On the Seepage Stability of a Tailing Dam in Wushan Copper Mine

Abstract

The tailing pond of Wushan copper mine is located in a valley among the mountains, with kinds of hidden troubles like the overflow of the saturation line, the swamping and piping of partial section, and some local deformation, which appeared on both the starter dam and the tailing embankment in the early stage. To meet the requirement of production, a new tailing pond named No.2 Tailing Pond was built in the downstream of the original No.1tailing pond. At present, in No.1 dam, the part below 37m water level was totally submerged by the water, then the condition of the seepage field will change with the rising water level. For the safety of production and to provide a scientific basis to the management of the tailing dam, an analysis of seepage stability at four different conditions of two sections was carried out based on the field conditions of the dam. Finally, a comparison between the simulated results and the measured results was made, the results show that the existing drainage system is safe and effective, and the seepage deformation of Wushan tailing dam will not happen.