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BlastDesignandAssessmentforSurfaceMinesandQuarries
Part1:Introduction

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Introduction...|Interaction...|RockProperties...|Glossary...|Review#1...

Introduction
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usageoftheory,practice,techniqueorreferencematerialpresentedinthiscourse.Nowarranteeis
madewithrespecttotheaccuracyofinformationpresented.
SessionHeadings: General

General
(SeeSummaryformainpoints)
Surfaceminingandquarryingoperationsusuallyrequiretheuseofblastingfor
thepreparationofrockforexcavation.Asurbanareasspreadandasthemines
become deeper, the constraints on blasting increases. This has resulted in an
increased requirement for well trained and experienced personnel for the
designandimplementationoftheblasts.
Whenappropriateprecautionsandsafetyproceduresareimplemented,blasting
can be safe. The cost efficiency of blasting is often greater than that of
mechanicalmethodssuchasrippingbyadozerorremovingrockwithhydraulic
breakers.Blastsneedtobedesignedandimplementedsoastominimize:
theriskofdamagetonearbystructures
disturbanceofpeoplewholiveand/orworkneartheblastarea
Thiscoursedescribesmethodsofrockblastingandhowtheymaybesafelyand
costefficientlyemployed.Includedarethefollowingtopics:
TypesofExplosives
InitiatorsandInitiatingSystems
MechanismsofRockFracturebyExplosives
FundamentalsofProductionBenchBlasting
BlastingTechniquesforProducingStableRockSlopes
PreventingDamageFromGroundVibration,AirBlastandFlyrock
SafetyProcedures
Alsoincludedisalistofreferences(fromwhichmoredetailsoftheproductsand
techniquesdescribedinthismanualcanbeobtained),andaglossaryofblasting
andexcavationterms.

BlastingApplicationsinSurfaceMiningandQuarrying
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(SeeSummaryformainpoints)
Thefollowingisabriefdescriptionofsomeofthetypesofblastscommonlyused
insurfaceminesandquarries:
ProductionBenchBlasts
Thisisthemostcommontypeofblasting.Thegoalis
to fragment and loosen the rock in preparation for
excavationbyfrontendloaders,shovels,draglinesor
dozers.The amount of preparation or conditioning of
the rock, to be done by the blasting, depends on the
rockmasscharacteristicsaswellasthetype,sizeand
modeofoperationoftheexcavationequipment.
WallControlBlasts
Theseblastsaredesignedtobreaktherocknearorup
to the final pit or quarry limit while causing minimal
damage to the rock beyond this limit. A number of
techniques are used to achieve this including: line
drilling (?), presplitting (?), trim blasting (?), cushion
blasting(?)andbufferblasting(?).
Throw/CastBlasts
In many surface coal mines there is an economic
incentive to move a significant portion of the
overburden material to its final position by blasting.
Thethroworcastblastsaredesignedinsuchawayas
to maximize the horizontal movement of the rock in
thedesireddirection.
SinkingCutBlasts
Theseblastsareusuallythefirstblastinanewbenchwhereaverticalfreeface
is not available. They are designed to break and loosen the rock volume using
thesurfaceastheonlyfreeface.Arampisdugthroughthemuckpiletothefloor
ofthenewbenchandafreefaceestablished.

NonExplosiveMethodsofRockBreakage
(SeeSummaryformainpoints)
There are some circumstances where nonblasting methods of rock breakage
shouldbeemployed.Forexample,inlocationswherethereisnearbyequipment
orstructureswhichareextremelysensitivetovibrations,orinareasofsoftrock
where it is more economical to rip than to blast. The following is a brief
descriptionofsomenonexplosivemethodsofrockbreakage.
Ripping
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Weakrockcanoftenbebrokenbyrippingusinganexcavatoror,inharderrock,
abulldozer.Themostcommonlyusedcriterionfordeterminingwhetherripping
ispossible,andforselectingtheappropriateequipment,istheseismicvelocity
of the rock. The Caterpillar Equipment Handbook provides information on
seismicvelocitiesandtherequiredrippingequipment.
Theadvantageofrippingoverblastinginweakrockisthatrippingcanbecarried
outtoclosetolerances,andthereisvirtuallynodamagetotherockinthesides
oftheexcavation.Rippingcanalsobedoneafterdusk.
HydraulicSplitting
Forsmallexcavationsinbrittlerock,anhydraulicallypoweredsplitterorwedge
canbeusedtocreateatensilefracturebetweencloselyspaceddrillholes.Thisis
aslowbuthighlycontrolledmethodofrockbreakage.Itismostoftenusedfor
breaking concrete and in dimensional stone quarries, or heavily loaded
foundation areas where overbreak from blasting would reduce the bearing
capacityoftherock.
HydraulicBreakers
Hydraulically powered breakers, often mounted on excavator boom, can be
usedtobreakbothstrongandweakrock.Thismethodofrockbreakagecanbe
carefully controlled, and is sometimes used in conjunction with ripping where
lensesofharderrockareencountered.Disadvantagesofthisequipmentarethat
it is noisy, and not effective in very hard bedrock with few cracks or
discontinuities.
Chemicals
Anotherproductonthemarketisacementlikecompoundthatexpandswhen
mixedwithwater.Theexpansionpressureissufficienttobreakrockwhenthe
material is placed in a row of closely spaced holes. While this is a highly
controlledmethodofbreakingrock,ithasthedisadvantagesthatthematerialis
costlyandtheexpansionprocesstakes10to20hours.

ContinuewithExplosive/RockInteraction

Introduction...|Interaction...|RockProperties...|Glossary...|Review#1...
BlastDesignandAssessmentforSurfaceMinesandQuarriesApril14,2002

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IntroductionFigure1

Figure1.PhotographOfProductionBenchBlast

IntroductionFigure2

Figure2.Photographofpresplitwall.

IntroductionFigure3
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Figure3.Photographofthrow/castblast.

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