviewed conferences & reports and has been involved in various projects for the mining industry across different countries. I have graduated 11 PhDs and 12 Masters students. Learn more about Dr. Mitra’s research.