Iron Ore Tailings Critical State Properties from Basic Laboratory Tests for Static Liquefaction Analysis
November 19, 2024
In the last nine years, Brazil experienced two significant tailings storage facility (TSF) failures: the rupture of Fundão TSF in Mariana (2015) and TSF I in Brumadinho (2019). After these incidents, new legislative measures were proposed, introducing the concept of "TSF decharacterization". Moreover, the failures prompted increased interest in filtered tailings stacks. As part of decharacterization and filtered projects, comprehensive geotechnical testing campaigns have been carried out, mainly focused on studying the mechanical behavior of tailings using the Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM) with the Critical State Locus (CSL) representing a mean of assessing tailings strength-deformation characteristics. A substantial database of critical state (CS) parameters has been developed and published mainly on iron ore tailings, as most iron ore TSFs are situated within the Iron Quadrangle in Brazil. The unique features of these tailings, marked by a high iron content contributing to a high specific gravity, render conventional geotechnical correlations not applicable without further considerations. This article compiles CS parameters of 35 iron ore tailings from various locations. These parameters are then compared to basic laboratory data, such as fines content, average particle size, Atterberg limits, iron content, and so forth. The aim is to establish correlations between basic iron ore tailings data and CS parameters, providing a screening approach to determine if laboratory results are within expected ranges when evaluating static liquefaction for iron ore TSFs.
Ccotohuanca, J., V. Lanza, I, Costa and H. Ninanya. 2024. “Iron Ore Tailings Critical State Properties from Basic Laboratory Tests for Static Liquefaction Analysis,” in Proceedings of the XX I Congresso Brasileiro de Mecânica dos Solos e Engenharia Geotécnica, the X Simpósio Brasileiro de Mecânica das Rochas and the X Simpósio Brasileiro de Engenheiros Geotécnicos Jovens. 24 - 27 September 2024. Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina. Brazil.