BLASTING STANDARDS The Experience

in Developing Countries
by

Prof. Newton Amegbey

UNIVERSITY OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY, TARKWA

UMaT

Layout of Presentation

Introduction
Scope of Study
Modus Operandi and Data Analysis
Brief theoretical background to Blast Vibration and
Airblast control
Blast Vibration and Airblast Levels

Data from Mines

Guidance levels
Buildings at Mine site and Crack Monitoring
Summary of Data

Safe Blast Design

Recommendations
2

Introduction
Most developing countries have not
established blasting standards for the local
conditions.
The practice for some years in Ghana for
example is that mining companies adopted
blasting standards used in their countries of
origin
The question is how successful have these
adopted standards been?
3

Introduction cont.
Ghanaian experience has it that though
standards are met, inhabitants of
neighbouring communities complain of
cracked structures from blasting
activities
Regulatory authorities commissioned a
team to look into this matter and this
presentation is an excerpt from the
study
4

Acknowledgements

EU Funding Minerals Commission

Chamber of Mines
University of Mines and
Technology, Tarkwa
MAXAM company

Scope of the Assignment -TOR

To categorize the different kinds of
buildings and other structures in Ghana
with particular reference to mining areas;
To determine the acceptable threshold
levels of air blast and seismic vibrations;
and
To make appropriate recommendations for
best practice blasting operations in the
mining industry.
6

Modus Operandi
Desk study
Collected existing blast monitoring data, as well
as the operating standards used at various mine
sites
Blast monitoring data collected included:

PPV levels and Air Blast levels (3 to 6yrs)

Distances from blasts to monitoring positions
Corporating charges or charge per delay
Meteorological conditions at the time of blast

Cracks in selected buildings were monitored

together with PPV levels
7

Data Analysis
Determine ranges, means and standard
deviations of PPV and airblast data;
Prevailing
international
standards
were
subjected to various correction factors in order
to localise them;
Determine rock transmission factors (RTF) for
various mining areas; and
Measured PPV and crack monitoring data were
used to establish levels at which no extension of
cracks beyond acceptable limits is expected for
common buildings at mine sites.
8

Brief theoretical background

Blast Vibration Levels

Blast vibration waves travel through non
homogeneous media
Empirical relationships are therefore
preferred
Empirical relationships used are based on
the fact that vibration level:
V W (Amount of explosives)
V 1/D (Distance from target structure), thus
V = k Wa /Db is a general equation, where k, a and b are
constants, and V is the peak particle velocity (PPV)
10

BLAST VIBRATION EQUATIONS

US Bureau of Mines (USBM):

V=k(D/W )b
Ambraseys-Hendron (AMHEN): V=k(D/W1/3)-b
Gustaffsson:
V=k(W/D1.5)
Langefors & Kihlstrom (LANKH): V=k(W/D3/2)b
Indian Standard (IS):
V=k(W/D2/3)b
Ghosh-Daemen Modified USBM (GHDN1):
V=k(D/W)be-D
Modified AMHEN (GHDN2):
V= k(D/W1/3)-be-D

General equ. (GEN):

V=kDa/Wb
11

Blast vibration equation suitable for

Ghana?

US Bureau of Mines:

b
V=k(D/W )
Gustaffsson:
V=k(W/D1.5)
Ambraseys-Hendron:
V=k(D/W)1/3
12

AIRBLAST

Airblast and noise levels are

controlled when PPV levels are
within acceptable limits
Overcast conditions can increase
airblast and noise levels, hence
should be avoided

13

Vibration and Airblast levels

14

PPV and Air Blast Data Collected

Peak Particle Velocity
(PPV) (mm/s)

Air Blast Level

(dBL)

No. of Samples

8494

8560

Maximum

25.08

145.1

Minimum

0.002

12

Mean

0.76

104.93

Standard Deviation

1.06

11.70

Mean +Standard Deviation

1.82

116.63

Parameter

15

Threshold PPV Levels for various

Countries
New Zealand - 5mm/s
Australia EPA - 5mm/s on 95% of occasion,
not exceeding 10mm/s
ANZEC - 5mm/s on 95% of occasion
Hong Kong - 25mm/s for residential property
Germany 25mm/s
Swedish up to 100mm/s

16

Threshold PPV Levels by various Authorities

Authority

Threshold Level

U. S. Bureau of Mines (1971):

50 (12) mm/s
Edwards and Northward (1959):
50 mm/s
CANNOT, Banner and Calder (1977):
50 mm/s
Dvorak:
10 - 30 mm/s
Swedish Standard SS 460 49 66 (1991):
70 mm/s (Granite, Gneiss, quartzite, etc.)
35 mm/s (Firm morain, shale stone, etc)
18 mm/s (Loose sand, gravels, clay, etc.)
Germany DIN 4150 (1975):
30 mm/s (Stable buildings)
8 mm/s (Residential Buildings)
4 mm/s (Historical monuments)
Rule of thump:
25 mm/s (1inch/sec)
17

PPV and Air Blast Thresholds adopted by

various Ghanaian Mines

Peak Particle Velocity (PPV):

Minimum: 1.5 mm/s
Maximum: 6 mm/s

Air Blast:
Minimum: 115 dB(L)
Maximum: 126 dB(L)
18

GUIDANCE LEVEL

19

Guidance Levels

(1989, modified in 1991)

Guidance level concept is used for establishing

permitted vibration levels or threshold values
for various types of blasting operations
Guidance levels are based on well-documented
correlation between PPV and induced damage
to buildings founded on various types of
geological formations
Guidance level (V) is given by:

V=VoFkFdFt

Where, Vo = Uncorrected PPV

Fk = Construction quality factor, and Fk = FbxFm ,
Fb = Building factor, Fm = Construction material factor
Fd = Distance factor, and for distances over 350m, Fd = 0.22 for
rock, 0.35 for morain and 0.50 for clay
Ft = Project time factor, (0.75-1.0) Ft = 1 for projects up to 1yr,
and 0.75 for projects over 5yrs
20

Construction Quality Factor - Fk

Fk=FbxFm

Building Factor Fb

Type of building or construction

Heavy Construction (Bridges, harbours etc.)
Industrial and office buildings
Standard living houses
Sensitive buildings (museums etc.)
Historical buildings in damaged conditions

Fb
1.70
1.20
1.00
0.65
0.50

Construction Material Factor Fm

Type of construction material
Reinforced concrete, steel or wood
Not-reinforced concrete, brick or clinker
Autoclave porous concrete
Mexi-brick (artificial limestone brick)

Fm
1.20
1.00
0.75
0.65

21

PPV levels of some Countries and the

Ghanaian Equivalent
Authority

PPV Standard

Localised PPV

(mm/s)

(mm/s)

USBM

12

Australia

10

1.6

Germany(Res.)

1.3

Hong Kong/RoT

25

Range of localised (Ghanaian) values: 1.3 to 4 mm/s

22

Buildings at Mine site and

Crack Monitoring

23

Building Types in the Ghanaian

Mining Areas

1. Buildings from raw earth

without treatment or additives:
Wattle and daub
Atakpame
Sun dried bricks or blocks

24

Building Types in the Ghanaian Mining

Areas cont.

2. Buildings from earth material

stabilized
by
compression
or
compaction to increase density and
strength:
Compressed brick or block buildings
Landcrete block buildings
Sandcrete block buildings
25

Crack Monitoring
Crack monitoring together with PPV
and air blast monitoring were
undertaken at selected mine sites in
order to determine the actual impact
of blasting on structures
Four mining companies were selected
based on their preparedness to host
the exercise
26

Crack Monitoring

Underlining Concepts
Cracks in buildings result from various
causes
Blasting should be designed such that in the
least, whatever the initiating cause, they
do not extend existing cracks beyond
acceptable limits
Weakest buildings in the community are to
be the target Wattle and daub or
Atakpame structures
27

Crack on a
Wattle and daub
Building

28

Monitoring of
Crack , PPV
and Airblast:
Measure
with
a
precision
electronic
vernier
before and
after each blast, the
distance between two
tiny pegs fixed across
the crack
29

Crack Monitoring Results -Summary

3.5

Zero Crack
Extension: 0.8mm/s

y = -232.0x 2 + 39.26x + 0.816

R = 0.515

PPV (mm/s)

2.5

Max./Failure
PPV: 2.5mm/s

Yield PPV:1.6mm/s

1.5

0.5

0
0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

Crack Extension (mm)

0.12

0.14

0.16

Details
30

Summary of Data
Item

PPV mm/s

Airblast dB(L)

Data from Mines

1.82

117

Adopted Standards in Use

1.5 6

115-126

Guidance Level Standards

1.3 - 4

Zero Crack Extension

0.8

Maximum/Failure PPV

2.5

Yield PPV

1.6

Recommended Ghanaian Standards:

PPV: 2.0mm/s
Airblast: 117dB(L)
31

Proposal for Safe Blast Design

32

Rock Transmission Factors (RTF)

For various mining areas across the
country RTF was determined based
on:
Gustaffson equation (K) and
USBM equation (k and b)

33

Rock Transmission Factors (RTF) for Various

Mine Sites
*K values
Max.

Min.

Mean

**k

**b

4.00

Standard
Deviation
6.01

Newmont

56.56

17.77

1.04

-0.0002

Chirano

36.04

7.96

6.95

19.29

1.57

-0.0174

Ghacem

42.20

42.20

N/A

42.20

N/A

N/A

Golden Stars
ResourcesWassa
Golden Stars
ResourcesBogoso

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

97.82

1.49

7.27

12.42

1.52

-0.00001

Mine

Golden Stars
ResourcesPrestea
GoldfieldsTarkwa

48.86

9.48

9.61

21.46

0.02

1.29

135.69

6.70

15.34

29.79

3.58

-0.00009

Goldfields-Aboso

40.57

7.78

6.62

20.93

1.07

0.0042

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

77.44

1.40

10.08

19.23

1.71

-0.08

Ghana Manganese
Company
AngloGold Ashanti
Iduapriem

*Gustaffssons

**USBM k and b
34

Recommendations
1. The standard for Peak Particle Velocity is
2mm/s and the standard for Airblast is
117dB(L)
2. More data on crack monitoring is required to
validate the proposed standards
3. The standards were based on wattle and daub
structures. Further studies to include
atakpame, sun dried bricks or blocks, then
compressed bricks or blocks, landcrete blocks
and sandcrete blocks is recommended

35

Recommendations - cont
4. Rock transmission factors (RTF) - K
values as well as the k and b values
determined for various mines may be
used to design blasts to meet required
standards
5. More data required to validate the K as
well as the k and b values obtained
6. There was the need to include quarries in
further studies
36

Thanks for your attention

I am out of here
37