Multivariate evaluation of blast damage from emulsion explosives in tunnels excavated in crystalline rock

摘要

Blast damage in tunnels is usually regulated in Swedish infrastructure contracts as it can influence the quality and lifecycle cost for tunneling projects. The topic is important for underground constructions with a long operation period such as tunnels for public transport, permanent access tunnels in mines or underground repositories for nuclear waste. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of design and geology variables on the resulting blast fracture length and frequency by means of multivariate data analysis. The analysis was based on data from five field investigations carried out at tunnel sites in Sweden and Finland where emulsion explosives were used. Data was compiled and analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Charge concentration was found to be the most influential design variable and hole spacing had limited influence on blast fracturing. Results from the PCA suggest that blast fractures length could be dependent also on geology and natural fractures. Three main groups of fracture patterns were identified, one group with relatively few and short blast fractures, a group with several longer blast fractures and a group with few or a single long blast fracture. The result shows differences in fracture length between the column and bottom charge part of the contour holes, with blast fracture lengths up to approx. 40 cm for the column charge and up to approx. 60 cm for the bottom charge.