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By Jerry R. Wallace

This project consisted of blasting for expansion of a major interstate natural gas transmission pipeline pump station. The pump station handled 400-500 million cubic feet (11-14 million cubic meters) of gas per day.

Jan 1, 1996

By Randy Wheeler

In recent years the issue of seismograph calibration and accuracy has been a major focal point of the ISEE Blast Vibration and Seismograph Section. In fact, questions concerning the consistency and reliability of seismograph measurements essentially led to the development of this ISEE section. One of the early actions of the section involved the development of “Field Practice Guidelines” for the use of seismographs. These guidelines specifically state that “Placement and coupling of the vibration sensor are the two most important factors to ensure accurate ground vibration recordings.” This paper will address the results obtained from using different coupling methods to record vibration and airblast levels generated from production blasting in a limestone quarry. The data obtained clearly indicate that seismometer burial provides the best coupling for recording ground vibrations. Microphone height has also been an issue regarding the accuracy of recorded airblast levels. The data we obtained indicates that microphone height is not a significant factor.

Jan 1, 2004

By A T. Spathis, J J. Felice, W Klass

Cast blasting has become one of the most efficient ways to move waste rock in open cut coal mining. It is used at Mount Thorley Mine in conjunction with a dragline to move some of the overburden onto the spoil dump.

Jan 1, 1992

By Richard W. Watson, Julius Roth

The Bureau of Mines has recently completed a contract study of the hazards associated with surface mining.! Part of this effort involved an analysis of surface mining accidents associated with blasting activities. For this purpose, 71 reports of accidents investigated by the Bureau of Mines or the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA), covering the period from 1962 to 1976, were collected and analyzed. In addition, blasting accident frequencies for the period 1973-1976 were extracted from the central computer files maintained by the Health and Safety Analysis Center (HSAC) in Denver, Colorado. This paper presents a preview of the findings, which are treated in more detail in the final report.

Jan 1, 1978

By Hapsari Rosa, Ross Cowie

Conventional blasting activities in the mining process use various types of explosives, with the primary raw materials being Ammonium Nitrate and diesel fuel. The quality and specifications of the two raw materials significantly affect the performance of explosives. One program from the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources requires mixing 30% Bio Diesel 30 with 70% diesel fuel oil in several industrial sectors, including mining, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize CPO prices. This program aims very well for environmental sustainability and the palm oil business. However, it turns out that this change impacts the performance and results of the blasting process in the mining industry, which is the appearance of fumes. This paper will discuss the tests carried out in the laboratory on Bio Diesel 30, the explosive products used, and rock samples were taken from a mine in East Java, Indonesia. The aim is to determine what factors can cause fumes utilizing a mixture of Bio Diesel 30 with pure diesel fuel. The parameters tested were visual differences, infrared spectrometry, density and viscosity, surface tension and contact angle for Bio Diesel 30, stability test for explosives, and the SEM-EDS method for rock samples.

Feb 6, 2023

By María Virginia Ramírez, Alejandro Alarcón, Alea Reyes

Reactive grounds (presence of FeS2, CuFeS2) can create hazards in a mine; misfires to premature deflagration or detonation of loaded blast holes. This occurs because some minerals can react to ANFObased explosives. Due to a high potential event that occurred in The Mine in 2013, The Mine and the Explosive Provider (“The Company”) are conducting a soil characterization of the areas containing reactive sulfides. This study was planned along with The Mine and it is being developed by a multidisciplinary team.

Jan 1, 2018

By E Emery Gray, Gary Ard

Each year when hundreds of Engineers and Specialists in the explosives industry meet for the SEE Annual Conference, new ideas are exchanged and new business relationships formed. Harbert Construction Corp. and EGA, Inc., a company specializing in drilling and bIasting, formed such a relationship through mutual interest in such a manner.

Jan 1, 1981

By Hideaki Kitajima, Ryo Sakamoto, Katsuya Sasaki, Maehata Hidehiko

The Electric Discharge Impulse Crushing System (EDICS) is a technology for carrying out crushing by using electrical power and nitromethane. It is designed for construction tasks such as splitting of concrete and rocks.The EDICS consists of an electric discharge generator that supplies a high-voltage high-current pulse, a cartridge that generates power by using electric discharge energy, and cables that connect the electric discharge generator and the cartridge. The cartridge contains a thin metal wire that evaporates because of the electric discharge energy and a nitromethane that reacts with this evaporated metal wire. The cartridge can be used to generate a high pressure on the order of gigapascals within a time interval of several hundred microseconds, and crushing power equivalent to that generated by explosives is generated during this period. In recent years, the EDICS has been widely used in Japan because of its good performance and favorable characteristics.

Jan 1, 2011

By Joshua Hoffman

The recruitment and retention of future talent into the explosives industry is becoming increasingly important. Student chapters help with this effort but what are they doing and are there things they could learn from each other? This paper discusses the University of Kentucky Student Chapter's efforts to grow membership, retain its recruits, and integrate them into the explosives industry. Several social and professional events during which the students are able to meet and network with members of their future industry are introduced. The special relationship that has been fostered between the University of Kentucky and Missouri University of Science and Technology is discussed. Professional development initiatives which are critical for a student to become vested in the industry are shared in this paper. These opportunities which range from internships to research positions allow a person to get a better understanding of the explosives industry and find the niche that best suits them. Many of the student chapters are closely connected with engineering programs. While this makes sense and both entities benefit from these arrangements there is a trend of job placement primarily in the engineering industry. By providing these students with the chance to learn more about the explosives industry and get hands on experience more of these future engineers and professionals can be retained after their graduation.

Jan 1, 2013

By Perry Sisk

In order to protect nearby structures during a blasting project, a peak particle velocity limit is often stipulated by a government agency or the owner of a particular structure. At the start of a blasting project, a preliminary estimate for the minimum scaled distance is often determined using a vibration prediction equation before any site-specific data have been obtained. Reasonably conservative assumptions are typically made for the unknown input variables in the vibration prediction equation until site-specific blasting data have been obtained and evaluated. Although this approach is prudent, it provides no assurance that the peak particle velocity values generated during the initial phase of the project will be below the specified limit.

Jan 1, 2013

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 Lawrence Mirabelli, Wayne Lidkea, Mario Paventi

On Januarv 1, 1996, INCO Limited, Tamrock OY, Dyno Nobel and CANMET formed a consortium for the development of robotic mining equipment called the Mining Automation Program (MAP). This project was a tive- [5] year research and development program that combined the talents of the above organizations to facilitate the development of mining equipment and systems for tele-remote mining. The year 2000 brings MAP to conclusion with actual production process trial testing of the developed prototype equipment and systems during the period between May and October. MAP consisted of multiple projects all of which are based on the communication system developed by INCO Mines Research and currently sold and marketed by Automated Mining Systems Limited. The main projects include the development of a positioning and navigation module (including a software mapping system that will be inherent to each piece of equipment), robotic systems for underground development and stoping operations, as well as software systems to support the use of this equipment. Included in the program was the establishment of a Research Mine, at INCO’s 175 orebody, Copper Cliff, Ontario, Canada. This facility allowed for the on-site collaboration between the companies and research organization in the design and testing of techniques and equipment to mine with TeleminingTM. Some of the prototype equipment developed through the program are: a tele-operated drilling jumbo, a tele-operated load-haul-and-dump [LHD] tram, a tele-operated production drill, a remote initiation system for programming and detonation of electronic detonators, and the development of a vatiable energy bulk emulsion explosive system, including loading equipment, to deliver the explosives to boreholes. Use of tele-operated and automated equipment for mining mandates a dramatic change in the traditional drill/blast/muck/support cycles in the underground mining process.

Jan 1, 2001

By Kirlk Yeager

"Ammonium nitrate (AN) is commonly mixed with a wide variety of additives to produce specialty formulations. Two additives commonly utilized are sodium nitrate (SN) and sodium nitrite (SNi). Application of the nitrite is primarily limited to gassing of emulsions. The nitrate, however, is incorporated in a wide variety of formulations. The effect of both these materials on the thermal stability of AN was examined. Experiments initially utilized lab-scale testing methods (sub-milligram sample size), such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), with scale-up to cook-off analyses (16 g) eventually applied. Labscale testing indicated that the presence of SN and SNi (both at 5 wt%) produced no harmful effects on the thermal stability of AN. The cook-off results did not agree with those from the lab-scale analyses, with both SN and SNi creating tremendous thermal destabilization of AN. These effects were seen at additive levels as low as 0.1 wt%. When SNi was employed as the additive, cook-offs became violent enough to create explosions in the testing apparatus. Although SN did not create as spectacular a destabilization, it did lower cook-off temperatures to approximately the same level as SNi. The dangerous situation created by SN andSNi seemed to be limited to cook-offs conducted in sealed vessels. If the SN/AN or SNi/AN formulations were allowed to cook-off in vented vessels, the thermal destabilization of AN did not occur. These results seemed to indicate that even “trace” amounts of what might ordinarily be viewed as benign additives could create significant destabilization of AN-based explosives under proper circumstances. Conditions created by blocked pumps, or deep boreholes could well overlap those produced in sealed cook-off vessels. In addition to showing the hazards potentially created by “benign” additives, the study also stressed that experiments designed to evaluate thermal hazards must include duplication of field variables to the fullest extent possible. "

Jan 1, 1999

By Glenn Ludwig, Stephen H. Chung

Fragmentation has a direct impact on mine costs and productivity. Computer programs have been developed to calculate fragmentation using data on the properties of the explosive, the characteristics of the rock, the rock mass and the blast pattern. While computer models can yield good data, conclusions must be verified. Fragmentation assessment, muckpile surveys or high speed film analysis of rock mass movement are some of the techniques that have been used to confirm blast results. Digitizing photos of the muckpile is now the most common method to assess fragmentation. But it has some drawbacks. Although automatic electronic imaging equipment speeds up the process, the results depend on the photographs. Shadows will distort results. High resolution, black-and-white prints are essential.

Jan 1, 1992

By Winfried Rosenstock, Carlos Orlandi

Along the Pacific West coast of Latin America there are several large operations of metal mining activities. To mention only a few: Chuquicamata in Northern Chile moving daily approximately one million t of copper ore and waste, Cerro Verde near Arequipa in Peru, or lanaccocia. Apart from the coal deposits in north-east Columbia it is mainly to deal with metal-mining, which has due to geographical reasons relatively high cash-cost. This sector of mining is traditionally severely depending on the world-market.There are reasons to believe that the world-market will remain on a low price level and some analysts predict that in general the price-level will continue on low basis for the next decade. The cash-cost factor becomes therefore even more important as it already is. The goldprice development during the year 1999 illuminates that market changes can quickly lead to a severe crisis which forces the shutdown of mines with cash-costs close to or above the present market price per ounce. The breakdown of the cash-cost shows, however, that there are ways to overcome even the crisis like it struck the low-grade open pit goldmines around the world. Especially hitherto the “Electronic Option” is the only solution as the possible reduction using advanced technology based on the application of electronic detonating systems and newly developed special ignition procedures. The electronic option will lead to tremendous cost reductions similar to the results of research operations Thiess Contractors, Brisbane, Australia have carried out in Australia in 1998 and 1999. The electronic option allows a comprehensive integration of side effects of the blasting process which in the past could not have been achieved so far. Electronic initiation can achieve secondary effects which have an additional and positive impact on the level of costs. Appropriate application can enhance the production of material which will reduce the primary crusher costs or even make a primary crusher operation obsolete.

Jan 1, 2000

By Josh Calnan, Paul M. Holmgren, Abigail N. Styer

Detonating cord is a staple of the explosives industry, used widely in the civil and defense industries. Detonating cord is a thin, flexible plastic tube filled with pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). It has many applications in mining, construction and military disciplines. For civil applications, it is used to connect and initiate a series of blastholes in a desired pattern. In the defense sector, it can be used as a detonating agent, a priming agent or alone as an explosive charge. Research has been done to understand the initiation and detonation physics on the detonating cord. However, its sympathetic detonation characteristics needed to be further analyzed.

Feb 1, 2020

By Dale S. Preece, Stephen H. Chung

"A discrete element computer program named DMC_BLAST (Distinct Motion Code) has been underdevelopment since 1987 for modeling rock blasting (Preece & Taylor, 1989). This program employsexplicit time integration and uses spherical or cylindrical elements that are represented as circles in two dimensions (2-D). DMC_BLAST calculations compare favorably with data from actual bench blasts (Preece et al, 1993b)."

Jan 1, 1999

By Edward J. Walter

Vibration control is affected by many factors which are difficult to isolate and evaluate. Occasionally a circumstance occurs in which one factor appears to predominate and its effects can be evaluated. Changing rock characteristic or lithologic variation is one of these factors or parameters. In a recent seismic monitoring project, lithologic variation in the form of hard lenses occurring suddenly and randomly in the rock to be excavated caused sudden and large increases in vibration level. Data are presented to illustrate these effects, and procedures used to control these effects are described.

Jan 1, 1981

By Brent Blanchard

The use of explosives to safely fell structures can be traced back over 300 years. Since then, dozens of chemists, inventors, blasters and demolition experts worldwide have played prominent roles in the evolution of what has become the modern-day explosive demolition industry. In America, one of the earliest applications of explosive demolition occurred in response to the great fires of San Francisco, where homes and businesses were blasted with gunpowder in a desperate attempt to create firewalls. Later in the 19th century, inventions such as nitroglycerine, dynamite and blasting caps made structural blasting a safe, efficient alternative to conventional demolition methods. The 20th century brought the first experiments in shaped charge technology, and this, combined with developments in portable seismology and non-electric delay systems, allowed an ever-expanding variety of structures to be explosively felled by demolition experts throughout the country. The 1950s and .60s brought a new wave of commercial structural-blasting entrepreneurs (several of whom are still active today), and their efforts towards improving adjacent-structure protection and public relations beget the felling of large commercial buildings in dense urban environments. By the late 1980s, publicity-driven motives were gaining greater influence in the decision to .implode. various structures, and the transformation of blasting operations into promotional spectator events played a role in several injuries and fatalities. Since that time, however, a renewed sense of responsibility practiced by most blasting firms and project officials has resulted in the safe, successful completion of hundreds of recent endeavors. In sum, what appears today as an efficient, economical - and visually spectacular - way to demolish structures has its roots in developments of the past several centuries

Jan 1, 2002

By Terry Matts, Henry Heidrich, Cluny Randell, Carl Kottmeier

Until 1990, all production of asbestos ore at Cassiar was by open-pit methods. With the impending exhaustion of open-pit reserves, a decision was made in February 1988 to continue mining underground, using the block-caving technique.

Jan 1, 1992