BLASTING

INTRODUCTION

While TBMs are involved in many tunneling projects, blasting used for the majority of underground
rock excavation. The planned excavation methods should be specified or approved by the design
team. There are various ways avaible for tunnel and subterranean cavern excavation in today’s
world. When deciding on a method, the following aspects should be taken into account:
I. Tunnel Dimensions
II. Tunnel Geometry
III. Length of the tunnel, total volume excavated
IV. Geological and rock mechanical conditions
V. Ground water level and expected water inflow
VI. Vibrations restrictions
VII. Allowed ground settlements

Drill and Blast and Mechanical Exacavation are the types of excavation. Mechanical methods can
be classified as partial face for eg, roadheaders, hammers, excavators or full face for eg, TBM, pipe
jacking, micro tunneling.

Explosives

The development of explosives has shifted toward safer products with improved fume properties.
Modern explosives, such as Emulite and Dynamex M, have a good oxygen balance and emit little
toxic gases. The following are the technical characteristics of explosives used in surface rock
excavations:
I. Efficiency and consistency
II. Detonation is simple, and the explosive qualities are excellent.
III. Handling with care
IV. Features of a good film
V. Non-toxic
VI. Water resistance and long-term storage
VII. Environmental characteristics
VIII. Freezing resistance
IX. Oxygen equilibrium
X. Time on the shelf
Explosives come in a variety of shapes and sizes for eg,
I. Dynamite and gelatins
II. Aniiti
III. Original ANFO
IV. Reduced ANFO
V. Heavy ANFO
VI. Slurries
VII. Emulsion Explosives
BENCH AND TUNNEL BLASTING:

Tunnel blasting differs from bench blasting in that tunnel blasting is directed at a single free surface,
whereas bench blasting is directed at two or more free surfaces. This limits round length as well as
the amount of rock that may be blasted at once.
In the case of tunnelling, the rock becomes more confined, and a second free face must be formed
toward which the rock can shatter and be hurled away from the surface. A cut in the tunnel face
creates the second face, which can be a parallel hole cut, a V-cut, a fan-cut, or other methods of
opening up the tunnel face. The stopping towards the cut will begin after the cut opening has been
made.

DRILLING AND BLASTING CYCLE:

The following are the steps involved in a typical blasting excavation cycle:
I. Drilling blast tubes and putting explosives in them.
II. Detonating the blast, then venting the place to remove the blast vapors.
III. The blasted rock must be removed (mucking).
IV. Scaling the top and walls to remove loose rocks.
V. Ground support is being installed for the first time.
VI. Rail, ventilation, and utility advancements are all on the rise.

DRILLING PATTERN:

The drilling pattern guarantees that the explosive is distributed evenly throughout the rock and that
the intended blasting result is achieved. When constructing the drilling pattern, several elements
must be considered, including rock drillability and blastability, the type of explosives used, blast
vibration constraints, and the blasted wall's accuracy requirements, among others.
In tunnelling and drifting, drilling pattern design is based on the following factors:
I. Dimensions of tunnel
II. Geometry of the tunnel
III. Size of the hole
IV. Quality standards for the final product
V. Conditions of geology and rock mechanics
VI. Explosive supply and detonation methods
VII. Water leaks are expected.
VIII. Vibration limitations
IX. Drilling apparatus
CHARGING OF BLAST HOLES IN TUNNEL:

The blastholes can be charged quickly either manually or mechanically using plastic pipe charges or
pneumatic charging equipment.
I. Charging with Tamping Rod:
Tampig Rods are used to tamp the explosives in the small to medium holes. The tamping
rods should be made of wood or plastic material, and the diameter of the tamping rod should
be less than 10mm in diameter.
II. Charging with Pneumatic Machines:
There are basically two types of Pneumatic machines which are semi automatic charging
machines for explosive cartridge and Pressure-ejector vessels for ANFO.
III. Charging with Pump Trucks:
A pumping vehicle An on-site facility can produce an explosive or blasting agent, such as
emulsion, which can then be injected directly into the pump truck.

TUNNEL EXCAVATION METHOD:

Full-face excavation is used to advance most tunnels. In one round, the entire tunnel face is drilled
and blasted. Blastholes are generally drilled to a depth slightly less than the opening's dimension,
and the blast "pulls" a round that is somewhat shorter (approximately 90% with good blasting
practise) than the blastholes' length. Typical rounds can pull a depth of 2 to 4 m (7-13 ft) deep.
The heading-and-bench method is the most typical form of partial-face blasting, in which the top
half of the tunnel is blasted first, at full width, followed by blasting of the remaining bench.
Horizontal or vertical holes, similar to quarry blasting, can be used to excavate the bench. There are
also more partial-face blasting variations, such as a central crown drift, two crown side drifts, and
then the bench in one, two, or three phases.

TUNNELING ACCURACY:

Accurate tunnelling, drilling, and charging are all interrelated. To achieve an accurate tunnel profile,
the following subjects must be planned ahead of time:
I. Geological and rock mechanical characteristics that are known
II. For the specified excavation, planned drilling pattern/patterns, suitable hole size and hole
length
III. Procedure for smooth blasting (contour blasting).
IV. Set-up of the rig should be correct.
V. Correct hole alignment and look-out angle, paying particular attention to the walls, ceiling,
and floor.
VI. Cut placement; sloped and curved tunnels are particularly susceptible to under and
overbreak in the walls and roof, as well as "bumps" in the tunnel floor.
VII. Charge accuracy, proper detonators, and drilling pattern
VIII. Follow-up operations that are ongoing.
CONTROLLED BLASTING:

The optimal blast causes the least amount of damage to the remaining rock and the least amount of
overbreak. Controlled blasting is used to accomplish this. Smooth blasting can greatly reduce the
quantity of shotcreting and concrete casting required, especially in poor rock conditions. Smooth
blasting reduces the number of holes required for the drilling pattern by around 10% to 15%.
Rocks that are hard but abrasive are very easy to blast, but rocks like certain limestone, despite
being quite soft, have poor blastability.
Controlling rock damage and overbreak is beneficial for a variety of reasons:
I. Less rock damage equals more stability and less need for ground support.
II. While less scaling is necessary, tunnelling operations will be safer.
III. An unlined tunnel with less overbreak has a smoother hydraulic surface.
IV. Less overbreak requires less concrete to fill the extra voids in a lined tunnel.

DAMAGE CONTROL:

The introduction of pre-splitting or smooth blasting procedures is a frequent misperception that is

required to control blasting damage. These blasting procedures, which entail the explosion of a row
of closely spaced, lightly charged holes at the same time, are intended to create a clean separation
surface between the rock to be blasted and the rock that will remain. These blasts, when done
appropriately, can yield very clean faces with minimal overbreak and disturbance. Controlling
blasting damage, on the other hand, begins long before the use of pre-splitting or smooth blasting. A
badly planned explosion, as previously stated, might cause cracks several metres after the last row
of blastholes. Clearly, if such damage to the rock has already occurred, it is far too late to try to
correct the issue by smooth blasting the final few metres of excavation. Smooth blasting, on the
other hand, can be very useful in trimming the final excavation face if the entire blast has been
properly prepared and conducted.