Recently, it was reported that a breakthrough has been made in the experimental technology of three-dimensional dam-break models for tailings dams by a collaborative research team led by Zhang Liting, a professor at Shijiazhuang Tiedao University and a consultant for the Hebei Provincial Government. Their achievements have obtained four invention patents in countries such as the UK and the Netherlands, as well as three domestic invention patents. The operational techniques and experimental methods of the simulation system have been officially implemented in the form of local standards in Hebei Province. This has established a tailings dam safety and control technology system based entirely on independent intellectual property rights protection, playing a crucial role in ensuring safety in the mining industry.
Tailings dams are specialized hydraulic structures used to store tailings or other industrial residues generated during the ore beneficiation process. Once a tailings dam fails, it can lead to significant disasters and accidents. Statistics show that China has 7,800 operational tailings dams, ranking first in the world in terms of quantity. Hebei Province has the highest number of registered tailings dams in China, with 2,004 dams, including 855 located in Chengde City. Despite these numbers, the safety risks associated with tailings dams in China remain, presenting a serious challenge for disaster prevention and control.
In response, the research team, in collaboration with Copper Source International Engineering Design Research Co., Ltd., Hebei Provincial Hydraulic Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd., Hebei Provincial Hydraulic Engineering Research Institute, and Shijiazhuang Hufu Engineering Co., Ltd., formed an innovative collaborative team. They have continuously obtained multiple international and domestic invention patents related to tailings dams, published several high-level papers, participated in the formulation of national and industry standards, and constructed a comprehensive tailings dam safety and control technology system, achieving international and domestic intellectual property protection.
Compared to traditional hydraulic structures, tailings dams have unique structural forms and characteristics, with water being their greatest safety threat. Questions such as how to accurately and rapidly control water accumulation in tailings dams based on meteorological forecasts, how to precisely control flood discharge flow rates within tailings dams, and how to establish a comprehensive physical model experiment platform for research, are all closely related to tailings dam safety.
To address tailings dam safety issues, Zhang Liting and the members of the innovative collaborative team conducted in-depth on-site investigations at engineering sites and worked tirelessly day and night in the laboratory to tackle and solve a series of challenges plaguing tailings dam safety.
