This paper describes the workflow and results for Particle Size Distribution (PSD) analysis using UAV photogrammetry for waste rockfill materials. A methodology for digital detection and statistical measurement of PSD derived from UAV-SfM photogrammetry is presented. The comparative results between field...

In this research, the analysis of the deformations of the gravel columns applied in the foundation of the dam’s regrowth of the centerline method is developed. The purpose is to guarantee its stability against the potential liquefaction phenomenon induced by a seismic event, construction and external...

The disposal of tailings currently represents a major challenge in the Brazilian mining scenario. As a result of the accidents that have occurred in the last decade, the legislation has become increasingly demanding with regard to the disposal processes of these materials. Therefore, new disposal systems...

During construction and raising phases of tailings dams, excess pore pressures and localized deformations (plasticization zones) may develop due to applied overloads. Therefore, it can develop an undrained shearing in contractile materials, as tailings and foundation soils. In this case, the design of...

Fourth Moment Normal Transformation (FMNT) is an efficient method to probabilistically scrutinize the stability of reinforced soil walls (RSW). The methodology doesn’t require the assumption of the distribution of involved random variables to estimate the probability of failure (Pf) and subsequently...

Spatial variability is becoming more and more common in limit equilibrium slope stability analysis. With the recent advances in the abilities for limit equilibrium slope stability analysis to handle complicated models, it is more important than ever to have a fast and accurate method to perform slope...

Probabilistic analyses of slopes using Random Limit Equilibrium Method (RLEM) have been extensively reported in literature. However, in these types of analyses, the generated random fields are based on assumed values of horizontal and vertical correlation lengths. In practice, horizontal and vertical...

Limit Equilibrium (LE) methods have been used as the main tool to assess rock mass failure mechanisms at inter-ramp and overall slope scales in open pit mines. Rock mass shear strength parameters are determined by reducing the intact strength using Geological Strength Index (GSI), Damage factor (D),...

Simple open pit optimization using industry standard approaches (e.g. Whittle or NPV scheduler) provides a range of pit shells for an engineer to evaluate and select an optimal pit, and/or interim push backs to which a mine design can be developed. The first optimization step requires the definition...

The limited success of simplified slope stability assessment tools and concerns related to slope performance resulted in a review of an open pit mine located in South Western United States. 3D numerical was used to assess the LOM design which led to improved slope stability, while maintaining key safety...

Freshwater supply for stabilizing sandy soils is one of the significant challenges in coastal regions. On the other hand, Ordindary Portland cement (OPC) has several limitations in the exposure to saline environments. Geopolymers, as environmentally friendly soil stabilizers, have been widely used in...

The search for the critical slip surface on a slope is an optimization problem whereby the factor of safety is minimized over a set of parameters which define the shape of the slip surface. In limit equilibrium slope stability analysis, traditional methods for searching for the critical slip surface...

Understanding the moisture distribution pattern and associated suction variability of soil in response to environmental loading (e.g., precipitation, temperature) is important. However, there is a lack of understanding of the spatial variability of moisture and suction in different final cover systems....

The soil berm stop butt used to arrest bullets behind targets of Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Ranges (SAR) infrastructure presents a geotechnical opportunity for optimization. Existing pre-emptive monitoring of the berms over the past decade has established multiple modes of failure. Previously,...

Estimating the seismically induced slope displacement is important in assessing the stability and relative deformation of slopes during earthquakes. The Newmark time history analysis (also known as Newmark displacement analysis) bridges the gap between the simplified pseudo-static method and complex...

The slope stability has been widely analysed in the past, which demonstrates the significance of the subject in human life, especially in terms of life safety and economy. This is even more important in earthquake-prone areas where statically stable slopes may be triggered by the dynamic loads. Pseudo-static...

The paper demonstrates the use of the response surface method (RSM) to carry out probabilistic assessment of the seismic bearing capacity of shallow footings seated near naturally occurring heterogeneous slopes. To this end, a pseudo-static loading is applied to a randomly uniform slope, which is homogeneous...

The necessity of constructing structures beneath ground level, increases the need of performing deep excavations in urban areas. It is essential to have a reliable estimation about the performance of deep excavation systems. This approach is not accessible via common deterministic analysis methods, since...

The need for stabilization of a dam located at Quadrilatero Ferrifero, located at the Southern of Craton São Francisco, in Brazil, demanded geological-geotechnical studies that made possible the building of a geological model that reflects the behavior and distribution of sediments deposited within the...

The construction of TBM tunnels is associated with high uncertainty due to the unknown ground conditions surrounding the TBM. Recently, there have been several attempts to make use of the large amount of TBM data recorded during construction to predict the ground conditions and automate the tunneling...

Advance rate (AR) prediction is crucial for optimal mechanized tunneling performance. However, the type of input features used when developing AR prediction models vary greatly from study to study. In this paper, a hybrid automatic feature selection method is presented and demonstrated through the development...