October 2011 by Engineers Australia

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SYDNEY DIVISION OF ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA

OCTOBER 2011

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Innovating For The Future Sydney Division Key Sponsors

Recently, I received an e-newsletter from Australian Innovation with a link to an article by 2020 Science, which highlighted 10 emerging technology trends to watch over the next decade. The article discussed geo-engineering, smart grids, radical materials, synthetic biology, personal genomics, bio-interfaces, data interfaces, solar power, nootropics, and cosmeceuticals, as technology areas to watch. I would perhaps also add to this list, smart buildings and smart transport systems. Not surprisingly, many of these technology trends (if not all) will require engineers to make it work. Interestingly, innovating for the future will most likely depend more so than now, on interdisciplinary technical teams. It will depend on engineers and scientists who go beyond their fields of study to designs systems which integrate at the nexus between different technology areas. It will also require inspired debates as well as community, business, and political leadership. It was perhaps only a decade or so ago, when New South Wales was known as the First State. However, this appears to have slowly slipped off the agenda. My question to our membership is, how do we, become the First State again? How do we invest into becoming a smarter state that is a leader in innovation and technology? How do we drive the future of innovation and take the leadership in emerging technologies? I know that the answer to these questions is not a simple one. We are a state and a country which now faces many challenges. We have fierce competition around the world in many different sectors – from solar power, to manufacturing. The irony is that as our dollar does better, it becomes more difficult for us to do business internationally. Further, as the US

and several European countries face recession and financial downturn, they are starting to look at more creative policies, schemes, and investments, which will bring their countries back onto the world stage. Looking into the future, the US in particular, has focused much of its efforts on scientific and technical advancement, with President Obama pushing legal reform in all spheres. I wrote this article just after taking part in Sydney Division’s Engineering Excellence Awards. The Awards are the highlight of Sydney Division’s calendar and are a phenomenal display of inspiring, innovative, and technically brilliant projects. Every year, the awards show technologies which are breaking ground. For highlighting this State’s capability, it’s definitely a great place to start. Engineers Australia has also this year launched an Innovation Taskforce, where members have been asked to submit comments with respect to innovation, and in particular, what barriers there may be on the road to developing creative and new technologies. These are only small steps, but they are definitely steps in the right direction. However, as engineers, we need to make sure that innovating for the future is back again on the agenda. We need to celebrate technical success and advancement, and become leaders in emerging technologies. Twitter: @EASyd_President Maryam Khajeh, MIEAust Sydney Division President

Deputy President’s Corner

Key Division Staff Executive Director – Steve Finlay Executive Operations Manager – Richard Hanna Events Manager – Aimee Najdovski Industry Relationship Manager – Elana Huthnance Events Coordinator – Jessica Marshall Communications and IT Coordinator – Nimali Herath Membership Officer – Julia Bresolin Membership Officer – Danielle Tuazon Membership Officer – Roy Kwan Account Manager – Rimma Kolodizner Chartered Assessors – Roland De Broglio, Amal Hanna Neil Wyles and Guy Beaubois National Stage 1 Assessor – Guy Beaubois and Maurice Allen National Manager Careers – Jenny O’Donovan

Your Division Committee for 2011 President – Maryam Khajeh Deputy President – Brendyn Williams Vice Deputy President – John Nichols Immediate Past President – Ian Ackland National Councillors – Bruce Howard, Marlene Kanga and Alex Baitch National Congress – Kevin Dixon, David Edwards and Michael Myers

Elected Members: Alex Baitch, Kevin Dixon, Phillip Cleary, Rosemary Crowhurst, Don Hector and Ted Tooher

Appointed Members: Young Engineers Australia, Sydney Division – Terri Lin Women in Engineering – Julie Mikhail Regional Group Representatives – Jon Thompson and Marlene Van der Sterren College and CELM Representative – Debashis Raha Unit Representative – Jon Lee Societies Representative – Patrick McMullan Chair Education Sub Committee – Norm Himsley

Produced by Engineers Australia Sydney Division Editor – Steve Finlay Designed by Engineers Media

Sydney Division

Level 3, 8 Thomas Street, Chatswood NSW 2067 (PO Box 1389, Chatswood 2057) phone 02 9410 5600 fax 02 9410 0000 sydney@engineersaustralia.org.au www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sydney The views expressed in Engineers Sydney are not necessarily those of Engineers Australia Sydney Division.

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2 ENGINEERS SYDNEY OCTOBER 2011

Almost a third of Australia’s 22.7 million population live in New South Wales, with 4.6 million in greater metropolitan Sydney and over 2.5 million in regional areas. This Year of Humanitarian Engineering 2011 has highlighted the role that engineers play in developing and restoring basic services to communities both in Australia and around the world, such services we often take for granted until we’re abruptly left without them following a natural disaster for example. 2012 is the Year of the Regional Engineering Team, and therefore an opportunity to recognise and support those of our engineering profession who provide for the 2.5 million spread throughout the vast regional areas of NSW. Engagement is key. Engineers Australia, Consult Australia and IPWEA have all highlighted the need to improve engagement with members in regional areas, and have also committed to collaboration and better use of technology as a means of achieving this. I look forward to hearing of the initiatives coming from around the Division, and hope to see the outcomes of these entrenched as a legacy for future years. The Engineering Excellence Awards were held in September, and again highlighted the ingenuity of the engineering profession in Australia. This is a milestone event on the Divisional calendar, and was a great success this year thanks to all those involved. We congratulate the finalists, those recognised as highly commended, and of course the category winners. Again, the Awards programme is a great opportunity to get involved and demonstrate the accomplishment of the engineering profession. Brendyn Williams BE(Civil)(Hons) MIEAust FIPWEA Deputy President, Engineers Australia Sydney Division

Commissioning – the new black of engineering consultancy By Neil Caswell Construction Quality & Commissioning Manager Norman Disney & Young Norman Disney & Young (NDY) recognise a growing client demand for comprehensive commissioning services to ensure greater efficiency and reduced energy usage. This practical approach to tuning existing buildings underpins true sustainability. Traditionally, commissioning services have been carried out on mechanical systems over the past 20 years but this process has only recently progressed to other engineering services in the construction industry. In many instances, engineering services such as hydraulics, electrical and fire have a long history of mandatory testing requirements, but traditionally these services have not had the same quality of process as commonly used on mechanical installations. A conscious greening of the construction industry has seen the introduction of Green Star and the utilisation of the intent of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) commissioning codes noted in its technical manuals. This advancement with accreditation and commissioning guidance, coupled with a general industry movement towards more efficient use of energy and natural resources, has lead to a greater focus on the commissioning and verification of building services systems. The Australian construction industry, and certainly those involved with major construction projects, has embraced the process, including the team at NDY. Fully documented commissioning, and robust testing and verification of systems, has started to become part of a project norm with many contractors. Their experience with the process is increasing and thus they are better prepared to participate. It has taken around five years to arrive at the current position where most major contractors are aware of the requirements for thorough commissioning; though it has to be said it is not yet implemented consistently across the board. The filtration of commissioning processes knowledge from larger to smaller projects has been slow to date but it is gaining momentum. Knowledge of the processes is being shared organically as people move employers within the industry and relate their experiences from successfully commissioned projects. As client demand grows for commissioning services and communal industry expertise increases, our built environment will subsequently become increasingly greener and more sustainable.

NEWS

Young Engineers A couple of months ago I wrote about the obvious importance of understanding risk and how these skills are crucial for a career within engineering. Another skill that I feel is vitally important for all engineers is communication; again an obvious and straight forward assertion. Interestingly unlike risk, many engineers, both young and experienced, tend to struggle with effective communication! Is this because great engineering minds are introverted geeks who prefer to work alone or is there just a lack of emphasis on these skills throughout an engineer’s career? I believe it’s the latter as introversion is a social preference that can be tailored through the development of skills such as public speaking, debating and presenting. Indeed many engineers do develop these skills and they are usually the ones who move beyond the technical realms of engineering and take on leadership roles within organisations and the community. The future of Australia’s prosperity requires strong leaders in both an industrial and social context and Young Engineers Australia recognises the need to have more engineers represented within these leadership roles throughout our community, particularly government. The YEAS committee is dedicated to running professional development events that focus on communication skills such as debating and public speaking in order to encourage young engineers to start developing these skills early on. Society needs engineers to develop infrastructure and industries that drive our economy, however more than this there needs to be more engineers making the decisions about what infrastructure and what industries should be developed. Society needs engineering leaders and leadership begins with the development of effective communication skills. With that said, it was great to see so many young engineers compete in the inter-university public speaking competition this year. The competition was held at UNSW, USYD, UTS & UWS with the final taking place at the Seymour Sounds Lounge last month. Congratulations must go to Hugh Miller from UNSW who won the competition this year and was invited to deliver his winning speech at the Annual Gala Dinner attended by over 200 young engineers from all over the region. The YEAS Gala Dinner brought together young engineers from nearly 20 different organisations for a night of fun and networking while also recognising our peers who have achieved excellence within their fields. With the mathematics guru and breakfast radio extraordinaire Adam Spencer as MC the night was very informative and entertaining particularly with Adam

Young Engineers at the YEAS Gala Dinner. strutting his dance moves with all the guests late into the night! We were very lucky to be able to announce two prestigious awards on the night and congratulations must go to Steven Lindsay of Lindsay & Dynan for winning the Young Professional Engineer of the Year award and to Chris Druitt of Wollongong University for winning the Student Engineer of the Year award! I’d like to thank all those dedicated young engineers who made the night possible and so enjoyable for everyone. The night would certainly not have been possible if it wasn’t for our platinum sponsor, Arup and gold sponsors, Lindsay & Dynan and Brown Consulting – thank you very much for the support! James Bencke, GradIEAust YEAS Chairperson If you are interested in getting involved or learning more about YEAS please email our secretary Patrick James at yeasyd@engineersaustralia.org.au. For upcoming YEAS events please visit our website at www.engineersaustralia. org.au/yeasyd/ or join our Facebook group: Young Engineers Australia Sydney.

Riverina regional news Mr Ian Davies from the Riverina Regional Group of Engineers Australia attended the Build-A Bridge program that was conducted at the Borambola Recreation Camp from 15-17 August 2011. The Build-A-Bridge camp is held at the Borambola Sport & Recreation Centre and is a fun activity designed to develop interest in engineering skills in school age children and is supported by engineers in the Riverina region who volunteer to assist with various activities. The children have to design and build a bridge, then use it to cross over an area, putting their trust in their newly created structure! Mr Davies attended the camp for the three days and had the following to say about the event: There were 24 participants (22 boys and 2 girls) selected from schools around the Riverina, split into 4 teams of 6. One of the selection criteria was that they had a genuine interest in pursuing a career in the engineering profession. Most were from year 10 or 11 so they were generally 15 or 16 years old.

On the Monday morning they did a series of get-to-know-you and team building exercises. They had to design a pedestrian bridge about 18m long with the winning team’s design to be built across a lagoon full of water the next day. On Tuesday each team spent the day designing their bridge, building a model of it and documenting design drawings, material lists, construction plan and schedules, contingency plans, etc. After dinner each team did a peer review of the work done by each of the other teams and scored each team’s efforts were scored against a list of about 10 criteria. There were also points awarded for the cost of building their model (lower the cost the higher the points); the value of waste material left over (lower the value the higher the points). On Wednesday the winning team became the project managers to build their bridge design with the members of the remaining teams being the workforce. There were a few rules, one of which was that they were not allowed to use any existing bridges to cross the lagoon with personnel or materials required on the other side so they all had to be taken across by kayak. The role of the engineers present was to mentor them and provide guidance (but not solutions) if they got stuck on a problem, and to ensure site safety during the construction. The test at the end of the day was that all 24 could walk across the bridge without it collapsing – which they achieved. The ingenuity and commitment they all showed during the design and construction days was amazing. I left totally convinced that all 24 of them would be a credit to the engineering profession if they choose to follow that path. On top of that I had a great time and really enjoyed mentoring them because they were all so keen to learn and absorb knowledge.

engineers sydney OCTOBER 2011 3

2011 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Another year, another wonderful celebration of Engineering Excellence Tim Ferguson, Master of Ceremonies, captivated the 550 guests from the moment he walked on stage. Guest of Honour Chair of RedR Australia, Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Taylor AO, discussed the definition of Humanitarian Engineering, in particular the importance of engineering to the well-being, welfare and comfort of individuals and communities in disadvantaged circumstances. Thirteen Excellence and twelve Highly Commended, along with four Personal Awards were presented on the 16 September at The Westin Hotel. Finisar Australia was presented with the prestigious Bradfield Award for the FlexGrid. Chief Judge Norm Himsley said the “FlexgridTM is a unique and flexible software enhancement to Finisar’s switching range which allows telecommunications carriers to implement a flexible grid network in an incremental manner using existing installed fibre and terminal equipment”. The President’s Award was awarded to Macmahon Contractors Pty Ltd with joint entrants, Sydney Catchment Authority and SMEC Australia; for the Nepean River Weirs Environmental Flow Release and Fish Passages Project. Sydney Division President Maryam Khajeh said that “the project regognised than an important improvement to the Hawkesbury-Nepean River flow was required, in order to improve water quality, help fish breed and reduce weeds in the river”. All the Excellence Awards winners have the opportunity to enter the National Awards which will be presented in November. Six of the Excellence Awards finalists and winners have been invited to have their projects displayed in the Innovations and Inventions Gallery at the Powerhouse Museum. Their projects will be seen by half a million visitors during the Year Exhibition. The Excellence Awards committee extends its thanks to the Excellence Awards Sponsors for their ongoing support of the Awards program, the 42 Excellence Awards judges, and the 13 Personal Awards judges. Thanks are also extended to the young engineer volunteers who assisted at the Awards evening, and last but certainly not least, to the 91 entrants and 51 finalists of the 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards. The entire Showcase Book which details the finalists, and the list of winners can be viewed at www.eea-sydney.org.au The photographs of the Awards night can be viewed and purchased online at www.ianbarnes.com.au, and then go to 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards. The 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards will be launched at the Powerhouse Museum on Wednesday 1 February.

The 2011 Winners and Sponsors are: Bradfield Award Finisar Australia – FlexGrid

President’s award Macmahon Contractors Pty Ltd with joint entrants Sydney Catchment Authority, SMEC Australia Pty Ltd – Nepean River Weirs Environmental Flow Release and Fish Passages Project

PERSONAL AWARDS Professional Engineer of the Year Sponsored by Powerhouse Museum Presented to Andrew Leventhal

Young Professional Engineer of the Year Sponsored by Abigroup Presented to Steven Lindsay

Engineering Student of the Year Sponsored by Engineering Education Australia Presented to Chris Druitt

Entrepreneur of the Year Sponsored by Cochlear Presented to Richard Tamba

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INDUSTRY AWARDS Control Systems & Communications Sponsored by Honeywell Engineering Summer School Excellence Award: Standard Communications Pty Ltd – Kingray Professional MATV Headend

Software & Embedded Systems Sponsored by Excellence Awards Committee Excellence Award: Finisar Australia – FlexGrid

Products, Manufacturing Facilities & Processes Sponsored by UGL Excellence Award: Finisar Australia – Dynamic Wavelength Processor (DWP) Highly Commended: Consep Pty Ltd – Consep Hoist

Environment & Heritage Sponsored by Norman Disney & Young Excellence Award: Macmahon Contractors Pty Ltd with joint entrants Sydney Catchment Authority, SMEC Australia Pty Ltd – Nepean River Weirs Environmental Flow Release and Fish Passages Project Highly Commended: Derrubbin Water Futures with joint entrant Sydney Water – St Marys Water Recycling Project Highly Commended: Sydney Ports Corporation with joint entrant Baulderstone – Port Botany Foreshore Public Infrastructure Development and Penrhyn Estuary Rehabilitation

Welfare, Health & Safety Sponsored by Excellence Awards Committee Excellence Award: SOS Marine – SOS Dan Buoy Highly Commended: National ICT Australia – Wireless Power Delivery for Biomedical Implants

Education & Training Sponsored by Baulderstone Excellence Award: Engineers Without Borders Australia – Humanitarian Engineering Education Program Highly Commended: Transgrid with joint entrant Engineering Education Australia – Graduate Program in Engineering

Innovations & Inventions Sponsored by Davies Collison Cave Excellence Award: ResMed – Mirage FX Nasal Mask Highly Commended: Braingauge – BrainGauge – Cognitive Load Measurement

Research & Development Sponsored by UNSW Excellence Award: Finisar Australia – WaveShaper Programmable Optical Processors Highly Commended: Hansen Yuncker – Royal Australian Navy School of Sea Safety and Survivability (RANSSSS)

PROJECT AWARDS Project Management Sponsored by Everything Infrastrcuture Excellence Award: Hansen Yuncker – Yuncken BER Project Management Highly Commended: Sydney Water – Managing Three Project Interfaces Highly Commended: TransGrid with joint entrant UGL Infrastructure – Western 500kV Project

2011 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARDS Infrastructure Projects

Small Business Ventures

Sponsored by John Holland Excellence Award: TransGrid with joint entrant UGL Infrastructure – Western 500kV Project Highly Commended: Baulderstone Pty Ltd with joint entrant Sydney Ports Corporation Jan De Nul – Port Botany Expansion Project

Sponsored by Australiain Engineering Week Excellence Award: Ocular Robotics Pty Ltd – Ocular Robotics – RobotEye Technology

Building Structures Sponsored by Sydney Morning Herald Excellence Award: BG&E Pty Limited – Index Building, Dubai, UAE Highly Commended: Waterway Constructions Pty Ltd with joint entrant Hansen Yuncken Pty Ltd – Milsons Point Ferry Wharf Upgrade Project

Engineering for Regional Communities Sponsored by RTA Excellence Award: National Parks and Wildlife Service – Rehabilitation of Former Snowy Scheme Sites Highly Commended: Bulkwater Alliance – Googong Dam Spillway Remediation

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1. Professional Engineer of the Year, Andrew Leventhal (r). 2. President’s Award Winners, Macmahon Contractors. 3. Bradfield Award Winners, Finisar Australia. 4. Entrepreneur of the Year, Richard Tamba. 5. Young Professional Engineer of the Year, Steven Lindsay (l). 6. Engineering Student of the Year, Chris Druitt. engineers sydney OCTOBER 2011 5

COMPANY PROFILE

UGL UGL is a global leader in outsourced engineering, asset management and property services that enhance the environment in which we live. UGL plays an integral part in shaping the environment of the communities in which we operate, from delivering clean water to your taps, devising the optimal environment for you to work in, building the trains to get you there on time, to designing the facilities that allow you to heat your homes. With operations across 14 countries worldwide UGL plays an essential role in helping customers maximise the value of their investments. UGL provides customised solutions to meet the needs of public, private, commercial, government and industrial customers in four complementary service lines: Infrastructure, Rail and Resources delivering engineering, operations and maintenance; and Services bringing together UGL’s offerings in outsourced business processes, corporate real estate and facilities management. The complementary nature of these services enables UGL to offer local customers tangible and tailored solutions to shape, develop or enhance their asset’s performance, over the life of the asset – from seamlessly managing Ivy League campus facilities to support the finest learning environments, delivering and maintaining more fuel efficient locomotives to transport a country’s vital resources, to managing community and business-critical ATM networks. UGL’s international presence, financial strength and focus on innovation, combined with the wide-ranging experience and expertise of its employees, are the assets on which UGL relies to deliver solutions that enhance our daily lives.

Company mission UGL’s mission is to build on its history of engineering excellence, technology innovation and property services to provide the highest-quality and most reliable products and services to its global customer base. UGL realises this mission by setting the highest standards in safety, service and reliability in the industries in which it operates.

Sponsorship UGL recognises the commitment engineers make to the well-being of the community, the excellent levels of engineering achieved, and the innovative work being performed every day in Australia by people in the engineering profession. The sponsorship of this award is part of UGL’s ongoing commitment to developing a deeper understanding of the benefits and necessity of products, manufacturing facilities and processes within the engineering industry, the education of future engineers and celebrating excellence in engineering outcomes.

Solutions focussed, innovative engineering UGL has developed a unique team of over 1,000 in-house engineering professionals, imbued with willingness to challenge the norm and focus on issues of constructability and maintainability. This capability is now of a size that rivals the capability of most large consulting engineering firms in the Asia Pacific Region and this unique

Bannaby – 500/330kV substation – part of the Western 500kV network. capability is a key differentiator amongst our peers. Our in-house engineering services include: Process, Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, HV Protection, HV Systems, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation, Rail Signaling and Communications, Asset Management & Maintenance Engineering, Manufacturing, Systems Integration and Refurbishment & Modernisation This derives from the integrated nature of the UGL engineering businesses. UGL’s engineers are involved in all facets of the project lifecycle, from concept development through to operation, maintenance and shutdown planning. UGL’s engineers are supervised by chief engineers responsible for each of the key disciplines. This approach ensures that common high standards are applied throughout the organisation and that its engineers are provided with an environment that fosters their technical expertise.

Our Staff Employing over 46,000 talented people globally, people are UGL’s biggest asset. Their enthusiasm, leadership, knowledge, expertise and above all, commitment to safety enable UGL to help its customers realise success. Embark on a career with the UGL group, and you can expect the highest quality training and professional development, fantastic opportunities to work with clients and colleagues worldwide, and the reward of being part of one of the fastest-growing engineering companies in the ASX top 100.

UGL’s core values underpin everything it does Teamwork, open and honest communication, integrity, safety and outstanding customer service are instrumental to UGL’s growth, the development of UGL’s people and the success of UGL’s customers.

Major Achievements UGL and TransGrid’s Western 500kV Project has been awarded the 2011 Engineering Excellence Award for Infrastructure Projects. The Western 500kV Project is New South Wales’ biggest 500kV development and the National Electricity Market’s largest ever demand management project. UGL was the successful contractor which was awarded the design and construct contract for the Western 500 kV Project. This is a very pleasing outcome for UGL and illustrates the strength of our power business in Australia and our very strong partnership with TransGrid. Through careful project staging and collaborative project management, UGL and TransGrid delivered four new 500/330kV substations within required timeframes and 2.4 per cent under budget. UGL was also recently recognised with an Australian Institute of Project Management Project Management Achievement Award (PMAA) from the Australian Institute of Project Management for its work on the third stage of its Outer Suburban Car (Oscar) manufacture and supply project with RailCorp. This award for UGL reflects our very strong partnership and excellent working relationship with RailCorp. UGL are now well into the third stage of the Oscar project and continue to deliver a safe, reliable and technologically advanced passenger train to service the outer suburban Sydney rail network.

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NEWS EVENTS

(WIE) HMAS Success Technical Site Visit On Friday 19 August, 26 female engineers from various government and private sectors assembled at Sydney’s Garden Island Navy Fleet Base. This group was invited to attend a technical site visit, organised by Women in Engineering Sydney Division in conjunction with the Royal Australian Navy. Despite the relentless rain and wind, there was no lack of enthusiasm as the group embarked upon the deck of the HMAS Success. Upon arrival, the group of female engineers was welcomed by Lieutenant Commander Neil Coysh, the Officer in Charge for the site visit. The 26 engineers were divided into smaller groups to tour the vessel. Each group was escorted by a HMAS Success crew member as they toured the Bridge, Cargo Control Room and Officer Watch Room areas. As the groups toured the Bridge, they were made aware of the importance of quality training and meeting competency requirements for officers. It was also fascinating to hear that despite the incredible technology that was onboard, some of the controls were still manually operated. This is due to the fact that the ship was commissioned in the late 1980s. The main operation of the HMAS Success is Replenishment at Sea (RAS) missions, which is critical in support of the Australian Defence Force operations at sea. The RAS missions involve the delivery of fuel, ammunition and food, which is vital to ensure the operational success of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet. The officer explained that the Cargo Control Room is the heart of the operations. Furthermore, the Transfer Stations for cargo had the ability to transfer loads of up to approximately 2 tonnes. The loads are transported using winches powered by hydraulic transmissions, controlled electronically.

The final area was the Officer Watch Room where the groups were briefed on the importance of communication and message traffic. As the tour came to an end, there was a common appreciation for the value and importance of the roles which technical officers and engineers play in the Royal Australian Navy. The entire group was extremely pleased with the professionalism, integrity and dedication displayed by the crew on board the HMAS Success. Sherry Moghadassi National Committee Representative WIE Sydney Division

Illawarra/Sutherland region news Philip Davies, Associate from Golder Associates Pty Ltd gave a presentation on The Port Botany Expansion on Wednesday 14 September to the Illawarra/Sutherland Region Members at the Sutherland United Services Club. The presentation provided an overview of geotechnical challenges associated with the Port Botany Expansion (PBE) project in Sydney. The port expansion project entails a 63 hectare reclamation up to 30m deep, which is constructed from dredged Botany Bay sands. The reclaimed area is retained by over two hundred 22m high counterfort and blockwork gravity wall units. These berth structures are founded on vibrocompacted sand backfill placed within a submerged trench (l-r): Nick DiBono, Phil Davies, Jon Thompson and excavated into natural fissured clays. Chris Hadenham. Design involved detailed assessment of stability and movement behaviour for the reclamation and berth structures. Geotechnical compliance testing criteria were developed for reclamation fill materials to provide compaction and

Entrepreneurs Workshop Be inspired to transform your engineering innovation into a commercial success, with: • Entrepreneur of the Year, Richard Tamba • Maryam Khajeh of NewSouth Innovations and • Will Hird of Davies Collison Cave.

material quality assurance. In particular, acceptance criteria for berth structure foundations and retained backfill were developed to prove the strength and stiffness of fills so as to meet design requirements at key time milestones following handover of the works. The main fill verification tool utilised Cone Penetration Tests (CPTs), for which a number of screening rules and site specific acceptance criteria were developed. Methods of fill compaction included dynamic compaction, vibrocompaction and impact roller compaction. The performance of these methods were discussed along with lessons learned, effects of vibrocompaction on wall structures, soil-structure interaction and actual versus predicted performance of compacted sand fills. Elaine Bailey Regional Co-Ordinator

Protecting the future of ideas... ...and ideas of the future

5.30pm | 19 October 2011 | DCC Sydney | Free See Your Professional Development dates at back, or email events@davies.com.au

www.davies.com.au

engineers sydney OCTOBER 2011 7

YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – DIARY DATES Most events are held at EA Auditorium, Ground Floor, 8 Thomas Street, Chatswood with refreshments provided prior to the session. As events are subject to change or cancel at short notice, please check our website www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sydney/events for up-to-date information. PLEASE NOTE: To view video streams and to download slides of selected Technical Presentations please visit Online CPD at our website: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/sydney/onlineCPD

OCTOBER

Mon 17 Maritime Panel Presentation by Angus Gordon – Climate Change, Fact or Fiction Auditorium 17:30 to 19:30 Contact: Heli Lahteela Email: Heli.Lahteela@scottwilson.com Cost: Free

Thurs 13 Women In Engineering Abigroup WIE Annual Breakfast Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George Street, Sydney 07:00 to 09:00 Contact: Julie Mikhail Email: sydwie@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: $45EA members & students, $50 non member, $500 Table of 10

Thurs 13 Joint Electrical Branch – Engineers Australia, IET, IEEE iOmniscient – Technology Leader in Video Analytics Auditorium 17:00 to 20:00 Contact: Peter Hitchiner Email: phitchiner@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: Free

Fri 14 Illawarra Sutherland Regional Group Welding Requirements of AS/ NZS1554.1 Structural Welding Gemini Hotel, Banna Avenue, Griffith 19:00 to 21:00 Contact: Tom MacKerras Email: tmackerras@agengineering. com.au Cost: Free

Fri 14 Engineers Australia Sydney Division

Engineering Towards a Better World Auditorium 17:30 for 18:00 to 19:00 Contact: Alexandra Meldrum Email: sydneycelm@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: Free

ATS Sydney Golf Day Venue: Northbridge Golf Club, Sailor Bay Road Northbridge, NSW 2063 12.00 for 13.00 Contact: Jessica Qiu Email: ats.sydney@gmail.com Cost: $125 per player

Sat 15 Engineers Australia Sydney Division CPEng Workshop Board Room 9:30 to 12:30 Contact: Julia Bresolin Email: jbresolin@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: Free

8 ENGINEERS SYDNEY OCTOBER 2011

Waratah Train Signal Compatibility Meeting Room, Central Station Concourse, Sydney 11:30 for 12:00 Contact: Katharina Gerstmann Email: nsw-chair@rtsa.com.au Cost: Free

Thurs 3 Quality in Engineering Panel Quality in Transport Planning Auditorium 17:30 to 20:00 Contact: Brendyn Williams Email: Brendyn@Pentagon.com.au Cost: Free

Tues 18 Young Engineers Australia, Illawarra Sutherland Conducting Polymer Medical Bionics Research UniCentre Function Room No.4 University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong 18:00 for 18:30 Contact: Elaine Bailey Email: ebailey@uow.edu.au Cost: Free

Wed 19 Society of Fire Safety Bushfires Auditorium 15:30 for 16:00 to 18:00 Contact: David Boverman Email: david.boverman@rfs.nsw.gov.au Cost: $20 EA & SFS members, $30 non members

Wed 19

Thurs 20 Engineers Australia Engineers Supporting Humanitarian Outcomes in the Acute Phase of International Disasters Auditorium 08:00 to 18:00 Contact: Catriona McAuliffe Email: cmcauliffe@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: $105 members, $35 students, $150 non members

Mon 24

Thurs 10 Joint Electrical Branch – Engineers Australia, IET, IEEE Challenges in Wireless Communications Auditorium 17:30 to 20:00 Contact: Allan Sangster Email: allan.sangster@gmail.com Cost: Free

Tues 22 Civil and Structural Engineering Panel Fire Safety of Concrete Buildings Zenith Theatre, Corner Railway & McIntosh Street 17:30 for 18:00 to 19:30 Contact: John Nichols Email: JohnN@ccaa.com.au Cost: Free

Entrepreneurs Workshop Be inspired by Entrepreneur of the Year, Richard Tamba Davies Collison Cave Level 14, 255 Elizabeth St, Sydney 17:30 – 19:30 with drinks & canapes Email: events@davies.com.au Cost: Free

CPEng Workshop Board Room 9:30 to 12:30 Contact: Julia Bresolin Email: jbresolin@engineersaustralia. org.au Cost: Free

Fri 14 Australasian Tunnelling Society – Sydney

Wed 2 Railway Technical Society of Australasia Syd Div Chapter

Tues 18 Centre for Engineering Leadership & Management

Thurs 13 Shoalhaven Country Group are presenting a Seminar on: RTA Update on Shoalhaven & Southcoast Road Works Boatshed Restaurant, 10 Wharf Road, Nowra –18:30 Contact: Greg Westlake E-mail: gregw@pacificwestlake.com Cost $35.00 for 2 course meal

NOVEMBER

Risk Engineering Society RES AGM & Seminar Auditorium 07:30 for 18:00 Contact: Ruben Welschen Email: RubenW@scottlister.com Cost: $20 EA & RES members, $30 non-members

Tues 25 Civil and Structural Engineering Panel North West Rail Link Zenith Theatre Corner Railway & McIntosh Street 17:30 for 18:00 to 19:30 Contact: John Nichols Email: JohnN@ccaa.com.au Cost: Free

Wed 23

Nuclear Engineering Panel The Future of Nuclear Energy Post Fukushima Auditorium 17:30 for 18:00 to 19:30 Contact: Don Higson Email: higsond@bigpond.net.au Cost: Free

Thurs 24 Joint Electrical Branch – Engineers Australia, IET, IEEE AGM and Student presentation Auditorium 17:30 to 19:30 Contact: Allan Sangster Email: allan.sangster@gmail.com Cost: Free

Sat 26 Western Sydney Regional Group WSRG Christmas Event 2011 Vicary’s Winery, The Northern Road, Luddenham NSW 19:00 for 20:00 Contact: Steve Lewis Email: wsrg@engineersaustralia.org.au Cost: $26

Wed 30 Royal Aeronautical Society From Humble Beginnings – The Jabiru Aircraft Story The Lakes Golf Club, Eastlakes, NSW 18:00 for 18:30 Contact: Jeff Lock Email: jeff.lock@bigpond.com Cost: $65 Member, $80 non member