Assessing the range of blasting-induced cracks in the surrounding rock of deeply buried tunnels based on the unified strength theory

Blasting-induced cracks in the rock surrounding deeply buried tunnels can result in water gushing and rock mass collapse,posing significant safety risks.However,previous theoretical studies on the range of blasting-induced cracks often ignore the impact of the in-situ stress,especially that of the intermediate principal stress.The particle displacement−crack radius relationship was established in this paper by utilizing the blasthole cavity expansion equation,and theoretical analytical formulas of the stress−displacement relationship and the crack radius were derived with unified strength theory to accurately assess the range of cracks in deep surrounding rock under a blasting load.Parameter analysis showed that the crushing zone size was positively correlated with in-situ stress,intermediate principal stress,and detonation pressure,whereas negatively correlated with Poisson ratio and decoupling coefficient.The dilatancy angle-crushing zone size relationship exhibited nonmonotonic behavior.The relationships in the crushing zone and the fracture zone exhibited opposite trends under the influence of only in-situ stress or intermediate principal stress.As the in-situ stress increased from 0 to 70 MPa,the rate of change in the crack range and the attenuation rate of the peak vibration velocity gradually slowed.

Numerical modeling of blast-induced rock fragmentation in deep mining with 3D and 2D FEM method approaches

To optimize the excavation of rock using underground blasting techniques,a reliable and simplified approach for modeling rock fragmentation is desired.This paper presents a multistep experimentalnumerical methodology for simplifying the three-dimensional(3D)to two-dimensional(2D)quasiplane-strain problem and reducing computational costs by more than 100-fold.First,in situ tests were conducted involving single-hole and free-face blasting of a dolomite rock mass in a 1050-m-deep mine.The results were validated by laser scanning.The craters were then compared with four analytical models to calculate the radius of the crushing zone.Next,a full 3D model for single-hole blasting was prepared and validated by simulating the crack length and the radius of the crushing zone.Based on the stable crack propagation zones observed in the 3D model and experiments,a 2D model was prepared.The properties of the high explosive(HE)were slightly reduced to match the shape and number of radial cracks and crushing zone radius between the 3D and 2D models.The final methodology was used to reproduce various cut-hole blasting scenarios and observe the effects of residual cracks in the rock mass on further fragmentation.The presence of preexisting cracks was found to be crucial for fragmentation,particularly when the borehole was situated near a free rock face.Finally,an optimization study was performed to determine the possibility of losing rock continuity at different positions within the well in relation to the free rock face.

Performance of water-coupled charge blasting under different in-situ stresses

Water-coupled charge blasting is a promising technique to efficiently break rock masses.In this study,numerical models of double boreholes with water-coupled charge are established using LS-DYNA and are calibrated by the tests of rock masses subjected to explosion loads to examine its performance.The crack levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting and air-coupled charge blasting are first compared.It is found that water-coupled charge blasting is more appropriate to fracture deep rock mass than air-coupled charge blasting.In addition,the effects of rock properties,water-coupled charge coefficients,and borehole connection angles on the performance of water-coupled charge blasting are investigated.The results show that rock properties and water-coupled charge coefficients can greatly influence the crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting under uniform and non-uniform in-situ stresses.However,changing borehole-connection angles can only affect crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass under non-uniform in-situ stresses but barely affect those under uniform in-situ stresses.A formula is finally proposed by considering the above-mentioned factors to provide the design suggestion of water-coupled charge blasting to fracture rock mass with different in-situ stresses.

Vibration reduction technology and the mechanisms of surrounding rock damage from blasting in neighborhood tunnels with small clearance

Interlaid rock is an important component in the construction of neighborhood tunnels that supports and reinforces the area between two tunnels.However,the blasting load during excavation can sometimes damage the interlaid rock and threaten the stability of a tunnel’s structure.This paper presents a case study of the small clearance section of the Liantang highway tunnel project in Shenzhen,China,where the minimum distance between the two tunnels involved is only 0.5 m.To reduce the damage to the interlaid rock caused by blasting loads,we proposed a four-part excavation method with a vibrationcushioning rock layer in the following tunnel of neighborhood tunnels.Numerical simulation was used to model the damage prevention mechanism of the vibration-cushioning rock layer and to better understand the propagation of cracks in the interlaid rock.Furthermore,based on the simulation results,combined microseismic controlled-blasting technology was implemented,using innovative blasting patterns combined with different charge structures and blasting equipment designed according to the varying thickness of the interlaid rock.Finally,this implementation succeeded in protecting interlaid rock during blasting operations.

Combined blasting for protection of gob-side roadway with thick and hard roof

The deformation control of surrounding rock in gobside roadway with thick and hard roof poses a significant challenge to the safety and efficiency of coal mining.To address this issue,a novel approach combining directional and non-directional blasting techniques,known as combined blasting,was proposed.This study focuses on the experimental investigation of the proposed method in the 122108 working face in Caojiatan Coal Mine as the engineering background.The initial phase of the study involves physical model experiments to reveal the underlying mechanisms of combined blasting for protecting gob-side roadway with thick and hard roof.The results demonstrate that this approach effectively accelerates the collapse of thick and hard roofs,enhances the fragmentation and expansion coefficient of gangue,facilitates the filling of the goaf with gangue,and provides support to the overlying strata,thus reducing the subsidence of the overlying strata above the goaf.Additionally,the method involves cutting the main roof into shorter beams to decrease the stress and disrupt stress transmission pathways.Subsequent numerical simulations were conducted to corroborate the findings of the physical model experiments,thus validating the accuracy of the experimental results.Furthermore,field engineering experiments were performed,affirming the efficacy of the combined blasting method in mitigating the deformation of surrounding rock and achieving the desired protection of the gob-side roadway.

Calculating the number of radial cracks around a wellbore fractured by liquid CO2 phase transition blasting technology

Integrating liquid CO_(2)phase transition blasting(LCPTB)technology with hydraulic fracturing(HF)methods can help reduce wellbore damage,create multiple radial fractures,and establish a complex fracture network.This approach significantly increases the recovery efficiency of low-permeability oil and gas fields.Accurately calculating the number of fractures caused by LCPTB is necessary to predict production enhancement effects and optimize subsequent HF designs.However,few studies are reported on large-scale physical model experiments in terms of a method for calculating the fracture number.This study analyzed the initiation and propagation of cracks under LCPTB,derived a calculation formula for crack propagation radius under stress waves,and then proposed a new,fast,and accurate method for calculating the fracture number using the principle of mass conservation.Through ten rock-breaking tests using LCPTB,the study confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed calculation approach and elucidated the variation rule of explosion pressure,rock-breaking scenario,and the impact of varying parameters on fracture number.The results show that the new calculation method is suitable for fracturing technologies with high pressure rates.Recommendations include enlarging the diameter of the fracturing tube and increasing the liquid CO2 mass in the tube to enhance fracture effectiveness.Moreover,the method can be applied to other fracturing technologies,such as explosive fracturing(EF)within HF formations,indicating its broader applicability and potential impact on optimizing unconventional resource extraction technologies.

Support vector machines approach to mean particle size of rock fragmentation due to bench blasting prediction

Aiming at the problems of the traditional method of assessing distribution of particle size in bench blasting, a support vector machines （SVMs） regression methodology was used to predict the mean particle size （X50） resulting from rock blast fragmentation in various mines based on the statistical learning theory. The data base consisted of blast design parameters, explosive parameters, modulus of elasticity and in-situ block size. The seven input independent variables used for the SVMs model for the prediction of X50 of rock blast fragmentation were the ratio of bench height to drilled burden （H/B）, ratio of spacing to burden （S/B）, ratio of burden to hole diameter （B/D）, ratio of stemming to burden （T/B）, powder factor （Pf）, modulus of elasticity （E） and in-situ block size （XB）. After using the 90 sets of the measured data in various mines and rock formations in the world for training and testing, the model was applied to 12 another blast data for validation of the trained support vector regression （SVR） model. The prediction results of SVR were compared with those of artificial neural network （ANN）, multivariate regression analysis （MVRA） models, conventional Kuznetsov method and the measured X50 values. The proposed method shows promising results and the prediction accuracy of SVMs model is acceptable.

Attenuation of rock blasting induced ground vibration in rock-soil interface

Blasting has been widely used in mining and construction industries for rock breaking.This paper presents the results of a series of field tests conducted to investigate the ground wave propagation through mixed geological media.The tests were conducted at a site in the northwestern part of Singapore composed of residual soil and granitic rock.The field test aims to provide measurement data to better understand the stress wave propagation in soil/rock and along their interface.Triaxial accelerometers were used for the free field vibration monitoring.The measured results are presented and discussed,and empirical formulae for predicting peak particle velocity (PPV) attenuation along the ground surface and in soil/rock were derived from the measured data.Also,the ground vibration attenuation across the soil-rock interface was carefully examined,and it was found that the PPV of ground vibration was decreased by 37.2% when it travels from rock to soil in the vertical direction.

Numerical study on the fracturing mechanism of shock wave interactions between two adjacent blast holes in deep rock blasting

With the application of electronic detonators, millisecond blasting is regarded as a signifi cant promising approach to improve the rock fragmentation in deep rock blasting. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the fracturing mechanisms of short-delay blasting. In this work, a rectangle model with two circle boreholes is modeled as a particles assembly based on the discrete element method to simulate the shock wave interactions induced by millisecond blasting. The rectangle model has a size of 12 × 6 m (L × W) and two blast holes have the same diameter of 12 cm. The shock waves are simplifi ed as time-varying forces applied at the particles of walls of the two boreholes. Among a series of numerical tests in this study, the spacing between two adjacent boreholes and delay time of millisecond blasting are considered as two primary variables, and the decoupling charge with a coeffi cient of 1.5 is taken into account in each case. The results show that stress superposition is not a key factor for improving rock fragmentation (tensile stress interactions rather than compressive stress superposition could aff ect the generation of cracks), whereas collision actions from isolated particles or particles with weakened constraints play a crucial role in creating the fracture network. The delay time has an infl uence on causing cracks in rock blasting, however, whether it works heavily depends on the distance between the two holes.

Rock fragmentation control in opencast blasting

The blasting operation plays a pivotal role in the overall economics of opencast mines.The blasting subsystem affects all the other associated sub-systems,i.e.loading,transport,crushing and milling operations.Fragmentation control through effective blast design and its effect on productivity are the challenging tasks for practicing blasting engineer due to inadequate knowledge of actual explosive energy released in the borehole,varying initiation practice in blast design and its effect on explosive energy release characteristic.This paper describes the result of a systematic study on the impact of blast design parameters on rock fragmentation at three mines in India.The mines use draglines and shoveledumper combination for removal of overburden.Despite its pivotal role in controlling the overall economics of a mining operation,the expected blasting performance is often judged almost exclusively on the basis of poorly defined parameters such as powder factor and is often qualitative which results in very subjective assessment of blasting performance.Such an approach is very poor substitutes for accurate assessment of explosive and blasting performance.Ninety one blasts were conducted with varying blast designs and charging patterns,and their impacts on the rock fragmentation were documented.A high-speed camera was deployed to record the detonation sequences of the blasts.The efficiency of the loading machines was also correlated with the mean fragment size obtained from the fragmentation analyses.

Influence of blasting on the properties of weak intercalation of a layered rock slope

A precondition for correctly analyzing the stability of a slope and designing its bracing structure is to study and determine the influence of excavation blasting on the properties of weak intercalation in the layered rock slope. On the basis of in-situ stratification-cracking blasting tests, the properties of weak intercalation were investigated using the LS-DYNA3D program. The displacement distribution and compactness of weak intercalation at different positions away from the charge center and their various laws are discussed. The critical displacement of stratification-cracking （0.1 mm） was obtained, and an approximate expression of compactness were deduced. Furthermore, through the simulation of a layered rock blasting under the same geological conditions, the stratification-cracking effect of deep-hole blasting on the properties of weak intercalation was compared with that of short-hole blasting, and the influencing differences, in addition to their causes, were analyzed. The results indicated that the blasting cavity of weak intercalation in short-hole blasting with a radius of 40 mm was nearly a circle, whose radius was about 28.7 cm; whereas in deep-hole blasting with a radius of 150 mm, the shape of the blasting cavity was different from that in short-hole blasting, the radius of the cavity behind the charge （89.1 cm） was further smaller than those of the other three （138.7 cm）, and there were sharp crinkles on the surface of weak intercalation. When the distance from the charge center （DCC） was less than 40 and 150 cm in short-hole and deep-hole blasting, respectively, the displacement of weak intercalation was reduced remarkably with the increase in DCC.

Analysis of predictor equations for determining the blast-induced vibration in rock blasting

The paper proposes a new empirical correlation designed to complement the‘‘site laws"currently used to evaluate the attenuation in the rock masses of vibrations induced by rock blasting.The formula contains a deformed exponential known as the K-exponential,which seems to well represent a large number of both natural and artificial phenomena ranging from astrophysics to quantum mechanics,with some extension in the field of economics and finance.Experimental validation of the formula was performed via the analysis of vibration data covering a number of case studies,which differed in terms of both operation and rock type.A total of 12 experimental cases were analysed and the proposed formulation exhibited a good performance in 11 of them.In particular,the proposed law,which was built using blast test data,produced very good approximations of the points representing the vibration measurements and would thus be useful in organising production blasts.However,the developed formula was found to work less well when a correlation obtained for a given site was applied to another presenting similar types of rocks and operations,and thus should not be employed in the absence of measurements from test data.

Propagation characteristics of vibration waves induced in surrounding rock by tunneling blasting

The effect of blasting vibration waves on surrounding rock and supporting structures is an important field in underground engineering. In this paper, the separation variable method is used to solve the displacement potential function for the propagation of the blasting vibration waves. In the axis coordinate system, the particle motion and stress change with axial distance, radial distance and time is obtained in surrounding rock. The peak particle velocity law in surrounding rock under different blast loads and surrounding rock parameters is discussed.In addition, the particle vibration characteristics in the surrounding rock are studied using numerical simulations method. The results shows that the peak particle velocity in surrounding rock appears negative exponent attenuation with the increase of axial distance, but it appears positive and negative fluctuations in radial direction. This phenomenon is a new discovery and it has been rarely investigated before. Moreover, the peak particle velocity attenuates more quickly and intensely in the near blasting field,which means that the supporting structure in a shorter distance away from the heading face is vulnerable to the impact of blasting vibration. Theattenuation of blasting vibration velocity is closely related to charge length, blasting load amplitude,attenuation index and rock elastic modulus. The numerical simulation accomplishes the same results and then demonstrates the validity of theoretical results.

Numerical investigation of effect of eccentric decoupled charge structure on blasting-induced rock damage

Eccentric decoupling blasting is commonly used in underground excavation.Determination of perimeter hole parameters(such as the blasthole diameter,spacing,and burden)based on an eccentric charge structure is vital for achieving an excellent smooth blasting effect.In this paper,the Riedel-Hiermaier-Thoma(RHT)model was employed to study rock mass damage under smooth blasting.Firstly,the parameters of the RHT model were calibrated by using the existing SHPB experiment,which were then verified by the existing blasting experiment results.Secondly,the influence of different charge structures on the blasting effect was investigated using the RHT model.The simulation results indicated that eccentric charge blasting has an obvious pressure eccentricity effect.Finally,to improve the blasting effect,the smooth blasting parameters were optimized based on an eccentric charge structure.The overbreak and underbreak phenomena were effectively controlled,and a good blasting effect was achieved with the optimized blasting parameters.

Research progress of the fundamental theory and technology of rock blasting

Investigating rock fragmentation mechanisms under blasting and developing new blasting technologies are important and challenging directions for blast engineering.Recently,with the development of experimental techniques,the fundamental theory of rock blasting has been extensively studied in the past few decades and has made important achievements in the full understanding of the rock fracturing process under blast loading.It is thus imperative to systematically review the progress in this direction.This paper mainly focuses on the experimental study of rock blasting,including the distribution characteristic of blast energy,evolution of the blast stress field,propagation mechanism of cracks,interaction mechanism between blast waves and cracks,and influence of geostatic stress on rock fragmentation.In addition,some newly developed blasting technologies and their applications are briefly presented.This review could provide comprehensive insights to guide the study on the rock fracturing mechanism under blasting and further provide meaningful guidance for optimizing blast parameters in engineering.

DETERMINATION OF MICROCRACK BOUNDARY RESULTING FROM ROCK BLASTING WITH SEISMIC TRAVELTIME TOMOGRAPHY

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Enhancing rock fragmentation prediction in mining operations:A hybrid GWO-RF model with SHAP interpretability

In the mining industry,precise forecasting of rock fragmentation is critical for optimising blasting processes.In this study,we address the challenge of enhancing rock fragmentation assessment by developing a novel hybrid predictive model named GWO-RF.This model combines the grey wolf optimization(GWO)algorithm with the random forest(RF)technique to predict the D_(80)value,a critical parameter in evaluating rock fragmentation quality.The study is conducted using a dataset from Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine,employing six different swarm sizes for the GWO-RF hybrid model construction.The GWO-RF model’s hyperparameters are systematically optimized within established bounds,and its performance is rigorously evaluated using multiple evaluation metrics.The results show that the GWO-RF hybrid model has higher predictive skills,exceeding traditional models in terms of accuracy.Furthermore,the interpretability of the GWO-RF model is enhanced through the utilization of SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)values.The insights gained from this research contribute to optimizing blasting operations and rock fragmentation outcomes in the mining industry.

Predicting rock size distribution in mine blasting using various novel soft computing models based on meta-heuristics and machine learning algorithms

Blasting is well-known as an effective method for fragmenting or moving rock in open-pit mines.To evaluate the quality of blasting,the size of rock distribution is used as a critical criterion in blasting operations.A high percentage of oversized rocks generated by blasting operations can lead to economic and environmental damage.Therefore,this study proposed four novel intelligent models to predict the size of rock distribution in mine blasting in order to optimize blasting parameters,as well as the efficiency of blasting operation in open mines.Accordingly,a nature-inspired algorithm(i.e.,firefly algorithm-FFA)and different machine learning algorithms(i.e.,gradient boosting machine(GBM),support vector machine(SVM),Gaussian process(GP),and artificial neural network(ANN))were combined for this aim,abbreviated as FFA-GBM,FFA-SVM,FFA-GP,and FFA-ANN,respectively.Subsequently,predicted results from the abovementioned models were compared with each other using three statistical indicators(e.g.,mean absolute error,root-mean-squared error,and correlation coefficient)and color intensity method.For developing and simulating the size of rock in blasting operations,136 blasting events with their images were collected and analyzed by the Split-Desktop software.In which,111 events were randomly selected for the development and optimization of the models.Subsequently,the remaining 25 blasting events were applied to confirm the accuracy of the proposed models.Herein,blast design parameters were regarded as input variables to predict the size of rock in blasting operations.Finally,the obtained results revealed that the FFA is a robust optimization algorithm for estimating rock fragmentation in bench blasting.Among the models developed in this study,FFA-GBM provided the highest accuracy in predicting the size of fragmented rocks.The other techniques(i.e.,FFA-SVM,FFA-GP,and FFA-ANN)yielded lower computational stability and efficiency.Hence,the FFA-GBM model can be used as a powerful and precise soft computing tool that can be applied to practical engineering cases aiming to improve the quality of blasting and rock fragmentation.

An empirical approach for predicting burden velocities in rock blasting

An analytical relation between burden velocity and ratio of burden to blasthole diameter is developed in this paper.This relation is found to be consistent with the measured burden velocities of all 37 full-scale blasts found from published articles.These blasts include single-hole blasts,multi-hole blasts,and simultaneously-initiated blasts with various borehole diameters such as 64 mm,76 mm,92 mm,115 mm,142 mm and 310 mm.All boreholes were fully charged.The agreement between measured and calculated burden velocities demonstrates that this relation can be used to predict the burden velocity of a wide range of full-scale blast with fully-coupled explosive charge and help to determine a correct delay time between adjacent holes or rows in various full-scale blasts involved in tunnelling(or drifting),surface and underground mining production blasts and underground opening slot blasts.In addition,this theoretical relation is found to agree with the measured burden velocities of 9 laboratory small-scale blasts to a certain extent.To predict the burden velocity of a small-scale blast,a further study or modification to the relation is necessary by using more small-scale blasts in the future.

IMITATING STUDY ON BLASTING EFFECT OF JOINTED ROCK MASSES

The blasting experiment of the cement mortar model reveals that joint inclination affects blasted rock size distribution, which is an important index to evaluate the blasting effect. According to the fractal theory, the relationship is built up between fractal dimension and mass fraction of blasted fragments screened, that is, y x=100(x/x m ) 3-D . On the basis of the experiment results, the fractal dimension describing fragment size distribution is calculated.