Engineering Parameters Affecting Blast-Induced Rock Fragmentation: A Short Review

Blasting is the only economical way of excavating hard rocks for mining production and civil engineering operations where mucking from the in-situ rock is not feasible. Blasting performance depends upon two parameters: rock and rock mass properties which cannot be controlled and blast design which is controllable and can be optimized. The methods to assess these parameters exist in various research works and difficult to be assessed by the practitioners. This review gathers and discusses the most common empirical methods for assessing these blasting parameters and the models developed to predict rock fragmentation and should interest quarry operators and managers as it will help for preliminary design and adjust according to the field trial results.