ICI researches to take bulk explosives underground

摘要

It has taken three years of work, but the new national mining ser-vices technology centre of ICI Explosives, employing 120 people, was finally officially opened earlier this month. The complex has been built in stages on a 350ba site, starting with the technical facilities. Next followed the explosives truck manufacturing facility, them engineering and quality, safety and operations personnel. The buildings also house the ICI world group of blast modellers. These are using Australian world leading expertise in bulk explosives applications to develop a mechanistic approach to blast modelling (see panel page 78). With the complex essentially complete, and all functions transferred from the former research centre at Deer Park in Melbourne, all that remains to bring it to full completion is a thermal testing laboratory.