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By Deepak Vidyarthi

This paper deals with the significance of Explosive Energy in the optimization of blast design parameters, and the benefits emerging out of it. It is based on the original work done by the author in developing and successfully implementing a site-specific software package on ‘Blast Design Optimization’ at Kudremukh Iron Ore Mine in India with a production level of 22.5 million tonnes of crude ore and off-take of Explosives of approximately 5500 tonnes per annum. The software package has yielded tangible results in effecting reduction in Explosive Consumption, substantial savings in the Cost of Explosive, besides Environmental Improvements by way of attenuation of Blast Induced Ground Vibrations as well as Air-Blasts. By carrying out regular ‘Regression Analysis’, and determination of the Rock Constants, it has been possible to further develop software packages as well as prediction curves for prediction of Peak Particle Velocity, Safe Charge of Explosive, Air-Blasts etc. A model has also been developed for the prediction of ‘Fly Rock’ although at KIOCL, fly rock does not pose any problem.

Jan 1, 2006

By Michael Mann

Two house trailers and a modem modular house, all pillar-supported with cantilevered perimeters, were monitored for structural response to vibrations from surface coal mine blasts. Due to the large blast site distances, peak particle velocities measured in the ground beside the houses did not exceed 0.32 ips, and airblasts did not exceed 106 dB. However, the structures responded significantly to the ground vibrations, with maximum high-comer amplification factors as high as 8.5 in the horizontal directions. Vertical structural responses were as high as 10 times the vertical peak particle velocities in the ground, but appeared to be driven more by horizontal ground motions. No measurable airblast responses were observed. The natural frequencies of the structures ranged from 5 to 10 Hz.

Jan 1, 2000

By Robert McClure, Frederic Leclercq, Ricardo Chavez

With significant vibration control and fragmentation challenges facing them, the CBS quarry (department of the Nord) successfully integrated a technical partner and mine to mill optimisation to deal with a difficult environment. For the last three years, CBS has been conducting a global production monitoring program similar to the mine to mill concept used in the mining industry. This concept consists of optimising the drilling and blasting while monitoring the effects on the downstream chain (vibration control, loading, hauling, crushing, plant output). Blast optimization is ensured by systematic control of the blast geometry (volumes, patterns, bench and face anomalies, drill deviation) and by the use of constant specific energy blasting. Constant specific energy optimises the work of the explosive in a blasting operation and, when combined with a high accuracy programmable electronic blasting system, reduces the impact of blasting on the environment and enhances blast performance. These techniques ensure consistent blasting results and hence improved site productivity. The improvements achieved have been identified thanks to an effective system designed to monitor the key production parameters.

Jan 1, 2007

By Braden T. Lusk, Rex A. Meyr, Kyle A. Perry

Following three major mining accidents in 2006, the MINER Act of 2006 was enacted by MSHA and required every underground coal mine to install refuge alternatives to help prevent future fatalities of trapped miners in the event of a disaster. A polycarbonate safe haven wall for use in underground coal mines was designed and modeled using finite element modeling in ANSYS Explicit Dynamics to withstand the MSHA required 15 psi (103.4 kPa) blast loading spanning 200 milliseconds. The successful design was constructed in both half-scale and small scales in the University of Kentucky Explosives Research Team’s (UKERT) explosives driven shock tube. The constructed polycarbonate walls were tested multiple times to determine the walls resistance to blast pressure. The results for each test were analyzed and averaged to create one pressure versus time waveform which was then imported into the finite element program and modeled to compare deflections of each part to that was measured during testing for model validation. This paper summarizes the results.

Jan 1, 2014

By Neal Lee, Braden T. Lusk, Jhon Silva-Castro, Patrick J. Jenks

"Timing and charge sequence are very important for optimized blast design. Traditional nonelectricinitiation systems have moved the industry toward a system of delays consisting of hole-to-hole androw-to-row timing sequences that mimic the application of nonelectric surface delays or dual delayinitiator systems that have been prevalent in the blasting industry for many years. The increasedutilization of electronic detonators allows for the use of Regular Rhythmic Timing (RRT) utilizing onlyone delay between charges and a selected charge firing sequence. The hole to hole and row to row (HHRR) timing method has been utilized for blasting optimization and allows for simplistic changes to the tie in phase of the blasting sequence. When using this traditional timing methodology, for some specific cases related to the number holes and rows, crowding occurs in the delay between charges with subsequent increase in the peak particle velocity (PPV) produced by the blast. This is in contrast to RRT where the timing between the delays remains constant."

Jan 1, 2016

By Connie Postupack

The purpose of the workshop is to show the effect of various blasting factors on the overall results.

Jan 1, 1994

By Zach Ellis, Dusty Fisher

The Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement (OSM) cited a large surface coal mine for a series of flyrock incidents that occurred when blasting close to the mining lease perimeter. The OSM placed the company on a pattern of violation status. It was determined through analysis of blasting practices that flyrock could be controlled at the mine by drilling a smaller diameter hole and stemming with crushed rock when blasting within 1,000’ (304 m) of the lease line. The procedure to install and remove the small diameter drill steel was cumbersome and dangerous because it was a manual transition. The drill carousel could only hold one diameter at the time the project was initiated. The process was very time consuming, involving a mechanic to transport the steel to the drill and spend up to 1.5 hours of downtime switching the steel. In addition, the hydraulically operated break-out wrench and break-out fork on the SKS Infinity Redrill® is only designed to work with one diameter, so these tools could not be used to disconnect subs and steels on the string. At the time, the mine’s breakdown was between 30-40% small diameter (6 ¾” (171 mm)) versus large diameter drilling (10 5/8” (270 mm)). The drill and blast group was challenged with the task to implement a 6s (Six Sigma) project that would reduce the amount of time spent on steel change-outs on the rotary drills while improving the safety of the task. A solution was proposed to carry the small diameter drill pipe, lower small diameter sub, and small diameter bit on board the drill at all times. The goal of the project was to carry the steel in the carousel after modification so that the driller could change the diameter himself on board the drill in less than 45 minutes without any assistance from a mechanic. The drill had to be modified so that the hydraulic operated break out wrench and deck fork could be utilized on both diameters. The drill accessory supplier and the mine worked together to design and implement design changes and new equipment onto two rotary drills, and new standard operating procedures (SOPs) were created for the new process. The project has been in the sustaining phase for approximately three months now and all steel diameter changes are completed by the operator under the allowable time limit.

Jan 1, 2015

By Jim Mikelait

Overview ?? Why do we need security? ?? Needs assessment ?? Elements to any security system ?? Protect, Detect, Alert, esponse ?? Electronic Security System Criteria ?? Advantages and Limitations of Various Security Options ?? Internal measures to protect against potentially harmful employees ?? How can technology improve my business?

Jan 1, 2006

By Julia Creasey, Natalie Hodgson, Claire Ward, Craig Davies, Helen Sarginson

"Emulsion explosive producers are attempting to lower the cost of emulsion production by using lowquality ammonium nitrate in emulsion formulations. Low quality ammonium nitrate contains additivessuch as anti-caking agents and crystal modifiers which contaminate the emulsions causing instability. This presents a need for an effective emulsifier that will maintain emulsion stability under thesechallenging conditions."

Jan 1, 2017

By Roberto Golchi

This article describes the method used to quantify the Environmental Impact for the mining, by drilling and blasting, of a borrow pit for a gravity-dam. The affected environment was broken down into a number of components, such as public health and safety, social relationship, air and water quality, flora and fauna. The effect of the various impacting factors from the mining activities, both directly and indirectly, was then calculated for each environmental component. To do this, each impacting factor was first given a magnitude, a number based solely on the range of scenarios possible for the impacting factor. A matrix of weighting factors was then derived to systematically quantify, and normalise, the effects of each impacting factor on each environmental component. The overall impact upon each individual environmental component was then calculated by summing the weighted magnitudes for all the impacting factors.

Jan 1, 2003

By Diogo Fonseca, José Manuel, Nuno Fernandes, Francisco Monteiro, Andrew Palangio, Blessing Taiwo

This study aims to enhance the integration between blasting and primary crushing operations in quarrying by optimizing the size of oversize and bypass fragments, ultimately reducing energy consumption. Using simulations of multiple blast rounds at the dstgroup aggregate quarry in Portugal, the research seeks to refine blasting practices and improve crushing efficiency. Part 1 of this study, presented at the International Society of Explosives Engineers' 51st Annual Conference, introduced a baseline framework for assessing the compatibility between blasting outcomes and crusher requirements. This methodology was applied to two blasting rounds, revealing discrepancies between expected and actual fragmentation results. The assessment raised key questions, including the root causes of fragmentation mismatches and the identification of controllable parameters that can be adjusted to align the particle size distribution (PSD) with the crusher’s optimal input range. Based on these findings, six key modifications were proposed to improve blast performance: (1) reducing the drill and blast pattern to limit boulder formation in the overlapping regions of hole influence, (2) increasing both the size and length of stemming material to enhance energy confinement, (3) decreasing subdrill depth to prevent toe burden issues from toe deviation, (4) modifying inter-hole timing to relieve back hole burden, and (5) improving drilling accuracy. Part 2, presented at Fragblast 14, explored advanced modifications to the initial blast design. The first adjustment was reducing subdrill and altering stemming material resulted in an 11% reduction in D80, a 19% decrease in maximum fragment size, and a 21% improvement in blast fragmentation efficiency. These changes shifted the PSD by 15% closer to the crusher compatibility envelope established in Part 1. Despite these improvements, boulder generation persisted in the front and back rows of the blast. This third part of the study focuses on implementing the remaining recommended modifications from Part 1 to further enhance blast efficiency and ensure crusher compatibility. The findings contribute valuable insights into the benefits of integrating blasting and crushing optimization strategies to achieve more consistent and efficient fragmentation outcomes.

Jan 26, 2026

By Drew Martin

In March 2010 the Boral Linwood Quarry, Adelaide South Australia, implemented the blasting contractors Monte Carlo Blast Vibration Model as part of their blast design process. The Linwood Quarry was developing an area where blasting activities were marginally complying with the statutory vibration limits. Compliance to the statutory limits was only being achieved through the use of small blasts (less than 15 000 T (14 763 ton)) at a high cost to the quarry.

Jan 1, 2012

By Braden Lusk, Paul Sainato, Josh Calnan, Hiago Vasconcelos, Luis Felipe Marinho

"Blasting and rock fragmentation is one the most important unit operations in mining. Since itsintroduction into the mine production cycle, mining has become more efficient in mineral production(Hartman, 2002). Widely used with the main objective of breaking rock mass in smaller fragments to be loaded and hauled at a minimum cost, blasting is optimized when stemming materials properly confine drillholes charged with explosives. Halim Cevizci (2013) performed a stemming application using Gypsum plaster, a kind of material that exhibits solid-like behavior when it is dry. Based on his theory, the present article reports an experiment using another type of material that shows similar behavior, non-Newtonian fluids. The primary goal of this study is to measure the confinement effectiveness provided by a non-Newtonian mixture as the stemming component. The study also analyzes the explosives’ energy propagation throughout the rock mass relating to the stemming materials applied. Currently, mining literature recommends the application of dry granular materials in stemming columns, because of its inertial and high frictional effects (Hagan, 1973). However, the test verified that the mixture added to the stemming column was able to reduce energy and gas losses to the atmosphere, because of the liquid’s property of filling voids in the material. The solid-like behavior of the non-Newtonian mixture was investigated for its capability to improve borehole confinement, since the mixture reacts like a solid when under shear stress. The results were compared to those from sand and air stemming applications, configured in different arrangements. It was concluded that the non-Newtonian mixture yielded high results due to its better confinement effectiveness, a reduction of air overpressure, and an increase of the strain propagation and ground vibration throughout the rock."

Jan 1, 2016

By Tristan Worsey, Nathan Rouse, Kyle Hall

Drilling accuracy is the foundation to any successful blast operation. Even the best blasting practices cannot overcome poor drilling and still obtain desired results. Inaccuracies in boreholes can result in flyrock, increased vibration, uneven floor, and other undesired effects. As depth increases, variation in actual burden and spacing is expected even if collars are located precisely. Problems arise when this deviation reaches a point where it adversely affects the function of the blast design. Not only can unsafe conditions such as insufficient burden at the face develop, but poor fragmentation can compound adverse effects. As with any troubleshooting, problems cannot truly be fixed if they cannot be measured. As a result, significant work has been done in the past on this subject. Currently, there are both cheap and expensive methods used to quantify deviation for a given borehole. However, implementation of these techniques is limited. In general production blasts, little is known about the variance in designed versus true borehole geometry. This is especially true if the blaster does not see telltale signs of drilling deviation. However, losses in blast performance may exist and provide an opportunity to obtain better fragmentation and reduce fines. As drill and blast operations strive for better optimization, greater focus is being placed on drilling accuracy and solutions to this problem. The following paper details the use of several current methods for deviation measurement in order to help prevent compromises of safety and improve overall blast performance.

Jan 1, 2018

By Tom Treleaven

The widening of the Panama Canal to approximately 130 feet (40 m) for its entire length began just a few years ago. The original expansion program was slated for completion in 18 to 20 years, but has recently been reduced for completion within the next four years. This means that a tremendous amount of blasting at simultaneous points along the canal, by both the Panama Canal Commission (PCC) and many subcontractors, is necessary to achieve the new completion deadline. The accelerated program also imposed many logistical concerns, since marine trafIic is always heavy and cannot be stopped for blasting. Because some of the large and heavy cargo vessels clear the bottom of the canal by only about 6 feet ( 2 m), the blasting cannot result in any large boulders into the center of the canal, for fear of grounding and damaging a vessel, not to mention the traffic delays and lost income of approximately 1 to 2 million dollars per day.

Jan 1, 1997

By Z X. Zhang

Ground vibrations from the blasts of the LKAB mine at the Malmberget town had reached 18-19 mm/s from year 2000 to 2002. From 2004 to 2010 the maximum vibrations had been reduced to 9 mm/s and most vibrations lowered to about 5 mm/s, indicating that the technical measures used in the mine are effective in vibration control. The major measure that has always been used in Malmberget mine is the method called Changing Initiation Sequence (CIS in short). Another method named Dividing Ring Blasting (DRB in short) is often applied to some special blast rings in the mine. Both methods have been proved to be successful in vibration reduction, and they do not need any additional costs. Because of the two methods, both maximum vibrations and average ones have been reduced by around 50% since 2004.

Jan 1, 2012

By Mohsen Sanai, Paul Gefken

"SRI International has developed and patented* a castable dilute explosive tile @ET) that offersunique advantages over conventional high explosive. The primary advantages of DET are that itsdetonation pressure can be adjusted over a wick range and its impulse can be controlled independently by adjusting its thickness and configuration. Because DET has a much lower detonation velocity than conventional explosives, the pulse duration produced by DET is as much as 10 times longer than the pulse duration produced by conventional explosives for equal explosive weights. These features of DET present several advantages to the mining industry. For example, DET can be tailored so as to control fragment size and distribution to enhance extraction of desired elements from ore or breakup of specific regions."

Jan 1, 1995

By David Siskind

The authors studied small seismic exploration blasts for vibration characteristics and effects on structures in Mexico. Obtained were 267 three-component recordings of ground vibrations and structure responses from 62 test blasts at six single-story masonry structures. Charges were 4.55 kg (10 lb) of Vibrogel expolsive at depths of 20 and 30 meters. Initial blasts were 240 meters distant and proceeded towards the structures to as close as 5 meters. All blasts were in soil media in two basic types of terrain, low saturated areas and upland dry areas. Structural inspections were before, during, and after the test blasts.

Jan 1, 2002

By Bibhu Mohanty, Sheng Huang

Accurate measure of fragment size distribution is a key objective in all blasting and crushing operations. Several generic distribution functions have been devised to describe the degree of fragmentation for the representative range of fragments from selected measurements. The application of four distribution functions, i.e. Rosin-Rammler, Swebrec, Grady and Gilvarry, in describing fragment size distribution of impact-induced fragmentation of a limestone rock has been investigated. A modified Hopkinson Pressure Bar experimental set-up is used to control both impact velocity and energy input into the target rock. The feed size in the sample holder is varied from 6.35mm to 15.88mm in three ranges and the impact velocity up to 14m/s. The size distribution in the product is determined by sieve analysis for a range of impacts. The experimental results are fitted to the four distribution functions to examine their relative accuracy and reliability.

Jan 1, 2016

By Tom Short

"Construction blasting covers a very extensive variety of explosive applications. I will discussseveral of these with you and then show slides from my collection, starting in 1956, which will betterillustrate the types of blasting under discussion."

Jan 1, 1991