ABSTRACT
This work presents results of some laboratory tests carried out to assess the susceptibility to liquefaction of tailing dams built with mining waste. Three samples of industrial iron ore waste from two different mines were investigated. The experiments studied the instability under static loading of isotropically and anisotropically consolidated specimens. Monotonic triaxial tests under compression and extension were used. The instability line was found to be very close to the Ko-line in the p’ x q space, and was independent of the shear strain rate. Despite some small differences in grain size distribution curve the wastes can be considered to be a single material. The instability line and the strength envelope define an area in the p’x q space where the specimens are not stable when drainage is not allowed. Some considerations of the stress strain behavior are presented and discussed.
