Eighth International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Hydraulic Conductivity and Soil Water Retention of Waste Rock and Tailings Mixtures
Publication: Geo-Congress 2019: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability (GSP 312)
ABSTRACT
The objectives of this study were to (i) measure the hydraulic conductivity and soil water retention of tailings and waste rock and tailings mixtures and (ii) assess how the tailings fraction influences hydraulic properties of the mixtures. Mine tailings and waste rock were collected from two mines, and tailings-dominated mixtures (i.e., GeoWaste) were created whereby waste rock particles act as inclusions in the tailings matrix. Hydraulic conductivity of pure tailings ranged between 9×10-6 and 7×10-8 cm/s, whereas hydraulic conductivity of GeoWaste ranged between 1×10-4 and 3×10-8 cm/s. The hydraulic conductivity of GeoWaste decreased with an increase in effective stress from 10 to 100 kPa, and was comparable to hydraulic conductivity of pure tailings at effective stresses of 100 and 500 kPa. Similarity in the water retention behavior of GeoWaste and pure tailings was dependent on the mixture ratio, whereby mixtures with larger tailings fractions exhibited more comparable soil water retention to pure tailings.
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Acknowledgment
Financial support for this study was provided in part by Goldcorp Inc. to Colorado State University. Support also was provided by National Science Foundation (CMMI #1538344). The opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Goldcorp Inc., National Science Foundation, or Colorado State University.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Geo-Congress 2019: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability (GSP 312)
Pages: 41 - 50
Editors: Christopher L. Meehan, Ph.D., University of Delaware, Sanjeev Kumar, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Miguel A. Pando, Ph.D., University of North Carolina Charlotte, and Joseph T. Coe, Ph.D., Temple University
ISBN (Online): 978-0-7844-8214-8
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Mar 21, 2019
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Environmental engineering
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Hydration
- Hydraulic conductivity
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic properties
- Laminating
- Materials characterization
- Materials engineering
- Materials processing
- Mine wastes
- Mixtures
- Pollutants
- Retaining structures
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Soil water
- Wastes
- Water and water resources
Authors
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