Study of the Effect of Drying and Wetting Cycles and Water Content on the Shear Characteristics of Tailing Sands

Abstract

Abstract The mechanical characteristics of tailing sands have an important impact on the safety and stability of the tailing dams. Fully understanding the effect of drying and wetting cycles (DWC) and water content on the characteristics of tailing sands is urgently needed. In this study, direct shear tests were first carried out to analyze the effect of DWC and water content on the macroscopic mechanical characteristics of tailing sands. Then, the mesoscopic mechanical behavior of tailing sands with different water contents under the action of DWC was studied by using PFC2D particle flow software. The results showed that the effect of DWC on the shear properties of tailing sands is more pronounced than water content. The cohesive force and the internal friction angle increase first and then decrease with the increasing water content. With the increasing number of DWC, the cohesive force and the internal friction angle all decreased to varying degrees. The results of the mesoscopic mechanical analysis indicated that after experiencing the DWC, the force chain of the sample gradually thickens to form a coarse force chain network area, and the number of cracks inside the sample is significantly larger than that of the sample that has not experienced the DWC. The results of this study are of great significance for understanding the macroscopic and mesoscopic shear failure mechanism of tailing sands under the effects of DWCs and water content.