Handbook

This course covers the principal methods of rock breakage used in mining including machine mining, drilling and blasting. Machine mining encompasses rock cutting principles, cutting with picks and discs, the design of cutter heads, effect of wear, assessment of rock cuttability, impact breakage and ripping. Drilling encompasses the methods of drilling used in mining and the impact of drilling parameters on performance and selection and costing of drilling equipment. Blasting encompasses the chemistry of explosives and mechanics of explosive-rock interaction, selection of commercial explosives, explosive charging techniques, initiation and delay systems, blast design principles for surface and underground mines, safety, environmental and regulatory management and blast performance assessment and analysis. The course introduces how an emerging rock breakage technology can be applied to mining and illustrates the application of simulation of drill and blast technique to the blast design for surface and underground mines.