CASE STUDY 3

Blasting engineering

4 DE OCTUBRE DE 2016

EMILIO M. LVAREZ RODRGUEZ

CASE STUDY 3
A tunnel is advanced by drilling and blasting (top-heading and benching). The advanced
round is 3 m per blast and the drilling length is Lb=3.5 m. The rockmass is a fractured
quarzitic rockmass (compressive strength of the intact rock 150 MPa). During top heading
phase, the cross section is about 60 m2 with a contour corresponding to crown and sides
of about 18 m in length. The drilling diameter is D=51 mm. Prove that the following
typical design of a contour (trim) blast is good: 31 contour blastholes with detonating cord
along the blasthole, 1 cartridge of dynamite at the bottom, and 4 pieces of 1/3 cartridge
spaced along the blasthole.
The characteristics of the explosive are the following:
Detonating cord: Dc= 5.7mm, Qc= 20 g/m, VD= 7500 m/s
Dynamite: Dc= mm, Ic= 0.2 m, Qc= 152 g, =1.45 g/cm3, VD=6000 m/s

First of all, what we have to do is calculate the density of the detonating cord. As we know
it has a cylindrical shape, so the formulae that we have to use in order to calculate its
volume is:
5.7
(1000)2
2
=
=
1 = 2.55 105 3
4
4
So, its density:
=

20

=
= 783773.2 3 = 0.783 3
5
3

2.55 10

Now we can obtain the Internal Pressure PB (MPa) for the detonating cord and the
dynamite:
Detonating cord
= 1.25 104 2 = 1.25 104 0.78 75002 = 5484.375
Dynamite
= 1.25 104 2 = 1.25 104 1.45 60002 = 6525
Next step is calculating the internal pressure for the decoupled charge PBd (MPa) and like
in the prior case, we have to calculate it for detonating cord and for dynamite:
Detonating cord
2.4
= [ ]

In the case of the detonating cord, the length of the blasthole is the same than the
detonating cord length so C=1.

5.7 2.4
= 5484 [1
] = 28.51
51
Dynamite
In the case of the dynamite, the length of the blasthole is not the same than the dynamite
length so we have to calculate the C value prior to use the formula.
To calculate C, what we have to do is dividing the length of explosive that we have by the
total length of the blasthole:
1
0.2 + 4 (3) 0.2
=
=
= 0.133

3.5

26 2.4
= 6525 [0.133 ] = 115.42
51

The total internal pressure for the decoupled charge will be both values added:
= 28.51 + 115.42 144
In order to calculate if we satisfy the main condition to create a fracture plane, we have to
use the following formula:

( + )

But before using it we have to know the value of the tensile strength. A good approach is:
=

150
=
= 15
10
10

( + ) 51 (144 + 15)
=
541 0.54

15

As its said in the heading of the problem, we are designing a trim blasting so we can
calculate the spacing using the following table:
Type of rock
Very strong
Strong
Medium Strength
Weak

()
>180
120-180
70-120
<70

S/D
13
14
15
16

Our rockmass has a compressive strength of 150 MPa so:

= 14; = 14 = 14 51 = 715 = 0.715

Once we got the maximum spacing, we can prove if the number of blastholes is correct.
We just have to divide the length of the contour by the spacing we have calculated.
=

18
33
0.54

So, as we see in the result, the blast has been well designed
To calculate the linear charge we can use the following approach:
= 9 105 2 = 9 105 512 = 0.234 /
Finishing, the only thing we have left is the real linear charge that we are going to calculate
it just adding the explosive weight:
=

1
152 + 4 (3) 152 + 20 3.5
3.5

= 121 = 0.121

The real spacing will be:

=

18
= 0.58
31

So, as we can see we have two pair of values, the real ones and the theoretical ones:
Spacing
Linear charge

Real Values
0.58 m
0.121 kg/m

Theoretical Values
0.54 m
0.234 kg/m