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By C E. Johnson, S Hosein

Previous researchers have put forward two different theories as to the origin of air overpressure from quarry blasting. In 1980, Siskind et al postulated that the initial face movement gave rise to the displacement of air and that this resulted in the air overpressure pulse. However in 1990 McKenzie et al carried out research that indicated that the air overpressure pulse came into being as a consequence of the shock wave created by the detention of the explosive charge in a blast hole. In an attempt to evaluate these hypotheses, an investigation was undertaken over a 4-year period with the aim of determining the precise origin of air overpressure. The research was carried out at a chalk quarry in the North of England.

Jan 1, 2017

By David Cheung, S. Paul Singh

"The characteristics of a blasted muck pile can have a significant effect on the productivity and economyof loading and hauling operations. Poorly fragmented and tight muck piles, caused by insufficientdisplacement of the broken rock, lead to higher digging and hauling costs. Therefore muck pile must be tailored to suit the loading and hauling equipment. In order to achieve this objective, it is imperative to understand the relevant muck pile characteristics and factors governing them. In general, muck pile characteristics are governed by the blast design parameters, rock mass geology, explosive characteristics and post-blasting requirements."

Jan 1, 2017

By Alexander Hauck, Dimitri Jung, Uli Leiste

This paper describes results from small scale tests conducted to determine the distribution of impulse on target plates when subjected to loading due to the detonation of a buried mine. The tests were conducted with saturated sand, dry sand, and water as the loading media. Tests were conducted for flat plates and for plates with angled bottoms. Previous testing has shown that angled bottoms can reduce the total vertical impulse delivered to the vehicle significantly. Different stand off distances were investigated as well as loading of the targets both on center and off center. It is very important to know not only the total impulse delivered by a detonating charge but also how this impulse is distributed over the bottom of the vehicle. A complete understanding of specific impulse will permit those parts of the vehicle, taking the greatest amount of loading, to be sized properly. Experimental results were compared to analytical expressions provided by Westine and Tremblay.

Jan 1, 2010

By Jane Wright, Brent Blanchard

Question: When it comes to demolition projects, what could be more demanding than asking a blaster to explosively demolish a stubby, heavily-reinforced concrete structure in the heart of a third-world country? Answer: Asking them to fell only half. Such was the charge recently put forth to Controlled Demolition Group (CDG), Yorkshire, UK when they were called to Casablanca, Morocco to provide a stunning demolition effect for the upcoming Universal Pictures film Spy Game, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. Director Tony Scott (True Romance, Enemy of the State) contacted the renowned demolition firm after seeing their work on television and receiving recommendations from explosives manufacturers. The film’s producers then asked the CDG team if they could bring down half of an apartment block as part of a dramatic suicide bomber sequence.

Jan 1, 2002

By Oldrich Machacek

Seismic explosives are very important tools in the search for oil and gas. Changes and new techniques in seismic exploration methods are also demanding new developments in seismic explosives. This article concentrates on three problems, characteristics of surface seismic explosives,causes of fires in application of surface seismic explosives and new developments in downhole seismic explosives.

Jan 1, 1985

By August Ferraz Ribeiro, Guilherme Dias Mendona, Paula Henrique Lisboa, José Silvio Corsini

Correct slope adhesion is related to the conformity of the slope’s real geometry to slope planning. It is very important in mining because slope design has economic and safety implications. Slope design conditions can interfere with mining waste and ore proportion. Without a correct wall, the development of the mine can be hindered, which can reduce the amount of ore available. Furthermore, correct slope design reduces the possibility of melting and allows traffic with equipment and people in the mine. However, defining the wall is a more complex work as the characteristics of the rock require the use of blasting techniques. Therefore, Enaex Mining Technical Solutions (EMTS), in partnership with the engineering team at the Chapada Mine, at Lundin Mining, has developed this study in order to increase slope adhesion. The basis of this study is a near-field vibration test, which enables the creation of vibration attenuation law, and a seed wave damage model has allowed the characterization of the rock present at the Chapada Mine. Then, we could compare the model result to the real slope adhesion achieved with the buffer technique used in the mine. Therefore, it was possible to relate the real result to the model result.

Feb 6, 2023

By James Stuart

A man died when the primed charge he was holding against his chest exploded. He was doing legitimate explosive work, and he was following all the safety procedures he had been taught. He and his colleagues had done this, thousands of times previously, with no ill effects.

Jan 1, 2007

By B. Papilon

Dynamic pressures during blasting can affect performances of both electronic and non-electronic detonators. Boreholes can develop tremendous amount of pressures during blasting. The effect of such elevated pressure especially during electronic delay countdown is probably more acute in electronic detonators. Measuring the pressures during blasting can aid to understand the relationship between magnitude of the pressure developed and the multitude of blasting conditions.

Jan 1, 2013

By Alan Bauer

During the past several years, the trend to large-diameter blastholes in both open pits and underground mines along with the continuing developments in slurried explosives and delay systems has kept things exciting for the drilling and blasting engineer. This has been particularly so in underground mining, where new mining systems having lower cost and higher productivity have emerged. Crater technology has produced new large-scale methods for resisting front penetration in tar sand mining and also new underground retreat mining methods and methods of raising.

Jan 1, 1978

By Italo Onederra, Miguel Araos

"Most of the current explosives for mining blasting activities are based on ammonium nitrate (ANFO, emulsions and watergels). AN-based explosives’ detonating properties were discovered in the 50’s and since then they have proven to be reliable, safe and cost effective. However, there is no current alternative raw material to replace AN. As part of a program of research initially funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), Mining3 and the University of Queensland engaged in the search for potential oxidizing agent alternatives that could replace AN in the manufacture of mining explosives. Candidates included those that are produced in large quantities and that can be cost competitive with ammonium nitrate. The initial work identified hydrogen peroxide (HP), calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and sodium nitrate (SN). Explosives mixtures were prepared and sensitized using void sensitization techniques. The detonation properties results showed that explosives based onmixtures of HP/CN and HP/SN as the oxidizer were able to detonate in a range of 2000 – 5000 m/s, indiameters 50 and 102 mm, and densities in the range of 0.50 – 1.40 g/ml. Although more studies need to be conducted to fully understand these explosives, if successful, these explosives would be able to offer an alternative to the AN-based explosives in the mining industry."

Jan 1, 2017

By L C. Taylor, H U. Lesiste

This paper provides a preliminary description of the properties of the output pressure (shock) wave of an end initiated, cylindrical charge of low height to diameter ratio in saturated sand. The properties of primary interest are the pressure wave velocity, peak pressure and rate of rise of peak pressure to within 1.4 charge diameters from the output end of the charge. The behavior of these properties is seen to be quite different from their behavior at more customary ranges in water.

Jan 1, 2013

By Hector O. Romero, Paulo C. Fernández A, Christian Rees Prado, Claudio C. Gajardo

In open-pit mining operations, the presence of remnants from past underground labors represents a significant operational challenge, especially if they are in the surroundings of high-grade zones. The existence of uncrushable elements, such as metallic support fragments of abandoned equipment, can trigger critical operational issues if they reach conveyor belts systems or primary crushers, jeopardizing the mine to plant operational continuity. These kinds of incidents lead to expensive unplanned shutdowns, the increasing of corrective maintenance events costs, and risk to meeting expected production results. This work demonstrates the application of a three-dimensional numerical modeling tool for simulating rock displacement post-blasting (by integrating key design parameters, such as blast pattern design, detonating times, charge distribution and pre and post blast surveying). The study was conducted at Andina Mine, operated by Codelco, Chile, and enabled the identification and zoning of areas with potential presence of underground hazards in displaced rock mass, using historical data from previous workings and geotechnical mapping. The displacement results were compared to the actual post-blast surveying, ensuring an acceptability level above 80%, considering both fully confined (bank opening) and free-face blasts. Additionally, this approach allows the determination of an optimal safety offset, initially set at 10 meters and currently under validation for potential reduction. The results supported the determination of safe extraction zones and the design of excavation, loading, and haulage strategies from mine to plant or stockpile, ensuring 100% reliability in the segregation of high risk materials. Implementing displacement simulations underscores their relevance in operational risk prevention and mitigation, adding value to short-term mine planning and strengthening the safety, efficiency and profitability of the open-pit mining production process.

Jan 26, 2026

By Jeffrey Meissner, Mike Waldron, Charles Dowding

Most studies of crack response have focused on opening and closing of a crack in the plane of the wall in which the crack occurs. Crack movement also occurs perpendicular or normal to the plane of the wall. This paper will examine and compare the in-plane and out-of-plane (normal) response of cracks in two different residences near limestone quarries. In two locations, sensors that measure in-plane and normal displacement were installed side-by-side on the same crack, allowing direct comparison of the two modes of response. In a third location, a perpendicular pair of displacement sensors was installed in a corner of a room to observe the bidirectional response of the structure at a corner. Both long-term and dynamic data were recorded with the same sensors; temperature, humidity, and air over pressures were also recorded to compare blast and weather effects. Measurements show that ratios of out of plane to in plane response to dynamic events can vary. However, the ratios of out of plane (normal) response to vibratory events to that of climatological change is still as small as the ratio for in plane crack responses.

Jan 1, 2010

By Guang-Xin Li, Rui-Ping Guo

Based on the analysis of factors affecting the cracking performance of Silently Cracking Agent (SCA), a new SCA structural model is built and a study on the swelling mechanism of SCA and a method to increase swelling thrust by adding the swelling agent are presented. The reason for blow-out and the theory for avoiding blow-out are put forward. The new model improves the SCA theory and provides new method for developing effective SCA. Based on experiments made in laboratory, two types of SCA are developed. A Temperature Control Meter (TCM) has been developed to solve the alltemperature- crack problem after studying the suitable temperature scope of SCA.

Jan 1, 2000

By Sayantan Chakraborty, Kaushik Dey, SaKaushik Dey tyabrata Behera

Drilling and blasting is a popular excavation technique in the drift of underground mine. Faster completion of drift reduces the gestation period and thus longer blast pulls are attempted with longer drill holes. This compels the blasters to initiate higher charge quantity with higher confinements and ultimately results into blast-induced cracks beyond the desired periphery line of excavation. Assessment of the extent of these crack networks is difficult and often neglected. Near-field ground vibration models are often used as damage predictors (Dey, 2007, Yang et.al 1993, Holmberg et. Al 1979) but not necessarily deals with the positions of the cracks. Qualitative measurement of actual damage extent often measured using some geophysical tools, namely, P-wave velocity (Tezuka, 1995), seismic imaging (Dey, 2011), bore hole pressure monitoring (Brent and Smith, 1996), electrical resistivity (Grady and Kipp, 1993), GPR (Adams et.al, 1993) etc. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a similar geo-physical tool, which uses Electro-magnetic (EM) pulse for characterizing the medium. Similar to other geo-physical tools, GPR also comprises of a transmitter and one/multiple receivers to generate the EM pulse and receive the same after reflection/refraction from the medium(s) respectively. After its development in 1970s, GPR gained increased popularity due to its application in many important fields, namely, identification of buried objects, geological characterization, identification of geological disturbances etc. Thus, it is felt that GPR technique can be used to detect the invisible cracks inside the rockmass from the rock surface (wall and roof) itself. Understanding the same, field experimentations are carried out in an underground manganese mine in Central India, which operates on the ‘cut and fill’ method of mining at a depth of around 300m from the surface. Wedge cut blasting is carried out in the horizontal drifts of the mine using suitable blast design. A 1.6 GHz antenna was used for the GPR scanning, in which GPR transmitter transmits signals predominantly of the said frequencies. The signals get reflected back from any type of interfaces between materials in the target area, with different dielectric properties and is received by the receiver part of the ‘trans-receiver’ antenna and memorized in the Data Acquisition Unit (DAU). The data acquired is processed using a software. Ground vibration monitoring of the blasts are also carried out to develop a vibration predictor. The numerical analysis of near-field vibration predictor model results into the estimated vibration levels at the point of identified cracks. Introduction

Jan 1, 2019

By Dieter Froelich, Giles Turcotte

In the near future, Bong Mining Company (BMC) will start mining a new deposit known as Zaweah II which is a narrow iron orebody requiring multiple row blasts with the bench floor as a free face. This called for the development of a new blasting technique. The article delineates the problem and its restrictions related to blasting. It also describes the approach which was taken for developing this new blasting technique which is essentially an application of the cratering theory with near spherical charges. Basic crater tests were conducted using various combinations of hole sizes, explosive strengths and delay patterns. From the results obtained, several alternatives were considered for production blasts and the most promising ones were evaluated.

Jan 1, 1980

By Steven P. Case

To meet salt production needs over the remaining life of the Cayuga Mine at Lansing, New York, the Salt Division of Cargill, Inc. decided to build a new underground screening plant. The new plant required a chamber 50 feet wide by 250 feet long and nearly 70 feet high. On advise of their mining contractor, Dynatec Mining Company, the company chose an ingenious excavation method similar to sublevel stoping. This method eliminated the need for an access ramp, reduced equipment needs and excavation time substantially.

Jan 1, 1996

By Travis A. Davidson, Ralph E. Burnham, Cathy Aimone-Martin, J. Kelly Ratliff

Blasters face a long list of tasks to execute daily—from vehicle inspections to blast design and layout, hole loading and tie-in, securing the site, and finally, safely executing the blast. Good practices and, in most cases, regulations and requirements necessitate documenting their work, specifically their blast report. While some blasters use paper forms, others use electronic means to streamline the process. The authors have served as attorneys and expert witnesses in representing companies and individual blasters in numerous administrative and legal matters in which documentation of the blaster’s work was both critical and detrimental to the effectiveness of defending their work. This paper discusses in a case-study manner the authors' observations concerning good blast report format, specific observations around electronic and paper report completion, record-keeping, seismograph setup and recordkeeping, video and photo documentation, internal auditing, and other topics related to documenting the blast. The paper aims to serve as a discussion guide for blasters to improve their blast record-keeping process, develop better practices that effectively document their work, and allow them to defend their work should a claim arise concerning their operations.

Jan 21, 2025

By Peter Reinders, Dirk Hummel

This paper describes a new digital Centralized Blasting System (CBS), which is currently being introduced into underground applications. The CBS makes use of the field-proven detonator and equipment technology of an electronic detonator system and existing mine radio communication networks. Therefore no capital investment for additional mine infrastructure networks is required for the deployment of the digital CBS. Components of the new system are a Remote Blasting Box for use at the actual blast site and a Master control unit ‘Lockbox’ which is located at the central blasting location of the mine. The system is operated via a PC based centralized blasting software. Several sophisticated safety devices guarantee the highest safety standards are maintained with the application of the new digital CBS.

Jan 1, 2004

By Larry Ng, Keith McDonald

The benefits of controlled blasting techniques have gained increasing recognition by the mining industry in recent years. The utilization of an effective controlled blasting programme can result in a safe work environment with less loose rock and a reduced level of scaling and ground support.

Jan 1, 1994