Ernst has over twenty-four years experience in geotechnical testing, investigation and research. He commenced his career with one of the southern hemispheres largest geotechnical companies before co-founding Ground Science in 2003.
Mr Gmehling spent the early part of his career learning the skills in site investigations and basic soils testing. With earthworks construction testing the mainstream field for testing, Ernst was involved with many major freeway projects around Melbourne, Ballarat and interstate.
In 1985 he commenced an associate diploma in civil engineering during night school and successfully completed the course in 1991. In the following years he mastered the highly specialised triaxial and consolidation test and most of the test methods covered by AS 1289. He commenced research mix design work for the mining industry required for mine stope backfill using cemented sandfill, paste fills and rockfills. He delivered a presentation on mine backfill testing at the National Mine Backfill conference in November 2000 held in Brisbane.
Mr Gmehling went on to write two training modules for the Box Hill Institute of Tafe in soil mechanics and also worked part time as a teacher in this field delivering the soil mechanics subjects to the Quarry Managers course.
During the early 1990’s he developed an interest in sports field testing after he was exposed to performing testing on the redevelopment of the MCG playing surface and later on at the redevelopment of the first super-elevated horse racing track at Moonee Valley. With the development of his skills in this area and a passion for testing he also completed the quality control testing of the sands and gravels used in the now named Telstra Dome and successfully completed similar works at the exclusive Melbourne Grammar sports facility in Port Melbourne.
With the assistance and support of the Victorian branch of the Turf Grass Association of Australia (TGAA) he conducted two years of research work into the uses of nuclear density moisture meters on cricket wickets on two specific grass varieties. The research work was presented at the annual TGAA cricket wicket seminar held at Testra Dome in 2003.
Ground Science is now one of the countries premier sports field testing facilities with projects performed Australia wide, throughout Asia and the Middle East. Some of which include the new Gold Coast rugby stadium in Queensland, Marrara soccer stadiums in Darwin, and numerous horse training and racing tracks around the country and overseas. Ground Science has also completed cricket soils and sand testing for the International Cricket academy at the Dubai Sports City project which is an enormous venture for a country on the edge of a desert. Ground Science has recently been chosen as the nominated testing facility for the performance of laboratory testing at the redevelopment of Skilled Stadium in Geelong, the home of the Geelong Football club the 2009 AFL premiers.
If it is a major project or a single material compliance test contact Ernst Gmehling for assistance.
During early 2005 Mr Ernst Gmehling's passion for the geotechnical testing industry influenced him to start up a steering committee to establish Victoria's first construction materials testing laboratories association. In October of 2005 the steering committee formed the Victorian Construction Materials Laboratories Association Inc (VCMLA) of which Ernst is the Chairman. It was the group's passion in their first years of existence to hold the inaugural National Geotechnical laboratories conference held in Melbourne in May of 2006.
In early 2007 Ernst was invited to join the CE009 committee of Standards Australia for soils and is a part of the group that reviews and updates current Australian Standards covering AS1289 and AS5101 (AS1141).
