Moe Momayez

About

Moe Momayez is a Professor at the School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources and a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors at the University of Arizona. His research focuses on developing technologies to improve mine safety and productivity, with specific attention to miners' health and safety, geomaterials characterization, rock breakage, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. He leads efforts to address heat-related emergencies in hot underground mines through adaptive ventilation systems, heat strain risk factor identification, development of low thermal conductivity geo-foams using recycled mine tailings, and contingency cooling measures. His physics background enables him to explore low-temperature geothermal energy extraction from underground mines, electricity generation from photovoltaic panels on tailings, evaporation reduction in semiarid environments, and thermal efficiency improvements for solar power systems. Additionally, he investigates the effects of canceling surface charges in geomaterials on rock fragmentation and has extensive experience in geosensing and non-contact sensing systems for measuring properties of geomaterials. Since joining the University of Arizona in 2007, he has contributed significantly to research in mine ventilation, geomechanics, rock physics, and renewable energy, holding 14 patents related to thermally insulating materials, heat stress prediction, rock slope stability, and renewable energy from mines.

Research topics

• Environmental science
• Engineering
• Waste management
• Composite material
• Materials science
• Forensic engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Mining engineering
• Geology

Selected publications

• Heat Stress in Hot Underground Mines: a Brief Literature Review

  Mining Metallurgy & Exploration · 2020 · 26 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• Recent Developments in Thermally Insulating Materials Based on Geopolymers—a Review Article

  Mining Metallurgy & Exploration · 2020 · 26 citations

  DOI

• Review on Constitutive Model for Simulation of Weak Rock Mass

  Geotechnics · 2024-09-07 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Understanding the behavior of weak rock masses is important for predicting the stability of structures under different loading conditions. Traditional models such as the generalized Hoek–Brown and Coulomb weak plane are widely used; however, they often fail to capture the nonlinear and irreversible behavior of weak rock masses. This study offers a comprehensive overview of a critical analysis of constitutive models’ strengths and limitations for simulating weak rock masses. By comparing traditio…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Vibro-Acoustic Platelet Activation: An Additive Mechanism of Prothrombosis with Applicability to Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

  Bioengineering · 2023-12-12 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and loud snoring are conditions with increased cardiovascular risk and notably an association with stroke. Central in stroke are thrombosis and thromboembolism, all related to and initiaing with platelet activation. Platelet activation in OSA has been felt to be driven by biochemical and inflammatory means, including intermittent catecholamine exposure and transient hypoxia. We hypothesized that snore-associated acoustic vibration (SAAV) is an activato…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Simulating a Weak Rock Mass by a Constitutive Model

  Mining · 2025-03-28 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  This study presents a constitutive model for simulating the behavior of weak rock masses under various stress conditions, including the effects of pore pressure and temperature. Addressing the limitations of existing models in accurately representing the complex anisotropic response of these materials, the model utilizes Monte Carlo simulations to integrate stress anisotropy, pore pressure effects, and deviatoric stress states. This approach aims to capture the impact of geological factors such…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ferri Hassani

  32 shared

• Paloma Lazaro

  Arizona Geological Survey

  22 shared

• Krishna Muralidharan

  18 shared

• Zahra Hosseini

  Kyushu University

  17 shared

• Keith Runge

  University of Arizona

  17 shared

• Daniel Lévesque

  16 shared

• Kate Brown Requist

  Arizona Geological Survey

  13 shared

• Pampana Ratnaprasad Rao

  International Institute of Information Technology

  13 shared

Education

• PhD, Mining and Materials Engineering

  McGill University Faculty of Engineering

  1994

Awards & honors

• Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors
• President of the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical S…
• 14 patents and patent applications

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