Alan Roberts

Biography

"My interest in Bulk Solids Handling as a research field commenced when I was a part time undergraduate student completing a BE (Mechanical) degree at the University of New South Wales. My final year undergraduate honours project dealt with the performance of screw conveyors handling grain. Having no formal education in granular mechanics, I became interested in this subject and used the library to read any reference book and research paper that could provided the background I needed. The field of Soil Mechanics was one such field of great interest. I was encouraged to follow up my undergraduate project work and enrolled for a PhD degree which I completed in 1962 whilst appointed as a member of the academic staff in Mechanical Engineering at Wollongong University College, now, since 1975, The University of Wollongong. Becoming conscious of the significant problems occurring in industry, the field of Bulk Materials Handling became an obvious and challenging field in which to devote my research. On moving to the Chair of Industrial Engineering at Newcastle in 1974, I was appointed in that year as Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (a position I held for 11 years) and also in 1974 I was elected Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (a position I held for 19.5 years). In 1975, I established the research and consulting group, TUNRA Bulk Solids Handling Research Associates (TBS). Over the 31 years of its existence, (TBS) has provided a great service to industry and is internationally recognized for its contribution to research and its industrial interactions. Currently TBS is completing around 150 projects a year with a consulting turnover exceeding $1.6m. Apart from Australia, TBS has undertaken work for some 40 countries world wide. Over the years, the research has been supported by grants from such bodies as the Wheat Industry Research Council, Commonwealth Rural Credits Research Fund, the ARGC (a forerunner of the ARC), the ARC, AMIRA and ACARP. In 1995 we were awarded an ARC Key Centre for Teaching and Research in Bulk Solids and Particulate Technologies (CBSPT). (We were one of 7 Key Centres funded out of 96 applications). This was a joint Centre embracing the Universities of Newcastle and Wollongong. It was my initiative to apply for this Centre and I became the Director of the Centre in 1995. While the funding cycle from the ARC was 6 years, the Centre continues to operate in a self supporting mode. The interactive roles of TBS and CBSPT has proved to be very successful and, apart from the service provided to industry, the overriding benefit lies in the interaction with the Faculty of Engineering through teaching and support of undergraduate and post graduate students."

Research Interest

Resources Engineering and Extractive Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering