Abstract
The stability of an engineered coal mine waste embankment depends upon the engineering properties of the spoil material, their variability throughout the embankment, slope angle, and drainage conditions. Twelve coal mine waste embankments in east-central Ohio were investigated in detail to identify the types of slope movement affecting the embankments, quantify the variability of the engineering properties of the spoil, and determine the sensitivity of embankment stability to variations in engineering properties. Field and laboratory tests were performed to determine the following engineering properties: natural water content, in situ density, grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, slake durability, permeability, and shear strength parameters. A two-way analysis of variance was used to find if there were any significant differences between the engineering properties of new and old spoil or between the different coal seams being mined in the area. The overall stability of the reclaimed spoil embankments was analyzed by performing a sensitivity analysis and a Monte Carlo simulation, using a computerized slope stability program by Huang (1983) entitled “Rotational Equilibrium Analysis of Multilayered Embankments (REAME).” Results indicate that shallow rotational failures and shallow flow slides are the common forms of slope movement affecting the reclaimed spoil embankments. The engineering properties of the spoil are found to be highly variable even within the same embankment but significant differences do not exist between the old and new spoil or between the different coal seams being mined. The stability of the embankments is found to be influenced by the changes in the engineering properties of the spoil, slope angle of the embankment, and variations of the phreatic surface within the embankment. For a given slope angle and a given set of engineering properties, the stability is found to be minimum under undrained conditions.
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