Influences of Tailings Particle Size on Overtopping Tailings Dam Failures
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TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Influences of Tailings Particle Size on Overtopping Tailings Dam Failures Chi Yao1,3 · Ligong Wu1,3 · Jianhua Yang1,3 · Lixing Xiao1,3 · Xiaofeng Liu2,3 · Qinghui Jiang1,3 · Chuangbing Zhou1,3 Received: 7 October 2019 / Accepted: 17 September 2020 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract A series of physical tests were carried out using three different particle sizes to investigate the influence of tailings size on the failure process of a tailings dam subjected to overtopping. In addition, the overtopping failure process was simulated with a computational fluid mechanics model. The tests results showed that with increased tailings size, the mode of failure gradually changed from undercut erosion to surface scouring, while the gully cut by the water had a greater width to depth ratio. In addition, the particle size also affected the characteristics of the discharge process and its duration. Numerical simulation results were basically consistent with the physical model results with respect to both discharge process and duration time. The comparison shows that the numerical method could possibly be useful for other studies on the overtopping failure of tailings dams. Keywords Physical test · Numerical simulation · Undercut erosion · Surface scouring
Introduction Tailings ponds are built from the tailings that accumulate during mining. Due to their low cost, tailings dams are the main method used to dispose of tailings. The proper construction and maintenance of tailings ponds determines whether mine production and construction can proceed smoothly, and whether the people, property, and the surrounding environment downstream of the dam will be safe (Fourie et al. 2010). Most tailings ponds in China adopt the upstream damming method, even though this technology is being abandoned in many mining countries because of the risks involved, and most of the tailings ponds are located in mountainous areas. Heavy Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-020-00725-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Jianhua Yang [email protected] 1
School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
2
China Ruilin Engineering Technology Co., Ltd. Environmental and Safety Affairs Department, Nanchang 330031, China
3
Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Tailings Reservoir Engineering Safety, Nanchang 330031, China
rainfall can cause the water surface to rise in the reservoir, leading to the dam bursting from water flowing over the top of the tailings dam. Thirty eight dam-break accidents occurred in China from 2001 to 2015, and flood overtopping was responsible for 37% of them (Rico et al. 2008). As mining technology has improved, the particle size of tailings has getting smaller and smaller, and tailings dams with different particle sizes show different failure characteristics during a dam break. Based on empirical analysis, some scholars have
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