Florida Mining Blast Vibration Study Part 1: Do RI8507 Vibration Limits Apply in Florida?

摘要

Florida is one of the major limestone producing states in the United States. The state has unique regional geology and groundwater characteristics that require equally unique mining methods to extract limestone for construction materials. In many regions, aggregates quarries operate by drilling and blasting underwater limestone and then digging the muck with large draglines, while in others, mining operations are able to operate above the water table.The mining operations in the state are faced with opposition from neighboring communities. The quarries can produce blast vibrations with distinct low frequency, long duration vibrations that can be felt at large distances from the blasts by residents of neighboring communities.The Florida legislature allocated funding for the Florida State Fire Marshal to review the applicability of the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) Report of Investigations (RI) 8507 blast vibration limits with respect to Florida and its soils. The study also discusses whether the current blasting vibration limits set by statute are still appropriate, including a review of measured vibration amplitudes and frequencies, structure responses, and theoretical analyses of material strength and strains. This document, part 1 of 4, provides a summary of the USBM’s research used to develop the vibration limits defined in RI 8507 and whether those limits apply to Florida.