A study on the need of assessment of settlement properties of coal mine waste dumps

Mining of coal deposits in excess of half a billion tons has resulted in a massive volume of coarse overburden (OB) material that is posing challenges in sustainable practice of waste handling and management. Ever increasing land demand for industrial or domestic purposes, mostly in urban or densely populated areas has necessitates better use of waste-lands. However, a common problem in establishment of any kind of structure on a backfilled area is the unavailability of any generalized settlement properties of the materials, causing undervaluation of backfilled land. This paper describes the compaction characteristics of coal mine waste dump materials consist mostly of shale and sandstone; and its impact on settlement properties. The various factors influencing the settlement properties of a rockfill spoil dump is also described herein. A numerical analysis of settlement properties of spoil dump during and after construction stage is also presented with the help of PLAXIS software. This study will help in formulating better waste management guidelines in establishment of future waste dump structures in Indian coal mines.