EFFECT OF BLASTING ON

INFRASTRUCTURE
A Report on ACARP Project C.14057

Alan B Richards
Adrian J Moore

Terrock Pty. Ltd.

Transmission towers & power poles
Electrical substations
Conveyors
Bridges
Mine offices & workshops
Dams
Historical structures
The objectives of ACARP Project C.14057 are to provide:

• A methodology for the assessment of the strength of

infrastructure types, and the establishment of realistic
vibration limits for the prevention of damage, based on
structural integrity and responsible factors of safety.

• A methodology for the establishment of clearance

distances to ensure prevention of damage and safety to
infrastructure from blast vibration and flyrock.

• A report giving a realistic range of strengths for

infrastructure types of concern to the coal mining industry.
 POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF BLASTING

• GROUND VIBRATION

• AIRBLAST

• FLYROCK

Airblast at high levels affects windows and plasterboard only.

Flyrock has impact damage potential and must be controlled.

Ground vibration has the most significant damage

potential.
 From British Standard BS 7385-1:1990 – Damage Classification

DAMAGE DESCRIPTION
CLASSIFICATION
COSMETIC The formation of hairline cracks on drywall surfaces or
the growth of existing cracks in plaster or drywall
surfaces; in addition, the formation of hairline cracks in
the mortar joints of brick/concrete block construction

MINOR The formation of cracks or loosening and falling of

plaster or drywall surfaces, or cracks through
bricks/concrete walls.

MAJOR Damage to structural elements of the building, cracks in

support columns, loosening of joints, splaying of masonry
cracks etc.
TRANSIENT VIBRATION GUIDE VALUES FOR COSMETIC DAMAGE (BS 7385-2)
PEAK COMPONENT PARTICLE VELOCITY
LINE TYPE OF BUILDING IN FREQUENCY RANGE OF
PREDOMINANT PULSE
4 Hz to 15 Hz 15 Hz and above

Reinforced or framed structures. 50 mm/s at 4 Hz and

Industrial and heavy commercial above
1 buildings

Unreinforced or light framed 15 mm/s at 4 Hz 20 mm/s at 15 Hz

structure. Residential or light increasing to 20 mm/s increasing to 50 mm/s
2 commercial type buildings at 15 Hz at 40 Hz and above
1 Values referred to are at the base of the building.
2 For line 2, at frequencies below 4 Hz, a maximum displacement of 0.6 mm/s (zero to peak)
should not be exceeded.
What vibration limits apply to
prevent damage to structures
without plasterboard and
masonry?
RATIONAL ASSESSMENT METHOD
Ground vibration results in surface deformation,
Close to blast…
• permanent ground heave
• block movement on faults and joints

• slips and wedge failures

At increasing distance…
• surface deformation is elastic,
ie, Surface returns to it’s original position.
 Surface deformation can be quantified as Ground Strain
by these approximations…
1. Dowding’s method…

2. Angular distortion…

Strain Measurements usually lie between the two. Dowdings method provides the most
conservative (worst case) approximation
 Ground Strain is transferred to structures…

• Above ground with a response amplification eg. buildings

• On ground as a straight transfer eg. roads

• Below ground with a reduction eg. buried pipes

The strain on structures has been measured to confirm the approximations.

STRUCTURE STRAIN…

= Ground Strain X Amplification

And lies between…

PPV x A (high)
Vp
and…
PPV x A
Vp
Coal Overburden Vp = 2000
For above ground structures, what
response amplifications apply?
The amplification of all above ground structures (except water pipe) can be
conservatively determined from…
The amplification of the above ground water pipe can be determined from…
Structure Strain = Ground Strain x Amplification
 STRENGTH OF MATERIALS
ELASTICITY (Young’s) MODULUS

= STRESS
STRAIN

The working stresses for timber, steel and concrete

are defined in relevant Australian Standards.

WORKING STRAINS = WORKING STRESS

YOUNG’S MODULUS
 WORKING STRAINS FOR TIMBER…

Reference: AS 1720-1975 – Strength of Timber

Timber Young’s Bending Tension Shear Compression

Class Modulus

E F1b Working F 1t Working F 1s Working F1c Working

MPa MPa Strain MPa Strain MPa Strain MPa Strain
με με με με
F8 9100 8.6 945 6.9 758 0.86 94.5 6.6 725

F17 14000 17.0 1214 14.0 1000 1.45 82 13.0 928

F22 16000 22.0 1375 17.0 106.2 1.70 106 16.5 1031

 Australian hardwood timbers are classified at at least F17.

 WORKING STRAINS FOR STEEL…

Reference: AS 1250-1975 – Strength of Steel

Steel Young’s Bending Shear Compression*

Yield Modulus l =0
Strength (Mpa) l = 100 r
r
(Fy)
=0 E Working Working Working Working Working Working Working Working
Stress F1b Strain Stress Strain Stress Strain Stress Strain
(0.66Fy) με F1vm με F1bc με
(0.45Fy)
250 2 x 105 165 1212 112.5 826 150 750 79 395

340 2 x 105 224 1646 153 1124 204 1020 90 450

 * For compression members stiffness ratio becomes important – the practical range for l is 0 - 100
r
 WORKING STRAINS FOR CONCRETE…

Reference: AS 3600 – Strength of Concrete

Concrete Flexural Tension Principal Tension Compression

UCS (Ultimate Young’s Tension Working Fp Working Working

Compression Modulus .6 f 1 c Strain .4 f 1c Strain Strain
Strength) E MPa με Mpa με με
MPa
20 22,610 2.68 118.5 1.8 79.6 885
25 25,279 3.0 118.5 2.0 79.6 989
32 28,599 3.39 118.5 2.3 79.6 1119
40 31,975 3.79 118.5 2.54 79.6 1250
50 35,749 4.24 118.5 2.84 79.6 1398
65 40,760 4.83 118.5 3.24 79.6 1472
 STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Members are sized to accommodate the probablistic
combination of…

DEAD LOADS - Mass of structure supported

LIVE LOADS - Occupational Loads

- Function Loads
- Wind Loads
- Earthquake Loads

…while maintaining minimum deflection and serviceability requirements.

 IMPORTANTLY FOR BLAST VIBRATION, ALL
LOADS DO NOT OCCUR AT THE SAME INSTANCE.

Structures are rarely at the “point of collapse” at blast time.

Some inherent strength is available to absorb dynamic

vibration loads.

This can be increased if live loads are reduced at blast

time, eg…
• no traffic on bridges

• empty or stop conveyors

• no blasting at design wind speeds

or (during earthquakes?)
 For some structures, the strain induced by blasting
can be compared directly to the working strain, eg…

Wooden poles in bending PPV

= 200mm/s…
approximate strain = 200

F17 timber in bending…

allowable strain in bending = 1214
F.O.S. = 6
For some structures, in addition to the working strain
approach, guidance can be gained from serviceability
requirements, eg…

STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS

(2.50 MPa Steel)
@ 200mm/s strain = 200
Working strain in bending is…
1212
F.O.S. = 6
 From serviceability design for walls…

Allowable deflection height / 500

For a 15m high building, deflection = 30mm…

…assuming a 6Hz frequency and 2.0 amplification, the
maximum deflection of 30mm results from a ground
vibration of…

P.P.V. = 30 x 2 .  . f = 593 mm/s

2
 For some structures such as…

• underground workings
• dam walls
• slopes and embankments
• heritage structures

…an observational approach is recommended, ie

monitor ground vibration levels and observe for

signs of movement and failure.
Some structures are not damaged by vibration
itself, but are more likely to be damaged by
permanent ground heave or block movement.

• telecommunications cables

• road pavement

• rail lines

• dam walls, slopes and embankments

 EVIDENCE IN EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
OBSERVATIONS

Earthquakes are similar to blast vibration but

have important differences…

• low frequency (< 5 Hz) which results in…

• high displacements (metres rather than millimetres)

• long duration (tens of seconds compared to seconds)

 CONCLUSIONS
The following ground vibration limits are recommended without
detailed structural analysis:
PPV Limit (mm/s) Observation from (mm/s)
Public roads 100
Railway lines 100*
Concrete bridges 100#
Conveyor structures 100
Power lines Timber poles 100
Concrete poles 100
Steel towers 100
Electrical substations (Buckholz switches 10 – 50 10
Fixed mine plant and buildings 100
Underground workings 100 10**/25
Surface pipelines 100 25
Buried communication cables and pipelines 100 100
Dams 100 50
Heritage structures BS7385 to 50 mm/s 20 x
Mine offices, houses BS7385 to 50 mm/s
* With track monitoring protocols and inspections ** If men are present
# Without traffic loads X
In maintained condition
Higher vibration limits may be justified by more
detailed analysis which includes frequency spectra of
driving and response vibration, consideration of
failure modes PPV measurements on ground and the
structure and structure strain measurements.
 EFFECT OF BLASTING ON
INFRASTRUCTURE
A Report on ACARP Project C.14057

Alan B Richards
Adrian J Moore

Terrock Pty. Ltd.