In 2011, Profs SW Jacobsz and Elsabe Kearsley obtained funding from the National Equipment Fund of the NRF for the largest geotechnical centrifuge in the southern hemisphere. The centrifuge has an effective centrifuge radius of 3,0 m and is capable of accelerating a payload of up to 1 tonne to 150 G. It is used to emulate realistic soil behaviour in scale models and, to date, these have included models of sinkholes, mine backfill subsidence, cave mining, railway embankments, pavements, and soil-structure interaction of footings and culverts. Prof Hannes Grabe was appointed to the Transnet Freight Rail Chair in Railway Engineering. Through the activities of this Chair, he presents as many as 13 railway-related block courses a year. Nearly 850 people have attended these courses during which they had the opportunity to spend up to five days gaining knowledge from local and international experts in the field. The Department’s railway-related research includes experiments on a full-scale test section on the University’s Experimental Farm, as well as long-term measurement of the behaviour of various sections of railway lines used for different purposes.
Previous page: Profs SW Jacobsz and Elsabe Kearsley preparing for scale model testing in the enclosure of the Geotechnical Centrifuge. This page right: Prof Wynand Steyn, Head of Department. Onder: 1959 personeel en finalejaarstudente in Siviele Ingenieurswese. Voor: Mnr JF Pienaar, mnr BC van Wyk, dr GPR von Willigh, prof CA du Toit, prof DW de Vos, dr M van Rooyen, mnr CJ Wessels
Middel: PA Stoffberg, PWB Kruger, HJ Meyer, KE Bruinette, PS Steyn, mnr JG Jooste Agter: MJ Rautenbach, MJ le Roux, IP de Villiers, AB Hugo
Prof Wynand Steyn is the driving force behind pavement-related research at the University. PaveTesting Ltd donated equipment to measure pavement profile and friction, with the objective of supporting education in pavement engineering in South Africa. Opportunities will be generated for hands-on training and research for under- and postgraduate students in pavement engineering, enabling the University to remain at the cutting edge of pavement research. Planned research utilising this equipment will focus on current issues in southern African pavement and road engineering, such as the effects of road condition on the safe and economical transportation of freight. In 2015, Mr Marco van Dijk was awarded the Water Research Commission’s Knowledge Tree award in the category, New Products and Services for Economic Development. He received this prestigious award for his significant contribution to water science and technology, and the impact his research has had on economic development. His work focuses on conduit hydropower, an alternative, unconventionalhead of department method of generating electricity. Prof Wynand Steyn - HOD, Head of Department Universiteit van Pretoria | University of Pretoria | Yunibesithi ya Pretoria
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