TITLE:
Using Piezocone Tests for Analysis of Phreatic Water Conditions and Prediction of Soil Behavior in Tailing Dams
AUTHORS:
Dante René Bosch, Rubén Rafael Sotelo, Fernando María Mántaras
KEYWORDS:
CPTu Piezocone, Dissipation Test, Soil Behaviour, Shear Strength, Tailing Dams
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.11 No.5,
May
30,
2023
ABSTRACT: In this work the possibility of identifying two
important aspects in the process of adopting soil parameters for calculating
stability analysis models in tailing dams is discussed. The use of commercial
computer programs for stability calculations allows obtaining numerically exact
results. Its representativeness, however, will be linked to the correct
definition of the phreatic regime and to the prediction of volumetric soil
behavior during shearing (contractile vs. dilating materials). The theoretical
principles for the selection of soils parameters for different failure models
are briefly presented. Also, how the incorrect assumptions regarding material
behavior can significantly affect the estimation of tailing dams’ stability.
The results of CPTu tests for the diagnosis of the phreatic and mechanical
condition of the materials are discussed and two examples are presented to
remark on the care that should be taken to avoid incorrect soils parameters
adoption.