Mines of the future

Overview

The mining industry is critical to the Australian economy with over 1 million jobs currently either directly or indirectly related to this sector. At present, a significant change in mining practices is occurring due to introduction of Industry 4.0 practices. Industry 4.0 involves the digital transformation of traditional mining methods through:

• additive manufacturing
• big data
• machine learning
• Internet of things
• robotics
• automation/instrumentation
• smart processing.

This project will develop industry 4.0 approaches to various ore bodies with the aim of controlling the influence of variable feedstocks, improving product quality, value adding resources, reducing environmental impacts and creating novel process engineering solutions.

Research activities

Students will work as part of a larger team which comprises of people with a range of skills which contribute to Industry 4.0 challenges.

Projects can be tailored to a range of disciplines such as:

• process engineering
• chemichal engineering
• machine learning
• mechanical engineering
• chemistry
• robotics
• asset management
• process optimisation
• automation/instrumentation/sensors.

Outcomes

The outcomes of these projects are expected not only to be published in high quality journals but also to be introduced to operating mine sites around Australia.

You will gain skills and knowledge as part of a multi-disciplinary effort to add value to the Australian mining sector.

You will also meet and collaborate with industry personnel.

Skills and experience

You should be passionate about creating robust industry solutions which protect jobs, minimise damage to the environment and value add our mining sector.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information.