Originally from Germiston, South Africa, Peter Tiley emigrated to southern Ontario in 1955. He graduated from McMaster University with a degree in engineering physics in 1970.

Tiley received an Athlone Scholarship for post graduate work in the United Kingdom, where he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. After returning to Canada in 1972, he began his career at Atomic Energy of Canada’s Chalk River Facility. In 1977, he joined G.L.Tiley & Associates, where he has been involved in the engineering design of mine hoisting systems for over 30 years.

Tiley has inspected several hundred hoists throughout the world and has led the mechanical upgrading, installation and commissioning of over 50 hoisting plants. He was the designer of the first Blair multi-rope hoist installed in North America.

He has published nine papers on mine hoisting plants and developed software for the analysis of stress in multi-layer winders, prediction of thermal response of braking systems and the motion of conveyances running on fixed guides. Tiley is also providing the updated chapter on hoisting plants to the latest edition of the SME Handbook.