Adaptations to a triaxial equipment for testing of mine tailings

Abstract

Mine tailings are usually materials with particle sizes in the range of silts, frequently exhibiting very low consistency. This low-consistency condition poses challenges when trying to reconstitute specimens for triaxial testing. The first part of this work presents a description of the main geotechnical properties of mine tailings used in the tests and the difficulties associated with triaxial testing. Next, some developments, in terms of equipment and testing procedure, are presented: the design of a compaction mould, the specimen preparation using moist tamping and the lubricated end platens. Finally, the process of dismantling the specimen using freezing is presented and discussed. The final part of the paper presents some results and summarizes the challenges associated with adapting the equipment and implementing the testing procedures.