GeoSonics/Vibra-Tech is excited to announce that Shimin Liu, Ph.D., Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering, Pennsylvania State University will be a speaker at Re:Con 2025.
Dr. Liu will be presenting, “Blasting Induced Ground Vibration and Its Implication on Pillar Loading and Its Stability” during Re:Con 2025. Recent massive limestone pillar collapses highlight a need for in-depth studies of pillar loading. Dr. Liu’s presentation will discuss a study where he analyzed mine induced stresses of underground workings through both time dependent static strain and blasting induced dynamic strain. He’ll explain his comprehensive field monitoring strategy to monitor the stress/strain relationship to offer baseline data for developing pillar stability factors based on dynamic peak stress, rather than the tributary area method.
Dr. Liu is a Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering and Professor of Mining Engineering at Penn State University and he holds a Ph.D. degree in Engineering Sciences from Southern Illinois University. His research interests include health and safety, coalbed methane, carbon sequestration, geomechanics, and flow of fluids in porous media. As PI, he has successfully secured funding from various US federal agencies, including US Department of Energy, US National Science Foundation, CDC-NIOSH, Alpha Foundation, SME Foundation and industrial partners. He is editor-in-chief for the International Journal of Coal Science and Technology.