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Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Minerals Engineering
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/mineng

Saturated hydraulic conductivity of cemented paste backfill

M. Fall a,*, D. Adrien b, J.C. Célestin a, M. Pokharel a, M. Touré a
a
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
b
Department of Civil Engineering, ENS, Cachan, France

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The key design parameters of cemented paste backfill (CPB, a mix of tailings, water and binder) are
Received 28 May 2009 strongly influenced by its saturated hydraulic conductivity (permeability). However, our understanding
Accepted 6 August 2009 of the permeability of CPBs, as well as factors that affect it and its evolution with time, is limited. Hence,
Available online 5 September 2009
a laboratory investigation is conducted to study the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs and develop a model
for predicting its evolution with time. The results show that the hydraulic conductivity of CPB is time-
Keywords: dependent. As the curing time increases, the hydraulic conductivity decreases. The permeability is also
Cemented paste backfill
affected by the mix components. The permeability decreases as the binder content increases or the w/
Tailings
Hydraulic conductivity
c ratio decreases. Medium tailings with 45% fine particles confer lower hydraulic conductivity to the
Environmental performance CPB. The sulphate can have two opposite effects on the permeability of CPBs, contributing to an increase
Durability or decrease. However, the magnitude of the influence of the mix components depends on the curing time
and is generally more pronounced at early ages (67 days). Moreover, this study demonstrates that the
hydraulic conductivity decreases with curing temperature and time for the studied CPBs. However, the
effect of curing temperature on the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs is more significant in early age samples
(up to 7 days) and depends on the binder type. Furthermore, the mechanical damage can significantly
increase the hydraulic conductivity. Finally, the authors propose a simple function for the prediction of
the evolution of the hydraulic conductivity of CPB with time. The validation results show that the devel-
oped model is able to predict the time-dependent change of the hydraulic conductivity with good
accuracy.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Financial revenues generated by the mining industry are vital
for the economy and well being of several countries and popula-
tions in the world. However, the mining industry generates a large
amount of solid waste, such as waste rock and tailings. The dis-
posal of such waste can create several problems (Ritcey, 2005).
Public perception and strict government regulations regarding
the disposal of such waste compel the mining industry into think-
ing and developing new strategies which are environmentally
sound and cost effective.
In this scenario, recycling of such waste is gaining popularity in
Canada and other parts of the world. Cemented paste tailing (CPT),
also called cemented paste backfill (CPB), is a relatively new tech-
nology which is practiced extensively in several mining sites
worldwide (Fall et al., 2008). CPB is a heterogeneous material pro-
duced by mixing tailings with a solid percentage between 70% and
* Corresponding author. Address: Department of Civil Engineering, University of
Ottawa, 161 Colonel by, Ottawa (Ontario), Canada K1N 6N5. Tel.: +1 613 562
5800x6138.
E-mail address: mfall@eng.uottawa (M. Fall).
85%, water that is either fresh or mine processed, and hydraulic
binder, which is usually 2–7% by weight. This technology has eco-
nomical as well as environmental benefits for the mining industry.
The use of CPBs in voids created during mining operations allows
the mining industry to extract additional ores. CPB technology sig-
nificantly reduces the quantity of mine waste that has to be man-
aged on the earth’s surface (Benzaazoua et al., 2004; Yilmaz et al.,
2004; Orejarena and Fall, 2008). In addition to this, the hardened
CPBs provide ground support for the surrounding mine structure
and also a safe working environment for the mine workers (Has-
sani and Archibal, 1998; Kesimal et al., 2003; Fall and Benzaazoua,
2005).
Mechanical performance, stability of barricades, environmental
performance and durability belong to the most important design
criteria of CPB structures. Once placed, CPBs have to satisfy certain
loading requirements to ensure a safe underground working envi-
ronment for all mining personnel. This is mainly dependent on the
mechanical properties of the CPB. Moreover, to carry fresh and
hydrating CPB materials during stope filling and thereby prevent
CPB from flowing into the mine working areas, retaining wall
structures called barricades (permeable free draining retaining
walls) or bulkheads (retaining walls that are impermeable) are

0892-6875/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2009.08.002
 Author's personal copy
1308 M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317
built in each of the access ways into the stope prior to stope filling.
The stability of these retaining walls is significantly affected by the
pore water pressure developed behind the barricades or bulkheads
and the drainage ability of the wall. These two factors are strongly
influenced by the saturated hydraulic conductivity (permeability)
of the hydrating CPB. Furthermore, one of the most important
parameters affecting environmental performance and durability
of CPBs is permeability. Susceptibility to AMD and ability to release
contaminants into the mine areas and/or groundwater (after mine
flooding) are relevant environmental design criteria for CPB struc-
tures. The sensitivity of CPBs to AMD is mainly dependent on the
reactivity (oxidation potential) of the tailings contained in the
CPB. In turn, this reactivity is not only dependent on the types
and quantity of sulphide minerals present in the CPB system, but
also the ease with which fluids, such as oxygen and water, enter
and move through the CPB matrix, i.e. on the permeation proper-
ties of the CPB. These permeation properties can be assessed using
knowledge of the hydraulic conductivity of the CPB. Furthermore,
hydraulic conductivity is one of the main parameters controlling
the groundwater flow rate through the CPB structure once it is
flooded. In other words, it significantly affects the leaching poten-
tial and transport of contaminants through the CPB to groundwater
(Levens et al., 1996). In addition, hydraulic conductivity can give
relevant information about the pore structure, such as coarseness
and connectivity, and the cracking of the CPB. Poorer pore struc-
tures, including coarse pores and high connectivity of the pores,
and cracks can allow and accelerate fluid transfer, such as oxygen
and water, between the CPB and surrounding media, thereby
resulting in increased potential oxidation of the sulphide minerals
contained in the tailings and reducing service-life through sulphate
attacks.
During the past 15 years, research efforts have been primarily
spent on understanding the factors that affect the mechanical
properties of CPBs (e.g., Landriault, 1995; Kesimal et al., 2003; Yil-
maz et al., 2004; Fall et al., 2005, and Fall et al., 2007). However,
technical data on the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs is quite lim-
ited. Furthermore, most of the studies were carried out on CPBs
cured at ‘‘laboratory” curing temperatures (20–25 °C). This means
that the impact of colder (0–20 °C) or warmer (25–50 °C) curing
temperatures on the hydraulic properties of CPBs is still not under-
stood. In addition, the CPB is an evolutive porous medium, i.e. its
properties (e.g., hydraulic conductivity) change with time. There
is currently no available model for predicting the evolution of the
hydraulic conductivity of CPBs with time. Thus, there is a need to
substantially increase our knowledge about the hydraulic conduc-
tivity of CPBs and the factors that can affect it, and to develop a
model that will allow the prediction of time-dependent evolution
of the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs. This has inspired the authors
to conduct the present research, experimentally study the satu-
rated hydraulic conductivity of CPBs and the factors affecting it
as well as develop a model for predicting the evolution of the
hydraulic conductivity of CPBs with time. The main results of this
research are presented in the coming sections.
2. Materials and experimental program
2.1. Materials used
The materials used include binders, tailings, and water.
2.1.1. Binders
Portland cement Type I (PCI), and blast furnace slag (Slag) were
used as binders. PC I was used alone or blended with Slag. The
blending ratio of PCI and Slag was 50/50. These binders are often
used for CPB mixtures in mines located in Eastern Canada.
2.1.2. Tailings
The tailings that were used were natural tailings (NT) and
ground silica (SI). The NT has a grain size curve close to that of SI
(Fig. 1). The NT originated from hard magmatic rocks and is char-
acterized by the dominance of sulphide minerals (pyrite), quartz
and paragonite. The main objective for selecting SI as tailings
material is to control with accuracy, the chemical and mineralogi-
cal composition of the tailings. This maintains the level of uncer-
tainties at a minimum level when studying the isolated impact of
the mix components of CPB and temperature on its hydraulic con-
ductivity. NT may contain various (uncontrollable) minerals and
chemical elements that can influence the outcome of the study.
The SI contained 99.8% SiO2 and shows a grain size distribution
close to the average of nine Canadian mine tailings (Fig. 1). Table
1 gives the main physical and chemical characteristics of the NT
and SI. It can be observed that NT and SI, with about 41–45 wt.%
fine particles (<20 lm), can be classified as medium tailings (med-
ium tailings have between 35% and 60% of particles with size
620 lm). Furthermore, to evaluate the impact of tailings fineness
on the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs, two other SI tailings materi-
als (SI-35, SI-20) with a percentage of fine particles (passing
20 lm) of 35%, 20% by weight, respectively, were used. These tail-
ings had the same chemical and physical characteristics (except
grain size distribution) as SI. This allowed us to isolate the grain
size factor and evaluate its impact on CPB hydraulic conductivity.
2.1.3. Water
Tap water was mainly used to mix the binders and tailings.
However, specific amounts of sulphate concentrates (FeSO4.7H20)
were added to a specific volume of distilled water to create mixing
waters with well known sulphate concentrations (0 ppm,
5000 ppm, 15,000 ppm, and 25,000 ppm), i.e. with different chem-
ical compositions.
2.2. Specimen preparation and mix proportions
Around 300 CPB samples made of PCI (PCI-CPB) or PCI/Slag
(Slag-CPB) were prepared to investigate the saturated hydraulic
conductivity of CPBs as well as their microstructure. The tailings
materials, binders and water were mixed until a homogeneous
paste was obtained. The slump (consistency) of the CPBs was kept
constant at 18 cm (the most frequent slump value used for CPB de-
signs), except for mixes prepared with a water/cement ratio (w/c
ratio) = 5, 6 and 10. The consistency of the paste mixtures was
measured by a slump test in accordance to ASTM C 143-90. The
produced CPB mixes were poured into curing cylinders that were
5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height. The specimens were then
sealed (to avoid evaporation of water) and cured in environmental
chambers at specific curing temperatures of 2 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C and
50 °C for periods of 1, 7, 28, 56 and 90 days. Afterwards, the CPB
samples were subjected to various tests, including hydraulic con-
ductivity tests on undamaged and mechanically pre-damaged
CPB samples, and microstructural analysis.
2.3. Testing of specimens
2.3.1. Hydraulic conductivity tests on undamaged CPB samples
To study the effects of curing time, mix components of CPBs and
curing temperature on the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs, satu-
rated hydraulic conductivity tests were conducted on undamaged
CPB samples cured at various temperatures (2 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C
and 50 °C) and times (mostly at 1, 3, 7, 28, 56 to 90 days). In early
ages (1 to 7 days), a rigid wall permeameter in falling head mode
following ASTM D 5856-00 was used. This method proved to be
impractical for advanced age (28–90 days) sample testing. At these
latter periods, the hardened samples required higher hydraulic
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M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317 1309

100
SI
90
NT
80 9mines

Volumepercent (cumulative)
70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Grain size (µm)

Fig. 1. Grain size distribution of the tailings (SI, NT) used and the average grain size distribution of tailings from nine Canadian mines.

Table 1
Physical properties of the tailings used.
Element Gs D10 (lm) D30 (lm)
SI 2.7 1.9 9.0
NT 3.6 3.6 13.2
gradient to obtain infiltration by the permeant. Another difficulty
arose that required the destruction of the cell after testing as the
hardened paste was almost impossible to remove from the perme-
ameter cell. About 120 tests had to be conducted in such condi-
tions; therefore, the choice of using the flexible wall technique
was addressed. The procedure for this method is described in
ASTM D5084-00 and was conducted in the constant head mode.
Each hydraulic conductivity test was repeated at least twice and
the average value was considered as the saturated hydraulic con-
ductivity of the sample tested.
2.3.2. Hydraulic conductivity tests on mechanically damaged CPB
samples
To experimentally clarify the impact of mechanical damage or
the opening of cracks induced by mechanical loads on the hydrau-
lic conductivity of CPBs, hydraulic conductivity tests were con-
ducted on mechanically pre-damaged CPB samples by using a
triaxial cell (flexible wall technique) in accordance to ASTM
D5084-00. Prior to conducting permeability tests on damaged
CPB samples, the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and the ini-
tial permeability (k0) of the studied CPB samples were determined.
The UCS of the CPB samples was determined by using a computer-
controlled mechanical press (MTS 10/GL) with a normal loading
capacity of 50 kN. The UCS test was performed in accordance to
standard ASTM C 39. The compression tests were carried out at a
constant deformation rate of 1 mm/min. The axial deformation
was automatically measured by using an internal linear variable
differential transformer (LVDT) connected to an electronic data
acquisition system. A measurement of the k0 of the CPB (undam-
aged) was performed at 20 °C by using the aforementioned flexible
wall technique. Afterwards, hydraulic conductivity tests in accor-
dance to ASTM D5084-00 were carried out over pre-damaged sam-
ples. Mechanical damage was achieved by applying uniaxial
compressive load on the CPB samples. The stress or load level (ap-
plied stress/peak stress) was preset and applied under cyclic load-
D50 (lm) D60 (lm) Cu Cc ings. The permeability of the samples was measured after each
22.5 31.5 16.6 1.3 cycle of loading and unloading, i.e. at different load levels (load lev-
28.3 39.5 11.0 1.2 els up to 90% of the evaluated UCS were considered) in the pre-
peak phase or in other words, at different mechanical damages
(D). D is defined as follows:
E
D¼1 ð1Þ
E0
with: D: damage, 0 6 D 6 1, E: Young’s modulus of damaged CPB,
E0: initial Young’s modulus of CPB (determined in the elastic range
of the stress–strain curve of CPB).
Each test was performed at least twice to ensure the repeatabil-
ity of the results obtained.
2.3.3. Microstructural analysis
The microstructure (pore structure, binder hydration products)
of some CPB samples was also evaluated. The microstructure of the
studied CPB samples was investigated by mercury intrusion poros-
imetry (MIP), X-ray tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
observations. Before MIP-testing, all samples were first dried at
50 °C up to mass stabilization. Drying at this temperature did not
appear to cause cracking. The MIP tests allowed the evaluation of
the pore size distribution in the dried CPB samples. X-ray tests
were carried out on some CPB samples as well as some prepared
hardened cement pastes with a high w/c ratio (w/c = 2; to simulate
the cement matrix of CPB) by using a Scintag XDS 2000 XRD. The X-
ray tests and SEM observations allowed the studying of binder
hydration products that formed in the CPB system. The SEM obser-
vations were done with Hitachi S4800 FEG–SEM. The samples were
observed in backscatter electron mode.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effect of curing time on the saturated hydraulic conductivity of
CPB
The CPB samples were prepared with plain PCI and NT or SI.
The total binder content was fixed at 4.5% and the slump at
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1310 M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317

1.0E-04 that region # 1 corresponds to the main period of cement hydra-

CPB made of SI tion, during which the larger amount of hydration products are
8.0E-05 produced (Taylor, 1993). From the results presented above, it
Permeability, k (cm/s)

CPB made of NT
can be concluded that since the permeability of CPBs decreases
6.0E-05 with curing time, their fluid transport ability (water, oxygen) will
decrease with time. In other words, their durability and environ-
4.0E-05 mental performance may increase.

2.0E-05 3.2. Effect of CPB’s mix components on its saturated hydraulic

conductivity
0.0E+00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
The main components of CPBs include the binder, mixing water
Curing time (days)
and tailings. The nature (e.g., chemical and physical characteristics)
Fig. 2. Time-dependent change of the permeability of CPBs containing SI or NT as and amount of these components used to prepare CPB materials in
tailings materials (4.5% PCI; slump = 18 cm). the mine plants vary greatly. Therefore, the effects of the mix com-
ponents of CPBs and their variations on the permeability of CPBs
that are cured at 20 °C were investigated. The main results ob-
18 cm for all mixes. The samples obtained were cured at 20 °C for tained are summarized in Fig. 4a–e.
periods of 1, 7, 28 and 56 days. Fig. 2 illustrates the influence of
curing time on the evolution of the permeability of the studied
CPBs. From this figure, it is obvious that regardless of the tailings
used, the curing time significantly affects the hydraulic conductivity
a 1.4E-04 3.0%PCI
of CPBs. As the curing time increases, the hydraulic conductivity 1.2E-04 4.5%PCI
Permeability,k (cm/s)
decreases. The reason for this behaviour is the increasing degree 6.0%PCI
1.0E-04
of cement hydration with time, i.e. in the amount of cement
hydration products (e.g., CSH, CH, ettringite) formed. The binder 8.0E-05
hydration leads to a progressive refinement of the pore structure 6.0E-05
and reduction of the porosity of the CPB materials by means of
4.0E-05
filling the pores in the cemented matrix of the CPBs and blocking
the interconnected pores by the aforementioned hydration prod- 2.0E-05
ucts. This refinement of the microstructure of CPBs with increas-
0.0E+00
ing curing time is graphically demonstrated in Fig. 3. This figure 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
represents the results of MIP tests performed on two samples Curing time (days)
made of tailings NT and cured for periods of 7 and 28 days, respec-
tively. It can be seen that the pore size distribution of the CPB b 1.0E-04
cured at 7 days is coarser than that of the specimen cured at 4.5%PCI
28 days. In the graph shown in Fig. 2, it is also possible to clearly 8.0E-05
Permeability,k (cm/s)

4.5%PCI/ Slag
distinguish two different regions with a time of 0–7 days (region #
1) and over 7 days (region # 2) in the permeability of CPBs with 6.0E-05
changes that are time-dependent. The highest decrease of the
permeability of CPBs with curing time occurs in region # 1, while 4.0E-05
region # 2 is characterized by a slight decrease of the k-value of
CPBs with curing time. This behaviour can be explained by the fact 2.0E-05

0.0E+00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
12
Curing time (days)
28 days
c
Incremental Hg intrusion porosity (%)

10
7 days 1.6E-04
w/ c = 5
1.4E-04
w/ c = 7.6
Permeability,k (cm/s)

8 1.2E-04
w/ c = 10
1.0E-04

6 8.0E-05

6.0E-05

4 4.0E-05

2.0E-05

2 0.0E+00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Curing time (days)
0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 Fig. 4. Effect of CPB’s mix components on its permeability: Effect of (a) binder
Pore size (µm) content (PCI; slump = 18 cm; SI used); (b) binder type (4.5% cement;
slump = 18 cm; SI used); (c) w/c ratio (4.5% PCI; SI used); (d) tailings fineness
Fig. 3. MIP pore size distribution of paste backfill cemented with 4.5% PCI vs. curing (4.5% PCI; slump = 18 cm; SI used); and (e) sulphate content (4.5% PCI;
temperature and pore size range (w/c = 7.6; slump = 18 cm; NT used). slump = 18 cm; SI used).

d 1.6E-04 4.2E-03(cm/s)
1.4E-04
1.2E-04
Permeability, k (cm/s)
1.0E-04
8.0E-05
6.0E-05
4.0E-05
2.0E-05
0.0E+00
0 10
e 8.0E-05
7.0E-05
Permeability, k (cm/s)
6.0E-05
5.0E-05
4.0E-05
3.0E-05
2.0E-05
1.0E-05
0.0E+00
1 3
Fig. 4 (continued)
3.2.1. Effect of binder content and type
Fig. 4a shows the effect of the binder proportion (3%, 4.5% and
6% PCI) on the permeability of the CPB prepared at a constant
slump (18 cm) in relationship to the curing time. It can be observed
that the binder content significantly affects the permeability of the
CPB, especially at early ages. The permeability of the CPB decreases
as the binder content increases. This is because higher binder con-
tent leads to more precipitation of hydration products (e.g., CSH,
CH, ettringite) in the cemented matrix of the CPB, thereby causing
a refinement of the pore structure and reduction in the porosity of
the CPB (Taylor, 1993; Fall et al., 2008). However, from Fig. 4b, it
can be noted that aside from the binder content, the type of binder
used also has an impact on the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs.
Fig. 4b shows the variation of the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs
with binder type (100% PCI, PCI blended with Slag at a ratio of
50/50) in relationship to the curing time. It is obvious that the type
of binder or the mineral admixture has an influence on the CPB’s
permeability. However, the magnitude of this influence depends
on the curing time. For curing times that are 61 day, the perme-
ability of CPBs made of PCI (PC-CPB) is higher than that of CPBs
containing Slag (Slag-CPB) as mineral admixtures. The measured
permeability value of Slag-CPB was about 10% higher than that of
PCI-CPB. This can be mainly attributed to the filler effect of the
mineral admixture Slag, which in addition to the binder hydration
products, contribute to filling the pores of the CPB matrix, thereby
refining its pore structure (Manmohan and Mehta, 1981; Fall et al.,
2008). However, an observation of Fig. 4b indicates that for a cur-
ing time higher than 1 day and lower than 28 days, the permeabil-
ity of PCI-CPB is lower than that of Slag-CPB. This is because the
hydration process is slower and delayed in Slag compared with
PCI (Demirboga, 2007). For this reason, the binder hydration in-
duced porosity reduction in CPB made with only PCI is faster than
that in CPB containing Slag (Celestin and Fall, 2009). For curing
times that are P28 days, the Slag-CPB specimens show slightly
lower permeability than those made of PCI. This can be attributed
Author's personal copy
M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317 1311
to the physical (filler) and chemical (pozzolanic) effect of the min-
20% Fine eral admixture, as shown in other cemented materials (Manmohan
32% Fine and Mehta, 1981). It is known (Manmohan and Mehta, 1981; Hoo-
45% Fine ton, 2000) that Slag improves pore structure in two manners: its
small particle size results in a filler effect in which the Slag parti-
cles bridge the spaces between cement particles and the spaces be-
tween cement particles and tailings grains; and the Slag reacts
pozzolanically with calcium hydroxide (CH) resulting from the
hydration reactions of PC to produce a greater solid volume of C–
S–H gel. This in turn, leads to an additional reduction in capillary
porosity during hydration (by obstruction of pores and voids)
20 30 40 50 60 (Manmohan and Mehta, 1981), and a denser packing within the ce-
Curing time (days) mented matrix, thereby reducing the fluid transportability of the
CPB. These results then imply that the partial replacement of PCI
by Slag should result in an increase of the environmental perfor-
0 ppm
mance of CPBs.
5000 ppm
15000 ppm
3.2.2. Effect of w/c ratio
25000 ppm
Fig. 4c illustrates the influence of the w/c ratio on the hydraulic
conductivity of CPBs with respect to curing time (1, 7, 28, and
56 days). CPB samples with a w/c = 5, 7.6 and 10, respectively, were
prepared. The binder (PCI) content was kept constant at 4.5%. The
workability of the sample with w/c = 5 was poor. This w/c ratio was
only selected from a research point of view. From Fig. 4c, it can be
seen that the permeability of CPB decreases as the w/c ratio de-
creases. This is because a higher w/c ratio confers a higher capillary
7 28 90
Curing time (days)
porosity to the CPBs (Fall et al., 2005). However, the amplitude of
the impact of the w/c ratio on CPB’s permeability is more pro-
nounced at early ages (67 days). This can be explained by the fact
that a lower w/c ratio leads to lower porosity and faster binder
hydration (at early ages) and thereby, refines the pore structure
and blocks the connectivity of the pores within the cement of CPBs
with lower w/c ratio quicker.
3.2.3. Effect of tailings fineness and type
Typical results of the effect of tailings fineness on CPB perme-
ability in relationship with the curing time are presented in
Fig. 4d. From this figure, it appears that the proportion of fine tail-
ings particles (<20 lm), i.e., the fineness of the tailings materials
used in the CPB mixture, has a large effect on the hydraulic conduc-
tivity of CPBs. It can be noted that medium tailings with 45% fine
particles confer lower hydraulic conductivity to the CPB. The CPB
specimens made of coarse tailings (20% and 32% fineness) gener-
ates higher permeability for a given consistency. The observed
7
30% Fine
32%Fine
6 45%Fine
45% Fine
Hgintrusion porosity (%)
5
4
3
2
1
0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Pore diameter (µm)
Fig. 5. Effect of tailings fineness on pore size distribution of CPB specimens
cemented with PCI/Slag for a given w/c ratio (w/c = 6).
 Author's personal copy
1312 M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317
increase of the permeability of CPB for a proportion of tailings fine-
ness lower than 45% can be attributed to a reduction of the packing
density of the tailings materials and coarsening of the pore struc-
ture as the fineness content decreases from 45% to 20%. The first
assumption is supported by the results of the experimental inves-
tigations conducted by Fall et al. (2005) on the effect of tailings
fineness on the microstructure of CPBs. This study has shown that
the packing density of the tailings decreases as the proportion of
fine tailings becomes lower than 45%. Lower packing density is
associated with higher volume of void spaces between the tailings
particles available for cement hydration products. Indeed, coarse
tailings particles produce bodies that have fewer particle–particle
contacts per unit volume, and thus, larger pores between the par-
ticles. The latter assumption is in perfect agreement with the re-
sults of the MIP tests (Fig. 5) performed on two Slag-CPB samples
prepared with the same binder content (4.5%) and w/c ratio (w/
c = 6), but with tailings that had two different finenesses (32%
and 45%). It can be observed that the CPB with 32% fine tailings
has a coarser pore structure. Its volume of macropores >1 lm is
the highest. Furthermore, the threshold diameter (the pore size
corresponding to the highest rate of mercury intrusion per change
in pressure, (Manmohan and Mehta, 1981)) value of the CPB with a
45% fineness (1.4 lm) is 4 times lower than that of the CPB with a
32% fineness (4.8 lm). In other words, this means that the hard-
ened CPB with 45% fineness has lower fluid transportability, since
the threshold diameter is characteristic of a capillary network con-
nected to the surface of the cemented porous media (Manmohan
and Mehta, 1981). Contrary to the tailings fineness, Fig. 2, which
illustrates the time-dependent evolution of CPB specimens made
of tailings SI and NT, reveals that the mineralogical composition
of tailings does not significantly affect the permeability of CPBs.
3.2.4. Effect of initial sulphate content
Fig. 4e shows the evolution of the permeability of CPBs contain-
ing 4.5% PCI with time for various initial sulphate concentrations
(0, 5000, 15,000, and 25,000 ppm). From this figure, it can be seen
that the initial sulphate content in the CPB material has an impact
on its hydraulic conductivity. Depending on the curing time and
sulphate concentration, the sulphate can have two opposite effects
on the permeability of CPBs, contributing to an increase or de-
crease. At 1 day curing, the permeability values of CPB specimens
with 15,000 and 25,000 ppm are slightly higher than those with
0 and 5000 ppm. This can be attributed to the fact that high sul-
phate concentrations inhibit cement hydration at early ages (Fall
and Benzaazoua, 2005), which in turn, results in the formation of
Fig. 6. SEM images showing secondary hydrated minerals that have damaged the
CPB by their destructive expansive action. SEM image showing CPB damaged by the
destructive action of the expansive mineral phase formed within the CPB pores.
more porous cemented matrix. From Fig. 4e, it can be observed that
as the curing time increases from 1 to 28 days, the hydraulic con-
ductivity values of the sulphate-bearing CPB specimens are lower
than those of sulphate-free CPBs specimens. This lower permeabil-
ity associated with sulphate concentration can be explained by the
fact that, as mentioned in Fall and Benzaazoua (2005), sulphate can
contribute to the decrease of CPB porosity. The reason can be
attributed to the precipitation of secondary hydrated minerals
(such as gypsum, ettringite and brucite) in the empty capillary
pores that are present in the CPB. This is graphically demonstrated
by the results of SEM observations presented in Fall and Benzaa-
zoua (2005). From this study, it can be observed that secondary hy-
drated minerals precipitate in the pores that were inside the
cement matrix and thus, reduce its porosity. However, from
Fig. 4e, it can be also seen that for advanced curing times (90 days),
the CPB specimens with high initial sulphate concentrations
(15,000 and 25,000 ppm) behave differently than those with low
initial sulphate content (5000 ppm) or without sulphate. The
hydraulic conductivity of the 15,000 and 25,000 ppm CPBs is
slightly higher than that of 0 and 5000 ppm CPB specimens as well
as higher than the permeability values obtained at 28 days curing.
This reveals a coarsening of the pore structure of 15,000 and
25,000 ppm CPBs as the curing time increased from 28 to 90 days
and also in comparison to the 0 and 5000 ppm samples. These
higher values of permeability can be explained by the formation
of excessive amounts of expansive minerals (ettringite, gypsum)
resulting from the reaction between the sulphate ions and C3A of
the cement (formation of ettringite) as well as between the sul-
phate ions and cement hydration product; CH (formation of gyp-
sum). These expansive minerals could have exerted excessive
pressure on the pore structure of the 15,000 and 25,000 ppm CPBs,
resulting in formation of microcracks in the cemented matrix. This
will cause an increase in the permeability of the CPBs. This
assumption is fully supported by the results of SEM observations
conducted on a high sulphate-bearing CPB sample made of tailings
NT and 4.5% PCI (Fig. 6). From Fig. 6, it can be clearly noted that the
pores within the CPB which are filled with secondary gypsum min-
erals have damaged the CPB by their destructive expansive action.
3.3. Effect of curing temperature on the saturated hydraulic
conductivity of CPB
The temperature in backfill operations is a function of several
parameters that can be classified as internal (e.g., heat produced
by binder hydration) and external (e.g., temperature of rock mass
adjacent to or surrounding the CPB structure, depth mine temper-
ature, geographical position, heat generated by mining operations,
heat produced during CPB transport through the pipelines). These
8.E-05
7.E-05 1dayPCI 7days PCI
1dayPC/Slag 7days PC/Slag
rmeability,k (cm/s)Pe
6.E-05
90days PCI 90days PC/Sla
5.E-05
28days PCI 28days PC/Sl
4.E-05
3.E-05
2.E-05
1.E-05
0.E+00
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Temperature (οC)
Fig. 7. Coupled effect of temperature and binder on the hydraulic conductivity of
CPB at various curing temperatures (4.5% binder; slump = 18 cm; SI used).

various thermal sources and loads on the CPB may affect its perme-
ability, or in other words, its drainage ability, and environmental
and durability performances. Consequently, the impact of curing
temperatures on the hydraulic conductivity of CPB was studied.
The main results obtained are summarized in Fig. 7 and discussed
below.
3.3.1. Combined effects of curing temperature and time
From Fig. 7, the hydraulic conductivity of PCI-CPB samples
cured at 2 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C for various curing times can
be observed. From this figure, it is noticed that the hydraulic con-
ductivity decreases with curing time and temperature for the stud-
ied CPBs. At one day of curing time, the hydraulic conductivity is
always higher than all of the other advanced curing times. The
hydraulic conductivity appears to be affected in almost the same
extent by temperature and curing time. For example, on the one
hand, the difference in hydraulic conductivity drops from
6.97  105 to 1.40  105 cm/s (5.57  105) for 1 day samples,
6.02  105 to 1.54  106 cm/s (5.86  105) for 7 day samples
and from 4.72  106 to 1.54  106 cm/s (3.18  106) for
90 day samples in terms of differences when the temperature
changes from 2 °C to 50 °C. These variations expressed in terms
of percentage represent a decrease in hydraulic conductivity of
79%, 74% and 67%, respectively. These results show that the
changes in hydraulic conductivity with temperature are more sig-
nificant in early age samples (up to 7 days). On the other hand, the
changes recorded with varying curing times from 1 to 90 days at
2 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C are 6.50  105 cm/s, 2.08  105 cm/
s, 2.21  105 cm/s, and 1.25  105 cm/s in terms of differences
or 93%, 90%, 97%, and 89% in terms of decrease percentages, respec-
tively. Changes are slightly more significant at low curing temper-
atures than at higher temperatures. An examination of samples
cured at 2 °C show that they all bear the highest hydraulic conduc-
tivity. The higher values can be explained with the fact that hydra-
tion products are formed slowly under low reactivity conditions
caused by low temperatures leading to a slow chemical reaction
in the binder (slow hydration, Lothenbach et al., 2007). This confers
high porosity and pore connectivity to the cementitious materials
in comparison to the sample cured at high temperatures (Fall
et al., 2007). A considerable amount of time (90 days) was required
for the formation of sufficient hydration products which produces
a relatively dense cementitious system that fills the voids and re-
duces the pore connectivity. Thus, at 1 day, the presence of non ab-
sorbed water is very high (Jensen and Hansen, 2002), liquid phase
is continuous, and thereby, voids are possibly sufficiently well
60
Incremental Hg intrusion porosity (%)
50
40
30
20
10
0 PCI, it is necessary for the mixes containing Slag to wait until the
0.001 0.01 0.1
Pore size diameter
Fig. 8. Effect of curing temperature on the pore size distribution of PCI-CPB (4.5%
PCI; w/c = 7.6; NT used; curing time = 7 days).
Author's personal copy
M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317 1313
interconnected to provide an easy path for liquid flow. As the tem-
perature increases up to 50 °C, a significant drop is observed in the
hydraulic conductivity and this decrease continues with longer
curing time. This means that the hardening process has evolved
following minimum binder stoichiometry (Mindess and Young,
1981). The rate of formation of hydration products has a direct ef-
fect on the short and long-term refinement structure of the solid
matrix (Fall and Benzaazoua, 2005) and is therefore, responsible
for the drop in hydraulic conductivity encountered at these tem-
peratures. This is because of the increase of curing temperature
which significantly accelerates the hydration rate of the cement
paste (Lothenbach et al., 2007). Fall et al. (2007) also observed
the increase in the formation of CH, C–S–H and calcite with in-
crease of curing temperature by performing a thermal analysis
on hardened cemented paste of CPBs. This is further confirmed
by the results of XRD tests performed on cemented paste of CPBs
cured at various temperatures by Pokharel (2008). These results
show that high curing temperatures allow CPB samples to form
high amounts of hydration products. These products fill the voids
and reduce the porosity so that the sample has low hydraulic con-
ductivity at higher curing temperatures. This temperature induced
refinement of the pore structure of CPBs is illustrated by Fig. 8. This
figure shows the main results of the effect of temperature on the
MIP curve (porosity and pore size distribution) of PCI-CPB after
7 days of curing. From this figure, it appears that CPBs cured at
higher temperatures have a finer pore structure. The volume of
macropores >1 lm is highest in CPB samples cured at 20 °C. From
this figure, it can be also observed that a higher curing temperature
means smaller threshold diameters; i.e. the pore structure of the
CPB is finer. It is generally accepted that the threshold diameter
is a unique transport length scale of major importance in the per-
meability properties of cemented material (Garboczi, 1990). There-
fore, the 7 days PCI-CPBs cured at higher temperatures have lower
hydraulic conductivity than CPBs cured at colder temperatures
(Fig. 7). However, the effect of curing temperature on the hydraulic
conductivity of CPBs depends on the binder type as discussed
below.
3.3.2. Combined effects of curing temperature and binder type
In Fig. 7, the hydraulic conductivity recorded on four groups of
samples (1, 7, 28 and 90 days) made of 4.5% PCI and 4.5% PCI/Slag
(50/50) cured during the same period of time and temperature
conditions (2 °C, 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C) are also presented to ob-
serve the coupling effect of temperature and binder type. The dis-
tinct behaviour of the two different binders is obvious. One can
notice that at 1 day of curing time and temperature of 2 °C, the
hydraulic conductivity of samples containing Slag is higher than
the ones made of neat PCI. However, at higher temperatures of
20°C 20 °C, 35 °C and 50 °C, the hydraulic conductivity of samples con-
35°C taining Slag is lower than the one made of neat PCI. This cross
50°C behaviour at different temperatures leads to invoking the cemen-
ted and pozzolanic properties of the two binders. First, as a hydrau-
lic binder, PCI possesses low activation energy and can initiate the
formation of hydration products rapidly due to the glassy phase
and C3A in its minerals (Mindess and Young, 1981). By its side,
as a pozzolan, Slag contains crystalline particles that generally re-
quire either the presence of an alkaline environment or CaO and
water to develop binding qualities (Palmer et al., 2000; Wang
et al., 2004). Furthermore, these pozzolans bear higher activation
energy for starting the chemical reaction. Therefore, it can be in-
ferred from this graph that at 2 °C, while hydration has started in
1 10 100 1000 pore water becomes sufficiently alkaline prior to starting the poz-
zolanic reaction in order for the Slag to contribute to the formation
of hydration products. This delay in the apparition of hydration
products leaves the voids in the samples containing Slag partially
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1314 M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317

300

250

200
Intensity,CPS

monosulphate
150 CaSO4 Ca(OH)2 Ca(OH)2

CaCO3

ettringite ettringite CSH Ca(OH)2 Ca(OH)2

100

50

0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60

Degrees 2-theta-Cu Kα Radiation

300

250

monosulphate
200 CaCO3
CaSO4 Ca(OH)2
Intensity,CPS

Ca(OH)2

150

CaCO3 Ca(OH)2
ettringite CSH Ca(OH)2
100
CaCO3

50

0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Degrees 2-theta - Cu Kα Radiation

Fig. 9. XRD result of Slag-CPB cured at (a) 20 °C and (b) 35 °C.

free of precipitates and therefore, the CPB is less dense. Such a
material is more porous at the beginning, allowing an easier flow
of permeant fluid than in the case of samples made of neat PCI.
However, at temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 50 °C and for all
studied curing times that are P7 days, the hydraulic conductivity
is lower in samples containing Slag. This suggests that the pores
in Slag samples are extensively filled by precipitation products.
This filling has even surpassed the void size of samples made of
neat PCI. This is due to the fact that aside from the binding effect,
additional C–S–H has been formed from the poor crystalline CH
produced by PCI, leading to a decrease in pore volume and hence,
an increase in the length of the interconnected pore path (Doven
and Pekrioglu, 2005). This increase in hydration products within
the Slag-CPB samples with higher curing temperatures is demon-
strated by the results of XRD tests performed on cement paste of
Slag-CPB cured at 20 °C and 35 °C, and shown in Fig. 9a and b,
respectively. The XRD result in Fig. 9a shows the presence of a
higher quantity of hydration products in the sample cured at
35 °C. The intensity of CH is found higher for the sample cured at
35 °C (Fig. 9b) than at 20 °C (Fig. 9a). It is observed that the
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M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317 1315

intensity of CH at 18° 2-theta is 75 CPS in the case of the sample at
20 °C whereas at 35 °C, this intensity is approximately 95 CPS. In
the same way, the intensity of CH at 34°, 47°, 51° 2-theta for the
sample cured at 35 °C is higher than that of the 20 °C samples.
The XRD results presented above are in good agreement with those
of differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) performed by Fall et al.
(2007) on hardened cement pastes PCI/Slag (50/50) with a high
w/c ratio (w/c = 2). The comparison of the TG/DTA diagrams of
the PCI/Slag cement pastes cured at different temperatures (20 °C
and 35 °C) clearly shows that the amounts of CSH, ettringite, CH,
and calcite that are formed increase with the curing temperature
(from 20 °C to 35 °C). In addition, the filler effect of the Slag grains
as explained above; a behaviour that PCI grains are not able to
achieve, is a mechanism that also contributed to the observed low-
er hydraulic conductivity of Slag-CPB samples.
From the results presented above, it can be concluded that high-
er curing temperatures contribute to reducing the fluid transport
ability of CPBs, i.e. improving the environmental performance of
the studied CPBs.
3.4. Effect of mechanical damage on the saturated hydraulic
conductivity of CPBs
During their service life, CPB structures can be subjected to var-
ious mechanical loads (e.g., rock wall closure, service loads, rock-
burst, self-weight) that may cause cracking of the CPB materials.
Since CPBs are designed to satisfy expected loading requirements,
the aforementioned loads are generally not significant enough to
cause an important structural degradation of CPB structures (those
that are well designed from a mechanical point of view), i.e. lead-
ing to their mechanical failure or collapse. However, with time,
degradation accumulates and may lead to micro-cracking of the
CPB materials, resulting in permeability variations. Cracks could
10.0
9.0
6.0%PCI-2700 kPa
4.5%PCI-550 kPa
Relative permeability (k/k0)
impair environmental performance and durability of CPB struc-
tures by creating preferential paths for the penetration of various
types of potentially aggressive agents (e.g., oxygen, ions) and/or
facilitating the leaching of backfill materials and transport of con-
taminants through the CPB to groundwater. Hence, the relation-
ship between load-induced cracking or mechanical damage and
CPB permeability is studied. For the sake of simplicity, the study
is restricted to compressive loads.
To evaluate the impact of mechanical (compressive) damage or
cracking on the permeability of CPBs, hardened PCI-CPB samples
with various cement contents (4.5% PCI, 6.0% PCI) and the same
slump (18 cm) were prepared. They were then cured at various
temperatures (20 °C and 25 °C for 4.5% PCI-CPB samples, 50 °C for
6.0% PCI-CPB samples). This allowed us to obtain CPB specimen
with different UCS values (355 kPa, 550 kPa, 2700 kPa) and to
study the relationship between strength and the hydraulic re-
sponse of CPB subjected to mechanical damage. The prepared
CPB specimens were subjected to several mechanical loading–
unloading cycles following the procedures explained in Section
2.3.2. Hydraulic conductivity determinations were made after each
cycle. Typical results of this study are presented in Fig. 10a and b.
Fig. 10a and b illustrate typical examples of the impact of stress
level (applied stress/peak stress) and mechanical damage (D) on
the relative hydraulic conductivity of the CPBs studied, respec-
tively. The relative hydraulic conductivity is expressed as the ratio
between the permeability obtained in the damaged CPB after N cy-
cles of loading/unloading and the permeability initially in the no
damaged CPB (k0). These figures reveal that the applied stress level
and mechanical damage influence the hydraulic conductivity of
CPBs. Under low to medium stress levels that correspond to 50–
60% of the UCS, the hydraulic conductivity tends to decrease
slightly and/or then remains relatively constant. This can be attrib-
uted to the contracting volumetric behaviour of the CPB material
under uniaxial compressive loading. Beyond the aforementioned
threshold stress level, the permeability of CPB starts to increase,
first very slightly, then significantly from about 80% of the UCS or
a mechanical damage value of 0.06 for the high strength CPB spec-
imens (6% PCI-2700 kPa) and 0.15 for the low strength CPB speci-

8.0
4.5%PCI-355 kPa mens (4.5% PCI-550 kPa, 4.5% PCI-355 kPa (Fig. 10b). This
7.0
increase in permeability results from the formation and propaga-
6.0
tion of connected networks of microcracks. Similar observations
5.0
were made in other cementitious materials (Picandet et al.,
4.0
2001). However, it can be noted from Fig. 10 that the increase in
3.0 permeability observed (beyond the threshold stress) for the high-
2.0 strength CPBs is much higher than that for the low-strength CPBs.
1.0 Furthermore, this increase is observed at a damage value of 0.06 for
0.0 the high-strength CPBs, while the low-strength CPBs show increase
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
in the permeability as D reaches of value of 0.15. This can be ex-
Applied stress/Peak stress
plained by the fact that high-strength CPBs show more quasi-brit-
10.0
tle behaviour than medium and low-strength CPBs (Fall et al.,
6.0%PCI-2700 kPa 2008). This brittle behaviour leads to a higher generation of micro-
9.0
4.5%PCI-550 kPa cracks in the pre-peak region of the stress–strain curves of high-
Relative permeability (k/k0)

8.0 4.5%PCI-355 kPa

strength CPBs as demonstrated in previous studies on the mechan-
7.0
ical behaviour of CPBs (Fall et al., 2008).
6.0
5.0 3.5. Predicting the time-dependent evolution of the saturated
4.0 hydraulic conductivity of CPBs
3.0
2.0 Engineers and mining operators need analysis tools that can
1.0 give indications on how the CPB (an evolutive porous medium)
0.0 hydraulic conductivity will change with time. Those tools and indi-
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 cations will be useful during the preliminary design phase of a CPB
Mechanical damage (D)
structure for verifying the validity of the experimental results, and
Fig. 10. Evolution of the relative hydraulic conductivity (k/k0) of various CPBs with
also estimating the possible variation of permeability that can be
the (a) ratio of the maximum applied stress to peak stress (applied stress/UCS) and expected during the service of a given CPB structure. In turn, this
(b) mechanical damage (D). will facilitate the decision making process in the final design of a

1316
Adrien (2008)
7.0E-05
Mukesh (2008)
Godbout (2005)
6.0E-05
Celestin (2008)
Predicted k (cms)
5.0E-05 Trendline
4.0E-05
3.0E-05
2.0E-05
1.0E-05
1.0E-08
0.0E+00 1.0E-05 2.0E-05 3.0E-05 4.0E-05 5.0E-05 6.0E-05 7.0E-05
Measured k (cm/s)
Fig. 11. Predicted versus measured k-values for various CPBs.
CPB structure, but not eliminate the need for testing. For these rea-
sons, a simple predictive model for saturated hydraulic conductiv-
ity is developed in this research to estimate the time-dependent
evolution of hydraulic conductivity of undamaged CPBs. To keep
the paper at a reasonable length, only the key points of the model
development and validation will be presented here. Other details
on the model development and validation are presented elsewhere
(Adrien, 2008).
The UCS (unconfined compressive strength) is undoubtedly the
geotechnical property that is most often evaluated in mine cemen-
ted backfill practice. Furthermore, assuming that the development
of the UCS of CPB is an adequate indication of its binder hydration
degree and microstructure (pore size distribution, porosity) devel-
opment and the latter strongly affects the hydraulic conductivity of
CPB, a direct relationship may exist between UCS and the perme-
ability of CPB at any curing time. Hence, using the experimental
data from this study with regards to the permeability of CPBs
and from UCS tests (Celestin, 2008; Pokharel, 2008) performed
on CPB samples having the same mix composition as those tested
in this study, Eq. (2) was formulated (based on regression analysis
of the data sets by using Excel software) to predict the time-depen-
dent evolution of the permeability (k, [lT1]) of CPBs:
K ¼ kT  A  ðUCSt =UCSmax ÞB
where kT [lT1] is the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the tailings
used, UCSt (kPa) of the CPB for a given time, UCSmax (kPa) is the max-
imal UCS of the CPB (i.e. the UCS of the mature CPB); and A and B are
adimensional fitting parameters to be determined for each CPB mix.
The desired UCS values can be obtained by performing uniaxial com-
pression test (according to ASTM C 39) on the CPB samples. kT [lT1]
value can be determined by conducting saturated hydraulic conduc-
tivity tests on the tailings used for the preparation of the CPB. More-
over, the value of kT can be estimated from a suitable empirical
relationship for predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivity of
fine soils and/or tailings (e.g., Chapuis and Aubertin, 2003).
To verify and demonstrate the applicability of the model, the
developed predictive model was validated against experimental
data resulting from additional (new) hydraulic and UCS tests per-
formed on various CPBs in this study. Furthermore, to better eval-
uate the capabilities of the developed model, hydraulic
conductivity and UCS tests conducted by other researchers (e.g.,
Celestin, 2008; Pokharel, 2008; Godbout, 2005) on CPB samples
with various mix components (binder contents and types, sulphate
contents, w/c ratio, fineness) and cured at various times (7–
90 days) and temperatures (20–50 °C) were also used for valida-
tion purpose. The main results of the validation are summarized
Author's personal copy
M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317
in Fig. 11. It can be noticed that there is a good agreement between
the predicted and experimental values. This equation can thus be
R² = 0.97
considered a useful tool for the estimation of the saturated hydrau-
lic conductivity of CPB.
4. Summary and conclusions
This study has demonstrated that the hydraulic conductivity of
CPBs is significantly influenced by mix components (binder type
and proportions, w/c ratio, tailings fineness, and sulphate content),
the curing time and temperature, stress level applied on the CPBs
and mechanical damage.
 The hydraulic conductivity of the CPB decreases as the w/c ratio
decreases, while it increases as the binder content decreases.
The type of binder used has an impact on the hydraulic conduc-
tivity of CPBs. The CPBs made of coarse tailings (20% and 32%
fineness) generate higher permeability for a given consistency.
Depending on the curing time and sulphate concentration, the
sulphate can have two opposite effects on the permeability of
CPBs, contributing to an increase or decrease. However, the
magnitude of the influence of CPB’s mix components on the
hydraulic conductivity is strongly influenced by the curing time;
this effect is more pronounced at early ages (67 days).
 The hydraulic conductivity of CPB is time-dependent. It
decreases as the curing time increases. The highest decrease of
the permeability of CPBs with curing time occurs at early ages
of curing (0–7 days).
 The hydraulic conductivity decreases with curing temperature
and time for the studied CPBs. The results show also that the
changes in hydraulic conductivity with temperature are more
significant in early age samples (up to 7 days). However, the
effect of curing temperature on the hydraulic conductivity of
CPBs depends on the binder type.
 This study reveals that the applied stress level and mechanical
damage influence the hydraulic conductivity of CPBs. Under
low to medium stress levels that correspond to 50–60% of the
UCS, the hydraulic conductivity tends to decrease slightly and/
or then remains relatively constant. Beyond the aforementioned
threshold stress level, the permeability of CPB starts to increase,
ð2Þ first very slightly, then significantly from about 80% of the UCS
or a mechanical damage value of 0.06 for the high strength
CPB specimens and 0.15 for the low strength CPB specimens.
A simple function is proposed for predicting the evolution of the
hydraulic conductivity of CPBs. The proposed function can be use-
ful during the preliminary design phase of a CPB structure, for ver-
ifying the validity of the experimental results, and also to
estimating the possible variation of permeability that can be ex-
pected during the service of a given CPB structure.
This study will provide useful information for understanding
the fluid transport ability of CPBs. The authors believe that the out-
come of this research will help mining operators and the engineer-
ing community working in the CPB system field for consideration
in the design, environmental and durability evaluation of the
aforementioned structures, and will also help in predicting the po-
tential formation of AMD in CPB systems.
Acknowledgement
The writers would like to acknowledge the National Sciences
and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Univer-
sity of Ottawa, Cement Lafarge Inc., and the National Research
Council (NRC) of Canada.
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M. Fall et al. / Minerals Engineering 22 (2009) 1307–1317 1317

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