Stability assessment of an earth dam on silt/clay tailings foundation: A case study

Özer, Abdullah Tolga; Bromwell, Leslie G.

doi:10.1016/j.enggeo.2012.09.011

Cited by 49 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…e permeability of the foundation plays an important role in the stability of the dam structure. Poor permeable base materials cause an increase in pore pressure and shear stress on the foundation [94,95]. Wang et al [96] used RFPA-SRM to analyze the instability failure mechanism of surface mines high-steep slopes and provided a basis for formulating reasonable landslide prevention measures.…”

Section: Foundation Failure (Dam Foundation Of the Tailings Dammentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review on Reasons for Tailings Dam Failures Based on Case History

Lyu

Jaturapitakkul

et al. 2019

Advances in Civil Engineering

147

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

On a global scale, the demand for mineral products has increased substantially with economic development. Consequently, the mining of mineral resources results in the production and accumulation of a large number of tailings, causing many problems with respect to mining, the environment, and the economy. In the mining process, tailings must be reasonably treated to prevent them from entering the water cycle through rivers. The storage of tailings under water can effectively hinder the chemical reactions that they undergo. Therefore, it is a critical practice to store these substances in ponds or impoundments behind dams. However, tailings dams frequently fail, resulting in the discharge of significant quantities of tailings into the natural environment, thereby causing grievous casualties and serious economic losses. This paper discusses reasons including seepage, foundation failure, overtopping, and earthquake for tailings dam failures and explores failure mechanisms by referring to the available literature. This research has determined that the failure of tailings dams is closely related to the state of the country’s economy. Most of the tailings dam breakages in developed countries occurred decades ago. In recent years, the proportion of tailings dam failures in developing countries has been relatively high. Considering the serious damages caused by tailings dam breakage, it is important to understand the main reasons and mechanisms for their failure. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference for the design and construction to the building of the tailing dams and to reduce the occurrences of their failure.

show abstract

Section: Foundation Failure (Dam Foundation Of the Tailings Dammentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Review on Reasons for Tailings Dam Failures Based on Case History

Lyu

Jaturapitakkul

et al. 2019

Advances in Civil Engineering

147

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Between 1912 and 2014 there were more than 240 tailings dam incidents (WISE 2014). The stability performance has therefore concerned many researchers studying the mechanics of tailings/tailing dams (Okusa and Anma, 1980;Fourie et al, 2001;Zandarin et al, 2009;Carrera et al, 2011;Chang et al, 2011;Bedin et al, 2012;Ozer and Bromwell, 2012;Schnaid et al, 2013;Coop, 2015;Zhang et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mechanics of a silt-sized gold tailing

Coop

Senetakis

et al. 2018

Engineering Geology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tailing dam failures result in irreversible environmental impacts and cause fatalities. In recent years the mechanical behaviour of tailing geo-materials has received more attention by the geomechanics and engineering geology communities in an attempt to understand better their behaviour in the light of designing safer tailing dams. In this study, the mechanical behaviour of a gold tailing from Brazil is thoroughly investigated by conducting a series of compression and shearing tests as well as dynamic element tests. Fabric effects from the sample preparation method, the susceptibility to liquefaction and the possibility of any transitional behaviour are presented and discussed within a soil mechanics framework. Comparisons are made between the present gold tailing and previously published data on other tailings, giving a general view of the mechanics of tailings and the effects of grading. The results show that for this tailing the rate of convergence for different initial densities to the normal compression line is slow, and so the depositional density would affect the volume to far higher stresses than the material would be expected to experience in-situ. For this tailing any fabric effects from the sample preparation method were found to be very small to negligible with respect to smallstrain behaviour and critical state behaviour. For different tailings, even if the particle sizes may cover a wide range, the susceptibility to static liquefaction, as determined by the location of the horizontal asymptote of the critical state line in the specific volume-log stress plane, shows no consistent variation. So it can be concluded that neither the pond nor the upper beach tailings are more susceptible.

show abstract

“…Seepage is the outcome of the difference in water height upstream and downstream. Seepage rate depends on various factors, including the soil medium, the type of fluid, as well as the dams' geometric conditions [10][11][12].…”

Section: Research Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Numerical modeling is a rapid and less expensive technique and its results can be easily shared with the concerned parties. Being a purely mathematical approach, numerical modeling differs significantly from both laboratory-scale physical and full-scaled field modeling [10]. In situations where numerical modeling is considered improperly validated, physical modeling is normally recommended; such situations may include complex hydraulic conditions, non-standard or irregular site-specific conditions, or project performance improvement using non-standard designs.…”

Section: The Use Of Physical and Numerical Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental and Numerical Analysis for Earth-Fill Dam Seepage

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Earth-fill dams are the most common types of dam and the most economical choice. However, they are more vulnerable to internal erosion and piping due to seepage problems that are the main causes of dam failure. In this study, the seepage through earth-fill dams was investigated using physical, mathematical, and numerical models. Results from the three methods revealed that both mathematical calculations using L. Casagrande solutions and the SEEP/W numerical model have a plotted seepage line compatible with the observed seepage line in the physical model. However, when the seepage flow intersected the downstream slope and when piping took place, the use of SEEP/W to calculate the flow rate became useless as it was unable to calculate the volume of water flow in pipes. This was revealed by the big difference in results between physical and numerical models in the first physical model, while the results were compatible in the second physical model when the seepage line stayed within the body of the dam and low compacted soil was adopted. Seepage analysis for seven different configurations of an earth-fill dam was conducted using the SEEP/W model at normal and maximum water levels to find the most appropriate configuration among them. The seven dam configurations consisted of four homogenous dams and three zoned dams. Seepage analysis revealed that if sufficient quantity of silty sand soil is available around the proposed dam location, a homogenous earth-fill dam with a medium drain length of 0.5 m thickness is the best design configuration. Otherwise, a zoned earth-fill dam with a central core and 1:0.5 Horizontal to Vertical ratio (H:V) is preferred.

show abstract

Stability assessment of an earth dam on silt/clay tailings foundation: A case study

Cited by 49 publications

References 16 publications

A Comprehensive Review on Reasons for Tailings Dam Failures Based on Case History

A Comprehensive Review on Reasons for Tailings Dam Failures Based on Case History

The mechanics of a silt-sized gold tailing

Experimental and Numerical Analysis for Earth-Fill Dam Seepage

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About