Claude Cunningham

ASIEX October 2012

Where are we?

What we think we know
What we arent good at
Getting it right

ASIEX October 2012

Mining and Construction Companies

Blasting Contractors
Explosives Companies
Academics
Consultants
Government
Public
Law firms
Insurance Companies

ASIEX October 2012

Blasting Consultants: a rare breed

Engineers usually in transition
Hard to differentiate levels of competence
Expertise in one area seen as all-encompassing
Lack of standards or recognition
Free advice from Explosives Companies

ASIEX October 2012

 Blasting increasingly serious discipline

Enabling effects
Environmental
Security/Safety

Blast Engineering too big to be part of Mining

Main entry via Explosives Makers (EMs)
EMs truly focussed on volumes, not effects
Low volume blasting can need greatest expertise
Career growth in tech not viable: punish tech choice

Need for proper degree courses

ASIEX October 2012

 Mining Degree: NIL! (survey, rock mech, geology useful)

Masters Degree
USBM research papers
Langefors and Kihlstrom
High Speed Photography, Dynamic strain models

Explosives Company 33 years (AEL)

Archives, Courses, Chemists, Specs, Explosives engineering

Research projects Kuz-Ram, Compa-photo, EDs etc. etc.
International Liaison - ICI group/ modelling, RAS (Dremin)
Conferences ISEE, Fragblast, EFEE, Explo
HSBM Global detonation and rock modelling specialists

Consulting: Hands-on, fully documented, intense

ASIEX October 2012

Pressure

Density

Kuz-Ram Empirical Fragmentation

Radial velocity

BOBCAT Empirical, Energy concentration

Axial velocity

SABReX Empirical mechanistic

MBM - Mechanistic

HSBM
ANFO in 100mm
Weak rock

HSBM - Mechanistic

Reaction

ASIEX October 2012

 Prediction not great, post-analysis ok

Initial thought: mechanistic models the answer
Empirical models tend to do better
Because based on field measurements
More easily calibrated
But minimal physics

Mechanistic: excruciatingly difficult physics

Immense computing
Dearth of useful field data
Too slow for field application

So what is the use of models?

ASIEX October 2012

 Powder Factor is also a model, with no output!

Prediction gives expectation to measure against
And raises awareness of what needs to be measured
Improvement of measuring technology

Forces focus on input parameters

Collection of data

Questions raised on ever-higher planes

Drives research

Common language for training

Calibration process leads to advances
Provides framework for blast design
ASIEX October 2012

 Intuition often wrong

Things that should work dont
Things that shouldnt work do

Optimised Blast Design

Controlled fragmentation

Measured fragmentation
Effect of Detonation Velocity
Where explosive energy goes

ASIEX October 2012

Holy Grail:

All Costs

Optimum Blasting:
Lowest unit cost

Cost/m3
Crushing
Shovel
Hauling
Blasting
Drilling
Fragment size

Production
rate

Safe range

% Oversize

ASIEX October 2012

Kuz Ram Blasting Fragmentation Curves

Same mean size, varying uniformity

0%

100%

12%

0.80
2.00

% Passing

Oversize

X50=20
10%

4%

Fines

Mid Range:
0.6 - 80
Saleable and
Handleable
0%

1%
0.1

1.0

Size, cm
ASIEX October 2012

10.0

100.0

 What fragmentation?
Mean size? (what range?)
Fines? ( = waste, degradation)
20 % fines = 20% loss of resource, disposal
Oversize? ( = Showstopper)
Omits breaking to grade as an issue

ASIEX October 2012

With Editing

ASIEX October 2012

ASIEX October 2012

 Almost impossible to get real production data

Imaging systems cannot handle muckpiles or
fines:
Mass, shape and lighting factors
you cannot measure what you cannot see
you should not extrapolate where there is no check

Ok with even, coarse material.

ASIEX October 2012

So fragmentation isnt that easy to

understand or measure.
What about detonation energy?

ASIEX October 2012

 Universal faith in Pdet = D2/4

General faith that:
Higher VOD = More Energy
And complete confusion as to implications for blasting:
Backbreak, Fragmentation, Throw.
Repeated claims that propellants are more efficient and
cleaner.

ASIEX October 2012

Research at Chernogolovka, Russia.

(Prof A Dremin (RAS), Cranfield, AEL, over 3 years)

Two 30/70 TNT/AN

formulations:
Coarse and fine grain
Same density - 0.88g/cc
Confined in 28 mm steel
pipe within sand buffer.
VoD coarse 1.8 km/s
VoD fine 3.6 km/s
Will high VoD expand more?
Pb = 1.43 GPa vs 0.36 GPa

C
o
a
r
s
e

F
i
n
e

C
o
a
r
s
e

F
i
n
e

(Dozens fired)
ASIEX October 2012

So VOD is easy to measure but isnt that easy

to interpret.
What about explosive energy?

ASIEX October 2012

Usable
%

Seis
%

Heave
%

Frag
%

Loss
%

Q1

65

0.15

40-50

Q2

55

12

0.2

25-35

Spathis

60

27

0.3

25

(Ouchterlony, 2003)
ASIEX October 2012

Cavity expansion and brittle materials

Concrete:
Powder factor ~ 0.5kg/m3 in blasting.
Energy factor = 1.5 MJ/m3 = 0.0015 kJ/cc
For Cavity Expansion, E = 0.3 kj/cc

The implication: 200 times more work to expand the hole

than to fragment the rock...
0.3kj/cc

An explanation of Shock Energy and

indication of high attenuation around
the rock skin...
0.0015kj/cc
ASIEX October 2012

60

Energy %

50
40

Seismic
Kinetic
Frag

30
20
10
0
Ouch 1

Ouch 2

Spathis

Author

ASIEX October 2012

CunnSzend

 Grossly overestimating gas losses through collar.

Movement of face takes tiny portion of energy.
Shock really does the important work

ASIEX October 2012

 Important conflicts in blasting theories and ideas

Blast training and engineering dominated by explosives
companies, usually low level
Excessive secrecy with useful data
Lack of cooperation and synergy
Poor connection with Chemists, Physicists, Maths,
Geotech
Blasting research is expensive

ASIEX October 2012

 Inefficient blasting controlled by blaster focussed on

production, or
Ineffective blasting controlled by manager focussed

on limiting D&B cost

Commercial Blasting Seminars
D&B a dirty and onerous process: need real interest
and reward for trying hard.
But real potential for continuous, significant, positive
impact on operations

ASIEX October 2012

SPONSORS
1. De Beers (South Africa)
2. Debswana Diamond
Mines (Botswana)
3. African Explosives
Limited (South Africa)
4. Dyno Nobel (Asia
Pacific/Europe)
5. Rio Tinto TS (Australia)
6. Codelco IM2 (Chile)
7. Placer Dome TS
(Canada)
8. Sandvik Tamrock
(Finland)
9. Base Metals Division of
Anglo American plc.

RESEARCHERS
Itasca (USA)
JKMRC/UQ
(Australia)
AEL (SA)
Cavendish Labs
Technical Advisors
Martin Braithwaite
Finn Ouchterlony
John Field
Ian Parker

ASIEX October 2012

Pressure

Density

Radial velocity

Axial velocity

HSBM
ANFO in 100mm
Weak rock
Reaction

ASIEX October 2012

100 mm/ Low

Hole diameter

150 mm/ Low

Blue shock
Red sonic locus
Green - contact

200 mm/ Low

100 mm/ Medium

Confinement

100 mm/ Strong

ASIEX October 2012

Centre and Edge

Pressure Profiled
for ANFO in
various diameters
and confinement

100 mm 0.8 g/cc

150 mm 0.8 g/cc

200 mm 0.8 g/cc

100 mm 4 g/cc

100 mm 8 g/cc

ASIEX October 2012

(After Prof J E Field, Cavendish Lab, Cambridge: HSBM work

Radial cracks from
intersecting shear
failure cracks

ASIEX October 2012

Some radial cracks

from wall, allowing
gas entry

PETN

Diluted PETN

 Technology
Knowledge, Method, Systems and Equipment for achieving
desired results

Finance: Costs, Consequences, Value

Charging enough, Paying enough, Reaping enough reward for
sustainability

People: Blasters/ Suppliers/ Customers/ Consultants

Each involved person trained, consulted and recognized

Legitimacy/ Values
Benevolent intent, Transparency, Justice, Courage, Temperance

ASIEX October 2012

 The guy at the face has to handle the results: dislikes

delay and struggle.
Shovel operator, dragline driver, truck supervisor, chief engineer

The plant foreman

Throughput, steel costs, replacements, recoveries, waste.

But often ignored through normal clashes.

ASIEX October 2012

There are no issues that are not people issues

There are no costs that are not people costs
Distrust, secrecy, bureaucracy disable synergy
Sharing is risky but very rewarding
In blasting, we do not share enough!
Progress is therefore very slow and isolated
We need to share more, even if it feels risky
Identify and isolate trolls who only take
And actively resist moves to limit sharing

ASIEX October 2012

 Trying to patent blast timing designs

How can this help progress?

Shuts down the most basic communication and sharing
Policing it would be a nightmare anyway
Who takes the risk with timing designs?
Patent the system, not the timing!

Unlimited Non-Disclosure clauses

Should release data older than 5 years
If owner cant mine the data by then, give it to someone who can
Need external peer-review for real learning

Tech Conferences polluted by Marketing agendas

ASIEX October 2012

 Grow a professional class of

blasting engineers, dont see
it as a transient career.
Ensure proper peer review!
Link all clients of blasting
process together to give
practical feedback
Track whole value chain
created by blasting
Share learning, foster
debate!

ASIEX October 2012

ASIEX October 2012