Explosive energy-rock fragmentation correlations for two experiments

Abstract

Experiments defined the effects of borehole decQupling on fragmentation and on explosive energy release. Fragmentation was defined by rock product particle weight, and energy was described in terms of shock pressure and gas or bubble pressure. Fragmentation effects were related to distributions of explosive-supplied energy at common pressures using a Weibull distribution.A correlation was found between rock fragmentation and borehole gas pressure, but no such correlation appeared between fragmentation and shock pressure. Therefore, gas pressure energy and not shock energy appears to provide the primary impetus for breaking rock in confined boreholes.