Simulation and Information Management
for Blasting in Mines

Process

Blasting in mines is often simplified to a cycle of design, measure and compare - however, it is actually an iterative and interactive process, involving a constant reassessment of each step of the process based on the results of other steps. For example, it is not unusual for the charging or timing elements of a blast design to be modified due to problems encountered in hole drilling. Thus, blast optimisation and management does not follow a standard pattern. The modules of JKSimBlast supply a solution to the non-cyclic planning of blasting in mines by providing the user with various tools at each stage and allowing individual elements of the design and actual blasting information to be implemented.

JKSimBlast allows the process to be broken down into various aspects and standardised.
  • Define
    		• - operating conditions and objectives
  • Plan
    		• - blast design, input and output
  • Evaluate
    		• - predict and analyse performance
  • Measure
    		• - implementation and performance
  • Control
    		• - data management and optimisation

     

    Define

    The first step in any blasting process is to select the block of ground, and then to determine how to blast it. This includes the conditions of operation (such as rock mass structure and strength, explosive properties, and equipment specifications) and the objectives of the blast (fragmentation, damage, muckpile, grade). These are considered in respect of the evaluation of the blast design and the final result.

    Often, each blast in a mine is a repeat of the previous blast, using similar dimensions, explosives and timing. JKSimBlast allows the parameters from a blast design to be saved for use in future designs, either in setup files or in the parameters table of the design database. By storing parameters and analysis results, trends in blasting performance can be monitored over a period of time.

    JKSimBlast allows the user to pre-define the properties of explosives and accessories, in any number of databases, and grouped as desired, such as by magazine, type or supplier. Units of measurement can also be pre-defined for conversion factors and notation, and displayed at any time.

    By defining the objectives of a blast and comparing these with analyses, it is possible to identify trends in performance as conditions change and optimise parameters by cause and effect.

     

    Plan

    In the planning stage, the blast design is created, checked for conformity with requirements and objectives, and information is output to enable the blast to be implemented. The output can be in the form of hardcopy plans and tables, or computer files for on-board systems.

    The three main design modules in JKSimBlast cover the most common types of blasting in mines: bench, ring and face. Each is presented as a specialist CAD tool for creating a complete blast design - holes, decks and timing - in 3D coordinates. A detonation simulation and basic analyses (powder and energy factor, total costs, detonation timing contours, maximum instantaneous charge, ground vibration and airblast) complete the design process.

    The appearance of each module can be modified for colours, line styles, text orientation, and amount of design data displayed. A plan can be printed, to scale, exactly as it appears on the screen. All setup values can be saved for later recall. Designs can also be printed as a set of tables, or the data copied as text to other applications.

     

    Evaluate

    This aspect entails the checking of designs and actual data, for compliance with design objectives, to predict performance, or to evaluate results. The aim is to reduce a complex interaction of rock, explosive and time to simple values, graphs or scaled visualisations. Any data that can be loaded into a relevant design or results database can be analysed. Values can be saved in results databases, as text files, or copied to other applications. Graphs and screen visualisations can be printed.

    Several types of analyses are included in JKSimBlast.

  • visual - relationships between holes and other design elements
  • timing - interaction of holes and explosives with time
  • energy - distribution of explosive energy and interaction with rock and time
  • contouring - distribution of design or actual values
  • vibration - ground and airblast calculation

    Analyses can be performed on both design and actual data. Results from modelling actual data can be used to determine key performance indicators, which can then be used as objectives to check designs. By analysing the implementation of a blast in comparison with the design, such as hole placement or energy distribution, differences can be accounted for when comparing indicators.

     

    Measure

    Once a blast is designed and checked, the data is transferred to hard copy and passed on to the driller, shot crew and other operators for implementation. To correctly determine the success of a blast, actual values must be gathered for comparison with designs, during implementation and after firing. The JKSimBlast modules in this part of the process are intended for direct data entry or to interact with data sourced from other applications.

    Apart from comparison with design to monitor correct implementation, actual data can be used to modify designs for subsequent stages of the blast. An example is the surveying of hole collars and depths after drilling is completed - by entering this data into a design module, the charging and timing can be modified to account for lost or misplaced holes and thus reduce the possibility of a blast failure.

    Comparison of design and actual provides the drill and blast engineer with an opportunity to optimise designs for local conditions for future blasts. Recording observations of blast performance with the design and actual data ensures that the total experience gained from each blast is thus quantified and stored for future use.

     

    Control

    With the potential for so much data to be collected, created, calculated or associated with numerous blasts, a system is required to manage the data. The principal module is JKBMS (JK Blast Management System), a program for organising data in a hierarchical structure, including external files such as photos, videos and documents. JKBMS also contains tools for viewing blast designs and analysis results, transferring data to archive and e-mail, search, filter and report, and launch relevant applications.

    Many other modules provide features for organising data, by sharing initialisation files, and by blast names and scenarios in databases. All on-line help is written in HTML, which can be edited and extended for user-defined content.

     

    JKSimBlast has been designed for engineers involved in blasting who wish to standardise their control of blasting data. It applies not only to mine and quarry operations, but also consulting, contracting, research, education and civil construction.

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    © Soft-Blast 2002
    This page last updated April 2004
    All trademarks acknowledged