A framework to determine soil-water retention relation for mine wastes and its applications in emergency risk assessment

Abstract Tailing dams and waste dumps formed by the accumulation of mine wastes are usually at long-term unsaturated state under evaporation consolidated drainage conditions. Soil-water retention relation is one key constitutive relations to analyze seepage processes in tailing dumps. In this study, typical coarse- fine-grained tailings from a metallurgical were chosen study soil-water characteristics samples. To begin with, relationship between volumetric water content suction samples was experimentally measured, characteristic curves (SWCCs) (i.e., Gardner, van Genuchten Fredlund–Xing curves) applied fit experimental data. After that, four empirical models estimate parameters SWCCs Aubertin-1998 model, Aubertin-2003 Vanapalli-2005 model Chin-2010 model) tested, best-fit for Furthermore, proposes generalized emergency risk assessment dumps, framework quick estimation SWCC proposed as well. The recommended related can be used predict levels which very helpful rainstorm or flooding