Blast damage control during underground mining
- Laurentian Univ., Sudbury, Ontario (Canada). School of Engineering
Tracer blasting is commonly used in Canadian underground mines for overbreak control. It involves tracing a column of ANFO with a low strength detonating cord. In order to investigate the effectiveness of tracer blasting in perimeter control and to understand its mechanism, a field experimentation was conducted which involved drifting, benching and pipe tests. Initially, a comparison between tracer blasting and other explosive products was made on the basis of half cast factor and percentage overbreak. It was found that tracer blasting produced relatively much lower damage. The following observations were made during tracer blasting experiments: (a) reduction in ground vibrations; (b) partial deflagration and desensitization of ANFO; (c) reduction in the total available explosive energy; (d) continuous side initiation of ANFO column; (e) lateral VOD of ANFO was much less than the steady state VOD; (f) energy partitioning was more in favor of gas energy. It was observed that tracer blasting has the potential of being very cost effective and safer technique for overbreak control. A mechanism of tracer blasting has also been proposed in this paper.
- OSTI ID:
- 433692
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940144--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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