Chair for Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics / Rock Engineering - History ( ) ( )

Transcription

1 Chair for Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics / Rock Engineering - History - Around the year 1170 in the area of the today s city of Freiberg in Saxony an intensive mining of silver ores begun: Subject of the excavations were mineralised cracks (ore veins), which dip steep, have a thickness from some centimetres till metres and can be pursued till the earth surface. During the first three centuries of mining in Freiberg the natural-scientific and technological challenges existed in the following: - exploration of rich ore veins, - development and perfection of mine surveying as well as - covering such processes like mine water drainage, ventilation and transportation of excavated material with increasing mining depth. Rock mechanical questions, as we know them today, did not occur in this early mining period, because - the mine openings were excavated very carefully by hand with primitive tools, - the rock (veins and adjacent rock) was of high strength and - the mining took place in low depths. If necessary, the underground hollow spaces were supported by frame timbering or dirt pillars. The development of real mining sciences began around the year The first textbook about mining in Freiberg was written by Ulrich Rülein von Calw ( ) (ein nützlich Bergbüchlein, a useful mining book ). As a successor of Rülein, Georgius Agricola ( ) can be regarded. He tried to penetrate all processes of mining in the ore mountains (silver as well as tin and iron ore) scientifically. As a result of this, he wrote his standard book De re metallica with 12 volumes, which was printed in This reference book has been the standard work for every kind of mining education in Middle Europe for at least two centuries. Georgius Agricola

2 With the institution of the Freiberg Scholarship Fund in 1702 for the first time in Saxony s mining and metallurgy regulations became active for the miningscientific education. In the following time this led to the fact, that in different fields, such as mineralogy, science of mineral deposits, mine surveying and mining machinery considerable progress could be reached at that time-point, when the Bergakademie Freiberg was founded (1765). In contrast the transfer of knowledge in the original field of mining science (including the dealing with rock mechanical problems) did not have a scientific level at that time. On the one side skilled teachers and persons of character, that could combine the abundance of practical experience with theoretical approaches, were lacking. On the other side all serious problems, related to active mining, were controlled till 1869 by the major board of mines (Oberbergamt) in Saxony with it s particular leader, who was the curator of the Bergakademie at the same time. The last mentioned fact could only by changed by Gustav Zeuner, who was the first director of the Bergakademie Freiberg ( ) and initiated a comprehensive reorganisation of the university. Since 1871 new scientists were appointed as Professor for mining science. Two of them, Carl Kreischer ( ), followed by Emil Treptow ( ) referred emphatically about mining methods and mine support. An outstanding position in this sequence earned Karl Kegel ( ), who was appointed as full Professor for mining science in He introduced subjects into the spectrum of lectures, which were unconsidered till then. Specific main contents of his scientific work were published by himself as textbooks. With his main book Bergmännische Gebirgsmechanik (rock mechanics for mining), which was for the first time edited in 1941 (second edition: 1949) he became one of the pioneers of rock mechanics at all. Caused by different specific conditions after 1945 several institutes, which dealt with mining sciences, existed at the Bergakademie Freiberg at the same time. In connection with this a concentration of experts with rock-mechanical experiences in seam excavation (coal mining, salt mining, copper ore mining) developed in Freiberg. This fact is particular interest, because before, the mining universities in Germany had their own special teaching and research fields: Freiberg ore mining and after World War I lignite mining; Clausthal salt mining; Aachen, Berlin and Breslau coal mining.

3 Main building of the Institute of Geotechnics, today: Helmut Härtig Building Starting with this situation and based on the outstanding teaching and research activities of the Professor Karl Kegel ( ), acting at the Bergakademie from 1918 till 1959, and Georg Spackeler ( ), acting at the Bergakademie from 1945 till 1960, the initial Theory of Rock Pressure was developed in Freiberg into the scientific field of Geomechanics and later Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics. (As it is well known, a Theory will not be checked and so Kegel as well as Spackeler had in site of their comprehensive wealth of experience particularly diverging opinions about the Theory of Rock Pressure without a visible ambition to clear up this state in a progressive sense.) Looking back, this leap in quality can be dated into the 50 th and early 60 th of the 19 th century. A fundamental stimulation for that came from the International Conference on questions of rock pressure, which was organised by the German Academy of Sciences in Berlin in co-operation with the Bergakademie Freiberg and was held in Leipzig in October While up to this point of time rock-mechanics research was dominated by mining and surveying engineers, from now on dealing with complex rockmechanical topics was done including physicists, mathematicians and geoscientists.

4 Under the leadership of Professor Gimm ( ), there was founded a Working group for Geomechanics, which was part of the German Academy of Sciences. This working group was changed organisationally during three decades, but finally it was the origin of the today s Chair for Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics / Rock Engineering at the Institute of Geotechnics at the Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg. Werner Gimm Under responsibility of Professor Gimm, who was the holder of the chair of Underground Mining Sciences at the Institute of Mining since 1954, the teaching of students in the new branch of studies Geotechnics / Engineering Geology started, beginning at the academic year 1968/69. He has then been the holder of the new chair of Geomechanics / Rock mechanics since that time as well as the first director of the new department of Geotechnics and Mining from 1968 till In the relative short residual time of his scientific activities (Professor Gimm died at an age of 60 in December 1977), that teaching and research profile of the geomechanical chair was shaped, which is almost valid still today. In 1963 the Geomechanics-Colloquium as a national conference for rock mechanics was initiated. Since that time, the colloquium takes place annually with increasing international participation. In 1978 Professor Dietrich Rotter ( ) and in 1985 Professor Tilo Döring ( ) became holders of the chair for rock mechanics.

5 Tilo Döring Cavern of the underground powerhouse at Markersbach Professor Döring contributed an important part to the theoretical penetration of the Freiberg teaching profile of Geotechnical Engineers. During the work of the professors Gimm, Rotter and Döring important research projects were related to the pump storage power station Markersbach in the ore mountains (construction period: ) as well as several extensive investigations for the salt and potash mining, the ore and flourit mining, the copper mining and dam constructions for the water supply and distribution. From 1991 to 1993 Professor Armin Krauße led the scientific department Geomechanics, followed by Professor Friedhelm Heinrich, who led the newly dedicated Chair for Geomechanics and Rock Mechanics / Rock Engineering. He passed the baton at the end of 2005 to Professor Heinz Konietzky, the current holder of this chair. Heinz Konietzky & Friedhelm Heinrich

6 An excellent equipped rockmechanical laboratory is attached to the chair for rock mechanics. Complex static and dynamic, uni- and multiaxial hydrothermo-mechanical coupled tests can be performed. Numerical simulations are a methodological focal point to solve geomechanical problems. The research involves fundametal topics like fracture and damage mechanics at different scales as well as applied research for the mining industry and civil engineering. The co-workers inform about actual developments at the chair for rock mechanics since 2005 at the following internet pages: - research projects and Phd-topics: - Courses: - Living and working at the chair: - Staff: