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By Tacio Ferreira

How state-of-the-art software, data analysis and communication applied to drilling and blasting techniques have have allowed quarries in the Midwest of the United States to improve results downstream

Feb 1, 2020

By John Vynne, John Hutchings

There have been a number of recent technological advances in instrumentation for blasthole drills, and more specifically in drill monitoring and HPGPS guidance systems. Likewise, great strides have been made in the development of drill and blast software systems which are user friendly, while providing far greater capability to accurately design and monitor drill and blast patterns.

Jan 1, 2011

By D. Scott Scovira, Thomas Gustavsson

The potential of hydrogen peroxide explosives was introduced to Thomas Gustavsson and Robert Håkland by Dr Miguel Araos through his development of hydrogen peroxide gel compositions (HPG). In 2020, Thomas and Robert developed a concept project with Boliden Minerals and received Swedish government funding to evaluate HPG technology in a mine environment. The project showed HPG reacted violently with mine mineralization and concluded that HPGs did not offer a commercial solution due to safety concerns. Thomas and Robert engaged with Stefan Nilsson to develop hydrogen peroxide emulsion (HPE) compositions and the process techniques to manufacture them. In 2021, laboratory work produced a promising low carbon intensity, nitrate free, ammonia free, emulsion formulation based on industrial grade hydrogen peroxide and a fuel-emulsifier phase. Design and construction of an HPE pilot plant and underground charging unit commenced. The manufacture of hydrogen peroxide emulsion shares several similarities with the production of nitrate-based emulsions in that the plant is a facility to blend a strong oxidizer solution with a liquid fuel phase into a finished emulsion. A key differentiator between HPE and nitrate-based emulsion is that the manufacture of HPE is a cold production technology in that neither the oxidizer phase (HP) nor the fuel-emulsifier phase requires high temperature heating to prepare raw materials. A successful proof-of-concept HPE evaluation ran from April 2022 to October 2022 at Boliden’s Kankberg underground mine in Sweden. This evaluation demonstrated HPE technology's safety, performance, production, handling, and indicative environmental benefits.

Jan 21, 2025

By S. Klerkx, R Battulwar, J Valencia, J Sattarvand, E Emami, M. Soleymani Shishvan

A new technology for energy distribution optimization, supported by NIOSH.

Feb 1, 2020

By Mark Bosse

This is a paper demonstrating the use of a fixed wire and trolley system to deliver 2 or 5 lb cast primers (with 2 meter cap/fuse assemblies) deep into avalanche terrain. This avalanche terrain is mitigated using explosives prior to being opened to guests.

Feb 1, 2020

By Scott Scovira

All flyrock incidents have the potential to result in injuries or fatalities that can result in loss of company reputation, license to operate with clients, and bear the exposure to high cost liability. From 2007 to 2009, one NA Quarry and Construction Business experienced a series of flyrock incidents. In the Spring of 2009, this business declared that the frequency and severity of Flyrock Incidents had reached an unacceptable level. A Flyrock Elimination Program was launched.

Jan 1, 2012

By Behrouz Ohadi, Kamran Esmaeili, Bibhu Mohanty

In most metalliferrous open pit mines with heterogeneous orebodies, blast-induced rock movement is a crucial outcome that has unfavorable impact on ore and waste segregation in the post-blast muck pile, resulting in either ore loss (the ore is misclassified as waste and sent to the waste rock dump) and/or ore dilution (waste is misclassified as ore and sent to the processing plant). While many studies have been carried out to assess the influence of blast design parameters on blast-induced rock movement, the influence of rock mass characteristics in these studies have been overlooked.

Jan 1, 2018

By Natalie Zeleznik, Brian Hawkins, David Bradley, Rachel Gooding, Patrick Wilson

"An Event Tree Analysis (ETA) is an established approach for logically deconstructing and assessing scenarios for probabilistic risk assessment. This deconstruction into a series of understandable eventsfacilitates probability estimation for explicitly defined explosive terrorism scenarios with consideration of modes of possible failure during execution (a scenario is defined through selection of a target, selection of an explosive material, and interdiction prior to arriving at general target location, etc.). Further, each event is decomposed into a range of possible outcomes. The physical action or reality ofthe outcome is statistically represented by “branches” of the event tree (e.g., the terrorist may choose totarget a stadium, hotel, or subway; terrorists may be successful or unsuccessful in acquiring the material)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Brandon Fryman, Josh Hoffman, Rhys Baker

A post-detonation debris collection project was led in conjunction with a large ammonium nitrate (AN) railcar detonation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security-Transportation Security Administration, Department of Defense-Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, Sandia National Laboratories, and the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Grounds. This important work will aid in underpinning algorithms used in a Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) tool.

Feb 1, 2020

By Scott G. Giltner, Alex Schwenk

Blasting within 250 ft of a crusher was successfully executed through the application of electronic detonators, 3-D imagery, signature hole analysis, custom loading of blast holes. The blast was well contained, the vibrations were minimal, and there was no flyrock.

Feb 1, 2020

By Galetakis M., Deligiorgis B., Xiroudakis G.

Fragmentation prediction is important in surface mining to optimize downstream processes such as loading, hauling, comminution, and beneficiation processes. Traditional approaches, such as the Kuz-Ram model, image-based fragmentation analysis, and numerical simulations, rely heavily on large datasets acquired after blasting. Moreover, due to the inherent limitations in each method there is an underestimation of fine and coarse fragment sizes, when applying these models without prior knowledge regarding the fragmentation distribution. These drawbacks are restricting their use only in post-blast parameter prediction. In response to these inefficiencies, this study presents a deterministic fragmentation prediction methodology based on a single-blasthole model. The model simulates the formation of the damage zones around a blast hole based on the number of cracks within a distance from the centre of the blast-hole and correlates them with an estimated fragment size in each domain. A fragmentation distribution from the literature is employed to validate the proposed approach and the results are compared with those generated using a modified Kuznetsov model. This approach aims to enhance blast design decisions by enabling pre-blast fragmentation prediction. Based on this, blast designs could be estimated depending on the desired fragmentation before blasting, giving the opportunity for a tailored to local rock properties optimization.

Jan 26, 2026

By R. Jacob

Mining has been around for a long time, and new deposits are being discovered continually but are becoming more complex for processing and typically sulfide in nature. Most of the large easy deposits with simplified and cheaper to process oxide material have been mined or the deposits are locked up with legal or social issues and may never be mined. It is common to see the mines today being evaluated to mine have little in oxides and have a sulfide component to the deposit. This creates a problem with explosives being selected for the mine because ANFO could cause a reactive ground issue. When evaluating the cost component of mining for future mines, ANFO is the go-to selected bulk explosive because of the cost and effectiveness. More work needs to be done by projects evaluating costs by properly testing the ground and water conditions to match the correct bulk explosive for the ground conditions of the mine. This will prevent a possible safety hazard and the best result for the mine.

Feb 6, 2023

By Tom Snyder, John Brulia

Part 4 is the final article by the authors on hazardous materials (HM)transportation safety and compliance for U.S. shippers and carriers who offer and transport commercial explosives in commerce on public highways. This article covers hazardous materials (HM) cargo segregation and securement of non-bulk packaged explosives.

Jan 1, 2015

By Leslie C. Taylor, Anthony L. Kee

Computational modeling of explosively loaded saturated sand on a suspended plate is an inherently complex problem. In this study a computational method is used to predict the dynamic pressure load/impulse from a buried charge. A fully coupled code modeling the explosive charge, sand and air with a Eulerian mesh and the plate structure with Lagrange elements, such as Gemini-Dyna, is an appropriate computational tool. In water-saturated sand, the loadings are soil and water-transmitted shock and bubble or blast effects depending on the depth and the charge size. The computations provide the capability to determine the total impulse load placed on a horizontal plate on or above the soil due to an explosion in the saturated sand for different burial depths in saturated sand and different plate stand off distances. The following test case will be presented: (a) 4.5 Kg (10 lbs) TNT, 10.16 cm (4 in) depth of burial to top of charge, and 20.32 cm (8 inch) stand off distance (Test 4).

Jan 1, 2005

By Milos J. Bila

I would like to discuss today several safety topics that we at Nobel feel are going to be particularly critical to all of us who are involved in the manufacturing, transportation, storage and use of commercial explosives during the '90s. My purpose is to identify these topics in order to allow those in the commercial explosives community to better understand the potential difficulties we face.

Jan 1, 1992

By Ajoy Singh

A study was conducted to investigate the damage potential to underground multi-seam openings caused due to vibration generated by open-pit coal mine blasting. The objective was to recommend optimal explosives weight per delay to be detonated in open-pit blasts to ensure the safety and stability of underground openings. Sixteen blasts with varying charge weights and initiation sequences were conducted at Samleshawari open-pit mine and eighty four blast vibration data were recorded in the Hingir Rampur underground colliery in India. Analysis of vibration data showed that roof of the underground openings vibrated with higher amplitude of vibration compared to pillars and floors. The amplifications of vibration in the roof at the junction were upto 4.3 times the pillar vibration. It was observed that coal chips detached from roof when the peak particle velocity reached 131 mm/s or high. The vibration magnitude recorded was higher in upper seams openings than in below seam openings. Rapid attenuation of vibration was recorded in below-seam openings at similar locations. Appropriate particle-charge weight-distance equations were established to calculate the safe explosive weight per delay to be detonated in open-pit mine for safety of multi-seams workings of underground mine. The support for the galleries and junctions were further modified for the working seams to ensure greater safety.erground Coal Mine

Jan 1, 2012

By M. Araos

Non-ideal explosives can be characterised by different methods like velocity of detonation measurement, double pipe tests, underwater tests, aquarium tests, etc., to name a few. Both aquarium and velocity of detonation tests were selected to characterise a non-ideal explosive that is based on hydrogen peroxide, fuel, and void sensitisation. The detonation process in an aquarium of this sensitised explosive was captured at 80,000 frames per second using a high-speed camera. The explosive product was detonated using 51mm (2inches) diameter acrylic pipe charges. The product was detonated at different densities in an aquarium (cube box containing water). An aquarium provides a homogenous confinement for the detonation of explosives and more importantly, allows observing the shock wave as it changes the refraction index of water. The analysis of the video footage allowed the calculation of the velocity of detonation, pressure, gas rate release, and how the shock wave's shape in water changes with densities. It is suggested that the calculation of the rate of gas release could be related to the bubble data obtained from underwater tests.

Jan 1, 2024

By Ruilin Yang

Kinematic approach of blast modeling refers to using the velocity, strain, or displacement as controlling parameters to model blasting, rather than the stress and the material constitutive relations. The rock stiffness or constitutive relations is very hard or impossible to obtain due to the complexity of the rock mass property.

Feb 1, 2020

By TTE-Europe GmbH

A few years ago, the term Track & Trace for explosives was only known in Europe and Brazil at most; the introduction of this technology is experiencing an undreamt-of boom worldwide. More and more countries are enacting legislation to introduce Track & Trace of explosives and follow Europe and Brazil on this path. At present, the world's leading manufacturers are already using such solutions, are in the process of implementing them, or are in the planning process. However, based on the experience gained in Europe, there are outstanding challenges for all manufacturers. These are questions of compliance, logistics, distribution, and, of course, especially, the necessary adaptation of the production environment. However, this development involves considerable effort on the part of the manufacturers. New devices for marking the explosives and digitally recording the data are integrated into the production process. This should be done as cost-effectively as possible, without restricting production capacity and speed, and with as few process changes as possible. This paper uses real-life customer experiences examples to explain paths from project design to real implementation. Lessons learned from the experience of European explosives manufacturers are presented, missteps are described, and solutions are identified. Individual steps along this path are explained, and solutions are told to avoid pitfalls and bottlenecks. Finally, it refers to the risk analysis and concrete examples in implementing the planning into production. Methods of marking various explosives are shown, and the use of Track & Trace to solve logistics tasks in picking and shipping explosives, including the data exchange with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems.

Jan 26, 2026

By M R. Hettigner, J Nawrocki, C E. Johnson, P G. Cahill

This study evaluates the effects of both short inter-hole and intra-hole delay times on rock fragmentation and throw. Full-scale test blasts were analyzed at a granite quarry in Talbotton, GA. This analysis provides a representative understanding of timing effects on fragmentation in the field, different from previous lab scale studies that negate the effect of geology. Inter-hole delay times between 0 ms and 25 ms were tested on a series of 4 bench blasts and subsequently examined using photographic fragmentation analysis methods.

Jan 1, 2017