Uniaxial compression test of frozen tailings

• More than sixty frozen tailings samples with four types of tailings
• Uniaxial compression tests at a temperature of − 16 °C
• Effects of average particle size, dry density, moisture content, and loading rate
• Uniaxial compressive strength and deformation modulus

The mechanical properties (uniaxial compressive strength and deformation modulus) of frozen tailings are key parameters for the safety assessment of a tailing dam. However, the experimental data on such mechanical properties are limited. In this study, more than sixty tailings samples with four tailings (medium sand, fine sand, silty sand, and silt) were frozen at the temperature of − 16 °C, and then tested under uniaxial compression in order to investigate their mechanical properties. The effects of four parameters (average particle size, dry density, water content and strain rate) on the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and the deformation modulus of frozen tailings were investigated. The test results show that three failure patterns of samples were observed: inclined plane shear failure, lateral tensile failure, and composite failure involving both. Their uniaxial compressive strength is related logarithmically to average particle size, exponentially to dry density, linearly to moisture content, and parabolically to strain rate. On the other hand, their deformation modulus is related logarithmically to average particle size, parabolically to moisture content, exponentially to both dry density and strain rate.