The differences in the characteristics and the placement processes during the waste disposal tend to affect the geotechnical behaviour of tailings dams. Some methodologies of quality control during the construction phase have been proposed, which are based on the correlation between densities and strength parameters. Considering these methodologies, it is possible from field density analyses, to verify changes in the geotechnical parameters during construction phase. However, it has been observed that the field density measurements tend to present some problems due to the difficulties in obtaining representative samples, particularly for granular tailings. In this context, the proposal of this investigation was to evaluate an alternative methodology based on the static penetration equipment (penetrologger test). Some tests have been carried out on a tailings dam in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil, in the mining region known as "Quadrilátero Ferrífero". The tests were made during the construction phase using the penetrologger to evaluate field densities.
In situ tests; tailings densities; hydraulic fills
