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A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON BLASTING TECHNIQUE

OF LONG HOLE RAISING AND VCR (VERTICAL
CRATER RETREAT) MINING METHODS

Bachelor of Technology and Master of Technology

In
Mining Engineering (Dual degree)

By
SATYA PRAKASH
717MN1024

Department of Mining Engineering

National Institute of Technology Rourkela-769008
2020-21
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CONTENTS

SL.NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

1. INTRODUCTION 3

2 AIM OF THE STUDY 3

3. LONG HOLE RAISING 3

4 VERTICAL CRATER METHOD 5

5. CRATER THEORY 7

7. REFERENCES 9
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth,
usually from an ore body or seam. The long hole raising and VCR mining method are most
productive and revolutionary practiced method. Initially It was developed by INCO and CIL
inc. It is based on Mr. C. W Livingston’s crater blasting theory. At Levack mine located in
Sudbury Basin’s North Range have used it for the first time in 1974.It provided productivity
benefits almost immediately. The long raising method is used to drive from lower level to top
level by using blasting technique. The long hole raising is mainly used when extent of area of
blasting is large.

2.0 AIM OF THE STUDY

The present aim of the study to do a comparative study of long hole raising and VCR method.

3.0 LONG HOLE RAISING

It is also known as “drop raising” or “Upside-down Raising”. It is process of exaction in which
is a pre-drilled over its full length. Charging is performed from the top to bottom and a wooden
plug or steel plug is provided at bottom to hold the explosive material. Finally blasted from the
bottom for an effective advancement per blast.
A two level drivage is made inside the ore body and It is mainly including long hole parallel
drilling operation in cylindrical or burn-cut pattern. Raising inclination should be exceeded 50
degree to vertical. Drilling operation can be performed by pneumatic or hydraulic drilling
machine.
A jumbo raise driller machine is widely used for long hole Raising. A jumbo raise driller is a
compressed air operated which easily driven to foot wall of ore body. A hole length is equal to
length of difference between two level drivages. Diameter of hole should be 50 to 75 mm.
Diameter of central hole should be 100-125mm.
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Figure-1 source : youtube

The drilling can be either in square or in circular form. At center, a large hole is made to provide
the free space and center hole is left uncharged as it provide free space during the blasting. A
wooden or steel plug is provided at bottom and explosive is filled in the hole after that plug is
provided and finally blasting is performed.

Figure-2 source: youtube

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Figure 3(source :google images)

3.1 ADVANTAGE OF LONG HOLE RAISING

• Safety: during the drivage, manpower is not required to enter into raise
• Productivity: As operation is not cyclic better enchanment of fast rate of drivage/raise.
• Flixibility and simplicity: No specific arrangement for accommodate the equipment.

3.2 DISADVANTAGE OF LONG HOLE RAISING

• It can be applied only if raises can be accesses from both the level
• Blind raising is not feasible (raises up to 40m and 45-degree inclination)
• Disturbed ground with joints fissures etc. may result frequent jamming of drill rods and
bits.
• Hole deviation may cause stability problem
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4.0 VERTICAL CRATERING METHOD

VRM stands for Vertical retreat mining it is also known as Vertical Crater Retreat (VCR
) or Inverted crater Blasting using Spherical Charge placement (explosive charges having a
length to diameter ratio-L/d- equal to about 6/1or slightly larger).
The Retreat in Vertical Retreat Mining refers to the blasting progression. As each charge is
loaded and detonated with again and again with similar process, the remaining ore is blasted in
upwards until a section of 7 to 17 m is not reached. Last section is also called as Crown. The
last part is blasted at once for safety reason.

For Crater Blasting, normally Spherical charge of Explosive are used. Spherical Charging
basically means is to keep an explosive column, not more than 6 times of diameter of hole. A
diameter of 165mm hole are used and explosive column are placed 990 mm(or 1 m).
The explosive column is about 0.7 to 0.8m above bottom of hole by putting a wooden plug and
stone chips. Above the explosive column stemming of about 1.2 to 1.5m is done.
At upper level, charging and blasting is done and bottom level acts as a free face for blasting.
Several blasting is performed at bottom at each blasting certain advancement of raising is done
until certain level.

4.1 APPLICABILITY OF VCR METHOD

Ore body characteristic Orebody requirement

Ore body dimension Steeply dipping with width 12-15m and large
extent

Ore and ore strength Competent to blasting and not much dilution
Ore strength is medium to competent
strength.
Ore grade Low to medium

depth This method is applicable to any depth

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The complete method of VCR can be shown in figure 4 below:

Figure 4 (source: researchgate.com)

4.2 CRATER THEORY

When an explosive is detonated in rock, a compressive wave is generated and it travels out
of explosive. The Magnitude of stress waves produced by the compressive waves depends
on the dynamic compressive strength of the rock and impulse produced by explosive at a
specific velocity and density. The produced wave hits back to rock or air boundary and
reflected back and produced a dynamic tensile wave back to rock. Since tensile stress is
much smaller than the compressive strength (10-25% of compressive strength) the rock
fails in tension. At free space rock begins to scab off back to the explosive charge. The
Scab off back is just like forming an inverted shape of cone by the broken material. The
extend of the Scrabbing process depends on following.
• Type of rock
• Type of explosive used
• Shape of explosive charge
• Distance of boundary or free space.

The free surface velocity of the scabbing rock is twice the body wave of the velocity.

4.3 ADVANTAGE
Safety: miners are working in full supported roofs. This method also allows the use of
automated machines. In this method, no worker is needed to work inside the ore.
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Good recoveries: Continuous mucking at drawing point after blasting .it can be used with high
degree of mechanization that leads to high productivity.
Cost; Once the pre-mining development is in place, it has low operating cost.
Wall Support: VCR shares great features with sublevels open and shrinkage stoping .good
wall support is allow the usage of shrinkage.

4.4 DISADVANTAGE
Risk of draw point blockage: if blasting technique is not proper the large material can lodge in
the passage and prevent the material to flow.
Large capital investment: it requires for essential drift infrastructure.
Subsidence: After exaction is done subsidence is occur if backfilled is not done.

5.0 DROP RAISING DRILLING

A slicing process of excavation is performed at bottom with help of special method of charging
of Explosive. Vertical Crater Retreat method of charging and blasting of the hole is performed.
The raising is driven either vertically or with steeply inclined dip. At lower level. mucking of
blasted material is done. The sequence of long hole raising blasting.

5.1 DROP RAISING CHARGING AND BLASTING PATTERN

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Figure-4 (source:slideshare)

6.0 REFERENCES
https://miningandblasting.wordpress.com/2018/06/16/drop-raising-in-underground-mines/

https://www.slideshare.net/sharmapd1/drop-raising-in-underground-mines

http://www.iring.ca/_Knowledgebase/module_5_2_print.html
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