This website uses cookies to enhance browsing experience. Read below to see what cookies we recommend using and choose which to allow.
By clicking Accept All, you'll allow use of all our cookies in terms of our Privacy Notice.
Essential Cookies
Analytics Cookies
Marketing Cookies
Essential Cookies
Analytics Cookies
Marketing Cookies
This paper proposes a procedure for standardizing the assessment of the vulnerability of tailings dams to flow liquefaction using numerical methods.
The procedure consists of five steps: i) simulating the behavior of tailings and strain-softening materials with a constitutive model able to capture liquefaction and strain softening; ii) calibrating the model to reproduce the expected peak and residual undrained strength ratios, and brittleness; iii) simulating the construction and operation of the dam as a coupled flowdeformation analyses; iv) applying a set of standard triggers that disturb the balance of the dam, as “undrained” actions, and increasing them monotonically until failure is observed; and v) reporting the outcome.
Three disturbing actions are recommended, that represent ultimate states of the dam and that cover most of the known causes of tailings dam failure: i) an increase in the phreatic surface; ii) a toe contraction; and iii) a load at the crest.
The vulnerability of the dam is evaluated by analyzing if one or more of the failure modes: i) produces loss of containment; ii) involves brittle or progressive failure; iii) has a trigger value within the plausible range for the dam.
Date: Thursday, November 14, 11:00 - 12:30, Andes 2 Room, Tailings 1, Section 461
Click here to see other SRK presentations at this event.