Characterization of Self-Weight Consolidation of Fine-Grained Mine Tailings Using Moisture Sensors

This paper presents an experimental procedure and testing results on the consolidation of saturated tailings based on measurements made with moisture sensors. A special calibration procedure has been developed for precise volumetric water content measurements to reflect the progressive change of density and void ratio in the loose tailings. The moisture sensors' readings are used to evaluate key parameters during self-weigh consolidation, which allow an assessment of the settlement's rate and magnitude. The results indicate that the proposed technique can be useful to assess the tailings slurry characteristics, which significantly evolve during self-weight consolidation. The experimentally determined parameters are in the range provided by other investigations conducted on the same materials. It is also shown that pore-water pressures deduced from the volumetric water content measurements during the laboratory tests correlate well with the profiles obtained from the one-dimensional consolidation theory.