Assessing Undrained Shear Strength in the Antucoya Mine Waste Dump

Abstract
A plan to increase the current height of a mine waste dump necessitates implementing a comprehensive testing program. This program includes in-situ tests such as SCPT, DMT, and dissipation tests, as well as laboratory tests such as soil classification and undrained triaxial tests. Additionally, monitoring instruments such as piezometers and TDRs are installed to assess the soil structure and its characteristics. This paper estimates the soil's undrained strength based on in-situ testing and laboratory tests. A comparative analysis of the values of undrained strength obtained by different methods is performed. The effects of these values on a total stress-based stability analysis are evaluated to determine their influence on the waste dump's safety factor. The study utilizes in-situ pore water pressure data from dissipation tests and on-site piezometers. This information is crucial in calculating the effective stress and the ratio Su/s´v. A static analysis uses different combinations of Su/s´v values and pore water pressure to assess the slope stability. The study reveals that the resulting safety factor remains consistent when the same water pressure distribution is utilized to determine Su/s´v and the numerical model.
Keywords
Citation
Moffat, R., Duarte, B. (2024). Assessing Undrained Shear Strength in the Antucoya Mine Waste Dump, Vol. 8, Issue 1, p.39-52. doi: 10.4417/IJGCH-08-01-03
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4417/IJGCH-08-01-03
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