Stockpile and dam construction Geotechnical data Have undergone digitalization, and over the last few years, they have become prominent topics in mining geotechnics. In fact, they have gained significant importance in this sector and are essential for conducting the work.

The integration and validation of geotechnical data enables rigorous information management. Additionally, it enables various automated analyses that help ensure the quality of the entire construction process and the management of these structures.

Utilizing a well-organized database makes it possible to correlate results from several tests and samples, facilitating a broader and more comprehensive study of materials. In this sense, statistics is one tool that has been gaining prominence in geotechnics. It aids in critical analyses to validate data quality and better understand material behavior.

The study of statistics and the connection with geotechnical data

The study of statistics is widely discussed and applied across several academic and practice fields. In geotechnics, the behavior of materials has traditionally been addressed in a deterministic manner.  This can lead to significant errors due to the uncertainties arising from measuring geotechnical parameters, performing and dispersing tests, and observing the natural distribution of soils and tailing. 

The literature, such as Azevedo (2019), Badaró (2022), Santos (2019), and Brandão and Pinto (2019), address different ways of applying statistics in mining geotechnics, respectively:

The study of outliers to identify discrepant readings in piezometers in dam monitoring; the use of statistical analyses to compare the performance of different methods of obtaining moisture for the technological control of filtered tailings disposal structures; the application of different methods to slope stability analysis, calculating the probabilities of failure for the dams analyzed in critical conditions; the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to estimate the peak undrained resistance of bauxite tailings based on CPTu data.

Ferreira (2022) points out that one of the challenges in applying statistics to geotechnics within the mining sector is the amount of information necessary for conducting analyses. Similarly, Santos (2019) concludes that a major difficulty encountered in the case study was the lack of completeness in the information regarding the analyzed constructions.

Lack of data centralization and the difficulty of automated statistical analysis

The absence of data centralization in an intelligent environment hinders the ability to conduct automated statistical analyses, directly affecting the results’ practical application.  The literature recognizes the importance of statistical applications in geotechnics. Therefore, a statistical module is being developed in Geolabor.

This aims to allow users to automate contextual analyses, which can aid in critical decision-making during construction.  Among several analytical possibilities to be implemented in the Geolabor statistical module, the following stand out:

• visualization of the geotechnical parameters obtained from the tests conducted in statistical terms;
• The identification of points that, statistically, do not meet the technical specifications outlined in the project, even when, deterministically, they adhere to the established criteria;
• Conducting regressions to interpret the variation of a geotechnical parameter relative to others and to examine correlations among the analyzed geotechnical parameters;
• The correlation between the geotechnical parameters of quality assurance and the parameters obtained from geotechnical investigations;
• Making predictions for geotechnical parameters at unsampled points of the structure within a confidence interval. 

Direct impacts on geotechnical data collection with the statistical module

Considering the different analyses that will be conducted, the following implications for geotechnics emerge:

• the possibility of comparing estimated test results with the actual results obtained, enabling an assessment of their quality;
• Spatially analyze the distribution of the structure’s geotechnical parameters along its full length; conduct analyses of the correlations between the geotechnical parameters and the construction process, facilitating a better understanding of the structure’s behavior;
• Obtain test results while considering the uncertainties of laboratory measurements, ensuring the quality of the tests;
• Understand the probability of success of the technological control process for different contexts. 

The implementations planned for Geolabor aim to alert the user about potential points of concern and recommend more thorough critical analyses in particular locations or tests during the construction process.

https://www.geolabor.com.br/abordagem-estatistica-para-a-analise-de-criterios-de-aceitacao-de-camadas-compactadas-em-pilha-de-rejeito/Statistical studies do not replace the results or the need for tests conducted throughout the work. However, they serve as a tool to aid and support critical decision-making in construction, which is the central role of Geolabor as a statistical resource in geotechnics. 

* Bianca Lacerda is a master’s student in Statistics and leads the Research and Development area at Simplelab, the company that created Geolabor.

References

AZEVEDO, André Gonçalves de.  Statistical Analysis for Identifying Discrepant Piezometer Readings: A Case Study of an Earth Dam, 2019.  Available at: https://monografias.ufop.br/handle/35400000/2016<monografias.ufop.br/>. 

BADARÓ, João Victor Oliveira. Statistical Analysis as a Decision-Making Tool: A Case Study on Determining Moisture in the Technological Control of a Filtered Waste Disposal Structure, 2022. Available at: https://monografias.ufop.br/handle/35400000/4402<monografias.ufop.br/>. 

FERREIRA, Paula Marinho. Evaluation of the Reliability of The Safety Factor Obtained Through Probabilistic Analysis Compared to Deterministic Analysis in Mining Dams. 2022.  Available at: https://monografias.ufop.br/handle/35400000/4597<monografias.ufop.br/>. 

SANTOS JÚNIOR, A E (2019). Probabilistic Analysis of Slope Stability in Earthen Dams in The State of Ceará.  Available at: https://repositorio.ufc.br/handle/riufc/48447<repositorio.ufc.br/>.