Ore particle settling and consolidation due a stop of slurry pumping may cause troubles in the restarting process. So, the cohesion of the sediment is an important issue, which is related to the mineral composition and the size's distribution of the particles in the slurry. The objective of this study is to evaluate by rheological measurements the changes in the cohesion of bauxite settled particles in function of time. The ore sample is comprised mainly of gibbsite, hematite and kaolinite, whose amount of fine grounded material is very high - about 45% of the particles are smaller than 38 µm. The settling practically finished before four hours and an increment of the tension in the rupture of the sediment was observed after 24 hours of rest.
Bauxite characterization; mineral slurry; settling; consolidation; rheology; pipeline
