Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8732-4750

Date Available

12-5-2017

Year of Publication

2017

Degree Name

Master of Science in Mining Engineering (MSMIE)

Document Type

Master's Thesis

College

Engineering

Department/School/Program

Mining Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Jhon Silva-Castro

Abstract

The stability of the high-walls is one of the major concerns for open pit mines. Among the various factors affecting the stability of high-walls, blast vibrations can be an important one. In general, worldwide the established respective government regulations and industry standards are used as guidance to determine the maximum recommended levels of the peak particle velocity and frequency from the blast to avoid any effects on the structures around the mining project. However, most of the regulations are meant for buildings or houses and do not concern high-walls.

This thesis investigates the response of high-walls under the effects of vibrations from mine blasting. In this research, the relationship between the high-wall response, the geometry of the slope, the frequency and the amplitude, of the ground vibration produced by blasting, is explored using numerical models in 3DEC. The numerical models were calibrated initially with data collected using seismographs installed in a surface mine operation and recording vibrations produced by an underground mine drill and blast operation. Once the calibration was accomplished, a parametric study was developed to explore the relationships between various parameters under study and its impact on the stability of high-walls.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2017.467

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