Simulation of a mini slump test using a visco-hypoplastic constitutive model in an MPM code

Tailings dams are some of the largest earth structures geotechnical engineers construct. These embankments are often built with steep slopes using the coarse fraction of the tailings thereby saving on cost. To keep such impoundments standing is one of the most challenging tasks in mine waste management. This paper presents a procedure that can be used to model the behaviour of the material stored by these dams. The constitutive model proposed by Niemunis et al. has been implemented in a UMAT subroutine with the explicit integration method proposed by Fellin & Ostermann. This model is able to describe the behaviour of soft soil because it includes the simulation of the viscous behaviour that is characteristic for these types of very soft, unstructured soils. The procedure explained in this paper is a first simulation of the behaviour of these materials through a visco-hypoplastic constitutive model implemented in a MPM code.