Settling, consolidation and shear strength behaviour of coal tailings slurry

Abstract

The volume change and shear strength behaviour of tailings slurry with the changes in gravimetric moisture content is important to effectively utilise the storage volume and analysis of dam failure potential. Consolidation testing of tailings from a slurry-like to soil-like state is a critical task, and conventional consolidation apparatus does not have the capability of doing such testing, as the tailings slurries contain high water content. Settling tests conducted on slurries having a 25% solids concentration showed very low efficiency; final sediment was still slurry-like. An intrinsic point was identified based on pore water pressure dissipation during consolidation tests in a slurry consolidometer that can define two states of the tailings i.e. slurry-like and soil-like. In the slurry-like state, the volume change was greater for Slurry 2 than Slurry 1, while the inverse was observed in the soil-like state. The evolution of peak vane shear strength with the changes in moisture content was almost similar for both samples and obeyed the power function. Regression models have been developed and validated to predict the shear strength of materials at any gravimetric moisture content or void ratio.