Several known failures of typical upstream tailing dams have been reportedly attributed to the build-up of pore pressure underneath the raised embankments. To date, the stability analyses of such dams is still performed with simplified methods considering the pore pressure parameters approach (undrained analysis) and/or the steady state seepage approach (drained analysis). Such approaches are unable to capture the transient hydraulic conditions governing the dam's response. In this paper, it is shown that the finite element analysis, based on the Biot coupled theory, is capable of assessing the transient pore pressure spatial and temporal changes in the upstream tailings dam during its staged construction. The results drawn from this study signify the importance of accounting for transient pore pressures at different times and stages in the stability analyses of upstream tailing dams for more efficient designs that will be used in further risk assessment studies.
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