Abstract
A constant-volume direct simple shear (DSS) apparatus was used to characterize the liquefaction resistance of cemented paste backfill (CPB) prepared using unclassified fine-grained tailings. The effects of curing age, cement content, and initial void ratio (also expressed through initial solids content of the mixture) on the resistance to liquefaction were investigated. Higher cement contents, longer curing periods, or higher initial solids contents were found to increase CPB liquefaction resistance in a consistent manner. The commonly used “100-kPa unconfined compressive strength (UCS) rule of thumb” for CPB liquefaction susceptibility, as originally adopted from lightly cemented sands, was found to be conservative under a large earthquake-induced cyclic stress ratio (CSR). For two different mixes, a UCS of approximately 70 kPa was found adequate to resist liquefaction under a CSR typically generated by a maximum ground acceleration of 0.3 g. For the samples tested, a UCS of 70 kPa was found to correspond to a shear wave velocity of , which may be a more convenient criterion for assessing liquefaction resistance, given the potential for in situ measurement.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge funding provided by ARC Linkage Project (LP100200173). The first author also wishes to thank both Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica de Chile (CONICYT PAI/INDUSTRIA 79090016) and the Australian International Postgraduate Research Scholarships (IPRS) for their economic support during completion of postgraduate studies.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 1 • January 2017
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© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 10, 2015
Accepted: May 24, 2016
Published online: Jul 27, 2016
Discussion open until: Dec 27, 2016
Published in print: Jan 1, 2017
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