Use of mechanically stabilized earth walls for Batu Hijau mine, Indonesia

1. Tiru Kulkarni, Regional Manager : Maccaferri Malaysia Sdn Bhd

2. Suntharathevan Ramasamy, Regional Assistant Technical Manager: Maccaferri Malaysia Sdn
Bhd.

ABSTRACT
Indonesia is prone to high seismicity because of its geological location. The remote island of
Sumbawa, east of Bali and part of the vast archipelago of Indonesia, has one of the largest open
cut gold mines in the world. The open cut gold mine is up to 930 m in depth and over 2
kilometers in diameter. In full production, up to 600,000 MT of rock is excavated each day with
an estimated 3.0 million tones to be mined over the lifespan of this project.
The project involved planning, design and construction of various structures like concentrator to
source the valuable ore from the excavated material, a conveyor belts to assist in the movement of
materials and a waste rock tailing dam. Mechanically stabilized Earth structures with gabion
fascia were used successfully in the project for constructing structures up to 25m high, taking into
consideration design factors like high seismic forces and local factors like difficult site access and
shortage of skilled labor.
Keywords : Open cast mine, Mechanically Stabilized Earth, geogrid

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Batu Hijau copper-gold mine is located on the remote island of Sumbawa in the south central
portion of the Indonesian archipelago in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, 1,530km (950
miles) east of Jakarta. Topography elevation of the mine is approximately 450m above sea level.
A direct translation from Indonesia “Batu Hijau” which means “green rock” describes the scenery
of the tropical climate island with terrain generally consists of very steep hill slope. In this paper,
Mechanically Stabilized Earth for mine related project in a complex geographical condition is
described in terms of constructability and effectiveness.

Figure 1, Batu Hijau, Indonesia

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2.0 PROJECT PURPOSE

The Batu Hijau Project involves the development of 200 million tonnes per annum copper/gold
mine in the coastal mountains of south west Sumbawa. The project will mine ore from a large
open pit centered on the mountain of Batu Hijau. Ore from the mine will be transported to the
132,000 tonnes per day concentrator via a 5.5 km overland conveyor. The concentrate will be
transported about 18 km to storage and port facilities at Benette Bay. The Benette Bay facilities
are linked to the mine and township by a 25 km access road which traverses steep mountainous
terrain. The mine waste dumps, which ultimately will contain about 3.5 billion tonnes of soil and
rock, are to be constructed in three valleys close to the mine. The waste dump management
facilities include a number of dams, water diversions and acid water treatment facilities.

3.0 PURPOSE OF MECHANICALLY STABILIZED EARTH STRUCTURE

Batu Hijau is an open-pit mine. Ore is

Conveyor
transported to the primary crushers before
being transported to the concentrator by an
Concentrator
overland conveyor, 1.8m wide and 6.8km
long. Due to hilly regions of Sumbawa, in
certain areas, conveyors needed to be
constructed at a very steep section. In these
areas the designer has proposed
Mechanically Stabilized Earth wall/slope
for the conveyor.
Figure 2, Batu Hijau Mine Location

Among the Mechanically Stabilized Earth Structures proposed for this project were:
• A 20m high wall and 80m long near vertical wall to support flotation cells as part of the
concentrator plant. The concentrator is built on a series of cut and fill platform on the side
of a hill.
• A 25m high vertical retaining wall was required at the primary crusher, located at the
mine end of an overland conveyor. The wall was used for construction access for the
crusher and to support the truck loads at the top.

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 • An 800m long and 20m high retaining wall was built along the alignment of the overland
conveyor between the mine and the concentrator. This wall was constructed by
mechanical filling gabion facing units and was completed in around 3 months.

4.0 MECHANICALLY STABILIZED EARTH WITH GABION FASCIA

Considering the construction of 25m high wall which need to be constructed at a fast pase,
combination of Gabion fascia and steel mesh reinforcement was considered and selected because
of the lowest cost of construction. The wall system consists of the original ground, well
compacted foundation base, gabion wall facing, steel mesh reinforcement, and selected backfill
material and drainage system. Gabion fascia with steel mesh reinforcement offer flexibility in
respect of installation with simple method of the whole mechanically stabilized structure. This
was contributed to the inherent advantage that good engineered backfill material which was
available nearby the project site. Various factors were considered in the selection of the type of
the best wall system which suits the site condition. The factors are:
• Due to the hilly terrain in that area, access to the site is the main problem especially
construction vehicles. A prefabricated wall component will be the best solution for this
condition.
• Lack of leveled round required a structure which can be constructed with minimum
excavation. This will also minimize damage to the environment.
• Rigid fascia is not favored for this project due to high potential earthquake loads. Flexible
structure will allow movement in the system without damaging the fascia and
jeopardizing the structural integrity of the system
• Lack of sophisticated building materials locally available limits the construction of
complex structure for this project.
• Shortage of skilled labor limits the construction to only simple structure with minimum
supervision.
• The need to vertical walls to maximize land areas usage and minimum spoil material
• A system that can be constructed and maintained for up to 25m high is required
• The wall is subjected to significant loading from both dead and live loads.
• Due to time constrain, the wall needed to be constructed fast with minimum cost and
technically feasible.

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5.0 COMPONENTS OF MECHANICALLY STABILIZED EARTH WITH GABION
FASCIA
5.1 Gabion Fascia
The main component consist of PVC coated heavily galvanized steel wire mesh box-shaped
basket with a section of the grid-type mesh extending into the soil to act as soil reinforcement into
the backfill soil. The wire mesh is mechanically pre-fabricated to become a uniform
hexagonal woven mesh wherein the joints are twisted at each pair of wires through three
half-turns (commonly known as double twist), to prevent unraveling. The basket is filled
on site with clean-hard stones. The units are supplied in standard lengths and heights that require
site erection. The units are supplied in collapsed form, folded and bundled. The bundles are
compressed and strapped together at the factory for easy shipping and handling. Each bundle is
labeled with a tag reporting the size of the units contained.

6.1 Advantage of Mechanically Stabilized Earth with Gabion Fascia:

Figure 3, Cross Section of Steel Mesh Reinforcement with Gabion Fascia Unit

• Flexibility, enabling the structure to tolerate differential ground settlement without

compromising structural integrity (suitable for earthquake prone area)
• Ease of construction (simple method of installation)

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 • The versatility of gabions, which allows the formation of a structure with vertical,
battered or stepped front face as required and minimization of environmental impact.
• Structural safety in case of fire near the front face
• Permeability of the front face, guaranteeing drainage of the backfill material

5.2 Mesh Reinforcement

The reinforcement is a double twisted woven steel wire mesh “tail” of the fascia unit. The mesh
tensile strength, in soil, is to be equal to or greater than 47 kN/m. Wire mesh is mechanically pre-
fabricated to become a uniform hexagonal woven mesh wherein the joints are formed by twisting
each pair of wires through three half-turns (commonly known as double twist), in such a manner
that unraveling is prevented. All wire used in this system are PVC coated. Steel wire was
preferred as soil reinforcement for this project because:
• Allows more economical reinforcement compared to other types of reinforcement

• The woven steel mesh is not subjected to any adverse effects of creep

• The steel wire mesh are nor subjected to long term creep and PVC coating provides
comprehensive protection against all forms of corrosion (with an expected life expectancy
of 120 years).

• Flexible structure allows quick and easy installation

• The pullout resistance of the mesh panels is developed from both frictional stress transfer
and bearing of the wires against surrounding soil.

• Connection between the fascia and the reinforcement is not required because both are part
of the same piece of mesh.

• Inert to chemical degradation

• Wires used in the fabrication of the units are heavily galvanized in accordance to BS 443
which gives additional durability.

5.3 Non Woven Geotextile Separation

Non woven geotextile is installed at the rare face of the Terramesh facing units and extended
approximately 300mm into the reinforced fill to prevent migration of fines from the structure
without clogging. Another function of the geotextile is with the high permeability characteristic of

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the material permits the passage of water and relieving the hydrostatic pressure behind the gabion
fascia.

Below are the cross section and picture of the wall after construction. To date, the completed
Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall with Gabion Fascia is performing satisfactorily. (see figure 2,
3, 4 & 5)

Figure 4, Typical Cross Section of 23m North Return Wall

Figure 5, Wall after construction

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Figure 6, Typical Cross Section of Main Wall

Figure 7, After Completion

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6.0 DESIGN CONCEPT
MacStar computer program was used for stability analysis the Mechanically Stabilized Earth
Structure. The Macstar program, version 2000, has been developed to check the stability of
reinforced soils in structures which provides the slope stability using reinforcing units that are
able to absorb the tensile stress. Furthermore this program allows the user to conduct the stability
checks using the Limit Equilibrium Method even considering unreinforced slopes. The following
soil parameters were used to check the stability of the structure using Macstar 2000:

6.1 Design Parameter

Effective Cohesion Effective Friction Angle Unit Weight
Soil (kPa) (deg) (kN/m3)
Reinforces Zone 10 10 18
Fill
Blasted Rock Fill 0 38 19

Table 1 : Soil Parameter

Dead Load Embankment loading

Live Load Crane 1m behind wall
Wall inclination 640 - 780
Seismic Forces 0.32g
Hydrostatic Forces Nil

6.2 Global Stability Analysis

The overall failure on a slip circle passing through the backfill and beneath the reinforced soil
wall and overall failure following bedding planes in the soil must be checked to ensure that there
is an adequate level of safety on deep seated failure mechanisms. Global stability analysis is
performed by MacStar computer program. The software calculation code allows user to choose
calculation method to be adopted for the analysis either Bishop or Janbu simplified methods
where both methods refer to the Mohr – Coulomb failure criterion:

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t = c + ( s – u ) . tan ( f’ )
where:
t = maximum tangential stress
FOS > 1.2
c = cohesion
s = total normal pressure
u = interstitial pressure
f’ = friction angle

Figure 8, Global Stability Analysis

6.3 External Stability Analysis

For external stability analysis is done to check the stability of the reinforced zone against three
mode of failure. Sliding failure; the reinforced zone does not slide outward over the underlying
foundation, overturning failure; the normal stress distribution across the base of the block remains
in compression so that the reinforced zone does not topple outward and bearing capacity failure;
the maximum bearing stress between the reinforced zone and the foundation soil does not exceed
the allowable bearing stress for the foundation.

Sliding Analysis
The safety coefficient against sliding (Fss) is given by the following equation:
Fss = Fstab/Fhtot
Where Fhtot = (Sa + Fhun) = total horizontal force
Fstab = total stabilizing force acting at the base of the wall
Sa = maximum active thrust acting on the wall
Fhun = horizontal un-stabilizing force acting on the wall (due to seismic option or hydraulic
forces)

Overturning Analysis
The safety coefficient against overturning (Fov) is given by the following formula:
Fov = (Mstab – Mu)/(Ma + Mov)
Where:
Mstab = stabilizing moment due to the force acting on the wall

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Mu = overturning moment due to the interstitial forces acting at the base of the wall
Ma = overturning moment due to the maximum active thrust acting on the wall
Mov = overturning moment due to the un-stabilizing horizontal forces acting on the wall (due
to seismic actions or hydraulic force)

Bearing Capacity Analysis

The check against the wall foundation bearing capacity can be calculated by using a general
method which refers to the classical method of calculation of the limit equilibrium (Terzaghi,
Hansen Meyerhof).
The calculation to determine the value of the eccentricity is given by the following formula:
e = B/2 – [(Mstab – Mu) – (Ma + Mov)] / N
The safety factor of the bearing capacity (Fscp) is using the following equation:
Fsp = pu / pmeq
Where pu = ultimate pressure of the foundation soil

FOS > 1.3 FOS > 1.3 FOS > 2.0

Figure 9, External Stability Analysis

6.4 Internal Stability Analysis

The internal stability check is carried out to determine the design if the retaining structure that is
reinforcing unit requires (type, spacing between reinforcing unit and length). The surface of

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potential sliding originates from the toe of the reinforcing structure and passing through the
reinforcement and terminates uphill. The internal stability analysis is computed as follows:

Ts = σv Ka * ΔH

FOS > 1.3

Figure 10, Internal Stability Analysis

Safety coefficient against panel breaking ηbreak = Cr / Ts.

Safety coefficient against pullout ηpull = Ca Lr
Ts
Where,
Cr =Limit resistance to tensile strength
T = Tension on mesh panel
Ca = Anchoring capacity = σv Lr 0.91
Lr = Length of anchorage = (B-b-Xp)

6.5 Wall Stability Check

For structure with an inclination above 700, the computer program will allow to check the
stability of the retaining wall. The geometry and weight of the structure is considered to check the
overall stabilizing force acting along the base, the unstabilizing horizontal force, the stabilizing
moment and the overturning moment.

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 FOS > 1.3

Figure 11, Wall Stability Analysis

6.6 Seismic Factor

The effect of seismic was included in the design analysis with seismic force of 0.32g. MacStar
2000 refers to the pseudo-static method to conduct the calculation procedure of seismic forces.

7.0 CONSTRUCTION METHODOLOGY

7.1 Soil Test

Site investigation was carried out to identify the ground condition of the proposed site where the
wall will be located. This is to ensure that the bearing capacity of the underlying soil is greater
than the pressure of the wall.

7.2 Preparation of Site

Site is surveyed; cleared, trimmed level
and the ground compacted accordingly.

Figure 12, Site Clearance

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7.3 Foundation
Foundation was excavated down to level of the medium strong rock. The foundation was proof-
rolled prior to placement of fascia units and fill material.

7.4 Installation of Gabion Fascia Unit with Reinforcement Mesh

1.0 Unit to be unfolded

2.0 Unit lifted into vertical position

3.0 All edges secured to form a boxlike

facing section

4.0 Filling with rock on the facing

section. Geotextile to be places behind
the facing section. Soil is filled and
compacted.

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7.5 Filling and Compaction
Backfilling is carried out immediately
after the laying the reinforcement mesh.
The fill material is specified to be granular
and non expansive. The fill is compacted
to 95% of the maximum dry density at of
every 300mm lift in the direction of
parallel to the face of the wall.

Figure 13, Use of Granular Material

8.0 CONCLUSION
The construction of 25m high Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall using gabion fascia with steel
mesh reinforcement were successfully constructed in 1997 despite the various main constrain
factor i.e. high seismic area, difficult access and hilly terrain. Not only it is proven to be the most
cost effective system, structurally is stable. The Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall with Gabion
Fascia has been used to cater the mining process for the past 10 years and there have not been any
structural defects to the mechanically
stabilized wall recorded so far. Within 10
working years the wall should have
reached a stable state. The project shows
that a simple construction method with
simple technology can and be used to
construct a very high vertical structure and
yield a safe and stable structure.

Figure 14, Completed Wall

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REFERENCES

BS 8006:1995 Code of Practice for Strengthened/Reinforced Soils and Other Fills, British
Standards Institution.

MacStar 2000 : Rel 2.2 Documentation

Maccaferri Terramesh System Endorsement Application

FIGURES

Figure 1, Batu Hijau, Indonesia

Figure 2, Batu Hijau Mine Location
Figure 3, Cross Section of Steel Mesh Reinforcement with Gabion Fascia Unit
Figure 4, Typical Cross Section of 23m North Return Wall
Figure 5, Wall after construction
Figure 6, Typical Cross Section of Main Wall
Figure 7, After Completion
Figure 8, Global Stability Analysis
Figure 9, External Stability Analysis
Figure 10, Internal Stability Analysis
Figure 11, Wall Stability Analysis
Figure 12, Site Clearance
Figure 13, Use of Granular Material
Figure 14, Completed Wall

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