Blasting in congested areas

摘要

Blasting is often required in urbanized areas to allow for reconomical execution of construction, demolition, and mining. Several examples of operations that require blasting in built up areas include: rock blasting for foundation and utility excavations; surface and underground mining for mineral extraction; and explosives demolition. although explosives demolition is an engineering discipline, not at all like rock blasting, it still uses explosives for the felling of structures that have outlived their usefulness. Through the use of modern technology and implementation of extra safety precautions, exposives are used safely in congested areas to make the performance of critical work economical and feasible. This paper discusses several precautions required when undertaking various types of rock blasting and explosives demolition in congested areas. It also presents the adverse effects that must be considered when blasting in congested areas. The effects identified include flyrock, vibration and airblast, fumes, and non-elastic (permanent) ground deformations/overbreak. Measures for mitigation and controlling these adverse effects to provide on-site and public safety are presented.