A new principal formula for the

determination of explosive
strength in combination with the
rock mass strength
Agne Rustan
CENTEK, Luleå SWEDEN
SIPERVOR 10, 3-5 Dec 2009
Lima, PERU
 Content
1. Introduction
2. Literature study
3. The basic mechanism of rock blasting
4. Important parameters for explosive strength
5. The use of computer codes to determine
explosive strength
6. Conclusions
App 1. Suggested method for testing new
explosives by single hole blasting in full scale
Ulf Langefors weight strength
formula

5 Qe 1 Ve
s 
6 Qref 6 Vref
Empirical formulas for calculation of
fragmentation
• Specific charge. Main parameter used by
most researchers.
• Weight of equivalent amount of TNT.
Cunningham 1983
• Weight strength. SveDeFo.
• Heat of explosion. Bergman 1974
• Detonation velocity of the explosvie.
Bergman 1974
 Explosive and rock parameters
used in empirical formulas for
calculation of fragmentation, cont.

• P-wave velocity in the rock mass.

Bergman 1974 plus many more authors
later on, see Rustan 1998.
• Decoupling ratio. Bergman 1974.
 Energy transmission from
explosive to the rock mass

ecd
ZR 
 r cP
 Detonation pressure

1
pd  ecd 10
2 6

2
Borehole pressure

1
pb  ecd 10
2 6

8
 Table 1. Comparison of properties
between Dynamex A and ANFO.
Brännfors 1973

Explosive Heat of Gas volume at

explosion STP (l/kg)
(kJ/kg)
Dynamex A 5125 655

ANFO 3895 975

Table 2. Comparison of the properties
of Reolit A6, a trotyl slurry, used in the
Boliden open pit Aitik mine with Titan
emulsion explosive. Granlund 2004.

Explosive Heat of ex- Gas volume Density

plosion at STP
(MJ/kg) (l/kg) (kg/m3)
Reolit A6 4,520 638 1450
Slurry
Titan 3,2 908 1250
emulsion
 Basic mechanism in rock blasting
• Explosive properties
• Energy transmission from the detonated
products acting on the rock mass
• The rock mass reaction on the shock wave
in the near field zone and the outgoing
pressure wave in the surrounding rock
massive.
 Result parmeters in rock blasting

• Fragmentation and its dependency of burden

• Ground vibrations and its dependency of burden
• Air pressure wave an its dependency of burden
• Throw and movement of gravity point
• Blast gases and its dependency of blasthole
diameter, stemming, water content in the rock
mass and confinement.
 Result parmeters in rock blasting,
cont.
• Backbreak and its dependency of burden
• Angle of breakage and its dependency of
burden
• Breakage at the bottom of the bench and
its dependency of burden.
• Critcal burden
 Single hole blasting tests in
full scale (SHB-FS)
• Storugns limestone on Gotland, Sweden.
1988
• Divrigi hematite, Turkey. 1991.
• Tamtas limestone, Turkey, 1993.
 Single hole blasting tests in lab
scale (SHB-LS)

• Leinz and Thum 1970

• Rustan, Naartijärvi och Vutukuri 1983

E  1 
cP   (1   )(1  2 ) 
r  
Empirical formulas from single
hole blasting in lab scale. (SHB-
LS). Rustan and Nie 1987.

6
Bc  68,5  1,69 10 I
Empirical formulas from single
hole blasting in lab scale. (SHB-
LS). Rustan and Nie 1987. Cont.

9
3310 I
n  0,54e
 Empirical formulas from single
hole blasting in lab scale. (SHB-
LS). Rustan and Nie 1987. Cont.

3
5,18 10  I 0 , 588
k50  2 ,14
q
Empirical formulas from single
hole blasting in lab scale. (SHB-
LS). Rustan and Nie 1987. Cont.

  131  6,98 10 cP 

3

4
(0,580  3 10  cP ) B
Figure 1. Left diagram: The amount of energy in % (range 20-70 %)
transferred from the explosive to rock versus the acoustic impedance
ratio for explosive/rock (range 0-6). Right diagram: The amount of
energy in % (range 20-70 %) transferred from the explosive to rock
versus the dynamic E-modulus (range 0-1200x103 kp/cm2) . The two
diagrams are based on cylindrical test samples and with a linear
charge placed in the centre of the cylinder. Leinz and Thum 1970.
 Analysis of the variation of
important parameters for explosive
strength regarding the interaction of
explosive on the rock mass
• Velocity of detonation (1000-8000 m/s)
• Gas volume (420-975 l/kg)
• Heat of explosion (2650-5125)
• Density of explosive (900-1500 kg/m3)
 Analysis of the variation of
important parameters for rock
mass regarding the interaction
of explosive and rock mass
• Acoustic impedance (1,12x106-21,6x106)
• Rock mass density (800-4900 kg/m3)
• P-wave velocity (1000-5000 m/s)
Principal formula for the explosive
interaction with the rock mass

   
Q Vg  c
e e d
seff   
 cr p
 Conclusions
• It is not possible to classify explosives only by
lab- and halfscale tests
• The ranking of explosives depends on what
result parameter is studied
• A new prinicipal 6 parameter formula has been
proposed for the calculation of effective weight
strength
• It exists a relation between heat of explosion
and explosive density and this may make it
possible to reduce the 6 parameter formula to a
5 parameter formula.
 Conclusions cont.
• Accurate and simple methods to measure
borehole pressure during long time in full scale
must be developed
• More single hole blasting tests in different rock
types and using different explosives should be
undertaken in full scale
• The new effective weight strength formula will be
a powerful and pedagogic tool to learn students
what are the most important parameters for
calculation of effective weight strength in full
scale.