Abstract
On November 5, 2015, the Fundão tailings storage facility (TSF) failed, resulting in significant tailings release and 19 deaths. Following the failure, a review panel was established to investigate the cause of the failure. This investigation suggested that the failure involved static liquefaction triggered by deformations in slimes underlying loose, saturated, sandy tailings. This conclusion was reached by interpretation of cone penetration tests (CPTu), laboratory testing of deformation-induced stress paths, and numerical modeling. However, the report did not clearly indicate what method was used to infer the in situ state ψ from the CPTu probes, and electronic data are not currently publicly available. To remedy both of these limitations, the CPTu data presented by the Panel were digitized to enable their more widespread use and to assess which methods likely were used to interpret the state. As part of this process, a zone of looser sandy tailings at the location where liquefaction was likely to have triggered was identified. Comparison of the state of this material to the overall sandy tailings state indicates that this loose zone may have played a role in the initiation of static liquefaction. Examination of historical data indicated a potential source for this loose material. This examination provides a slightly different perspective of the factors contributing to the initiation of static liquefaction at Fundão.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 04019088 |
| Journal | Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering |
| Volume | 145 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2019 |
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Additional Analyses of the Fundão Tailings Storage Facility : In Situ State and Triggering Conditions. / Reid, David.
In: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 145, No. 11, 04019088, 01.11.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Additional Analyses of the Fundão Tailings Storage Facility
T2 - In Situ State and Triggering Conditions
AU - Reid, David
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - On November 5, 2015, the Fundão tailings storage facility (TSF) failed, resulting in significant tailings release and 19 deaths. Following the failure, a review panel was established to investigate the cause of the failure. This investigation suggested that the failure involved static liquefaction triggered by deformations in slimes underlying loose, saturated, sandy tailings. This conclusion was reached by interpretation of cone penetration tests (CPTu), laboratory testing of deformation-induced stress paths, and numerical modeling. However, the report did not clearly indicate what method was used to infer the in situ state ψ from the CPTu probes, and electronic data are not currently publicly available. To remedy both of these limitations, the CPTu data presented by the Panel were digitized to enable their more widespread use and to assess which methods likely were used to interpret the state. As part of this process, a zone of looser sandy tailings at the location where liquefaction was likely to have triggered was identified. Comparison of the state of this material to the overall sandy tailings state indicates that this loose zone may have played a role in the initiation of static liquefaction. Examination of historical data indicated a potential source for this loose material. This examination provides a slightly different perspective of the factors contributing to the initiation of static liquefaction at Fundão.
AB - On November 5, 2015, the Fundão tailings storage facility (TSF) failed, resulting in significant tailings release and 19 deaths. Following the failure, a review panel was established to investigate the cause of the failure. This investigation suggested that the failure involved static liquefaction triggered by deformations in slimes underlying loose, saturated, sandy tailings. This conclusion was reached by interpretation of cone penetration tests (CPTu), laboratory testing of deformation-induced stress paths, and numerical modeling. However, the report did not clearly indicate what method was used to infer the in situ state ψ from the CPTu probes, and electronic data are not currently publicly available. To remedy both of these limitations, the CPTu data presented by the Panel were digitized to enable their more widespread use and to assess which methods likely were used to interpret the state. As part of this process, a zone of looser sandy tailings at the location where liquefaction was likely to have triggered was identified. Comparison of the state of this material to the overall sandy tailings state indicates that this loose zone may have played a role in the initiation of static liquefaction. Examination of historical data indicated a potential source for this loose material. This examination provides a slightly different perspective of the factors contributing to the initiation of static liquefaction at Fundão.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85070812810&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002123
DO - 10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002123
M3 - Article
VL - 145
JO - Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmentral Engineering
JF - Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmentral Engineering
SN - 0733-9410
IS - 11
M1 - 04019088
ER -