Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

The collapse of commercial viability of the coal industry has necessitated the government to implement the ‘coal industry rationalization policies’ to reduce coal production and close down uneconomical mines, which has also been accelerated by the environmental concern. In the Sabuk mine, scheduled to be shut down shortly, substantial amount of coal production in the middle of 80\'s has resulted in waste dumps of great height. Reclamation of these huge waste dumps and the proper treatment of the mine drainage constitute the most important factors for the feasibility of the whole construction plan. The present paper discusses engineering characteristics of the waste materials involved in waste dump slope design and remedial measures. Geological, geometrical, and hydraulic factors, as well as the mechanical properties of the waste materials were considered for optimum slope design and construction. Also, different modes of possible slope failures have been investigated using a commercial finite element program, and treatments for maintaining or increasing the stability of waste dumps were also proposed.