Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.9
2.5
Journals
Minerals
Special Issues
Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?
share announcement

Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Clays and Engineered Mineral Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (13 October 2023) | Viewed by 3828

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ferdi Cihangir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining Engineering, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080 Trabzon, Turkey
Interests: cement; tunneling; mining engineering; geotechnical engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Most international relations and economic, security, environmental and climate policies of countries are developed in consideration of their underground mine resources, being significant elements of development. Increasing populations, technological developments and the rapid growth of the global economy have increased countries’ need for energy and metal and nonmetal raw materials. In order to meet such needs, the production of mineral resources is increasing day by day, and billions of tons of these materials are produced and processed all over the world, producing a huge amount of waste and tailings. Therefore, the environmentally friendly management-, reuse and recycling of waste materials and/or tailings are of great importance with respect to the development of sustainable mining practices. In the last few decades, a considerable number of studies have increasingly focused on ecofriendly surface disposal options and underground backfilling with tailings.

Filling underground mine voids with cemented paste backfill (CPB) is one of the most effective backfilling methods. It has been widely used in combination with cut-and-fill mining in steep ore bodies. CPB provides many economic, technical and environmental advantages as it allows of 50-60% of produced mine tailings to be stored in underground mine voids. Additionally, it offers a safe underground working environment where it is placed,  flexibility during mining activities, enhanced ore acquisition from pillars and increased production rates. Therefore, CPB has attracted the interest of mining operators around the world.

CPB is an engineering mixture produced from tailings, hydraulic binder and water. The physical, mineralogical and chemical properties of its components determine the quality and performance (strength, stability, durability, rheology, workability, etc.) of CPB. However, considering growing environmental concerns, mining activities have become increasingly unsustainable. Therefore, in addition to exploring the aforementioned topics, the geochemical behavior of CPB should be also investigated and monitored with respect to its environmental performance.

In order for CPB to display a good performance in all respects, characterization of its components, the environmental conditions of mine in which CPB will be placed, its short- and long-term stability and durability, design, use in underground mining operations (barricade construction, backfilling conditions and applications, blasting activities for ore extraction and vibrations, etc.), the possible stress it induces on adjacent walls and its geological, geotechnical and hydrogeological properties as well as the length of time needed to backfill voids should be taken into account. Otherwise, failure of barricades, subsidence formation, loss of labor, time and equipment, wall collapses, ore dilution and heavy metal release into water may occur.

This Special Issue invites research papers and relevant reviews dealing with the components/materials, strength, durability, microstructural properties, test techniques, rheology, workability, transportability, geochemical properties/acid mine drainage, etc., of CPB.

Dr. Ferdi Cihangir
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cemented paste backfill
  • tailings
  • binders
  • performance properties
  • geochemical behavior

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 6661 KiB  
Article
Ultrasonic and Microstructural Evaluation of Sulphide-Rich Tailings Cemented Paste Backfill Properties Containing Alkali-Activated Slag: Effect of Slag Fineness
by Ercument Koc and Ferdi Cihangir
Minerals 2023, 13(12), 1524; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13121524 - 6 Dec 2023
Viewed by 796
Abstract
Cement paste backfill (CPB) is an effective waste management method allowing the storage of fine process tailings into underground mined-out voids. CPB performance generally depends on the properties of the tailings and the type of binder. In recent years, there has been an [...] Read more.
Cement paste backfill (CPB) is an effective waste management method allowing the storage of fine process tailings into underground mined-out voids. CPB performance generally depends on the properties of the tailings and the type of binder. In recent years, there has been an increasing trend in the use of alkali-activated slag (AAS) to improve the performance properties of CPB. This study focuses on the ultrasonic and microstructural investigation of the effect of slag fineness on the mechanical, geochemical, and durability properties of sulphide-rich tailings CPB made of AAS (AAS-CPB) over 360 days. In this scope, the AAS-CPB samples were prepared at three different slag fineness values (3100–4650–6300 cm2/g). According to the findings, the fineness of the slag significantly improved the early-age and long-term strength (~2.3-fold and ~6.6-fold, respectively) of the CPB samples (CPBs). However, a further increase in the slag fineness was observed to impair the CPB microstructure and strength in the long term. Ultrasonic pulse velocity monitoring displayed a very high relation with the strength evolution of the CPBs and is a very reliable method for the durability assessment of the CPBs. Slag fineness around 4600 cm2/g was found to be sufficient for CPB preparation, and was seen to improve the pore structure evolution of the AAS-CPB. Microstructural studies are in good agreement with the geochemical and durability behaviour of the AAS-CPB at this fineness. Microstructural and ultrasonic findings suggest that, while slag fineness enhances the mechanical and microstructural properties of the AAS-CPB, a further increase in the fineness of the slag has no additional technical advantages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 7335 KiB  
Article
Deeper Understanding of the Strength Evolution and Deformation Characteristics of Sodium Silicate–Cemented Paste Tailing Material
by Jie Meng, Mamadou Fall and Hoda M. Pour
Minerals 2023, 13(11), 1382; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13111382 - 28 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 837
Abstract
This research aims to examine the impact of sodium silicate (SS) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of cemented paste tailings or cemented paste backfill (CPB), a cementitious construction material extensively used in underground mining operations. The study involved various compositions and curing [...] Read more.
This research aims to examine the impact of sodium silicate (SS) on the mechanical and microstructural properties of cemented paste tailings or cemented paste backfill (CPB), a cementitious construction material extensively used in underground mining operations. The study involved various compositions and curing conditions of SS-CPB samples, and their uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), stress–strain behavior, microstructure, and modulus of elasticity were evaluated by conducting mechanical (UCS) and microstructural (DT/DTG, MIP) tests, as well as monitoring experiments. Findings indicate that SS improves the mechanical strength of CPB and enhances its microstructure. The development of UCS is affected by SS dosage, curing time, water chemistry, curing temperature, and curing stress. Higher SS dosage, curing time, temperature, and stress lead to higher UCS, while sulfates decrease UCS. SS also increases CPB’s resistance to sulfate attack, and field curing temperature improves the binder hydration enhancement induced by SS. The presence of SS affects the stress–strain properties of CPB, including the shape of the stress–strain curve, maximum stress and strain, and modulus of elasticity. The modulus of elasticity of CPB with SS is higher than that without SS under field thermal curing conditions. Moreover, UCS and the modulus of elasticity have a linear relationship in SS-CPB, regardless of SS content. A relationship is proposed to estimate the modulus of elasticity of SS-CPB from its UCS. The study has significant practical implications for the cost-effective design of mine CPB structures and for improving underground mine work safety and productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 13669 KiB  
Article
Stability Analysis of Cemented Tailings Backfill in Stope Considering Layered Structural Characteristics
by Jie Wang, Qingjun Yu, Guannan Wang and Dazhi Tong
Minerals 2023, 13(9), 1111; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13091111 - 22 Aug 2023
Viewed by 659
Abstract
In this study, the stage subsequent to filling mining is selected as the background, and the cemented tailings backfill serves as the research object. Given the effects of the layer effect, top load, lateral pressure coefficient, and so forth, a safety factor calculation [...] Read more.
In this study, the stage subsequent to filling mining is selected as the background, and the cemented tailings backfill serves as the research object. Given the effects of the layer effect, top load, lateral pressure coefficient, and so forth, a safety factor calculation model of cemented tailings backfill in large depth–width ratio stopes is developed in accordance with the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion, which is compared with the models proposed by other scholars. Lastly, the characteristics of the effect exerted by a wide variety of factors are discussed. As indicated by the results, (1) there are three scenarios in the position of the sliding surface, located in the first layer, passing through two layers and passing through three layers, and mainly the first two. Compared with other models, the rationality and reliability of the model in this study are verified. Different models have different research backgrounds and different focuses, and certain differences exist in results. (2) The safety factor of cemented tailings backfills is reduced with the increase of the top load, the lateral pressure coefficient, and the bulk density, while it is increased with the increase of cohesion, internal friction angle, and bonding force ratio. Furthermore, a linear functional relationship exists between them. The safety factor has the maximum sensitivity to cohesion and the minimum sensitivity to top load. (3) Using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for regression analysis, a simplified multiple linear regression equation between the safety factor and the respective factor is built. The regression results achieve an error of 10%. As revealed by the result of this study, the simplified regression equation can be applied to the stability evaluation of the on-site cemented tailings backfill. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 6516 KiB  
Article
Effect of Waste Clay Bricks on the Performance of Cemented Tailings Backfill and Its Damage Constitutive Model
by Tianxiang Sun, Yifan Zhang, Kang Wang, Zhuoqun Yu and Yongyan Wang
Minerals 2023, 13(7), 987; https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070987 - 24 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1041
Abstract
In this study, two types of cemented tailings backfill (CTB) were prepared by breaking up the waste clay bricks (WCB) from dismantled buildings and replacing part of the cement with brick powder and part of the tailings with brick aggregate. The mechanical properties [...] Read more.
In this study, two types of cemented tailings backfill (CTB) were prepared by breaking up the waste clay bricks (WCB) from dismantled buildings and replacing part of the cement with brick powder and part of the tailings with brick aggregate. The mechanical properties of the modified CTB were investigated. The results showed that the strength of CTB with 10% brick powder content increased by 16.24% at the curing age of 28 days, while the content of 20% brick powder only decreased by 0.11%. The strength of the brick aggregate with less than 20% content can be increased at each curing age, and the strength of the 15% brick aggregate at the curing age of 7 d and 28 d is increased by 65.54 and 58.8%. The failure strain of the CTB-containing brick powder decreases with the extension of the curing time, and the failure strain of the CTB-containing brick aggregate decreases significantly at the curing age of 7 days. In addition, a three-stage damage constitutive model was established based on the results obtained in the present study, and the laboratory test results of CTB under uniaxial compression were effectively described with high confidence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cemented Paste Backfill: How Do the Components Affect the Performance?)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop