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By Dave I. McGregor

The Multiple Raise Round Blasting Technique (MRRBT) is a safe, efficient, cost effective method of blasting thee will use existing mine personnel. The MRRBT, developed from the conventional 'drop raise method' style of blasting, can be used for most raise mining applications. Current results using MRRBT indicate no upper limit for the maximum length that a raise can be blasted.

Jan 1, 1994

By Michael D. McGill, John L. Turner, Don Sieger, Doyle Newhouse

Since its introduction by Atlas Powder Company in late 1986 as a means of highwall stabilization in surface coal mines (1), applications of the basic AirDek (2) blasting technique have multiplied rapidly.

Jan 1, 1991

By Roy Rose, Bruce Bowles, Wesley L. Bender

Numerous large diameter water wells are used to dewater the pit at the Sleeper Mine. Occasionally, a well will be located inside the boundaries of a blast. Although one might expect that wells so located would become inoperable due to blast-induced damage, in most instances this has not proven to be the case.

Jan 1, 1991

By GF Brent, Armstrong L. W

It is recognised that presplitting is a special case in blasting which requires the reduction of conventional explosive pressures in order to avoid excessive rock damage. Two routes to achieving this are the use of reduced density explosives or the practice of decoupling the explosive from the blasthole walls. Applications of two such systems in large diameter, deep blastholes are described. Both systems were tested in presplits alongside sections charged with decks of conventional explosives.

Jan 1, 1998

By Brad Johnson

Homestake Mining Corporations' open cut operation at Lead SD. experienced a highwall failure in October of 1993. The failure released a 75' section of rock wall at the 5280' level. It came to rest on the 5200' safety bench. Since work was in progress below the failure, this rock had to be removed for safety.

Jan 1, 1995

By Don Larson, Gordon Coleman

The United States Department of Energy, through its contractor Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has entered into a contract with Alpha-IRECO, Inc. for the emplacement of approximately 2.9 million pounds of a 50% RX-MD emulsion 50% ANFO blend into an underground chamber for initiation to produce the 12 trillion caloric equivalent of 1,000 metric tons of TNT. The detonation will be closely monitored to determine the characteristics of a large chemical explosion for comparison with data collected from previous like-sized nuclear events in the same location. This data will be shared with former Soviet block countries to facilitate enforcement of the various non-proliferation treaties currently being negotiated between the countries.

Jan 1, 1994

By Murray B. Lytle

The Fording River Operations of Fording Coal Ltd. in southeastern British Columbia is producing 45 million long tons of clean metallurgical coal for shipment to the Japanese steel industry on a 15 year contract. The mine employs conventional truck/shovel operations as well as a walking dragline to mine coal in two mining areas. The coal is processed by conventional means to produce 3.0 million long tons per year of medium volatile coking coal.

Jan 1, 1978

By Thomas M. Keevin, Gregory L. Hempen

Accurate assessment of blasting near an object (organism or structure) requires recording of the damage parameter for low-valued scaled distances. Seismograph recordings of particle velocity are a well established, common procedure for land-based blasting. Similarly, pressure recording of the absolute waveform needs to be a more common procedure for sensitive, underwater resources.

Jan 1, 1997

By William C. Pearson

In past years, the usual justification for underground mining of limestone has been the depth of the overburden, perhaps 100 feet thick or more. At our Okolona Quarry in suburban Louisville, Kentucky, the overburden is usually shallow -- it averages 8 to 10 feet in thickness. However, in July 1980, we began development of an underground limestone mine on that property which also includes surface mining operations.

Jan 1, 1983

By Calvin J. Konya

For proper blast design, one must make the assumption that all blastholes release nearly ideal energy. In many types of blasting operations, blastholes release very little useful energy. These blastholes are called malfunctioning blastholes. Recent studies indicate that as many as 30 percent of all blastholes are malfunctioning. These malfunctioning blastholes are not an unusual occurrence.

Jan 1, 1988

By Paul Miller, Rene Laprade

Does a 76 mm Ø hole drilled over 45 m deep remain straight? This is the question asked by the Engineering department at Placer Dome's Dome Mine in Timmins, Ontario before they could lay out the initiation sequence in a long-hole production stope. Everyone realized that the holes would wander over such great depths, but it was important to know where they went.

Jan 1, 1998

By Terry Matts, Henry Heidrich, Cluny Randell, Carl Kottmeier

Until 1990, all production of asbestos ore at Cassiar was by open-pit methods. With the impending exhaustion of open-pit reserves, a decision was made in February 1988 to continue mining underground, using the block-caving technique.

Jan 1, 1992

By Rob Farnfield

The control of vibration from surface mine blasting by the application of detonator (cap) delay techniques has been universally accepted for many years. For almost as long it has been known that, for delay techniques to be effective, a minimum of 8 milliseconds delay must exist between blast holes.

Jan 1, 1999

By Jeff Hermanson

Every construction project has site specific problems that need to be dealt with. These problems may be created by the geology, location, weather, time constraints, etc. Once these problems have been solved their solution often can be transferred to other similar construction sites. The Crazy Horse Memorial project is no exception.

Jan 1, 1996

By Charles W. Trettel

Confined explosives upon detonation produce a chemical reaction generating expanding gases that result in fragmentation of matrix a chemical to mechanical transition. A 100% energy conversion during transition is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. There are numerous variables that affect energy transition. Although fragmentation is the most often used criteria to determine shot efficiency, the escaping energy profile provides additional data as to the efficiency of a blast. Escaping energy can also have deleterious effects in the form of ground motion.

Jan 1, 1975

By George Pittman, Dan McCutchen

When an explosive manufacturer in the USA wants to put a new explosive formula or detonator design in the toughest proving ground in North American, it is Florida. Florida conditions have baffled many creditable blasting experts. This paper deals with some of the methods used to overcome these problems.

Jan 1, 1995

A case history is presented where a variance was permitted by the court to change a 500 foot limit to 250 feet for blasting overburden at a surface coal mine in the proximity of a historic structure.

Jan 1, 1991

By Brent Blanchard

An emergency demolition project related to a bizarre plane crash has reportedly set a new world record for the tallest structure ever explosively demolished. On Sunday, April 22, 2001, 38-year old Gilbert Paquette was killed when his singleengine Cessna 150 struck a 1,217-foot tall communications transmission tower while flying in heavy fog over a remote region of upper Quebec Province.

Jan 1, 2002

By Yoshihiro Moriyama, Toshihiro Okitsu, Ryouichi Banno

The fracturing composition using the gas pressure generated by the thermit decomposition reaction gives the following performances.

Jan 1, 1995

By A Gene Riggs

The Cerrejon Coal Project in Colombia, South America is one of the largest coal mines in the world. The mine is located in northeastern Colombia on the La Guajira penninsula. The area is in a remote valley 132 miles east of the city of Barranquilla.

Jan 1, 1984