ROCK ENGINEERING SYSTEMS AND ROCK BLASTING
John Hadjigeorgiou,
Numerous rock blasting design methodologies have been developed over the years, relating either to the primary objectives of blasting, such as the size distribution of the blasted material, for example, or to its undesirable side effects, such as damage to the remaining rock mass, for example. All these existing methodologies do work to various extents and are useful, but are affected by more-or-less serious shortcomings. The question remains whether further improvements can be achieved in the field of practical rock blasting engineering. One alternate approach that seems to hold promise is the relatively new matrix-based rock engineering systems methodology. Various authors have demonstrated theoretically that this technique could be efficiently adapted to blasting ƒ{ the question however lingers on the practical usefulness of the approach. This paper provides a brief overview of where practical rock blasting design techniques currently stand, highlighting some of the principal shortcomings associated with them. The basic concepts governing rock engineering systems are then presented, followed by a discussion on their pertinence to blasting.
Keywords:
Rock blasting, Blastability, Rock Engineering Systems
