ABSTRACT
An accurate estimation of the total unit weight (γt ) of soils and mining tailings is a requirement for several geotechnical engineering applications. In the interpretation of CPT testing data, the value of γt is needed for the evaluation of both the total and effective stresses, as well as in the accurate determination of subsequent parameters. Current methods for determining γt based CPT data have been developed for a wide range of natural soils where the specific gravity of solids (G) generally ranges from 2.5 to 2.7. However, a large gap exists for soils or mining tailings where G is often higher, such as in the case of bauxite and zinc. This paper presents a compilation of results of CPT tests, and laboratory measurements of specific gravity of solids and total unit weight on bauxite and zinc mine tailings. The application of the literature methodologies was evaluated for this database and the statistical coefficient of determination (r) was presented, which is determined between the measured value and the value estimated by the correlations
