Ralph Roscoe Proctor was an army engineer in the US during the 1st world war. Proctor’s interest in geotechnical engineering began during his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. In the early 1930s, he finally created a solution for determining the “maximum” density[…]
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The reason computers were developed in the first place was because people thought if you could make enough calculations, you could predict the weather accurately. But like they said in Jurassic Park, if a butterfly farts in Seattle, it rains in Central Park instead of[…]
RISKY BUSINESS My last blog was about the game of Risk. This one is about risk assessments. In the past year or so I’ve been involved in a few risk assessments. I really enjoy playing a role in risk assessments. Other than the pre-workshop reading,[…]
When I was in high school my friends and I often played the board game Risk. We were such hooligans. Risk is a board game where you try to take control of the world. A roll of the dice means a lot in the game[…]
As I’m writing this, I’m in Kazakhstan. This is my second time here. I was here late last year too. I’ve been here for two different clients, and to two very different areas. I have very limited Russian language skills, but a little is better[…]
Quicksand. According to my childhood memories, quicksand was going to be a major problem in my life. Tarzan wouldn’t lie to me. I recently watched a movie called 65. It stars Adam Driver (or three wood?). It’s about a space traveler who crash-landed on planet[…]
I’ve traveled to, and worked in, quite a few countries. Traveling is part of what makes us “us”. One thing is for certain. When you travel, whether you ask for it or not, you are an ambassador for your country. People will judge you, and[…]
This may be my shortest blog article ever. When your TSF is in its final years of operation, you can start adding ingredients into your tailings stream to help accomplish closure. For example, if your closure plan calls for a clayey cover, you could add[…]
THE ENGINEER OF RECORD The GISTM says the following about the EOR: “The qualified engineering firm responsible for confirming that the tailings facility is designed, constructed, and decommissioned with appropriate concern for integrity of the facility, and that it aligns with and meets applicable regulations,[…]
Reality. There are several reality TV shows that I’ve watched. Call them guilty pleasures. There is a show where rednecks hunt for and harvest ginseng. Most of their harvests are illegally made on land that isn’t theirs. Then there is the one where rednecks are[…]
De re Metallica is a book, originally written in Latin, detailing the state of the art of mining, refining, and smelting metals. It was published in 1556. The book is filled with numerous delightful woodcuts, illustrating the state of the art of the time. The[…]
It’s in the constitution. It’s right up there with life and liberty. I tried to read an article about this at Harvard Health, but I would have had to pay… and that didn’t make me happy. Some may view happiness mainly as pleasurable engagement with[…]
Becoming what? Becoming a successful and good engineer. Becoming a good person. Okay, what gives? In my present line of work, I love to see an engineering job that is good. That is my target for the engineers and their work that I review. Sure,[…]
This is a weird blog, but do you want your contribution to your chosen profession to matter? If you’re just starting out, you don’t have to worry too much about this question. You’ll have time, but you will need to lay out the groundwork over[…]
Was he born into a life of privilege? It matters very little. His story would be the same. And stories he does have, if only he could share more. During a time of war, he signed up to defend our nation. When he returned,[…]
The following parable is a mixture of selected realities, but from multiple sites, mixed with some narrative to create a story. To be clear, this story doesn’t pertain to an actual site, but rather is an amalgamation of sites, stories and memories. First let me[…]
People wanted a bit more about blended tailings and waste rock, so here we go. According to the GARD Guide, if your material is at least 85% saturated, then the oxygen diffusion rate should be so low that acid mine drainage should not be an[…]
Oh, the joys/horrors of public speaking! Love it or hate it, it really should be part of your professional life. Even people who are/seem to be very accomplished at public presentations have had a mixed past with being in the public. There is no shame[…]
Sorry to trick you with the photo. It’s a picture of blended whiskey. I’m here to chat about blended tailings and waster rock. I just liked the photo. Let’s go. Individually, tailings and waste rock usually have some characteristics that could be improved upon. For[…]
Mohr’s circle is a two-dimensional graphical representation of the transformation law for the Cauchy stress tensor. That’s why I never understood what it was when I was getting my undergraduate degree. For any real geotechnical engineers, you don’t need to read this article. See you[…]
For earth dams, the most common requirement for static, long-term, steady-state slope stability is the 1.5 factor of safety. Who says? Where did that come from? Let’s explore this a little. Wikipedia says that according to Elishakoff the notion of factor of safety in engineering[…]
First of all, all engineers should travel for work for site reconnaissances, site investigations, construction, and so on. I’ve traveled a fair bit throughout my career. Early in my career, my travels were swayed more heavily toward site investigation work. Now my travels are more[…]
Some things are outliers. There is a really good book by Malcolm Gladwell with the same title. Some outliers need special attention. I once worked on a project that involved stiff fissured clay. By the time I came into the project, all of the lab[…]
The use and interpretation of piezometers is of critical importance to the monitoring and understanding of tailings facilities. This is because pore pressure has a direct impact on effective stress. The following two stories are presented to help illustrate why this is important. The two[…]
Do you know why managers yell and demand results? Besides the fact that they are huge a-holes? Most likely it’s because they don’t know how to do the task. Otherwise, they would probably mentor you. Actually, I’ve been in the awkward position of leading a[…]
Fu₵# around and find out. That’s what some people seem to think the Observational Method is. Just go ahead and see how it works out and you can fix it later if it doesn’t go as planned. Go with the flow. That’s not it at[…]
When my kids were young, Beanie Babies were very popular. They were basically glorified bean bags, decorated this way or that. My son and I used to play catch with them, out on the parking lot. This horrified some people. Supposedly some of the Beanie[…]
This is something of a book report, or maybe a book recommendation. The book, by the same name as this article, is by Nate Silver. I didn’t think Silver, or anyone else in the world, for that matter, had any place writing this book. And[…]
For a few minutes I’m going to be a grumpy Gus. I promise it won’t be for too long. One of the Denver area school districts has just announced that will no longer be designating a class valedictorian. They say that this outdated practice places[…]
I work in the service industry. I am a service provider. Just like the wait-staff in a restaurant. Our industries have more in common that might first come to mind. Do you remember a time when you were at a restaurant, and your meal was[…]
Is this a trick question? No. The answer is simple, but the reality isn’t. I know there are all the good things like compensation, time off, insurance, work-life balance policies, remote work, doughnuts on Friday and pizza at lunch meetings. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyone can[…]
This is part 2 of my assessment of “Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering”. It was written by Henry Petroski who teaches at Duke University. Paraphrasing from Petroski, “The first and most indispensable engineering design tool is judgment. Engineering judgment get[…]
We’ve all had them. Whether you call them eureka moments, epiphanies or whatever, we’ve all had them. My son had a professor who called it toilet philosophy. When you don’t have to do any research; you just have to think about a given topic. Einstein[…]
Passion. It is what you get out of bed for on a Monday morning. I know, it’s not always there. But if you want to live your life in full-stream-ahead mode, you need to be passionate about whatever you’re doing. No, you don’t have to[…]
Mining has been going on for a long time. How long? Well, that depends on what you call mining. According to Wikipedia, mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth. So, by that definition, this could date back to[…]
The other weapon we have in our quiver is the review process. The Standard refers to various types of reviews, all of which are important, and all of which serve their purpose. The most fundamental form of review usually occurs as an internal review, where[…]
In the previous way of doing things, a limited (or no) alternatives assessment was completed. For example, most commonly, an area near the mill was identified early in the permitting process, and that is where the TSF was sited. Today, with mine sites becoming more[…]
Let’s discuss risk further. Risk is defined as the product of the probability of an event occurring and consequences resulting from the event. Risk analyzes are a systematic process of identifying and assessing these possible results and their associated probabilities. Because risk analysis for tailings[…]
The day’s first light dimly began to brighten the early morning sky. Low clouds on the horizon to the east would slow the sun’s early light. There was a chill in the air; you could already make out the mist over the lake. Dawn would[…]
A while back, I wrote an article that appeared as a web-only article in Mining Engineering Magazine. That article can be found here: https://me.smenet.org/reader.cfm?webArticleID=3376 I reproduce that article here, with a few changes. When I first became involved in tailings management, it was all about[…]
Tails, tailing or tailings? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. In one of the proceedings of Tailings and Mine Waste, Prof. John Nelson presented a somewhat tongue-in-cheek paper titled, ¨Tails, Tailing or Tailings¨. In that paper from the 1990s, Prof. Nelson[…]
As the philosopher Ferris Bueller famously said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”. You water and fertilize your lawn; you mow it. Rinse lather and repeat. It snows and you shovel it. […]
What will mining be like in the future? How will it be carried out? How different will it be? Certainly, at some point we will be mining non-terrestrial bodies, like the moon and asteroids. I’m not really talking that right now, but I’ve written a[…]
Hey, have you read any good books lately? I mean a book on management, performance, business, organization, self-improvement and the likes. Instructional books. Educational books. Have you read books like this, maybe dog-eared a few pages, maybe writing some comments or notes in the margins,[…]
So, do I need a do-over from Part 1? In Part 1, I said that geotechnical engineering consists of two parts: foundation engineering and soil mechanics. This left out the rock mechanics people, and often in a mining company, rock mechanics staff are referred to[…]
I have found that this has been a pretty common question throughout my life. What is a geotechnical engineer? I tell people that it’s the engineering you need when you do work on, in or with earthen materials. This doesn’t seem to help much. It’s[…]
It’s not a statement. It’s a question. You wake up, have a cup of coffee, you go for a run, shower, dress and got to work. Lather, rinse and repeat. Why? Why do you keep repeating the cycle? Do you need the money? Is it[…]
Ralph Peck wrote an article titled. “Where has all the Judgment Gone?” If you haven’t read that, please stop reading this and go read that. I forgive you for leaving. This article does not pretend to hold a candle to that paper. It’s just a[…]
I’m on a trip to Elko, Nevada. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time in Elko. People who just travel through, or maybe just spend a night there, only see some seedy motels and a cheesy casino or two. That is their impression,[…]
My first degree in college was a B.S. in Mining Engineering. What the heck is a mining engineer, you ask? A mining engineer is involved with the engineering aspects related to the extraction of minerals from the earth, either underneath or on the ground. A[…]
Sometimes, when I want to keep it simple, I tell people that I’m a civil engineer. In truth, I don’t feel like one. I don’t have a degree in civil engineering, and I’ve never taken a class that is specific to civil engineers. But I[…]
I’ve learned a lot from my dad. Like, there is great value in a day of hard work. Break a sweat. Even if you’ve done your best, sometimes you have to do it over anyway. Using what you learned from the first trial should make[…]
As I’ve said previously, for the first time in my life, I now have actual work/life balance. I’m finding that 3rd party reviews, external technical advisory and involvement in Independent Review Boards is very rewarding. Speaking of which, I am in between some of my[…]
Gramma loved to collect rocks. My mom’s mom. She knew a lot of good places to go. I wish she had written down all of those places so I could go there. Her next-door neighbor also collected rocks. He’d go through his rocks and give[…]
What if mining were to come to an end on our home planet? It’s likely to happen sooner or later. Probably not in our lifetimes though, but still, its good to plan ahead. We can recycle and we can re-harvest whatever is in landfills. We[…]
One of the most interesting books I’ve ever read is called The Civilized Engineer, by Samuel C. Florman. I thought it was fascinating. It was written over three decades ago, but to me, it’s just as applicable today as it was when it was first[…]
Rocks and soils are the main components of our Earth’s crust, and they are the foundation on which we build our civilization. And some of the rocks are beautiful. My grandma taught me to be a rockhound when I was really young. Her neighbor was[…]
Formulating a life-long habit of learning can be a very important aspect in the continued development of an engineer. Or any person, really. The simplest way is with on-the-job-training. Some managers are very good at teaching. If you don’t have a mentor, you should find[…]
I have a friend who told me that I should go independent. That was in the late 1990s. He thought that I could make a comfortable living as an independent CPT engineer. Attending the site investigations and also doing the data interpretation. That was before[…]
“If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined”. Or recycled. True. But back to the point. Even things that are grown require mining. That’s where fertilizer comes from. Yes, you can fertilize with manure, but there aren’t that many plant nutrients in manure. […]
We are all very tired of it. COVID-19 has been a very real part of our lives for a year now, no matter what your politics are, which I won’t go into. A year has passed since the WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic,[…]
My first podcast on Behind the Scenes with Bryan took place on July 7th, 2019. I now have over fifty episodes. Some have been listened to hundreds of times, while some have a few dozen listens. There is an outfit in Australia who occasionally promotes[…]
According to Wikipedia, the Internet of things (IoT) describes the network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. It also seems like the most[…]
A lot of times geotechnical engineers speak of a friction angle as if it is simply a strength parameter. But is has a physical meaning. Can you remember the analogy of a sliding block on an inclined plane? You begin with the block in the[…]
When I worked for engineering consulting firms, their management and human resources staff would, on occasion, become keenly interested in promoting the concept of a work/life balance. They would usually over-think it. This is the same organization who came to me one time early in[…]
This brief (poorly captured) video really inspired me. [oddly you can only find the video on my LinkedIn post, at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryan-ulrich-08634b13_termination-determination-i-was-inspired-activity-6747225223629828096-Qs-w] This NFL player (De’Vante Bausby) was let go 13 times by various teams. Along his way, with all of these dismissals mounting, I could[…]
A few days ago, I had my fifth eye operation. All went well. The first surgery was to repair a detached retina which was caused by a really good collision when I was 13 years old, playing ice hockey. The recovery from that was a[…]
I was recently asked to write a testimonial for an upcoming book being published by SME. The book is titled, “Mine Tailings Perspectives for a Changing World”. We need more books like this. The following is a draft of that testimonial. On Thursday October 19th,[…]
Be it Zoom, Webex, Go To Meeting, Teams or whatever, a remote platform smells as… sweet? This certainly seems to be the new normal, and necessity being the mother of invention (or creation), I believe we are going to be doing these remote meetings more[…]
In November my former coworker, Andy Rudy, and I will be presenting at the 23rd International Conference on Paste, Thickened and Filtered Tailings, a Virtual Conference. You can find out about this conference at https://paste2020.com/?idioma=ingles. Pre-recorded presentations will be available from Monday, November 7 at[…]
When I first started using LinkedIn, I had no idea what it was really for, except for “professional networking”, whatever that is. That was many years ago. How long ago, I have no idea. It isn’t the professional’s version of Facebook, that is for sure. […]
Every time I try to out-guess mother nature, she makes a fool out of me. For example, I once had a client in Nevada who needed foundation recommendations for a lightly loaded structure that he wanted to have built. He described the site to me[…]
I just recently finished reading Steven Tyler’s autobiography. It’s titled, “Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir”. It was pretty good, especially if you like Aerosmith. A really good friend of mine has talked me into writing my memoir. […]
A couple of weeks ago I began to have some knee pain. It started after a very nice 7 mile run from my cabin to one of the local lakes and back. I tried the traditional treatments of rest, elevation, ice and aspirin. After a[…]
All good meetings should start with a safety share. This one is therefor way overdue. When I was in high school, I was a gymnast. I specialized in the rings. You know, the one with the “iron cross”? That’s always a crowd favorite. At one[…]
The death of George Floyd was tragic on many levels. It was not because this was the most gruesome death ever of a black man that the conversation, movement and protests started. It was because it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Because[…]
A couple of days a go I was fishing on my little pontoon boat. I wasn’t having any luck, even with my luckiest lure. I decided that I would try a lure that I’d never used on this lake. I had to remove two of[…]
There is one thing that has really been good to me during this pandemic. Fishing. And, well, having time to catch up on a lot of content too. There is a lot of really good content being produced now. Back to fishing. As I’ve written[…]
My financial advisor always tells me that there will be another 2008-type disruption to the stock market. I could wish that he was wrong, but we just had another one. By the way, from what I understand, the markets should rebound more quickly this time[…]
THE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD We’ve all heard the expression, “the observational method”, but I think that many practitioners are confused/ill-informed of the actual application of the method. I’ve heard it being used far out of context. Let me try to clear up some of the confusion.[…]
I’ve written before about construction work and quality assurance/quality control. When we do material testing for construction (whether it is earthwork, rock, aggregate, concrete, geosynthetics or whatever), we usually “sample” a small portion of material that is involved in the overall work. For example, when[…]
Integrity. What is it? Merriam Webster defines it as a “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values”. Interesting. It isn’t just about doing what you say you will do. You must adhere to an especially moral value. If someone has a[…]
NETWORKING Networking is pretty important for professionals, especially early in their careers. What is networking? It can and should mean many things. There are conferences and tradeshows where you can meet or be introduced to others in your industry. You don’t have to be a[…]
Many years ago, when I worked at the US Bureau of Mines, I wrote a rap song about that job. That song is called The Bolt Boys. It was recorded by a co-worker and friend by the name of Clay Stuckey. That song can be[…]
Early in my career, I was provided with the opportunity to complete almost every aspect related to designing a raise to a tailings facility. This particular tailings facility was located just to the east of the beautiful town of Silverton, Colorado. I’ve mentioned Silverton previously,[…]
A few years ago, I was mentoring one of my staff engineers. I had to stop myself part way into the discussion so that I could explain myself. I had been telling him a story, but there was a purpose to the story. The story[…]
It’s Day #7 of Working from Home/Social Distancing, and my wife has already reported me to HR three times. A co-worker asked me yesterday if I was going to be working in the office. I told him “No, I’m avoiding the office like the…plague”. I[…]
The following is a work of fiction. A while back, I helped defend a previous employer against a very frustrating lawsuit. This particular case pertained to an alleged construction defect. The owner claimed that the engineer and contractor had used reactive aggregate in the concrete,[…]
Passion. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines passion as an intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction. The Urban Dictionary says that “Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is[…]
The work we do as geotechnical designers can all come apart if the design intent isn’t followed successfully during the construction phase of the work. This is where construction oversight plays a very important role. During construction, the engineer and the engineer’s team may include[…]
BLENDED TAILINGS AND WASTE ROCK (With a tip o’ the hat to Andy Rudy)Individually, tailings and waste rock usually have some characteristics that could be improved upon. For example, waste rock often has a high amount of void space between the rock particles, which we[…]
Quite a few people have commented to me about my blog, saying that they really enjoyed this article or that one. It always feels good when people recognize (or at least acknowledge) my work. It makes me feel like the effort matters. A dear friend[…]
I know. The expression is supposed to be, “A Diamond is Forever”. Thank you De Beers, but that really isn’t true. Not to knock too much of the luster off of the very famous slogan, but take the example of industrial diamonds that are used[…]
A very dear friend of mine is suffering from a type of blood-borne cancer that is very similar to leukemia. In her particular case, she needs a blood donor so they can harvest a certain type of stem cells (peripheral blood stem cells) that will[…]
The holidays are for family time. Sharing a laugh, sharing love, sharing a meal, and sharing gifts. And having the gift of each other’s company. This Christmas was a little different, as we traveled to Portland, Oregon to visit my daughter, Stephanie. Stephanie has lived[…]
Well… sorry, but I’m mailing this one in. I have come across several people in mining who are beginning to move the needle, but for this one, I am going to take a weak fallback, and include only those who have been inducted into the[…]
This blog has been written with the prompting of my good friend, Dawn. At a lot of sites around the world, tailings are re-mined and re-processed. When I was living in South Africa (1999 to 2003), I worked on a very large project where tailings[…]
That is one of my favorite expressions. I think that I made it up. If I didn’t, I wish I had. The “saved” money almost always gets used elsewhere. Either in the design or in the construction. What am I talking about? Well, it’s[…]
Oprah Winfrey. According to Wikipedia, Oprah Winfrey is an American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer and philanthropist. By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news. She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was[…]
According to their website, The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) works to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners. MSHA carries out the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health[…]