Geotechnical behaviour of layered paste tailings in shaking table testing

Interest in the use of paste tailings technology and understanding of the cyclic behaviour of paste tailings has significantly increased in the past years. However, no studies on geotechnical response of paste tailings to cyclic loading by shaking table testing technique has been performed. Thus, a one-dimensional shaking table testing program was performed to assess the behaviour and liquefaction susceptibility of the layered paste tailings under cyclic loading conditions. The paste tailings were deposited subsequently in three thin layers in a flexible laminar shear box mounted on top of the shaking table, and the response of accelerations, displacements and pore water pressures to seismic loading was measured at the middle depth of each layer of the tailings. Results showed that the acceleration for the bottom and middle layers were similar to that of the base of the shaking table; however, this was not the case for the top layer. The studied paste tailings were resistant to liquefaction during the cyclic loadings, but liquefied after the end of the shaking phase. All layers of paste tailings were subjected to contraction and dilation during the shaking.