TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics of Copper Tailings in Direct Simple Shearing
T2 - A Critical State Approach
AU - Karim, Mohammad Emdadul
AU - Rahman, Md Mizanur
AU - Karim, Md Rajibul
AU - Fourie, Andy B.
AU - Reid, David
PY - 2023/5/1
Y1 - 2023/5/1
N2 - Tailings dams, which are storage structures for tailings, often are constructed using the tailings itself. A large number of tailings dam failures have been reported recently, especially due to static liquefaction, and can be attributed to a lack of knowledge of the geotechnical principles to be used and the lack of characterization of tailings as they continuously are produced and used as construction materials. Furthermore, the majority of past research work has been based on triaxial conditions even though it is believed that direct simple shear conditions may better represent the in situ condition of a tailings dam structure. This paper characterized the behavior of a tailings material from a copper tailings storage facility in Canada using the critical state soil mechanics framework using constant volume (undrained), drained, and constant shear drained shearing tests in direct simple shear space. The correlation between a modified state parameter (ψm) with instability state and the flow potential was investigated. Special attention was paid to the behavioral features of the material such as pore-water pressure generation, flow rule and dilatancy, phase transformation, characteristics state, and how they correlate with ψm. The differences in behavior from that of natural granular soils were highlighted.
AB - Tailings dams, which are storage structures for tailings, often are constructed using the tailings itself. A large number of tailings dam failures have been reported recently, especially due to static liquefaction, and can be attributed to a lack of knowledge of the geotechnical principles to be used and the lack of characterization of tailings as they continuously are produced and used as construction materials. Furthermore, the majority of past research work has been based on triaxial conditions even though it is believed that direct simple shear conditions may better represent the in situ condition of a tailings dam structure. This paper characterized the behavior of a tailings material from a copper tailings storage facility in Canada using the critical state soil mechanics framework using constant volume (undrained), drained, and constant shear drained shearing tests in direct simple shear space. The correlation between a modified state parameter (ψm) with instability state and the flow potential was investigated. Special attention was paid to the behavioral features of the material such as pore-water pressure generation, flow rule and dilatancy, phase transformation, characteristics state, and how they correlate with ψm. The differences in behavior from that of natural granular soils were highlighted.
KW - Critical state
KW - Critical state soil mechanics framework
KW - Direct simple shear
KW - Drained behavior
KW - Tailings
KW - Undrained behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85148752523&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11031
DO - 10.1061/JGGEFK.GTENG-11031
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85148752523
SN - 1090-0241
VL - 149
JO - Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
JF - Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
IS - 5
M1 - 04023018
ER -