Evaluation of ground vibrations and the effect of air blast in open-pit phosphate mines

Abstract

Blasting constitutes a beneficial industrial technology, used in quarries and mining production processes, which ensures the achievement of the expected results in a short period of time with relatively low cost. Nevertheless, a significant part of the used blasting energy is wasted in the form of ground vibration and air blast. Hence, blasting-induced ground vibrations are one of the fundamental problems in the mining industry which may cause severe damage to structures and plants nearby. Therefore, a vibration control study plays an important part in the minimization of the environmental effects of blasting in mines. This study represents an investigation reporting ground motion (measured in terms of peak particle velocity (mm/s)) and air blast overpressure measurements around the open-pit phosphate mine near Metlaoui area (southwestern Tunisia). It aimed to calculate the site’s constants: K (ground transmission coefficient) and n (site attenuation curve slope). The obtained site parameters allowed determining the propagation equation of the blast-induced seismic waves in the study area. The scope of this study was to predict the peak particle velocity when the amount of explosive charge and/or the distance were altered with minimum spoil to the environment. Also, a frequency overview of the study area revealed the dominance of low frequencies (> 40 Hz). Such values can cause damage to the nearby structures when a specific peak particle velocity value is reached by blasting. Moreover, this study demonstrated that all overpressure magnitudes were less than 134 dB, which is the safe limit of air blast level.