Guide to constructing clay stockpiles
A clay stockpile is constructed with the aims of opening up the raw materials, to keep clays available near production in critical times of the year and to homogenize different raw material grades within the pit. The successful construction of a clay stockpile is crucially influenced by water and the care taken in handling the raw materials. As the result, the highest possible raw material quality should be made available for production.
1 Ideal layout
A stockpile is constructed ideally such that the base of the stockpile slopes in the direction of the later material reclaim and the head of the stockpile (the top surface of the stockpile) slopes in the opposite direction. Consequently, only little water flows or stands in the later reclaim area. The waste water should be collected and channelled into a settling basin for deposition of the suspended matter. The size of the basin depends on the stockpile area (»1).
2 Preparation of the stockpile base ground
If the base of the stockpile is not to be hard-surfaced, then the...
