A Critical Review on Static and Dynamic Performance of Coal Mine Overburden Dump Slopes: Present Status and Way Forward

ABSTRACT In the last two decades, opencast coal mining has dominated the coal mining sector of India in comparison to the underground mining. This has caused an increase in large quantity of overburden (OB) waste material which is generally dumped in the form of slope commonly known as OB dump slope. The highly heterogeneous OB dump materials are generally dumped in the loose state implying that the OB dump slopes are highly vulnerable to failure. Therefore, proper functioning of the mining activities requires stable OB dump slopes. This paper briefly provides an overview on the formation of OB dump slopes and some catastrophic failures highlighting the importance of proper and adequate analyses. Next, the major factors affecting the OB dump stability are discussed elaborately with respect to the performance of the slopes under static and dynamic loading. Finally, various approaches available for the assessment of their stability are collated and discussed. The important aspect of consideration of heterogeneity on the performance of slope is highlighted and the need of detailed future research is envisaged.