Competition Rules
Updated:
- Submission deadline changed Dec 6, 2023 10 AM
About the Competition
A rock engineering design problem will be presented by the competition organizing committee on September 2022. The problem will be an evaluation of the stability of a cemented backfill stope exposed during vertical retreat stope mining. Teams will present a design solution using analytical tools and rock engineering design principles.
Eligibility and Team Registration
All members of the teams must be enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs related to rock-engineering disciplines. This includes, but is not limited to, mining, civil, and geological engineering. Each team may have two to five undergraduate and/or graduate students. Teams composed of varying disciplines is welcome and encouraged. Each university may have more than one participating team. Teams must be registered by the registration deadline through the registration form.
Advisors and External Assistance
Each competing team must have one faculty advisor. Their role will be limited to ensuring that the competition’s rules are being followed throughout the duration of the contest. Teams may not communicate between each other about their solutions after they have been officially registered.
Software Use
Any software may be used. FLAC2D 9 demo downloads are available for free through Itasca’s download page.
Deliverables
All teams must submit a report consisting of the team’s solution addressing the topics outlined by the Problem Statement. The report should be concise (ideally within 8 pages) but there is no formal limit. The submission page for reports will be open until the submission deadline as defined in the time frame.
The report should address the following topics in addition to the Problem Statement‘s specific questions:
- Problem definition
- Figure representation of geological/geotechnical model
- Overall approach and assumptions
- Analysis methodology and justification
- Variability of rock mass strength in design
- Key risks to proposed solution
- Risk mitigation
Finalists will be selected to present on their project in a virtual webinar. The duration of the presentation will be announced on the day of finalist selection. Each finalist presentation will be followed by a Q&A session open to all participants of the webinar.
Judging
The finalist judging panel will include experts involved with ARMA from academia, industry, and government agencies.
Awards
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams and will be acknowledged in the ARMA Monthly News. The prizes will be awarded in USD as follows:
| Position | Prize |
|---|---|
| First Place | $1000 |
| Second Place | $650 |
| Third Place | $350 |
Participants residing in countries with financial transfer restrictions from the US may be unable to receive the cash prize. However, the winning teams will be acknowledged in announcements following the competition.
Time Frame
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Team registration | by November 25, 2023 |
| FLAC2D webinar | TBD |
| Problem set released and beginning of competition | December 6, 2023 |
| Problem solutions submission deadline | December 29, 2023 |
| Report review and finalist selection | January 2024 |
| Finalist project presentations | February 2024 |
Contacts
For additional information, please contact the event coordinators:
Akash Chaurasia
PhD Candidate
Colorado School of Mines
achaurasia@mines.edu
Zhiyuan Li
PhD Candidate
University of Houston
zli53@cougarnet.uh.edu
Jineon Kim
PhD Candidate
Seoul National University
kjineon@snu.ac.kr
Earl Magsipoc
PhD Candidate
University of Toronto
e.magsipoc@mail.utoronto.ca