Measurement and analysis of near-field blast vibration and damage

Summary Blast vibration and its attenuation within the rock mass immediately adjacent to a blast hole (2–15 m) were monitored for a blast hole diameter of 100 mm and a 2.4 m column of an emulsion explosive charge. Peak particle velocities calculated from the measured accelerations were compared with predictions from the charge-weight scaling law using typical site parameters which would be adopted for many far-field vibration predictions. It was found that the vibration amplitudes predicted by the conventional charge-weight scaling law are significantly lower than measured values. Strain and strain rates at different monitoring holes were calculated from experimental data. Using attenuation analysis of different frequency bands of measured acceleration signals, it was found that blast vibration attenuation between 2 m and 4 m depended not only on frequency but also on amplitude. A failure wave was postulated based on observations at the monitoring hole 2 m from the blast. A blast damage zone was evaluated using borehole camera and cross hole seismic studies. The damage zone in the rock was also analysed according to acceleration waveforms measured at different monitoring locations. The use of different techniques to measure blast damage provided an accurate assessment of the blast damage volume.