Surface operations · 3 days
Introduction to Surface Blasting Operations
Explosives, initiation systems, blast layouts and timing, surface mining methods, blast modelling and design, drilling, specialised techniques, environmental and health considerations, and safety and accident prevention.
R8 000per person · minimum charge of 5 people
10% discount for groups of 10 or more
10% discount for groups of 10 or more
Included
- 3-day in-person lecture
- Colour printed course training manual
- A6 Surface Blasting Pocket Book
Not included
- Training venue (training centre, boardroom, etc.), supplied by the company
- Travel and accommodation if the venue is more than 100 km from Edenvale (negotiated)
- Outside South Africa: travel, accommodation and shipping of training materials
Online training on MS Teams or Zoom can be arranged. Shipping of training materials is not included in the online price.
What participants will be able to do
- A basic understanding of the history of commercial explosives.
- A basic understanding of the properties of different commercial explosives.
- Basic knowledge of the different initiating systems, their advantages and disadvantages, and how timing accuracy affects the overall result.
- Basic knowledge of the rock-breaking process for a single hole versus multiple holes; using rules of thumb, understand timing contours and calculate a timing pattern for a blast design.
- A clear understanding of the different surface mining techniques and the machines used with each.
- The ability to design a surface blast using rules of thumb.
- Basic knowledge of drilling blast holes and the factors that influence accuracy.
- The ability to calculate ground vibration and airblast from a blast design, as well as the flyrock risk circle, and explain how to mitigate them to ensure public safety and comply with the OHS Act.
- Basic knowledge of the causes of accidents in mining as they relate to the use of explosives to break rock.
Instructional sequence
1. History and evolution of explosives
- Introduction
- Evolution of explosives
2. Explosives properties
- What is an explosive?
- Properties of explosives
- Rock breaking process
- Ammonium nitrate
- Bulk surface emulsion
- Packaged explosives
3. Basic geology and rock properties
- Basic geology
- Factors that influence the blasting results
- Rock properties
- Rock mass description
- Fragmentation
4. Surface initiation systems (parts 1 and 2)
- Requirements of an initiating system
- Electronic systems
- Pyrotechnic systems: surface shock tube, detonating cord, capped fuse, electric detonators
- Primers
- Detonator accuracy and impact on blast design
- Importance of accuracy: rock breaking process and fragmentation
- Causes of failure of initiating systems
5. Initiation and timing of blasts
- Factors influencing timing
- Blasthole interaction
- Multi-row blasts
- Timing design principles, with examples
- Initiation system selection
- Timing design with Surface Blast Designer software
- Golden rule: consequences of an initiator failure
6. Surface mining methods
- Open pit mining and quarrying
- Opencast (strip) mining
- Equipment
7. Blast design and calculations
- Geometry with rules of thumb
- Blast layouts and calculations
8. Drilling
- Factors in drilling performance
- Blast design
- Drilling accuracy
9. Specialised blasting techniques
- Highwall stability and pre-split design (example)
- Ramp blasting
- Deck charging
- Trenching
- Toe blasting
- Secondary blasting
- Other techniques: Nonex, hot furnace blasting, dimensional stone, demolition, tunnel boring machine (TBM), deepening Cape Town harbour, armour stone
10. Hot holes and reactive ground
- Normal blasting
- Spontaneous combustion (SPONCOM)
- Hot holes
- Reactive ground
11. Environmental and health
- Ground vibrations
- Airblast
- Flyrock
- Blasting fumes
12. Safety
- Causes of accidents
- Electric hazards
- Charging
- Firing
- Inspection
- Misfires
- Storage and transport of explosives
- Destruction of explosives
