Design of blasting in a tunnel in a coastal area near a protected breeding habitat of the Shag (Phalacrocorax Aristotelis)

摘要

In the framework of a project for a harbour expansion, it was necessary to excavate a tunnel under a cape in which on the rocky coasts there was a Shag colony (Phalacrocorax Aristotelis) during some months of the year. The tunnel characteristics (short in length and through very abrasive rock) meant that it was excavated by drilling and blasting, and there was therefore a risk of the blast noise affecting the birds' breeding. For this reason, a study about the air shock wave had to be done in order to ensure that the noise level would be under a reasonable limit. In this paper, the development of a non-complex air wave prediction model, which allowed the determination of the conditions when there was no negative influence, is shown.