Briefing: Dynamic compaction of opencast coal mining backfill in the UK

The application of dynamic compaction (DC) on former (backfilled) opencast coal mining sites has increased over recent years in the UK, to reduce or mitigate the impact of inundation collapse compression of uncompacted, overburden backfill, as part of the site re-development package. Some of these aspects are discussed in this article, including the importance of close observation of ground response to DC, at each stage of its execution, to ensure its satisfactory implementation and the implications of limitations on the maximum size of DC weight (tamper).