Practical Risk Assessment of Ground Vibrations Resulting from Blasting, Using Gene Expression Programming and Monte Carlo Simulation Techniques

Amir Mahdiyar,Mohammadreza Koopialipoor,Arham Abdullah,Danial Jahed Armaghani,Ahmadreza Hedayat,Khairulzan Yahya

doi:10.3390/app10020472

Abstract

Peak particle velocity (PPV) is a critical parameter for the evaluation of the impact of blasting operations on nearby structures and buildings. Accurate estimation of the amount of PPV resulting from a blasting operation and its comparison with the allowable ranges is an integral part of blasting design. In this study, four quarry sites in Malaysia were considered, and the PPV was simulated using gene expression programming (GEP) and Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Data from 149 blasting operations were gathered, and as a result of this study, a PPV predictive model was developed using GEP to be used in the simulation. In order to ensure that all of the combinations of input variables were considered, 10,000 iterations were performed, considering the correlations among the input variables. The simulation results demonstrate that the minimum and maximum PPV amounts were 1.13 mm/s and 34.58 mm/s, respectively. Two types of sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the sensitivity of the PPV results based on the effective variables. In addition, this study proposes a method specific to the four case studies, and presents an approach which could be readily applied to similar applications with different conditions.

Highlights

In mining and civil engineering projects, a common technique to remove rock mass is to blast the rock mass
The Peak particle velocity (PPV) resulting from blasting operations—a critical environmental issue—needs to be predicted accurately for any blastingfrom operations
Present research centred uponissue—needs the simulation resulting blasting The operations—a criticalwas environmental to ofbe in fouraccurately quarry sitesfor located in Malaysia. It took into input variables of stemming, predicted any blasting operations

Summary

Introduction

In mining and civil engineering projects, a common technique to remove rock mass is to blast the rock mass This results in a problem of wasted blasting energy, which occurs for different reasons, and brings about a number of environmental issues, like ground vibrations, backbreak, dust and fumes, air overpressure and flyrock [1,2,3,4,5]. MC simulation is a quantitative technique considers of is capable of analysing the effect of uncertain variables to predict or assess the risk. MC simulation is has capable been adopted in various due to its capabilities predicting the effect of analysing the effectengineering of uncertain fields variables to predict or assess thein risk. In an MC risk analysis model, sampling techniques areof used based on been adopted in various engineering fields due to itsrandom capabilities in predicting the effect uncertain variables. In an risk analysis model, random sampling techniques are used based results on the are the requirements of MC the model, and statistical analyses are conducted to ensure accurate requirements of the model, and statistical analyses are conducted toinensure results are of obtained

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion