Modelling tailings dams and mine waste dumps failures

Abstract

This paper presents a depth-integrated model that can be used to simulate the flowslides, mudflows and debris flows that are caused by the failure of tailing dams, mining waste dumps and other similar structures. The sliding mass is first determined using a coupled elastoplastic finite element code and a suitable constitutive equation. Once failure has been triggered, propagation of the mobilised material is analysed considering flow properties averaged over depth. A simple law of pore pressure dissipation is postulated for cases in which the consolidation and propagation times are of the same order of magnitude.

Advanced Topics in Sediment Transport Modelling: Non-alluvial Beds and Hyperconcentrated Flows

“…Fig. 11 shows the agreement between the reference results by Pastor et al (2002) and the predictions of the model developed here. In particular, a hydraulic jump appears around t = 60 s, following the stoppage of material situated along the breach axis, while the flow continues laterally until around t = 120 s in the more upstream part the wave.…”

“…The frictional fluid model has been used notably to simulate waste dump failures (Pastor et al 2002).…”

“…The material was characterised by a mean diameter of 70 microns and a density of 2,450 kg/m 3 . Consistently with Pastor et al (2002), the simulation has been conducted using the Bingham fluid rheological model, with a yield stress τ 0 = 10 3 Pa and a viscosity μ = 50 Pa s. The density of the mixture was estimated at 1,400 kg/m³. Fig.…”

Recommendations for the quantitative analysis of landslide risk

“…Depth-integrated models represent an excellent compromise between computer time and accuracy. They have been used to describe rock avalanches, lahars, mudflows, debris flows and flowslides Hungr 1995;McDougall and Hungr 2004;Pastor et al 2002Pastor et al , 2009Quecedo et al 2004;Savage and Hutter 1991;Sosio et al 2008, Laigle andCoussot 1997). (d) Depth-integrated models can be simplified still further, as in the case of so-called infinite landslide approaches.…”

Application of the ALE FE method to debris flows

“…Specialized numerical techniques have been developed by Pastor and coworkers to overcome this difficulty [9,10]. They implemented their numerical solution techniques in specialized software.…”