An internal variable model for the creep of rocksalt

Summary The creep strain rate of rocksalt, like that of other ductile crystalline materials, can be described by a power law equation of the type ( ) ⁿ , where the active stress is the difference between the total deviatoric applied stress and an internal stress _i . In this paper, the origin and the nature of this internal stress, which develops during inelastic deformation of the material, are discussed. It is shown that this internal stress can serve as an internal (or state) variable in the constitutive model of rocksalt, which reflects the microstructure evolution of the material under the competitive action of hardening and recovery mechanisms.An analysis of experimental data, both our own and those taken from the literature, demonstrates that such a law is able to correctly reproduce rocksalt creep test results in the steady-state domain. The proposed model is in accordance with the macroscopic and microscopic behavior of salt, and with direct measurements of the internal stresses made by others on this material.     

On the Use of Bench Construction to Improve the Stability of Unsaturated Waste Rock Piles

This paper presents the main results from an investigation into the slope stability of unsaturated waste rock piles with various configurations and surface recharge conditions. The analyses first consider waste rock piles with different internal and external configurations, under steady-state conditions to evaluate the effect of the pile geometry on the factor of safety. Transient analyses are then conducted to evaluate the influence of rainfalls of different intensities and durations. For six waste rock pile configurations, the results illustrate how the external geometry of the pile influences the factor of safety. The results presented here show how surface infiltration (water recharge), external geometry, and internal pile features affect unsaturated water flow, pore water pressure (matric suction), and material strength, which in turn influence slope stability. Despite the relatively large imposed recharges, following major precipitation events, the results indicate that the decrease of the factor of safety FS is relatively small when compared with the effect of other influential factors. The results also demonstrate that the external geometry of the waste rock pile has the most significant impact on the factor of safety, indicating that pile stability can be controlled with an appropriate design. Waste rock piles with a uniform slope (single bench) should be avoided as this construction method leads to the lowest factor of safety. The overall results clearly demonstrate that the best way to improve the stability of waste rock piles is to use a design and construction method with benches of limited size.

     

Comparison of Numerical and Analytical Liquefaction Analyses of Tailings

The seismic performance of a tailings impoundment can be adversely affected by the behavior of the retained tailings. However, there remains considerable uncertainty in tailings liquefaction analysis. Twenty cyclic simple shear tests conducted on tailings from a gold mine in Quebec, Canada, were simulated numerically. The simulations indicated that the dynamic behavior of tailings could be modelled reasonably well, except that the weighted cyclic resistance curve of the tailings differed from that of clean sand which was used to develop the constitutive model (UBCSAND). An (N₁)_60-CS value of 10 blows/30 cm was estimated for the tailings based on calibration at a CSR of 0.10 for 15 cycles of loading. Numerical simulation of the behavior of a 20-m-high deposit of tailings during an earthquake (M_w = 5.9) indicated liquefaction of the upper 8 m of tailings. Liquefaction analysis using the Simplified method with published magnitude scaling factors (MSF) did not predict the occurrence of liquefaction. The use of MSF values calculated from the laboratory testing predicted liquefaction in the upper 8 m of tailings, corresponding quite well with the numerical simulation. The results indicate that both analytical and numerical methods can be used to evaluate the potential for tailings liquefaction under seismic loads.     

Geochemical transport modelling of drainage from experimental mine tailings cells covered by capillary barriers

The use of covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBEs) for reducing acid mine drainage (AMD) from sulphidic mine tailings is simulated using the MIN3P finite volume model for coupled groundwater flow, O₂ diffusion and multi-component reactive transport. The model is applied to simulate five pilot-scale in situ test cells containing reactive tailings from the Manitou mine site, Val d’Or, Que., Canada. Four of the cells were constructed with CCBEs over the tailings, while the fifth tailings cell was left uncovered. Observed and simulated discharge from the base of each cell showed that the capillary barrier covers significantly reduced sulphide oxidation and AMD. Compared to acidic discharge from the uncovered cell, discharge from the four CCBE-covered cells had neutral pH levels and 1–7 orders of magnitude lower concentrations of SO₄, Fe, Zn, Cu and Al. The simulations showed that the moisture retaining layer of the CCBEs reduced AMD by inhibiting O₂ diffusion into the underlying reactive wastes. Provided the moisture-retention layer of the CCBE remains close to saturation, its thickness had a relatively minor effect. Under such near-saturated conditions, O₂ availability is limited by its diffusion rate through the bulk porous medium and not by the diffusion rate through the oxidized grain shells. The model is providing important new insights for comparing design alternatives for reducing or controlling AMD.     

A Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Total and Effective Stresses in Submerged Backfilled Stopes

The determination of the stress state in backfilled stopes is an important step for assessing the behaviour of mine openings and for designing barricades. Most previous analyses have considered only the 2D case (plane strain condition) and neglected the effect of pore water pressure. In this paper, a three-dimensional solution is proposed for totally or partly submerged backfill. The new solution gives the normal stresses along the vertical and horizontal axes, with the effect of a surface load on the backfill. The solution is validated using laboratory experimental results taken from the literature. The good agreement obtained between the proposed analytical solution and laboratory test results indicates that this new solution provides a realistic evaluation for both the total and effective stresses in vertical backfilled stopes.     

Experimental Characterization of the Shrinkage and Water Retention Behaviour of Tailings from Hard Rock Mines

Mining of hard rock ore deposits produces large amounts of tailings. The safe disposal and management of these tailings require an extensive characterization that should include their drying and desaturation behaviour. Desiccation tests have been performed to characterize the shrinkage response of low plasticity tailings having an initially loose state. The testing procedure developed for this purpose is briefly described here. The main shrinkage tests results are then presented. The experimental data are compared with those obtained from water retention tests performed in a pressure plate with volume change measurements. These two types of results are combined to define unsaturated (drying and shrinkage) relationships in six complementary planes that include the volumetric shrinkage curve and the water retention curve. Specific material characteristics are then determined, including the shrinkage limit w _S, final void ratio e _f, and air entry value ψ _a. Additional tests were also performed to define critical parameters at the initiation of cracking in terms of suction ψ, water content w, and degree of saturation S _r. The original results presented here indicate that the onset of desaturation is closely linked with the end of volumetric straining and with crack initiation. Results also show that the shrinkage limit w _S is a function of the specimen initial water content w ₀. Other related characteristics are also presented and discussed.     

Fiber Optic Measurements of Soil Moisture in a Waste Rock Pile

The design and construction of a waste rock pile influences water infiltration and may promote the production of contaminated mine drainage. The objective of this project is to evaluate the use of an active fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (aFO-DTS) protocol to measure infiltration and soil moisture within a flow control layer capping an experimental waste rock pile. Five hundred meters of fiber optic cable were installed in a waste rock pile that is 70 m long, 10 m wide, and was covered with 0.60 m of fine compacted sand and 0.25 m of non-reactive crushed waste rock. Volumetric water content was assessed by heating the fiber optic cable with 15-min heat pulses at 15 W/m every 30 min. To test the aFO-DTS system 14 mm of recharge was applied to the top surface of the waste rock pile over 4 h, simulating a major rain event. The average volumetric water content in the FCL increased from 0.10 to 0.24 over the duration of the test. The volumetric water content measured with aFO-DTS in the FCL and waste rock was within ±0.06 and ±0.03, respectively, compared with values measured using 96 dielectric soil moisture probes over the same time period. Additional results illustrate how water can be confined within the FCL and monitored through an aFO-DTS protocol serving as a practical means to measure soil moisture at an industrial capacity.