Abstract Coastal zones are of great interest in civil engineering due to their economic relevance and active geological dynamics. In Brazil, the development of these regions is related to the use of their geomorphological features in the landscape, among which the cliffs stand out. Although there are studies that consider the influence of the wetting front in stability analysis with cliffs, in general, the studies only consider extreme saturation situations (dry and saturated). In this sense, the present study aims to understand the influence of the wetting front and the degree of saturation reached by the materials in the stability of cliffs composed of Barreiras Formation soil. The stability analyses were carried out using the limit equilibrium method and stress analysis, varying the degrees of saturation of the materials and wetting fronts of a model of a cliff located at Praia de Tabatinga, State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Failures were identified, in different wetting fronts, by the limit equilibrium method from degrees of saturation around 20%, and by the stress analysis method around 40%. Thus, it was concluded that the variation in the degree of saturation has a preponderant effect on the destabilization of a cliff, since partial saturations are already enough to trigger significant mass movements. It was also noticeable that the wetting front is a relevant effect on instability, although conditioned to the degree of saturation reached, which may enhance the order of magnitude of the identified failures.

RESUMO A mineração de scheelita, localizada em Currais Novos, Rio Grande do Norte, tem gerado grandes volumes de resíduos sólidos que são destinados inadequadamente aos sistemas ambientais, causando impactos ambientais negativos ao município. Uma das alternativas encontradas para destinar adequadamente esses resíduos é o uso em argamassas de matriz cimentícia. No entanto, não há estudos consistentes sobre a viabilidade técnica quanto aos ataques químicos e à influência na sua durabilidade. Nesse contexto, este trabalho teve como objetivo verificar se as argamassas confeccionadas com resíduos da mineração de scheelita em substituição total ao agregado convencional são suscetíveis ao ataque por sulfato de sódio. A caracterização física, química e mineralógica do resíduo foi realizada fazendo uso das seguintes técnicas: análise granulométrica por peneiramento; determinação da massa unitária; obtenção do teor de material pulverulento; espectrometria de fluorescência de raios X, e difração de raios X. A investigação da ocorrência do ataque por sulfato de sódio foi avaliada pela variação dimensional dos corpos de prova quando imersos em solução de sulfato de sódio, de acordo com a metodologia da Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas NBR 13583. Os resultados do traço 1:3 indicaram que os agregados oriundos dos resíduos da mineração de scheelita apresentaram comportamento reativo ao ataque por sulfato de sódio (expansão maior que 0,06%), bem como houve aumento da resistência à compressão simples em 4,74%. Portanto, embora tenha sido constatado que os corpos de prova incorporados com resíduos de scheelita tenham sido reativos ao sulfato, observou-se que não foram capazes de deteriorar mecanicamente os corpos de prova.

ABSTRACT The scheelite mining, located in Currais Novos, Rio Grande do Norte, has generated large volumes of solid waste that are inadequately destined for environmental systems, causing negative environmental impacts to the municipality. One of the alternatives to destination of these residues is the use in cementitious matrix mortars. However, there are no consistent studies on the technical feasibility of chemical attacks and influence on their durability. In this context, this work aimed to verify whether mortars made with scheelite mining residues in total substitution to conventional aggregate are susceptible to attack by sodium sulfate. The physical, chemical, and mineralogical characterization of the residue was carried out using the following techniques: sieve particle size analysis; determination of unit mass; obtaining the content of powdery material; X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. In the investigation of the occurrence of sodium sulfate attack was evaluated by the dimensional variation of the specimens when immersed in sodium sulfate solution, according to the methodology of Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas NBR 13583. The results of mixture 1:3 indicated that the aggregates from scheelite mining residues showed a reactive behavior to attack by sodium sulfate (expansion greater than 0.06%), as well as an increase in resistance to simple compression by 4.74%. Therefore, although it was found that specimens incorporated with scheelite residues were reactive to sulfate, it was observed that they were not able to mechanically deteriorate the specimens.