Seepage Analyses of Tailings Dam Using 3D Saturated-Unsaturated and Equivalent Seepage Method

Abstract

Seepage safety control of tailings dam is the key technology for preventing leakage and ensuring dam safety to avoid geo-hazards and protect the ecological environment. To obtain an accurate seepage field of the whole tailings dam area, especially the modeling of geotechnical mat, a 3D saturated-unsaturated seepage method is used to calculate the seepage filed, in which the phreatic surface is captured by a cut-off negative pressure method via a penalty function with a parameter. An equivalent seepage model of a geotechnical mat is established to calculate accurately its seepage characteristic. The equivalent seepage model is applied to analyze the seepage field of a tailings dam in China. The seepage field is also investigated when the geotechnical mat cannot work well. The seepage surface will be left up, when the geotechnical mat is damaged.