A New Development of BQS (Blastability Quality System) for Closely Spaced Formations

Abstract

Success in the excavation of geological formations is commonly known as being very important in asserting stability. Furthermore, when the subjected geological formation is rocky and the use of explosives is required, the demands of successful blasting are multiplied. The present paper proposes a classification system, named: BQS (Blastability Quality System), for rock masses with closely spaced discontinuities (spacing lower than 0.1 m). It is obvious that rock quality is one of the main characteristics which define the blast ability of a rock. The BQS can be an easy and widely-used tool as it is a quick evaluator for blastability and rock mass quality at one time. Taking into consideration the research calculations and the parameters of BQS, what has been at question in this paper is the effect of blast ability in a geological formation with closely spaced discontinuities.

Uncertainty consideration in rock mass blastability assessment in open pit mines using Monte Carlo simulation

“…It is challenging to assess the blastability accurately due to the large scale effects of the blast, the complexity of rock mass structures, and the simultaneous variation of all associated rock mass factors [14]. Thus, so far many researchers have tried to summarize the rock mass blastability in index measures or classifications such as Blastability Index (BI) [15], Energy-Block Transition (EBT) model [16], Blastability Quality System (BQS) [17,18], neural networks [19], fuzzy sets [20] and Rock Mass index (RMi) [21]. As the review of past literature reveals, the BI presents a basic definition of blastability and is the most popular approach for the blastability analysis.…”