Gallage C, Jayakody S, Abeykoon T, Biyanvilage D, Rajapakse J. A laboratory-based test procedure for the investigation of slaking-induced changes in geotechnical properties of tailing dam embankment materials.
Heliyon 2024;
10:e26489. [PMID:
38420417 PMCID:
PMC10901013 DOI:
10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26489]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Slaking is a process of material parameters alteration resulting from wetting-drying cycles, changes in overburden stress, and chemical interactions. Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF) constructed with materials prone to slaking may experience breaches, especially during the post-closure period, due to the deterioration of shear strength and permeability characteristics. Rockfill materials, particularly those containing clay components, can undergo various forms of crack formation, leading to disintegration as a result of wetting-drying cycles, stress increments, and intense compaction. However, there are currently limited methodologies available for replicating such material alterations on a laboratory scale. Therefore, a new large-scale laboratory testing approach has been designed to simulate variations in wetting-drying cycles, humidity, and overburden pressure, enabling the prediction of the slaking potential of TSF construction materials. This novel methodology replicates field drying-wetting cycles and variations in humidity and overburden stress in a controlled environment, allowing for the estimation of the deterioration of shear strength and permeability characteristics in rockfill materials.
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