Experimental study of the geomechanical response of cemented paste backfills used in underground mining
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-28132015000100001Keywords:
Cemented Paste Backfill, barricades, pore pressure, total horizontal stresses, liquefactionAbstract
Cemented paste backfill CPB has been widely used in underground mining operations in the recent past for filling the voids (stopes) left after blasting and mucking of ore. It provides a series of advantageous environmental, safety and economic characteristics. However, several barricades failures have been reported in the recent past. This paper presents the results of in situ monitoring carried out to quantify pore pressure and total horizontal stresses exerted on barricades. It was found that high horizontal stresses and pore pressures develop during the early filling stages. Resting periods were shown to effectively improve the consolidation of the fill and the arching effect on the interface fill-rock. These effects seem to reduce the rate of increment of horizontal stresses acting on barricades at later filling stages. In addition, it was observed that dynamic loads can significantly increase pore pressure within the fill. In this context, experimental results about the liquefaction potential of CPB are provided.
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