Abstract: In order to improve the stability of tailings dam, a method for enhancing the mechanical properties of tailings by fiber reinforcement was worked out. Triaxial experiments and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests were carried out to systematically study fiber reinforcement effect and fiber action mechanism. Firstly, a classified tailings material from Yunxi company as taken the test sample, basalt fiber was taken as an ideal reinforcement material for the tailings, and basalt fiber was added to tailings slurry, and then a fiber reinforced tailings specimen was formed after tailings natural deposition. Then, a triaxial test of the specimen was carried out to study the effects of dry density on the mechanical properties of the specimen. Finally, the interfacial interaction between basalt fiber and tailings particles were analyzed by SEM from a microscopic point of view. The results show that the basalt fiber can enhance mechanicalproperty of tailings, that the shear strength of reinforced tailings increases with the increase of both dry density and confining pressure, and that the coarser the tailings particles are, the better the reinforcing effect.

Key words: basalt fiber, fiber reinforcement, tailings, mechanical property, interface characteristics