Sample Size Effect on Shear Strength of Mine Waste Rock Using the Scalping Method
Publication: Geo-Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
Geotechnical designs of mine waste rock (WR) piles require the critical friction angle (ϕcr) of the coarse crushed rock. For this purpose, grading scalping techniques must be used to accommodate the minimum recommended sample aspect ratio α = D/dmax into experimental shear devices (where D is the size of the sample and dmax is the maximum particle size). Nevertheless, international standards do not agree on the minimum α for a representative sample, and its effects are poorly understood. This paper aims to investigate the effects of grading scalping and α on ϕcr of WR samples. Drained triaxial tests were conducted on medium and large cylindrical samples of D = 150 and 300 mm, respectively, using α varying from 4 to 30. The results show stable ϕcr for α ≥ 12, advocating that the recommendation of α = 6 given by the standard ASTM D7181 might be too low and should be revisited after comprehensive testing.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Amirpour Harehdasht, S., Hussien, M. N., Karray, M., Roubtsova, V., and Chekired, M. (2019). “Influence of particle size and gradation on shear strength–dilation relation of granular materials.” Canadian Geotechnical Journal 56, No. 2, 208–227.
Aubertin, M., Maknoon, M., and Ovalle, C. (2021). “Waste rock pile design considerations to promote geotechnical and geochemical stability.” Canadian Geotechnique – The CGS Magazine: Fall 2021, 2(3), pp. 44–47.
ASTM. ASTM D2487-17. Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes (Unified Soil Classification System). ASTM international.
ASTM. ASTM D7181-20. Standard Test Method for Consolidated Drained Triaxial Compression Test for Soils. ASTM International.
BSI (British Standard Institution). BS 1377. (1990). Methods of test for soils for civil engineering purposes: shear strength tests (total stress); part 7. Standard, British Standard Institution.
Bard, E., Anabalón, M. E., and Campaña, J. (2012). “Waste Rock Behavior at High Pressures.” Multiscale Geomechanics, pp. 83–112.
Barton, N., and Kjærnsli, B. (1981). “Shear Strength of Rockfill.” Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division 107, 873–891.
Cantor, D., Azema, E., Radjai, F., and Sornay, P. (2018). “Rheology and structure of polydisperse three-dimensional packings of spheres.” Physical Review E 98.
Cantor, D., and Ovalle, C. (2023). “Sample size effects on the shear strength of granular materials with varied gradation and the role of column-like local structures.” Submitted to Géotechnique.
Carrasco, S., Cantor, D., and Ovalle, C. (2022). “Effects of particle size‐shape correlations on steady shear strength of granular materials: The case of particle elongation.” Geomechanics, 979–1000.
Carrasco, S., Cantor, D., Ovalle, C., and Quiroz, P. (2023). “Shear strength of angular granular materials with size and shape polydispersity.” Open Geomechanics, 4, 1–14.
Deiminiat, A., Li, L., and Zeng, F. (2022). “Experimental Study on the Minimum Required Specimen Width to Maximum Particle Size Ratio in Direct Shear Tests.” CivilEng 3, 66–84.
Deng, N., Wautier, A., Thiery, Y., Yin, Z.-Y., Hicher, P.-Y., and Nicot, F. (2021). “On the attraction power of critical state in granular materials.” Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 149: 104300–104300.
Fumagalli, E. (1969). “Tests on Cohesionless Materials for Rockfill Dams.” Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division 95, 313–332.
Japanese Geotechnical Society Standard. JGS 0530. (2015). Preparation of specimens of coarse granular materials for triaxial tests. Standard. Japanese Geotechnical Society Standard.
Hawley, P. M., and Cunning, J. (2017). Guidelines for mine waste dump and stockpile design. CSIRO Publishing, Clayton, Vic.
Holtz, W. G., and Gibbs, H. J. (1956). “Triaxial Shear Tests on Pervious Gravelly Soils.” Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division 82.
Hu, W., Dano, C., Hicher, P.-Y., Le Touzo, J.-Y., Derkx, F., and Merliot, E. (2011). Effect of sample size on the behavior of granular materials. 3 ed. ASTM International.
Indraratna, B., Wijewardena, L., and Balasubramaniam, A. (1993). “Largescale triaxial testing of greywacke rockfill.” Géotechnique 43 (1): 539–543.
Leps, T. M. (1970). “Review of shearing strength of rockfill.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 96 (4): 1159–1170.
Li, G., Ovalle, C., Dano, C., and Hicher, P.-Y. (2013). “Influence of grain size distribution on critical state of granular materials.” Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering, 207–210.
Linero, S., Azéma, E., Estrada, N., Fityus, S., Simmons, J., and Lizcano, A. (2019). “Impact of grading on steady-state strength.” Géotech. Lett., 9(4):328–333.
Linero, S., Bradfield, L., Fityus, S. G., Simmons, J. V., and Lizcano, A. (2020). “Design of a 720-mm Square Direct Shear Box and Investigation of the Impact of Boundary Conditions on Large-Scale Measured Strength.” Geotechnical Testing Journal 43.
Linero, S., Palma, C., and Apablaza, R. (2007). “Geotechnical Characterisation of Waste Material in Very High Dumps with Large Scale Triaxial Testing.” in: Potvin, Y. (Ed.), Slope Stability 2007: Proceedings of the 2007 International Symposium on Rock Slope Stability in Open Pit Mining and Civil Engineering. Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 59–75.
Lowe, J. (1964). “Shear strength of coarse embankment dam materials.” Proc., 8th Int. Congress on Large Dams. International Commission on Large Dams Paris, pp. 745–761.
Marachi, N. D., Chan, C. K., Seed, H. B., and Duncan, J. M. (1969). “Strength and deformation characteristics of rockfills materials.”. Berkeley, CA: Dept. of Civil Engineering, Univ. of California, Berkeley.
Marsal, R. (1967). “Large-scale testing of rockfill materials.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 93 (2): 27–43.
McLemore, V. T., et al. (2009). “Literature review of other rock piles: Characterization, Weathering, and Stability.”.
Matsuoka, H., Liu, S., Sun, D., and Nishikata, U. (2001). “Development of a New In-Situ Direct Shear Test.” Geotechnical Testing Journal 24, 92–102.
Ovalle, C., Girumugisha, G., Cantor, D., and Ouellet, S. (2023). “Size effects on critical shear strength of mine waste rock material.” Third International Slope Stability in Mining Conference 14-16 November 2023, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, Western Australia.
Ovalle, C., and Dano, C. (2020). “Effects of particle size–strength and size–shape correlations on parallel grading scaling.” Géotech. Lett. 10 (2):1–7.
Ovalle, C., Frossard, E., Dano, C., Hu, W., Maiolino, S., and Hicher, P.-Y. (2014). “The effect of size on the strength of coarse rock aggregates and large rockfill samples through experimental data.” Acta Mechanica 225, 2199–2216.
Ovalle, C., Linero, S., Dano, C., Bard, E., Hicher, P.-Y., and Osses, R. (2020). “Data Compilation from Large Drained Compression Triaxial Tests on Coarse Crushable Rockfill Materials.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering 146(9), 06020013.
Polanía, O., Cabrera, M., Renouf, M., Azéma, E., and Estrada, N. (2023). “Grain Size Distribution Does Not Affect the Residual Shear Strength of Granular Materials: An Experimental Proof.” Physical Review E 107 (5).
Powers, M. C. (1953). “A new roundness scale for sedimentary particles.” Journal of Sedimentary Research 23, 117–119.
Valenzuela, L., Bard, E., Campana, J., and Anabalon, M. (2008). “High Waste Rock Dumps - Challenges and Developments.” Rock Dumps — A. Fourie (ed). Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, ISBN 978-0-9804185-3-8.
Verdugo, R., and De La Hoz, K. (2007). “Strength and stiffness of coarse granular soils.” Soil Stress-Strain Behavior: Measurement, Modeling and Analysis: A Collection of Papers of the Geotechnical Symposium in Rome, March 16–17, 2006. Springer, pp. 243–252.
Voivret, C., Radjai, F., Delenne, J. Y., and El Youssoufi, M. S. (2009). “Multiscale force networks in highly polydisperse granular media.” Phys Rev Lett.,102:178001.
Yang, J., and Luo, X. D. (2018). “The critical state friction angle of granular materials: does it depend on grading?” Acta Geotechnica 13, 535–547.
Zeller, J., and Wullimann, R. (1957). “The shear strength of the shell materials for the Go-Schenenalp Dam, Switzerland.” 4th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, pp. 399–415.
Zheng, J., and Hryciw, R. D. (2016). “Roundness and Sphericity of Soil Particles in Assemblies by Computational Geometry.” Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering 30, 04016021.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Geo-Congress 2024
Pages: 313 - 320
History
Published online: Feb 22, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Geology
- Geomechanics
- Geotechnical engineering
- Laboratory tests
- Material mechanics
- Material properties
- Materials engineering
- Mathematics
- Mine wastes
- Pollutants
- Recycling
- Rocks
- Shear strength
- Size effect
- Soil mechanics
- Soil properties
- Standards and codes
- Statistics
- Strength of materials
- Tests (by type)
- Triaxial tests
- Wastes
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.