Correlation between seismic wave velocities and rock quality designation in the foundation rock of a tailing’s storage dam

Mining operations play a crucial role in meeting the demands of various industrial sectors, necessitating a comprehensive approach to exploration, extraction, processing, and waste management. Radioactive mineral mining poses unique challenges due to the presence of potentially hazardous materials in tailings. Effective waste management is essential to mitigate environmental and public health risks associated with these materials. Geotechnical characterization of rock masses supporting critical structures like tailings dams is pivotal for ensuring their integrity and safety, as inadequate assessment can lead to catastrophic failures. In this work, variations in compressional wave velocities of the rock mass prior to the opening of the uranium mine were correlated with the rock quality geomechanical parameter. The study exhibited a good correlation between geomechanical and geophysical parameters. The linear equation obtained from this correlation was used to compare the results of new seismic tests conducted during the mine's decommissioning phase. The comparison of rock quality designation values obtained by photogrammetry with geophysical methods was consistent. This type of study enhances rock mass assessment practices, benefiting geotechnical, mining, civil engineering, and geophysical applications.

采矿作业在满足各工业领域需求方面发挥着至关重要的作用，亟需采用涵盖勘探、开采、选矿与废物管理的系统化综合方案。放射性矿物开采因尾矿中存在潜在危险物质而面临独特挑战。开展有效的废物管理，对于降低这类物质引发的环境与公众健康风险至关重要。对支撑尾矿坝等关键构筑物的岩体开展岩土特性表征，对保障其结构完整性与运行安全性至关重要，若评估不足则可能引发灾难性垮塌事故。本研究将铀矿投产前岩体的纵波速度变化与岩体质量岩土力学参数进行了关联分析，结果显示岩土力学参数与地球物理参数之间存在良好的相关性。通过该关联得到的线性方程，被用于对比该矿山退役阶段开展的新地震测试结果。本次研究中，通过摄影测量法（photogrammetry）与地球物理方法获取的岩石质量指标（rock quality designation, RQD）值对比结果保持一致。这类研究能够完善岩体评估流程，可为岩土工程、采矿工程、土木工程及地球物理勘探相关应用提供助力。