Numerical Simulation of Seepage and Stability of Tailings Dams: A Case Study in Lixi, China

Chen Zhang,Zongjie Lv,Jing Cao,Junrui Chai,Yuan Qin,Zengguang Xu

doi:10.3390/w12030742

Abstract

The purpose of establishing a tailings dam is to safely store tailings to protect the natural environment from damage. Accidents at tailings dams are frequent, however, with serious consequences of not only threats to life and property but also the pollution of the environment. Many tailings dam accidents are caused by seepage failure. In this paper, the object of the case study is the Lixi tailings dam. Three- and two-dimensional finite element models are established. The seepage field of the project under different working conditions is simulated and the position of the phreatic line is obtained. The safety factors under different working conditions are obtained by combining the seepage field with the stable surface. Finally, the influence of different dry and upstream slope ratio on seepage and stability of tailings dam is obtained. The results show that the longer the length of the dry beach, the lower the phreatic line and the greater the safety factor. The higher the upstream slope ratio, the lower the phreatic line and the greater the safety factor.

Highlights

With the acceleration of industrialization in China, demand for mineral ores is gradually increasing [1,2]
Numerically simulated the stability of the high line tailings dam under earthquake conditions, and the results showed that the dam under study was unstable under strong earthquake conditions [37]
Geo-Studio software was used to simulate the seepage field of the two-dimensional theSimulation

Summary

Introduction

With the acceleration of industrialization in China, demand for mineral ores is gradually increasing [1,2]. Waste residues are discharged after useful components are extracted [3,4]. Tailings are generally recycled or stored [5]. Tailings used in concrete additives can be recycled [6,7]. A tailings pond is a good place to store these waste residues [8]. More than 20,000 tailings ponds have been created worldwide, and the larger ones can reach 10 million or even more than 100 million m3.

Methods

Results

Conclusion