Optimal Drill and Blast Techniques for Underground Mining

SECTION

3
HISTORY

3.1 HISTORY OF DRILLING

As the main requirement in mining is to break rock, the general developments in regard
to mining machinery took place with this in mind. Explosives had been known for many
years, but the method of drilling holes for the placement of these explosives proved to be
far too slow to allow for progress. A faster and less backbreaking method had to be
found, and to this end developments took place in several parts of the world. The result
was that by about 1870 the world was seeing the first mechanical drills operating with
compressed air.

Compressed air was used because of the general safety that can be achieved by its use,
and also from the ease of reticulation underground. Some experimental work had been
carried out using steam, but this did not prove to be a satisfactory method of producing
power. These early drills produced large amounts of fine dust and it was not until much
later that it became possible to use water to settle it, and even then, it was not until the
development of hollow drill steel that some of these problems were overcome.

Having discovered the mechanical drill, the next major product to assist the industry was
the development of Tungsten Carbide as a cutting medium, and its general use in drill
bits. Until this occurred, it was not possible to drill very large diameter holes, because of
the necessity to “follow” with drills and bits of reducing diameter.

Tungsten Carbide allowed the use of larger diameter bits, but more importantly, it
allowed for the one bit to be able to drill a complete hole. It was this development that
essentially gave the solution to modern mining practices, and led to the large variety in
stoping methods, utilising long hole drilling techniques, as well as allowing for the
development and use of “in the hole” drilling.

The third major development was brought about by the limitations imposed by the use of
compressed air. This was the development of the use of Hydraulic Fluid as the power
medium thus allowing the use of higher pressures. In turn this led to a complete rethink
in terms of mining machinery.

Hydraulic Mining Machinery

The natural progression from pneumatic machinery was towards hydraulic machinery on
account of the higher pressures that could be utilised with hydraulics. It can further be
said that the general development of hydraulic componentry was very much in advance
of the general improvements that had occurred in pneumatic machinery.

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With hydraulics it was possible to utilise higher pressures, and continue to achieve high
performances with machinery of the same physical size.

Again the natural progression came about because of the general development of the
hydraulic system and this development took place simultaneously in both Europe and the
United States, in the early 1960’s. The first hydraulic jumbos went into service in 1970
and since that time have been improved to a great degree of sophistication, with all
manufacturers of rock drilling machinery contributing. There are many advantages to be
obtained from hydraulic drills. These include a marked reduction in power consumption,
the elimination of compressed air piping and reticulation systems underground, a lower
general noise level, better visibility due to the absence of fog caused by the moist
compressed air being exhausted into the underground environment and the greater
degree of adaptability of hydraulic equipment to the conditions of the material being
drilled.

General development of hydraulics also led to the general development of the self-
contained drilling rig, which only needed to be connected to an electric power source. It
important in the development of all mines to ensure that adequate supplies of electric
power are available and in the case of the use of pneumatic equipment underground, it is
necessary to reticulate a dual system underground. It is generally easier to reticulate
electric power than it is to reticulate compressed air.

3.2 HISTORY OF EXPLOSIVES

Explosives have been a major source of energy for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
This energy was used as early as the 17th century in Europe for mining purposes, since
then the development has been towards stronger and safer explosives and initiating
systems.

Detailed below is brief history of developments within the explosives industry.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES

1242 Friar Roger Bacon wrote the formula for black powder

1627 First documentary proof of black powder’s use in mines by

Kasper Weindl at Royal Mines of Schemnitz at
Ober-biberstollen, Hungary.
1659 J.R. Glauber first prepared and described ammonium nitrate

1846 Ascanio Sobrero discovered nitroglycerin.

1866 Alfred Nobel mixed nitroglycerin with kieselguhr to make

dynamite.
1867 Johan Norrbin and Johan V. Ohlsson patented use of ammonium
nitrate with various sensitisers and nitroglycerin
1875 Alfred Nobel discovered “blasting gelatin” by dissolving
nitrocellulose in nitroglycerin and introduced “gelatin

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nitroglycerin and introduced “gelatin dynamite”.

1950’s Ammonium Nitrate, combined with various combustibles, began

to replace large quantities of nitroglycerin dynamite.
1957 Water gel explosives invented by Melvin Cook.

1964 Emulsion explosives were invented

1980’s Emulsion explosives introduced to replace most NG-explosives

The chronology of explosives.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF INITIATING DEVICES

1745 Doctor Watson of the Royal Society of England exploded black

powder with an electric spark.
1830 Moses Shaw patented the electric firing of black powder
(gunpowder) by an electric spark through fulminating silver and
gunpowder.
1831 William Bickford invented the safety fuse and built a factory in
Cornwall, England.
1830 -1832 Dr. Robert Hare developed bridge wire method of electrical
blasting.
1864 -1867 Alfred Nobel developed a method of initiating nitroglycerin by
using safety fuse initiated, black powder igniters and later
capsules of mercury fulminate, the first commercial detonator.
1870’s H. Julius Smith successfully introduced bridge wire initiated
electric blasting caps and developed a portable, generator-type
blasting machine.
1895 Delay E.B. caps utilising safety fuse as the delay train, introduced
by H. Julius Smith
1913 “Cordeau” detonating cord introduced into the United States.

1930’s Replacement of mercury fulminate in ignition and primer charges

was begun with the use of a variety of more stable explosive
compounds.
1937 Detonating cord with PETN in a fabric braid developed, replacing
“Cordeau” cord.
1946 Short-interval delay E.B. Caps introduced having delay intervals
in milliseconds rather than seconds.
1960 Low-energy detonating cord introduced which led to improved
non-electric detonating systems.
1976 Non-electric delay caps Nonel® introduced, which provided
timing and reduced noise levels.
1980’s First tests with electronic detonators

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1990 The Non Primary Explosives Detonator introduced. The primary

explosive removed from the detonator making it safer.

The chronology of initiating devices.

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