Special Blasting Technique

Trim and Pre Split Blasting

DRILL AND BLAST SECTION

MINING SERVICES DEPARTMENT
PT KALTIM PRIMA COAL
Reasons for Pit Wall Damage
No Free Face Prevents
Burden Movement
Block Heaving
Load
Release

Gas Driven
Crack
Shear Extension
Subdrill
Failure Damages
Compressive Crests
and Tensile
Failure
 Areas Concern in Wall Control Blasting

• Selection of best wall control blast method

• Design blast based on geology and past
history to minimize wall damage
• Development of blast pad area prior to
drilling to provide suitable blast area
• Optimal implementation of chosen design to
minimize variation from design
• Fragmentation and muck pile looseness
 Wall Control Blasting Options

KPC has two main tools for controlling the

strength and stability of interim and final pit
walls:
• Trim Blasts
• Pre split Blasts
 Trim Blasts
The aim is to
• Break rock mass to the pre-split or final wall line
• Not to break through the line!
• Clearly, a good pre-split with a poor trim blast will
not work
• A poor pre-split with a good trim blast also will not
work!
• If pre-splitting is not appropriate, trim blasting
may still provide a good final wall
 Trim Blasts
There are some ‘Rules of Thumb’ to try in a
new situation -
• Stand-off from pre-split should be about half the
hole burden (i.e. 4m, KPC uses 3m)
• Last row spacing should be half the main spacing
(OK)
• Burden between last (buffer) row and 2nd last
row should be 3/4 the main burden (5.2m, KPC
uses 6m or 6.6m)
 Trim Blasts
Optimum burden relief for a detonating hole
requires -
• Sufficient number of neighbouring holes to
detonate
• Free face be close enough to the next hole to
fire
• Enough time before this hole fires to create a
free face it can use

These requirements can be investigated

using JKSimBlast
 Trim Blasts
Adequate burden relief is important in any
production blast and absolutely critical in
trim blasts.
• If any part of the blast is over-confined,
material will not move properly
• This will over-confine the blastholes
behind - it gets worse!
• In a small blast like a trim blast, this will
not correct itself - damage will penetrate
behind the pre-split or final wall line.
 Trim Blasts
Issues to think about in dynamic burden relief
1. Drill Pad Preparation
 Free faces – this means
• shovel digs back to hard material
• pad preparation dozing does not push loose material over the
free face
 Accurate hole locations
2. Correct design implementation
 Accurate crest burdens
 Blastholes located to follow crest line
 Drilling accuracy
3. Correct tie-up
Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

Revised design using vertical presplit

17m 6.6m

6 8 Trim Holes
m m
20
Production
m
70o Holes
3 6 8
m m m
20 Standoff 1m
m
40m 10m Presplit
Holes
20
m
Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

Revised design using vertical presplit

17m 6.6m

6 8
m m
20
m
70o
3 6 8
m m m
20 Standoff 1m
m 3 6 8
40m m m m

10m
This will
20 damage crest
m and cause early
failures
Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

Revised design using vertical presplit

17m 6.6m

6 8
m m
15
m 70o
3 6 8
15 Standoff 1m m m m

m 40m
3
m
6
m
8
m
10m
15
m
 Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

3m 6m 8m Upper Bench

Production rows:
1. Max 4 rows
2. Burden = 7 m
3. Spacing = 8 m
4. Depth = 11.5m
5. Spacing direction must be parallel to presplit row
6. Blast area must have a free face – without broken
material in front – parallel to presplit row
 Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

3m 6m 8m Upper Bench

3.5m Stemming

Trim row:
2.0m Air Deck
1. Burden = 3.0m
2. Spacing = 4.6m
4.0m Charge
3. Depth = 11.5m
4. Charge is as 2.0m Air Deck

shown in diagram
Blast Plan Showing Tie-in for Upper Bench

Presplit Row Trim Row

Production Rows
 Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

3m 6m 8m
Lower Bench

3.5m Stemming

First Trim row: 1.75m Air Deck

1. Burden = 6.0m
2. Spacing = 4.6m
3. Depth = 9.0m
2.75m Charge

4. Charge is as
shown in diagram 1.0m Air Deck
 Pit AB Phase 2 Trim & Presplit Design, 20m Benches

3m 6m 8m
Lower Bench

3.5m Stemming

Second Trim row: 1.75m Air Deck

1. Burden = 3.0m
2. Spacing = 4.6m 2.75m Charge

3. Depth = 9.0m
4. Charge is as
1.0m Air Deck
shown in diagram
Blast Plan Showing Tie-in for Lower Bench

Presplit Row
Trim Rows

Production Rows
 Presplit Blast

• A line of closely spaced blast holes drilled at the limits line.

• Often smaller diameter than production blastholes.
• Much lower charge density – laterally or vertically decoupled.
• Fired before the main blast; usually with no delay between
holes.
 Why Pre-split?

• Increases wall stability.

• Defines wall position, ensures consistent front row burdens in
strip mining.
• Channels blast gases away from rock mass, reducing back-
break and damage.
• Others (eg. limits dilution, aids equipment).
 Proposed Mechanism – Tensile Failure from
Compressive Shock

Compressive Shock Compressive Shock

Blasthole Blasthole

Resultant
Tensile Stress Zone
Tensile Stress
Well Developed Presplit Line
Presplit Does Not Perform in Non-competent or
Fractured Rock

Borehole
Adverse Jointing makes Presplit Impossible
How do we start?

The engineering variables (really variable)

• Hole diameter.
• Hole spacing.
• Total energy (explosive mass / product).
• Energy distribution (charge positions,
decoupling).
 What Else?
Rock mass variables (not so variable!)
• Compressive strength.
• Tensile strength.
• Discontinuities (a.k.a. Joints).
• Must not under-estimate joints!
A successful pre-split blast hole will…
• Generate sufficient pressure to cause tensile
failure (the ‘split’)
• NOT generate too much pressure so that
collateral crushing is avoided (ideally
pressure is less than the compressive
strength)
• Be close enough to its neighbour to form a
continuous split
KPC Presplit Calculations

Explosive DynoSplit
VOD (m/s) 4300
Density (g/cc) 1.1
Cartridge dia (mm) 32

Borehole dia (mm) 200

Borehole length (m) 20
Detonation pressure (GPa) 5.1
Explosion pressure (GPa) 2.5
Borehole pressure (MPa) 72
Presplit Charge One String DynoSplit 32mm diameter

Parameter Value
Hole Spacing (m) 3
Bench Height (m) 20
Explosive Specific Charge (kg/m) 0.88
Uncharged Hole Length (m) 1
Doubled Over Length (m) 2
No of Charge Strings per Hole 1
2
Pre-Split Powder Factor (kg/m ) 0.31
Orientation
 Typical Presplit Design
50% Normal 75% Normal
Burden Burden 50% Normal
Spacing

Presplit Row
 Alternative Presplit Charges

Usually
Airdeck
Airdeck & stem
& stem
or
leave
open

Single Multiple Continuous

Multiple Continuous
small small low density
decoupled decoupled
charge deck charge
charges charge
charges
When it Works!
PreSplit sandstone wall at Panel 8, Hatari, 1999.
When it Works!
Unfavourable Structure
Unfavourable Material