Sign In


Forgot Password?

Don't have account, Sign Up Here

Forgot Password

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.


Have an account? Sign In Now

Sorry, you do not have permission to Add a Post, You must login to Add a Post.


Forgot Password?

Need An Account, Sign Up Here

Sorry, you do not have permission to add Article.


Forgot Password?

Need An Account, Sign Up Here

Please briefly explain why you feel this Post should be reported.

Please briefly explain why you feel this Comment should be reported.

Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported.

Mining Doc Logo Mining Doc Logo Mining Doc Logo
Sign InSign Up

Mining Doc

Mining Doc Navigation

  • Home
    • About
    • Contact us
  • Mining articles
  • Online Courses
  • Jobs
Search
Sign up

Mobile menu

Close
join for free
  • Home
  • Online courses
  • Case study
  • Mining Community
  • Solutions listing
    • Lase Solutions
    • O-PitBlast Solutions
    • Continuous Mining
    • Longwall mining
    • Geosight Scanners
    • LoopX AI
    • Blasting solutions
    • Geotechnical
    • Submersible Pumps
    • Mine rescue system
    • Ore sorting
  • Add Blog
  • Feed
  • User Profile
  • Posts
    • New Posts
    • Trending Posts
    • Must read Posts
    • Hot Posts
  • Polls
  • Badges
  • Home
    • About
    • Contact us
  • Mining articles
  • Online Courses
  • Jobs

Mining Doc Latest Posts

Mining Doc
  • 0
  • 0
Mining DocExplainer
Added: May 13, 20252025-05-13T08:05:42-04:00 2025-05-13T08:05:42-04:00In: Mining Operations

What is smooth wall balsting?

  • 0
  • 0

Smooth wall blasting is the most commonly used underground technique and was developed in Sweden (The Blasters’ Handbook, n.d.). The smooth wall line technique is composed around the final excavation line under ground where the holes are lightly loaded to reduce the amount of overbreak. These explosives are also decoupled from the sides of the borehole.

The smooth wall holes are started after the initial blast, which is the last characteristic of smooth wall blasting. Before blast damage starts, smooth wall blasting will enable it to spread past the smooth wall line.

In order to provide a smooth pro file for the perimeter, the most damaged rock will be removed from the last excavation line. The holes should be shot in groups to optimise the charge per delay if more smooth wall holes are needed than can be started in an 8 ms time period.

Compared to presplit blasting operations, smooth wall blasting may require a wider bore hole spacing. For smooth wall blasting, a burden-to-spacing ratio of 1.5:1 is usually the starting point. Occasionally, a pilot heading is employed to guarantee the rock’s maximum relief.

A tiny tunnel that is dug in the middle or close to the top of the planned tunnel is called a pilot heading. The cross-section is drilled and shot once the pilot heading has been fully dug. As a result, a larger section of the excavation line can be blasted smoothly.

The smooth wall technique also involves more perimeter drill holes when compared to conventional underground methods. Drilling costs have the greatest impact on the economics of any blasting operation (The Blasters’ Handbook, n.d.).

Additionally, smooth wall blasting is known to have performance issues in weak rock formations (The Blasters’ Handbook, n.d.).

If the rock mass is too weak to support itself, the smooth wall blast will not eliminate the need for additional support (Eades & Perry, 2019). Drilling accuracy is a paramount concern with smooth wall blasting. Due to the additional challenges of drilling and blasting in an underground heading, drill accuracy is critical to the success of a smooth wall blast (Eades & Perry, 2019).

When the smooth wall holes cannot all be fired on a single delay, the relief is limited to the arch and partially down the rib because of the muckpile. Therefore, smooth blasting results will degrade further down the rib of the excavation line, which may cause safety concerns in larger entries (Eades & Perry, 2019).

Reference

Eades, R. Q., & Perry, K. (2019). Understanding the connection between blasting and highwall stability. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 29(1), 99–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2018.11.016

The Blasters’ Handbook. (n.d.). Isee.Org. Retrieved May 13, 2025, from https://isee.org/resources/publications/the-blasters-handbook

0
  • 0 0 Comments
  • 190 Views
  • 190 Reactions
  • 0 Followers
  • 0
    • Report
  • Share
    Share
    • Share on Facebook
    • Share on Twitter
    • Share on LinkedIn
    • Share on WhatsApp

Related Posts

  • What is the function of frothers in flotation?
  • What is a boilermaker?
  • Factors affecting shovel performance

You must login to add an Comment.


Forgot Password?

Need An Account, Sign Up Here
aalan

Sidebar

Ads – Mining Solutions

aalanaalan
  • Recent
  • Pueblo Viejo Advances Resettlement Following Successful Resolution Through the Commission
    • On: June 13, 2025

    Pueblo Viejo Advances Resettlement Following Successful Resolution Through the Commission

  • Rio Tinto launches ore sorting demonstration project at its Havre-Saint-Pierre mine
    • On: June 13, 2025

    Rio Tinto launches ore sorting demonstration project at its Havre-Saint-Pierre ...

  • Botswana's diamond giant slashes output as demand falls.
    • On: June 12, 2025

    Botswana's diamond giant slashes output as demand falls.

  • The pitfalls of automation in mining
    • On: June 12, 2025

    The pitfalls of automation in mining

  • Directional drilling tools and how they work
    • On: June 11, 2025

    Directional drilling tools and how they work

  • Several drilling industry sectors
    • On: June 11, 2025

    Several drilling industry sectors

  • Geological conditions suitable for sublevel caving method
    • On: June 10, 2025

    Geological conditions suitable for sublevel caving method

Go to Home page to view more

Top Members

Olena Skyba

Olena Skyba

  • 150 Posts
  • 2 Comments
Pundit
Marcial

Marcial

  • 91 Posts
  • 0 Comments
Enlightened
LASE Industrielle Lasertechnik GmbH

LASE Industrielle Lasertechnik GmbH

  • 13 Posts
  • 0 Comments
Enlightened
Job Posting (View more here)


Job Description:
UG Geologist I/II

Location: USA


Apply on the company website


Job Description: Senior Environmental Coordinator


Location: Canada

Click here to apply


Job: Advisor, Health & Safety Exploration


Location: Ghana


Apply on the company website
Trending on Mining Doc

Trending Communities

Fixed Plant General Information Geology Mining Case Studies Mining Engineering Mining Events Mining Finance and Economy Mining Human Resources Mining Industry Research Mining Operations Mining Software Solutions Mining Sustainability Mining Technology Solutions Mobile Plant Equipment

Explore

  • Home
  • Online courses
  • Case study
  • Mining Community
  • Solutions listing
    • Lase Solutions
    • O-PitBlast Solutions
    • Continuous Mining
    • Longwall mining
    • Geosight Scanners
    • LoopX AI
    • Blasting solutions
    • Geotechnical
    • Submersible Pumps
    • Mine rescue system
    • Ore sorting
  • Add Blog
  • Feed
  • User Profile
  • Posts
    • New Posts
    • Trending Posts
    • Must read Posts
    • Hot Posts
  • Polls
  • Badges

Footer

Mining Doc

Join our community and connect with other people in the Mining industry for knowledge sharing.

Legal Stuff

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Help

  • Support
  • FAQs
  • How to add new content and how to promote a content
  • Compliance and guidelines
  • Subscribe to Mining Doc

Follow

© 2025 Mining Doc. All Rights Reserved