Mechanical behaviour of Panzhihua iron tailings

Abstract

Safety problems have concerned many researchers studying tailings dams in recent years, as they have a high risk of failure due to liquefaction. Existing analysis of liquefaction in tailings within a critical state framework has relied on the critical state line (CSL) being unique in the volumetric plane. However, recent advances have highlighted a so-called “transitional” behaviour in which the location of the normal compression line (NCL) and CSL is a function of the density of the soils at deposition. This paper presents a detailed investigation of the mechanics of tailings taken from three locations of an iron tailings impoundment. Reconstituted samples were prepared by different methods and at different densities. No transitional behaviour was found, although the results show that the rate of convergence of the compression curves changes, with the finest pond material reaching a unique NCL earliest. The preparation method was found not to have a large effect on the behaviour for these tailings. Unique CSLs could be clearly identified for all the three tailings, but with different shapes, giving rise to a changing susceptibility to liquefaction. This susceptibility tends to increase from the pond to the upper beach.