Confined yield stress lubrication flows for cement paste backfill in underground stopes

Along with the increasing excavation of underground spaces, mining industry has developed various techniques for refilling these voids. One them is cemented paste backfill (CBP), coming from mixing tailings water and a binder. These pastes are then transported to cavities through pipes into voids, which they fill in layering pattern. In this paper we explore capabilities simplified thin-film model describe evolution shape within stope. The mathematical difficulties include yield stress behaviour deal walls consistent manner. We show possible behaviours associated solutions problems, governed by 2 dimensionless parameters. Two regimes filling exhibited, when studying physical parameters typically used CBP. Finally, compare simulations experiments performed scaled lab setting using realistic lead–zinc nickel mines North-West China. A good agreement found between experiments.