Faculty Name - Prof.

Satya Prakash
Program – DIT IV (MIN)
Batch – 2018-21
Course – Mine Development
Contents:
1) Blown out shot
2) Socket
3) Cut-off hole
4) Direct initiation & inverse initiation
5) Free face
 Blown out shot
• If stemming material and the explosive is
thrown out of the hole without breaking the
coal, it is known as a blown out shot.
• It may be caused due to inadequate
stemming, overcharging of explosive, large
gap between 2 cartridges due to the hole not
being properly cleaned before charging, more
than optimum distance between adjacent
holes, unduly long hole or hole in the wrong
direction which does not get free face for
blasting.
• A blown out shot can cause fire in
inflammable material and explosion of fire
damp or coal dust.
Socket
• Portion or remainder of a shot hole found in a
face after a blasting is known as socket.
• A socket may or may not contain explosive.
• Socket is left when –
1. there is a large gap between 2 cartridges due to
hole not being cleaned properly.
2. there is a blown out shot.
3. in blasting by delay detonators, a blasted hole
has broken part of the adjacent charged hole
which is yet to blast.
• Chances of socket are particularly
increased in solid blasting and blasting in
stone drift. Before commencing drilling in such
place, all loose material should be cleaned. No
attempt should be made to pull out the
explosive from socket; it should be treated as
a misfire. Even if it appears that there is no
explosive in the socket, no attempt should be
made to deepen the hole.
 Cut-off
• Cut-off hole is a hole where the primer has
been isolated from the bulk of explosive
charge due to ground movement caused by a
shot fired earlier in the round.
• Cut-off may result when time interval
between the shots is very small, strata are
broken or distance between 2 adjacent holes
is less than 60 cm.
• A cut-off hole should be treated as a misfire.
• Chances of cut-off are high in blasting in stone
drift or in solid blasting.
 Direct & Inverse Initiation
• The placing of detonator in the last cartridge
to be inserted with the active end of
detonator pointing inwards is known as direct
initiation. This position tends to minimize risk
of gas ignition, and it is used where coal
cutting machines are used or blasting is done
in slices.
Direct initiation is shown in fig. below:
• The placing of detonator at the back of
shot hole is known as inverse initiation. It
minimises the danger of cut-off holes.
Therefore, it is adopted in delay blasting in
stone drifts or in solid blasting which have
more chances of blown out shot and cut off.
Inverse initiation is shown in fig. below:
 Free face
• Free face is an exposed coal or rock surface to
which the explosive charge can break out. In
U/G mines free face is provided by under-cut,
over-cut or middle-cut by a coal cutting
machine or by driving a narrow heading.
• In stone drift, sinking shaft and solid blasting
in coal, free face is created by using delay
detonators. The first few holes of the round
(cut holes) are drilled in such a fashion that
they break and provide a free face, to which
the later holes can break.