Print this page Rock Blasting Fundamentals
Daniel A. Vellone,M.S., P.G.
Course Outline
Controlled rock blasting methods have been used to excavate rock in shafts, tunnels, and chambers at many projects at urban locations throughout the United States. Rock Blasting consists of drilling holes in a rock mass at depths, in diameters, and at spacing so that an explosive can fracture the rock in a controlled manner to break ore, rock or to create space.
This course provides engineers and geologists with an introduction to rock blasting fundamentals including practical blast design techniques, a basic presentation of explosives and their characteristics, explosive selection criteria, risk management practices, initiators and timing effects as well as patterns are also discussed. This course will primarily focus on surface blast design, although much of the discussion is relevant to other blasting applications. Blast-induced ground vibrations and airblasts are discussed along with methods for monitoring, evaluation and control.
The course materials
are based upon the publication "Rock Blasting and Overbreak Control"
(FHWA-HI-92-001) published by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal
Highway Administration. A slideshow presentation is provided to review key learning
objectives and principals. Additionally, a substantial amount of selected technical
papers and reference information has been made available to the course participant
to provide additional in-depth information on specific subjects.
This course includes
a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding
of the course materials.
Learning Objective
Upon Completion of the course, engineers and geologist should be familiar with:
- Application of standard indexes, descriptors, and geologic terminology;
- Rock Breakage Mechanisms;
- Explosives Engineering;
- Commercial Explosive Products;
- Initiators and Blasthole Delay Devices;
- Primer and Booster Selection;
- Practical Blast Design Techniques;
- Blasting Applications;
- Blasting Geometry and Symbols;
- Controlled Blasting and Overbreak Control;
- Standards and Procedures for Environmental Control;
- Blasting Safety;
- Blasting Plan Preparation;
- Ground Vibration and Airblast Monitoring;
- Guidelines for the Field Inspector; and
- Risk Management
Practices.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for geo-professionals (geologists or engineers specializing in geotechnical or geological engineering) concerned with the design or engineering review of controlled blasting programs. Additionally, this course may be beneficial to municipal engineers and professionals in construction management responsible for the hiring of specialty contractors to perform blasting operations.
Benefit to Attendees
Attendee of this course will gain a valuable understanding of the fundamentals of rock blasting including the mechanics of rock breakage, performance characteristics of explosives, blast design, controlled blasting and blasting safety. Additionally, the course participant will gain several technical resources to provide further information beyond the material covered in this course.
Course
Content
The course materials are based on the publication Rock Blasting and Overbreak Control (FHWA-HI-92-001) published by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. A complete copy of Rock Blasting and Overbreak Control is available free of charge in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format by following the internet link:
Rock Blasting and Overbreak Control (FHWA-HI-92-001)
A slideshow presentation has been provided for the participant to review key learning objectives and principals. The link to the slide show is as follows:
Rock Blasting Fundamentals - Course Review Slide Show
Several select technical papers and reference information is available to the course participant to provide additional in-depth information on specific subjects.
Controlled_and_Monitored_Rock_Excavations_in_Urban_Areas
Energy_Components_in_Rock_Blasting
USGS_Sample_Blasting_Plan_Outline
Securing_the_Blast_Site_to_Prevent_Blasting_Related_Injuries
An_Analysis_and_Prevention_of_Flyrock_Accidents_in_Surface_Blasting_Operations
Rock_Blasting_Vibration_Monitoring_and_Damage_Control_in_Urban_Areas
Microphone_Height_Effects_on_Blast_Induced_Air_Overpressure_Measurements
Additional supplemental
reference information which may be of interest to the participant includes the
following commercially available publications:
- Charles H. Dowding (1994) Blast Vibration Monitoring and Control, 2nd ed, C. H. Dowding
- John Johansen (2000) Modern Trends in Tunneling and Blast Design, A. A. Balkema
- Calvin J. Konya and Edward J. Walter (1990) Surface Blast Design, Prentice Hall
- David E. Siskind
(2000) Vibrations From Blasting, International Society of Explosives Engineers
Please click on the above underlined hypertexts to view, download or print the documents for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Course Summary
Upon completion of this course, the participant will gain a valuable understanding of the fundamentals of rock blasting including the mechanics of rock breakage, performance characteristics of explosives, blast design, controlled blasting and blasting safety. Additionally, the participant will gain several technical resources to provide further information beyond the material covered in this course.
Related
Links
Several excellent sources of supplemental reference information pertaining to rock blasting are available for download in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format free of charge from industry sources. Select links to additional references have been included for the participant to review, to further their knowledge beyond the contents of this course.
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:
1. Systematic Drilling
and Blasting for Surface Excavations - (March 1972)
http://www.usace.army.mil/publications/eng-manuals/em1110-2-3800/toc.htm
2. Surface Mining,
Second Edition (1990)
http://books.smenet.com/Surf_Min_2ndEd/sm-toc.cfm?CFID=3067408&CFTOKEN=15461575
Particularly Chapter
6.1 - Drilling
http://books.smenet.com/Surf_Min_2ndEd/sm-ch06-sc01-ss01-bod.cfm#1
Particularly Chapter
6.2 - Blasting
http://books.smenet.com/Surf_Min_2ndEd/sm-ch06-sc02-ss01-bod.cfm#3
3. Practical Rock
Engineering, 2007 Edition
http://www.rocscience.com/hoek/Hoek.asp
Particularly Chapter
17 - Blasting Damage in Rock
http://www.rocscience.com/hoek/pdf/17_Blasting_damage_in_rock.pdf
4. Engineering
Geology Field Manual, Second Edition Volume I (1998), Volume II (2001)
http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/geology/
Particularly Chapter
19 - Blast Design
http://www.usbr.gov/pmts/geology/geolman2/Chapter19.pdf
Professional organizations of interest:
1. International
Society of Explosive Engineers (ISEE)
http://www.isee.com/
The International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) is a professional society dedicated to promoting the safe and controlled use of explosives in mining, quarrying, construction, manufacturing, forestry, and many other commercial pursuits. They provide numerous courses related to explosives.
2. Association
of Environmental & Engineering Geologists (AEG)
http://www.aegweb.com/
3. American Society
of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
http://www.asce.com/
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
