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Geotechnical Characterization and Investigation of an Iron Ore Tailings Dry Stack

Tailings and Mine Waste Conference (2023 : Vancouver, B.C.); University of British Columbia. Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering

Mining tailings disposal has increasingly focused on using dry stacks as an alternative to dam usage. The technology uses controlled energy to compact tailings with low moisture in an engineered pile. At the beginning of using this method at this facility, the sand-iron tailings were disposed of hydraulically in a controlled area and confined by a starter dyke. The facility was in operation between 1997 and 2010, with coarse tailings as a by-product of the spiral beneficiation. In recent years, a robust study of characterization and investigation, with field and laboratory samples, was performed to understand dynamic geotechnical behaviour, considering drilling, SPT, CPT, geophysics, MEV, and physical characterization. Since the material is sandy, permeability is one of the most important variables checked, especially due to aging and seasonality. Furthermore, the stress conditions on the facility and adjacent structures have contributed information to new projects regarding execution and operational controls, and as such have been an important contribution to dry stacking technology. The outcome of this updated study is an input to the decharacterization project, approaching geotechnical parameters, reducing uncertainty, setting a geometric boundary to the closed area, sensitivity on future loads, and improving the safety of this tailings storage facility.

Text

2023-12-08

Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/86837

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/