Impoundment Characterization for Hydraulic Mining of Tailings

Paper Abstract

Reprocessing old tailings storage facilities (TSFs) has become increasingly common in the past ten years because of economic, environmental, and social reasons. 

Tailings deposited by spigots experience segregation and layering, creating deposits that are difficult to excavate due to the highly erratic geotechnical behaviour of the exposed faces. 

Both in-situ and laboratory testing are necessary to understand how steep, temporary tailings slopes might behave, ensuring stability through engineering analysis. 

This paper describes a detailed geotechnical characterization of an old TSF impoundment by in situ and laboratory testing, including sonic drilling, SCPTu soundings, geophysical field testing, and oedometric, monotonic and cyclic triaxial lab testing. Two different areas were surveyed: tailings near the dam, where coarser material is expected, and in the centre of the impoundment for the characterization of finer materials. 

We focused on the critical state behaviour of tailings and estimations of the state parameter, required to calibrate the numerical models employed in the analyses.

 

Authors

Camilo Morales | Senior Soil Mechanics & Tailings | SRK Chile

Alejo Sfriso | Group Chair, Corporate Consultant (Geotechnical Engineering) | SRK Global

 

Programme: 20A - MS Experimental and Numerical Techniques for Advanced Dynamic Characterization of Geomaterials | Thursday 20/06/2024 | 11:30 - 13:00 | Vèrtex Conference Room