Purpose. A methodology development for predicting the geomechanical situation when mining an ore deposit with steep-dipping layers, taking into account the uncertainty in determining the rock properties, which is a consequence of the rock mass heterogeneity. Methods. The assessment of the open-pit wall stability is based on a combination of numerical simulation of the rock stress-strain state (SSS) and probabilistic analysis. The finite element method is used to determine the changes in the SSS that occur at various stages of mining operations due to design changes in the overall open-pit slope angle. The elastic-plastic model of the medium and the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion are implemented in the codes of the 3D finite element analysis program RS3 (Rocscience). Stochastic simulation is used to assess random risks associated with natural object state variations. Findings. The distribution of maximum shear strains, which localizes the real or potential sliding surfaces in the open-pit wall at various stages of ore mining, has been identified. Based on the Shear Strength Reduction procedure, the open-pit wall Strength Reduction Factor (SRF) has been determined. The probabilities of open-pit wall stability loss, as well as the decrease in the strength reduction factor below the standard level at all stages of the ore body mining, have been revealed. Originality. For the first time, for real mining-geological conditions of a deep ore open pit, the dependence of the strength reduction factor on the overall wall slope angle, which changes during mining of each steep layer, has been determined. For each stage of mining operations, for the first time, the probability of a decrease in the open-pit wall stability below the standard level has been determined based on stochastic simulation. Practical implications. The ratio between the open-pit contour characteristic (overall slope angle) and the probabilistic safety factor is the basis for practical solutions to ensure the efficiency and safety of mining at various stages of friable and hard overburden excavation, ore extraction, as well as for the subsequent optimization of the open-pit design contours.

Today, seepage control in tailings dams has become an important problem due to the increased production in mining sites. Although very techniques have been developed to solve this problem, research in this field continues. The reason for this is that there is an ongoing search for a one hundred percent successful method to prevent seepage. In this study, the geochemical and geomechanical properties of paste material stored by the surface paste disposal (SPD) method were investigated by pilot field tests. To determine the effects of cement and pozzolanic materials on the geochemical and geomechanical properties of the paste, 2 different pilot-scale storage designs were observed for about 1 year, with no additives (reference) and binder added to some layers (cement and fly ash). Based on the data derived from the former laboratory investigations and with no additives and with a few layers of cement and fly ash, the two different designs were applied on a pilot scale near the existing tailings dam of a currently active mining enterprise. These designs were observed in inland conditions for about 1 year to determine the effects of seasonal changes on the material. The seepage analysis, surface crack densities, microstructural properties, consolidation, and cohesion values of these designs, which are directly exposed to atmospheric effects, were determined during the study period. According to the results obtained, the use of cement improved the volume compressibility coefficient of the material by approximately 25% compared to the reference design. However, the use of fly ash alongside cement improved the volume compressibility coefficient by about 75%. In conclusion, the use of cement made the material more resistant to external factors, and the usability of fly ash, which was used at a 50% replacement ratio with cement to bring down the cost, for long-time storage in the industry was demonstrated within the scope of the study.

Purpose is to assess changes in the stress-strain state of walls along the whole periphery of a super-deep open pit while optimizing its current and final boundaries for the complete ore excavation. Methods. Finite element 3D analysis of stress-strain state (SSS) of the soil and rock mass relies upon the models varying in their scales. Macrolevel model includes the full pit helping perform initial evaluation of its stability depending upon changes in the general wall slope along the pit periphery. Then, the macromodel is separated into sectoral models with smaller scales oriented radially in such a way to include potentially unstable wall areas. The sectoral models make it possible to show the complex bench line in more detail after the peripheries were optimized in terms of economic factor and simulate layered structure of the rock mass. Elastoplastic model of the medium as well as Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion has been implemented using RS3 (Rocscience) program codes. Findings. An indicator of wall strength (safety factor) distribution along the pit periphery has been identified; potential sliding surfaces within each of the separated open pit sectors have been localized based upon the shear strength reduction (SSR) procedure. Influence by the general wall slope as well as by the indicator of the ore excavation completeness on the stripping ratio has been demonstrated. Originality. For the first time, two-level modelling has shown difference in a safety factor depending upon a model scale and a reflection degree of the soil-rock mass structure. In the context of the actual mining and geological conditions of Kacharsky open pit, changes in the safety factor along the pit periphery have been identified depending on the general slope of the wall. Practical implications. Based upon the pit wall stability along the whole periphery, the possibility has been substantiated to optimize its design boundaries for the excavation of those amenable ore reserves, occurred near them, inclusive of ore, occurring in a bottom, which mining is impossible due to inaccessibility.