Mechanised Mining Systems Research
Better mining systems begin with better questions.
We connect engineering research, field evidence and practical tools to improve the safety, productivity and sustainability of mechanised mining.
RAMMS research
Knowledge that travels beyond the thesis.
Discover current projects, meet the people doing the work, read source-grounded research stories, and follow algorithms as they move toward useful public tools.
Browse active projects →Research thrusts
Connected questions.
Practical outcomes.
Cutting and Drilling Hard Rock
Understanding and optimising cutting, drilling and the rock-machine interface, with digital twins linking measured rock properties, tool condition and machine response.
View detailsProductivity and Maintenance Optimisation of Mining Equipment
Optimising productivity and maintenance through simulation, reliability and asset-management models, including digital twins that connect equipment behaviour and long-term planning.
View detailsUtilisation, Performance and Condition Monitoring of Mechanised Mining Equipment
Using condition monitoring, hybrid models and digital twins to turn equipment data into actionable insight on utilisation, performance, health and safety.
View detailsFeatured work
Research in motion.
Positioning an underground vehicle with cameras
Adam Neethling's visual-odometry research combines learned image features and uncertainty-aware correction to control drift underground.
View detailsTesting platinum-production decisions in simulation
Hloni Manyakoana's Bathopele case study represents the mine cycle as a connected system so productivity and maintenance changes can be tested safely.
View detailsHard-rock Cutting & Interface Modelling
Experimental and numerical research on cutting, drilling and stability at the rock–machine interface in narrow-reef hard-rock mines.
View detailsMine-cycle Productivity Modelling
Using discrete-event and mine-cycle simulation to identify bottlenecks and test productivity decisions across mechanised mining systems.
View detailsMobile-equipment Digital Twins
Hybrid and multi-physics models of engines, LHDs and conveyances for performance monitoring, predictive maintenance and safer operation.
View detailsRock Characterisation & Drillability
Linking mineralogy and measured rock properties to brittleness, drillability and better-informed equipment selection in platinum and gold mines.
View detailsTraction-aware Safety Digital Twin
Estimating terrain-dependent traction for skid-steered mining vehicles to support safer braking, autonomy and mission planning.
View detailsUnderground Machine Vision
Camera-based positioning and environmental sensing for underground vehicles where satellite navigation is unavailable and conditions are difficult.
View detailsKPI-focused Hybrid Engine Model
A validated research model that predicts difficult-to-measure LHD diesel-engine indicators from a small set of accessible operating inputs.
View detailsTraction-estimation Digital Twin
A terrain-aware algorithm that estimates longitudinal and lateral traction for a skid-steered mining vehicle from onboard measurements and a physical model.
View details