Drained and Undrained Shear Behavior of Compacted Coal Wash
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142, Issue 5
Abstract
Coal wash is a granular waste material that is readily available in the vicinity of coal mining operations. While its potential use in structural fills has been recognized in the past, the effects of particle breakage on the geomechanical performance of the material have not been thoroughly investigated. In this paper, an experimental study on a selected coal wash is undertaken to characterize the influence of compaction and particle breakage on its corresponding stress-strain behavior. Particular emphasis is given to the role of compaction energy level and associated breakage incurred during compaction on the drained and undrained shearing behavior. The incidence of particle breakage for undrained and drained shearing was observed to be different, which in turn had a strong influence in the yielding behavior and the critical state. Furthermore, the critical state conditions for coal wash seem to be better described through a three-dimensional surface incorporating the effect of breakage.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Australian Research Council, Coffey Geotechnics, Douglas Partners, Menard Bachy and Port Kembla Port Corporation. The authors also appreciate the support of BHP Illawarra Coal for supplying the coal wash for this study. The assistance provided by Dr. Gabriele Chiaro during the initial stages of the ARC project and by Mr. Alan Grant and Mr. Ian Laird in the execution of tests reported herein is gratefully appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 142 • Issue 5 • May 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 16, 2014
Accepted: Aug 25, 2015
Published online: Jan 28, 2016
Published in print: May 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Jun 28, 2016
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