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PREDICTIVE MODELS OF THE COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF CEMENTED PASTE BACKFILLS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT SELF-WEIGHT CONSOLIDATION

Session: Mining Geotechnique II / Géotechnique minière II

Tikou Belem, Research Institute in Mining and Environment (RIME), UQAT (Canada)
Erol Yilmaz, First Quantum Minerals Ltd., Cayeli Bakir Isletmeleri A.S., Madenli, Cayeli, Rize TR53200, Turkey (Turkey)
Mostafa Benzaazoua, Research Institute in Mining and Environment (RIME), University of Quebec UQAT (Canada)

This paper present numerous UCS results obtained from plastic moulds, CUAPS (Curing Under Applied Pressure System) apparatus and in situ core specimens. It was confirmed that the UCS from CUAPS-cured cemented paste backfill specimens were consistently higher than the one from plastic mould-cured cemented paste backfill specimens for a given backfill mixture recipe. Two semi-empirical general equations were proposed in order to predict the UCS of CUAPS-consolidated backfills from known UCS of plastic mould backfill specimens and the CUAPS-predicted UCS at a corresponding backfill depth. These two equations were both defined as a function of curing time and binder content. In addition, these equations can take into account the arching effect on the strength development within a backfilled stope. It has been demonstrated that these predictive equations can be used with 60% and 75% confidence limit.