SCALE TESTING HARD ROCK WASTE DUMP STABILITY UNDER HAULER MOTION

Abstract

Mining methods have changed and grown to fulfill extractive demands. Heavy machinery is used to extract overburden in open pit and open cast mines and to create waste dumps prone to slope stability issues. As the heaviest equipment operating on dump locations, mine haul trucks require a safe, stable surface to work on, so the stability of waste dumps is hugely important. Slope failures frequently occur on mine cut slopes, embankments, dumps, and road cut surfaces, so an improved understanding, monitoring, and support of such slopes is important to prevent failure, loss of equipment and fatalities. One of the most important differences between waste dump slopes and other slopes such as embankments or road cuts is not only that waste dumps are made up of loose face dumped material but also goes that trucks impact cyclic loads which affect stability. For example, significant weight at hundreds of tonnes has a huge impact on slope stability. This cyclic loading scenario on mine waste dumps has yet to be investigated fully. This study looks at the stability of waste dumps under the impact of mining equipment based on physical modeling (laboratory scale tests), numerical modeling and “Slide” slope stability software. During the study on the stability of waste dumps by physical modeling, data related to rolling resistance was also recorded. It has been concluded that the results from both the physical and numerical modeling determined acceptable states for truck path by both truck location for the chosen test material, Dolomitic limestone (1/3 and 1/2 truck width from crest), and constructing a safety berm along the crest of slope, and for wet conditions.