A blast mat, or blasting mat, is a strong, dense and flexible product designed to diminish the effects of an explosion or detonation. These mats are often useful in applications that involve rock blasting because of their ability to minimize flying debris and prevent damage and injuries. They also control flying dust to minimize mess and reduce potential respiratory risks to nearby personnel and bystanders.
In industries such as mining and construction, some flying debris is inevitable with explosions. Typically, companies try to limit the flying dust and debris as much as possible. Some forms of flying debris pose particular hazards, like flyrock. Flyrock occurs when a detonation sends rock fragments soaring through the air at high speeds that can cause serious injuries and property damage.
Just as important as blast mats’ ability to retain large and small rock fragments is their capacity to contain vibrations from the explosion. Using reliable blast mats helps facilities contain the vibrations and shock waves that could topple buildings and cause physical trauma to onlookers.
Using blast mats is often more effective than other containment and reduction techniques. For instance, demolition crews sometimes attempt to minimize dust by using specific techniques as they drill into the bedrock. Still, drilling methods can only do so much to prevent flying debris, so using blast mats is often a more reliable and effective solution.
Blasting applications can use a single mat for a small explosion or deploy a layer of mats for a more powerful detonation. A site may also arrange the mats in different configurations by laying them horizontally on the ground, suspending them vertically or attaching them to specific structures. In many cases, it also becomes necessary to anchor the blast mats to the ground so the force of the explosion will not dislodge them, and they won’t slide down an incline.
