The construction potential of coal tailings is discussed in relation to compaction, permeability and shear strength. Considering both wet and dry tailings, the effect of non-woven geotextiles on the improvement of tailings characteristics is discussed. In particular, the effect of geotextile fabrics on the shear strength and failure modes is investigated. It is shown that the fabric inclusions promote a strain hardening behaviour even at axial strains exceeding 20%. A significant improvement in shear strength is obtained by increasing the number of geotextile layers within a specimen. It is noted that for dry tailings, the increased internal friction is only a function of the reinforcement effect, whereas at very high moisture contents, the non-woven fabrics also contribute as a good drainage medium in the improvement of the effective friction angle.
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