Effect of Freeze–Thaw and Wetting–Drying Cycles on the Hydraulic Conductivity of Modified Tailings
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Program
3. Soil Properties and Specimen Preparation
3.1. Soil Properties
3.2. Specimen Preparations
4. Test Apparatuses and Procedures
4.1. Test Apparatuses
4.2. Test Procedures
5. Interpretations of Experimental Results
5.1. Mineralogical Analysis of Tailings and HDS Clay
5.2. Freeze–Thaw Cycles
5.3. Wetting–Drying Cycles
5.4. Future Outlook
6. Conclusions
- (1)
- For the changes in particle groups during freeze–thaw cycles, the fractions of clay and silt initially increased by 1.7% and 1.1% after three cycles and then changed by less than ± 0.3% in the subsequent cycles. As shown in the XRD results, this is probably because minerals with low hardness and coarse grains (i.e., muscovite and calcite) were broken by ice lenses during the initial several tests.
- (2)
- Compared to the initial ksat (i.e., 3.8 × 10−6 m/s) of modified tailings, the value after three freeze–thaw cycles decreased by 77.6% and then remained nearly unchanged in subsequent cycles. This is attributed to the increased fine content caused by ice lenses during freeze–thaw cycles. In addition, the potential clogging of pore throats by these fines may further reduce ksat through the redistribution of capillary water upon thawing and the effect of stress (e.g., gravity and electrical forces).
- (3)
- For the wetting–drying cycles, the fraction changes in clay and silt gradually stabilized (i.e., 1.8% and 2.1%) until the ninth wetting–drying cycle. The stabilization of particle group changes induced by wetting–drying cycles took longer than those from freeze–thaw cycles, mainly because of the more complex physical processes of the former.
- (4)
- The ksat first decreased after three wetting–drying cycles (i.e., 3.9 × 10−6 m/s to 9.5 × 10−7 m/s) and then almost remained unchanged. The increase in fines and their preferential deposition near the pore throat area are certainly and possibly the governing mechanisms for this decreasing trend, respectively. Furthermore, the trends of ksat in wetting–drying cycles are similarly observed during freeze–thaw cycles, despite the longer stabilization process of particle groups for the former. This is probably because fragmentation is the main influencing factor for ksat, regardless of the type of cycle.
- (5)
- As another critical aspect of the present study, in further work, the water retention behavior of modified tailings will be investigated under different freeze–thaw cycles and wetting–drying cycles. The parameters of water retention curves (e.g., air–entry value and degree of hysteresis) will be discussed in detail.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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References | Layer Thickness (m) | |
---|---|---|
Fine–Grained Layer | Coarse–Grained Layer | |
Maqsoud et al. (2011) [6] | 0.8 | 0.2 |
Harnas et al. (2014) [7] | 0.5 | 0.5 |
Bossé et al. (2015) [2] | 0.5–1.0 | 0.3 |
Ng et al. (2016) [8] | 0.4 | 0.2 |
Zhan et al. (2017) [9] | 0.6 | 0.3 |
Ng et al. (2022) [10] | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Xia et al. (2023) [4] | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Series | Test ID | Material Type | Initial State after Specimen Preparation | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ρd (g/cm3) | w0 (%) | Sr0 (%) | |||
I (Infiltration tests after freeze–thaw cycles) | FT–0 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 |
FT–3 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
FT–6 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
FT–9 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
FT–15 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
II (Infiltration tests after wetting–drying cycles) | WD–0 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 |
WD–3 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
WD–6 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
WD–9 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 | |
WD–15 | Tailings/HDS clay (95:5) | 1.50 | 11.8 | 39.6 |
Parameter | Modified Tailings | Tailings | HDS Clay |
---|---|---|---|
pH | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.9 |
Specific gravity | 2.71 | 2.73 | 2.37 |
Particle size distribution | |||
Sand (0.075–4.75 mm, %) | 69.2 | 72.5 | 6.6 |
Silt (0.005–0.075 mm, %) | 24.2 | 22.6 | 53.5 |
Clay (≤0.005 mm, %) | 6.6 | 4.9 | 39.9 |
Atterberg limits | |||
Liquid limit (%) | 22.4 | 20.5 | 61.6 |
Plastic limit (%) | 3.8 | 1.8 | 40.4 |
Compaction parameters | |||
Standard maximum dry density (g/cm3) | 1.73 | 1.77 | 1.16 |
Optimum water content (%) | 13.9 | 12.4 | 47.5 |
Unified soil classification (ASTM D 2487–11, 2011) | |||
SM | SM | MH |
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Meng, L.; Xia, L.; Xia, M.; Nie, S.; Chen, J.; Wang, W.; Du, A.; Guo, H.; Bate, B. Effect of Freeze–Thaw and Wetting–Drying Cycles on the Hydraulic Conductivity of Modified Tailings. Geosciences 2024, 14, 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14040093
Meng L, Xia L, Xia M, Nie S, Chen J, Wang W, Du A, Guo H, Bate B. Effect of Freeze–Thaw and Wetting–Drying Cycles on the Hydraulic Conductivity of Modified Tailings. Geosciences. 2024; 14(4):93. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14040093
Chicago/Turabian StyleMeng, Longlong, Liangxiong Xia, Min Xia, Shaokai Nie, Jiakai Chen, Wenyuan Wang, Aifang Du, Haowen Guo, and Bate Bate. 2024. "Effect of Freeze–Thaw and Wetting–Drying Cycles on the Hydraulic Conductivity of Modified Tailings" Geosciences 14, no. 4: 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14040093