The report is the first comprehensive textbook on a relatively new method of construction originating from research into the large-scale use of explosives for construction purposes. The central idea is that explosives can be made to do more work for the civil engineer than just break up rock: various types of excavations and explosion-generated effects can be designed and produced safely, quickly, and in many cases cheaper than by the use of other techniques. The overall concept, design approach and procedures, and the operational consequences of using currently available techniques are fully described. Emphasis is on the adaptability of the method, and its present and future potential as a cost competitive tool in various construction roles. The report deals with the mechanism of crater formation and characteristics of explosion-produced craters. It covers the types of projects where such craters have useful application; how to choose the proper explosive; how to design the charge emplacement and firing system; and how to evaluate the potential hazardous effects from detonation. The field operations associated with using the method are described and the postshot engineering considerations are discussed. An example is given illustrating how to analyze a typical excavation project. (Author).

[Describes all reports prepared from fiscal years 1962-72.]

This book summarizes the technical advances in recent decades and the various theories on rock excavation raised by scholars from different countries, including China and Russia. It not only focuses on rock blasting but also illustrates a number of non-blasting methods, such as mechanical excavation in detail. The book consists of 3 parts: Basic Knowledge, Surface Excavation and Underground Excavation. It presents a variety of technical methods and data from diverse sources in the book, making it a valuable theoretical and practical reference resource for engineers, researchers and postgraduates alike.

Surface and Underground Excavations – Methods, Techniques and Equipment (2nd edition) covers the latest technologies and developments in the excavation arena at any locale: surface or underground. In the first few chapters, unit operations are discussed and subsequently, excavation techniques are described for various operations: tunnelling, drifting, raising, sinking, stoping, quarrying, surface mining, liquidation and mass blasting as well as construction of large subsurface excavations such as caverns and underground chambers. The design, planning and development of excavations are treated in a separate chapter. Especially featured are methodologies to select stoping methods through incremental analysis. Furthermore, this edition encompasses comprehensive sections on mining at ‘ultra depths’, mining difficult deposits using non-conventional technologies, mineral inventory evaluation (ore – reserves estimation) and mine closure. Concerns over Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), environment and loss prevention, and sustainable development are also addressed in advocating a solution to succeed within a scenario of global competition and recession. This expanded second edition has been wholly revised, brought fully up-to-date and includes (wherever feasible) the latest trends and best practices, case studies, global surveys and toolkits as well as questions at the end of each chapter. This volume will now be even more appealing to students in earth sciences, geology, and in civil, mining and construction engineering, to practicing engineers and professionals in these disciplines as well as to all with a general or professional interest in surface and underground excavations.