Stability analysis of a copper tailings dam via laboratory model tests: A Chinese case study

The upstream method is a popular method for raising tailings dams. Currently in China there are more than 12,000 tailings impoundments and almost 95% of them use the upstream method for the construction of the dam. Statistical data has shown that the tailings impoundment is one of the main sources of risk in the mining industry. Failures of tailings impoundments have resulted in the loss of many lives, considerable property damage, and irreversible pollution in downstream areas. Therefore, the safety of tailings management facilities has been of increasing concern to governments and local communities. The management of a conventional tailings storage facility requires the maintenance of a high level of structural stability. Therefore, according to the relevant mine Acts, the mine operators are required to conduct stability analyses for all types of tailings facilities, whether they are new, active, or decommissioned. For the stability analysis of tailings dams, the accurate profile of the tailings dam is very important. The profiles are easily obtained for both active and decommissioned tailings facilities because their data can be collected through field investigations. However, collecting basic data from newly constructed tailings facilities is difficult. In this paper, a laboratory physical model test has been performed. The construction process for new tailings impoundment has been physically simulated in the laboratory, where the tailings particle composition and distribution below a beach, the change of phreatic surface of the dam, and the engineering properties of the tailings of the dam profiles have been measured. A new tailings facility, Yangtianqin tailings impoundment, owned by Tongchang copper mine of Yuxi Mine Co., was used as a case study to illustrate the physical modeling of the tailings dam. In the model test, the geometrical model of pond area was constructed according to the scale factor, λ_L, of 1:200 (model:prototype), and the tailings discharge system was also established, the tailings slurry then being discharged based on the design data. Finally, on the basis of the model test results on profiles, the stability analysis of the tailings dam at different heights was conducted under different conditions. The model test results and stability analysis show that the height of the tailings dam should be less than that originally planned. The original design of Yangtianqing tailings impoundment should therefore be revised for the safety of the tailings impoundment.