Definition
Controlled blasting is the carefully designed and successive placement of explosives with timed sequences of detonations to safely excavate low-tensile strength materials to a defined surface. It may be utilized to conduct rapid removals of materials, while minimizing the risk of varied adverse impacts.
Blasting is an effective procedure, because chemical energy of the explosives is rapidly used to perform work. Two techniques utilize this rapid energy release: controlled blasting of low-tensile strength materials (rock and concrete) to be fractured and displaced to more easily processed sizes; and severance of metal frameworks, which deploys linear shaped charges detonated at discrete locations allowing the framework to be dismantled and displaced.
The performance of blasting and the potential risk of adverse impacts for both of these techniques are determined by several parameters, and confinement of the explosive charges is a major factor. Controlled blasting confines the...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
California Department of Transportation (2017) San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB), East Span Seismic Safety Project, SFOBB Old Spans Piers E3-E5 Implosions Project Report, EA 04-01357 or EFIS#: 04-16000287, 141 p with appendices
Hempen GL (2008) Destructive water-borne pressure waves. Proceedings of the sixth international conference on case histories in geotechnical engineering, Arlington, VA, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, 11 p
Keevin TM, Hempen GL (1997) The environmental effects of underwater explosions with methods to mitigate impacts, legacy report (Department of Defense study grant). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis, 145 p
Skeggs D, Lang G, Hempen G, Combs R, Clemmons M (2017) Controlled blasting for CCP landfill construction, world of coal ash conference, landfill session V, paper 206, Lexington KY, 11 p
US Army Corps of Engineers (in press, expected February 2018) Systematic drilling & blasting for surface excavations, EM 1110-2-3800, Washington, DC, 260 p & 2 appendices
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hempen, G.L. (2018). Blasting. In: Bobrowsky, P.T., Marker, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Engineering Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_30
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73568-9_30
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-73566-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73568-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences