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Comparison of Numerical and Analytical Liquefaction Analyses of Tailings

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Abstract

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 (Mw = 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.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Research Institute on Mines and Environment (RIME UQAT-Polytechnique; www.rime.ca) and of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant Program.

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  1. Research Institute on Mines and Environment UQAT-Polytechnique, C.P. 6079, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3A7, Canada

    M. James

  2. École Polytechnique, Montreal, QC, Canada

    M. Aubertin

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  1. M. James
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  2. M. Aubertin
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Correspondence to M. James.

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James, M., Aubertin, M. Comparison of Numerical and Analytical Liquefaction Analyses of Tailings. Geotech Geol Eng 35, 277–291 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-016-0103-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-016-0103-x

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