A Mathematical Model to Choose Burden during Bench Blasting based on Rock Strength - a Case Study

摘要

In surface mines, such as an open pit, opencast or quarrying, blast design is one of the mast important tasks as the production cycle begins with the blasting operation. Its results affect the subsequent operations. A successful blast design provides a sufficient quantity of suitably fragmented and properly placed muck at the lowest practical cost. One of the significant variables in surface mines' blast design is the 'burden'. This paper outlines a mathematical model to determine the burden for a range of blast-hole diameters based on rock strength for the mines using ANFO as the main explosive charge. The model has been tested at the limestone mines in the Sultanate of Oman and it has given very positive results. Thus, besides its application for the newly coming up mines, the model can be used to check the prevalent burden at the working mines of any deposit.