Experimental Study and Numerical Reproduction of Self-Weight Consolidation Behavior of Thickened Tailings
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140, Issue 12
Abstract
Thickened tailings, defined as mineral wastes that behave as a non-Newtonian fluid, show a small yield stress and release a small amount of water following deposition. Thickening has become an increasingly used option in tailings management. This paper presents a detailed examination of gold mine thickened tailings undergoing self-weight consolidation, which is an important mechanism affecting soft soils immediately after deposition. Self-weight consolidation was evaluated using a column equipped with water pressure transmitters whereas a slurry consolidometer was employed to obtain the compressibility relationship under low vertical effective stresses. The piecewise-linear model CS2 was used to model the experimental self-weight consolidation test. This model proved very accurate in reproducing the observed behavior. Both the test results and the model results also confirmed the absence of sedimentation in the thickened tailings, which is in agreement with values reported in the literature related to similar materials.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank geotechnical technicians Jean-Guy Lemelin and Valérie Dumoulin for their technical support. Funding for this research was provided by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Fond Québécois pour la Recherche Nature et Technologies (FQRNT), and Golder Associés Ltée., through a BMP-Innovation Scholarship.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 140 • Issue 12 • December 2014
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© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 12, 2013
Accepted: Jul 17, 2014
Published online: Aug 13, 2014
Published in print: Dec 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Jan 13, 2015
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