Blast Design

• Is the safe and economic way to do blasting

Factors affecting blasting design

• Geological factors (out of blaster’s control)
• Controllable factors
•Borehole dia.
•Burden
•Spacing
•Stemming
•Design of the delay firing system.
 Hole Diameter
Depends on
•The availability of the equipment
•The depth of the cut
•The distance of the nearest structure.

• Max dia. Depends on the hole depth L (ft) = 2D (in)

There are four methods to decrease the explosives amount:
•Use delay firing
•Shorten the depth of the cut
•Decrease the hole dia
•Use decking technique
Burden & spacing determination
Burden is the distance from the blast hole to the nearest
perpendicular free face.

Spacing

Burden

Free face
Burden & spacing determination
Andersen Formula B= (dL)0.5
B : burden, ft d : borehole dia, in
L : borehole Length, ft

Langefors’ Formula V= (db/33) [Ps/cf(E/V)]0.5

V : burden, m db : dia of drill bit, mm

P : degree of packing = 1-1.6 kg/dm3
s : wt strength of explosives (1.3 for gelatin)
c : rock constant, generally 0.45
f : 1 degree of fraction, for straight hole = 1
E/V = ratio of spacing to burden
 Spacing determination
Spacing is the distance between blast holes fired in the same
row
It is necessary to complete burden calculations before
determining the spacing.

S= (BL)0.5

B : burden, ft
L : borehole Length, ft
 Controlled Blasting
To control overbreak and to aid the stability of the
remaining rock formation.
There are 4 methods
• Line drilling (unloaded), Fig.8-2
• Cushion blasting
• Smooth-wall blasting
• Presplitting
Controlled Blasting – Line drilling
• Provides a plane of weakness to which the rock can break.
• Helps to reflect shock waves,
• Reduces the shattering effect of the rock outside the
perimeter.
• Do not exceed 3 in in dia and are spaced one to four
diameters apart (due to cost).
• Are not loaded
• Requires more drilling more than the other controlled
blasting methods.
• Is not very effective in non-homogeneous formations
Controlled Blasting – Line drilling

Free Unloaded
face line drill
holes
 Cushion Blasting
• Requires a single row of holes ( 2 to 3.5 in) in dia.
• Permits a reduction in the No. of holes required by line-drilling
• Unlike line-drilling holes, the cushion holes are loaded with light
charges.
• Holes are fully stemmed between charges, allowing no air gap, and
are fired after the production shot has been excavated.
• The stemming acts as a cushion to protect the finished wall from the
shock waves. The larger the borehole, the greater the cushion.
• Not suitable for underground - tough stemming requirements.
• Drawbacks: (1) requires removal of excavated material before firing
(costly due to production delay – no excavation for entire area at
once). (2) Sometimes the production shot can break back to the
cushion holes, creating redrilling problems and causing loading
changes.
 Smooth--wall Blasting
Smooth
• Similar to cushion blasting
 Pre
Pre--splitting
• Creates a plane of shear in solid rows along the desired
excavation before the production blast.
• All holes are loaded like cushion blasting
• Reduces overbreak
• Reduces the vibration