Compressibility and permeability of sand-silt tailings mixtures

Microstructure showing the involvement of the fine and coarse grains in the soil skeleton is evaluated. Incremental loading tests using a stress-dependent permeameter are conducted on the mixtures of poorly graded sand and nonplastic fines originating from tailings. The results are compared with the published data of various tailings. It is shown that increasing the fines content from 0% to 100%, the involvement of the fine and coarse components of soil skeleton can be classified into four categories: no fines involvement (40% fines). At the same consolidation stress, the void ratio, e, rapidly decreases for fines less than 30%, then almost remains constant between 30% and 50% fines, and gradually increases for fines exceeding 50%. The hydraulic conductivity, k, decreases more than 20-fold as the fines content increases from 12% to 50%, then remains constant. k is proportional to [[[e.sup.3]/(1 + e)].sub.A] and inversely proportional to [S.sup.2], where A is a factor describing the effect of particle angularity and S is the specific surface. Finally, the influence of fines content on the seepage- induced internal stability is discussed. Key words: soil skeleton, sands, silts, nonplastic fines, tailings, compressibility, hydraulic conductivity, angularity, specific surface. La microstructure montrant l'implication des grains fins et grossiers dans le squelette du sol est evaluee. Des essais de charge incrementielle a l'aide d'un permeametre dependant de la contrainte sont realises sur des melanges de sable mal calibre et de fines non plastiques provenant de residus. Les resultats sont compares aux donnees publiees de divers residus. Il est demontre qu'en augmentant la teneur en fines de 0 a 100 %, l'implication des composantes fines et grossieres du squelette du sol peut etre classee en quatre categories : aucune implication des fines ( 40 % de fines). Pour une meme contrainte de consolidation, le taux de vide, e, diminue rapidement pour les fines inferieures a 30 %, puis reste presque constant entre 30 et 50 % de fines, et augmente progressivement pour les fines superieures a 50 %. La conductivite hydraulique, k, est divisee par plus de 20 lorsque la teneur en fines passe de 12 a 50 %, puis reste constante. k est proportionnel a [[[e.sup.3]/(1 + e)].sup.A] et inversement proportionnel a [S.sup.2], ou A est un facteur decrivant l'effet de l'angularite des particules et S est la surface specifique. Enfin, l'influence de la teneur en fines sur la stabilite interne induite par le suintement est discutee. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : squelette du sol, sables, limons, fines nonplastiques, residus, compressibilite, conductivite hydraulique, angularite, surface specifique.
Introduction Compressibility and permeability are two of the most important engineering properties of soil because of their influence on rate of consolidation, settlement, seepage, and stability. These two soil parameters [...]