Blast Design Using Measurement While Drilling Parameters

J B Segui1 and M Higgins2

ABSTRACT properties but also the drill settings. As both vary along the
blasthole, the approach is to consider them as an interlocked set
Measurement while drilling (MWD) techniques can provide a useful tool
to aid drill and blast engineers in open cut mining. By avoiding time of data and filter them through an appropriate algorithm.
consuming tasks such as scan-lines and rock sample collection for It is important to note that a MWD system must be calibrated
laboratory tests, MWD techniques can not only save time but also for a mine site. It does not have the ability for definitive
improve the reliability of the blast design by providing the drill and blast recognition of rock types. Also, the accuracy of the results are
engineer with the information specially tailored for use. effected by the resolution adopted by the mine. Resolution is the
While most mines use a standard blast pattern and charge per interval length of the drill hole over which data is measured and
blasthole, based on a single rock factor for the entire bench or blast evaluated (Figure 1). In industrial applications, it can be set as
region, information derived from the MWD parameters can improve the
blast design by providing more accurate rock properties for each
low as 10 cm. At the CMTE research facility in Brisbane, a
individual blasthole. From this, decisions can be made on the most resolution of about 3 mm has been achieved.
appropriate type and amount of explosive charge to place in a per
blasthole or to optimise the inter-hole timing detonation time of different
decks and blastholes. Where real-time calculations are feasible, the
system could extend the present blast design even be used to determine
the placement of subsequent holes towards a more appropriate blasthole
pattern design like asymmetrical blasting.

INTRODUCTION
In 1911, Schlumberger introduced downhole electrical logging to
the oil industry. At the time, its main aim was to reduce the
blindness of drilling operations and improve the knowledge of
oil field geology and structural characteristics. Since then,
logging systems have been extensively developed and other
features have been added, increasing the probing capability. The
system has proved to be extremely important for the oil industry,
and since the 1970s the technology had been extended to mining
operations, mainly in open pit bench drilling.
Early monitors were pen strip recorders adapted to mining.
They generated long reports of the results but the use of the data
was minimal (Vynne, 1997). A major difficulty was
interpretation of the records, requiring hours of tedious scanning
through the data and the system was susceptible to frequent
failures.
The use of computers has radically modified this scenario and FIG 1 - Blasthole description in terms of Blastability Index (BI) from the
today all interpretation is done by software, allowing filtered Aquila system gives the amount of each type of rock. It can infer up to
information to be delivered to the different centres in the mine. eight different rock types.
The scope of application of this information is extensive. For
instance, geologists can compare the inferred lithology to the
mine model; scheduling engineers can receive feedback on the Some MWD systems can produce a set of normalised numbers
timing and performance of each drill rig; mechanical engineers related to the specific energy (SE) from the default setup.
can determine the condition of components of the drill rig; drill Specific energy is the basic concept behind these techniques. It is
and blast engineers can produce detailed plans describing the used in both calculated and inferred parameters, and ultimately
location and downhole details of each blasthole; and the plant leads to determination of indices associated with rock properties,
can obtain a description and quantity of the rock types present in such as blastability index (BI) or comminution index (CI).
a blast. This paper focuses on how the use of the MWD systems
can improve the knowledge of the drill and blast engineer about Drilling versus crushing
rock mass variations within the bench and how this knowledge
can be applied to a blast design. As listed above, other aspects With mechanical methods of rock excavation, penetration into
and capabilities of the system are also possible. the solid rock mass is limited by the geometry and the pull-down
MWD systems have evolved from simple parameter recording force at tip of the drilling tool, and the properties of the rock.
to rock recognition systems. The system relies on a set of These determine the penetration achievable per revolution for a
parameters that have to be considered together and cannot be drill, measured in the direction of drilling. The penetration rate is
taken individually. The parameters not only reflect the rock unlikely to be greatly influenced by any lateral components of
force on the tool, whatever they may be (Teale, 1964). Thus, the
fundamental action of a drilling tool can be considered that of an
1. PhD Student, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, indenter, such as is commonly used for measuring surface
Isles Road, Indooroopilly QLD 4068. hardness, particularly of metals. Indenter penetration in the
E-mail: jsegui@mailbox.uq.edu.au surface of a semi-infinite solid of brittle material under a normal
2. Principal Consultant, JKTech, Isles Rd, Indooroopilly Qld 4068. thrust is the basis of all mechanical rock working processes.
E-mail: m.higgins@jktech.com.au

EXPLO 2001 Hunter Valley, NSW, 28 - 31 October 2001 231

J B SEGUI and M HIGGINS

Tricone drill bits used in mining are essentially arrays of A = cross-section area of the drill hole (cm2);
indenters mounted in the form of teeth on rollers. The rock
working process this type of tool performs is repeated N = rotation speed (RPM);
indentation under static thrust. The fragments are removed by T = torque (N.cm); and
high-pressure air or water to reduce secondary breakage inside
the hole. R = penetration rate (cm/min).
The effect of the drill bit forced into a hard rock surface can be The formula can be separated into two parts the thrust (or
described by two actions: vertical) component St, and the torque (or rotary) component Sr:
1. it penetrates by compacting and crushing the rock in front
F
of it; and S t = N.cm/cm3 (2)
A
2. after some penetrating depth, fragments of rock break out
from the bottom of the indenter hole (Figure 2).
2 NT
Sr = N.cm/cm3 (3)
A R

Since A is constant for a drill hole, then St is directly

proportional to F and Sr is proportional to T/R for a fixed N.
Therefore, the torque-penetration curve for a rock type, over a
reasonable working range of rotation speed for a drill,
approximates to a straight line through the origin. So, for a given
A and N, Sr and therefore S itself should show little variation over
the working range referred above.
As an alternative, the penetration per revolution P = R/N (cm
per rev) can be used:

2 T
r = N.cm/cm3 (4)
A P

Where T is the torque required to remove a layer of rock per

FIG 2 - Indenter action on a rock surface.
Teale describes indenters and drills as primary crushers
because their product is broken from a semi-infinite solid and is
not, as in other crushers, the result of reducing one existing size
distribution to another. There have been many studies in crushing
generally relating applied energy to material properties and
dimensions. However, with regard to the differences in
dimension and application, the concept of specific energy,
determined from the energy balance of actual drilling operations,
can be used to estimate insitu rock properties (Teale, 1964).
Specific energy and drill performance
Specific energy is defined as the work done per unit volume
excavated. The amount of energy necessary to excavate a given
volume of rock should depend entirely on the properties of the
rock. The difference between this theoretical amount of energy
and the applied mechanical energy can be explained by
revolution to a depth P.
For a given rock type, torque is directly proportional to thrust,
and can be up to ten times or more the magnitude of the thrust.
Since the amount of energy required to break brittle material like
rock is not much affected by the rate at which it is applied, the
relationship between T and P may not be significantly affected
by changes in rotation speed. Therefore, the ratio (T/P) can be a
useful index for specific energy.
Specific energy attains its highest values at low thrust. Below
a certain value of thrust there will be no effective penetration
into the rock. The volume excavated will be zero but a finite
amount of work will still occur against friction. This situation
will yield infinite values for specific energy. As thrust increases
above the minimum value, particle size and penetration rate will
increase and specific energy will decrease. However, this
situation will not continue indefinitely. Eventually, the pull down
pressure will cause the drill bit to stall in the rock or the volume
of cuttings will be too large to be removed and will lead to
regrinding (Figure 3). This will increase the specific energy at
some point before stalling.
ROP x Pulldown Pressure
16000 350
Pulldown Pressure (lbf x in2)

dissipation in regrinding, friction, and mechanical losses outside

14000 300
the rock-drill interaction.
12000
250
In analysing the components of specific energy for rotary
ROP (m/h)

10000
non-percussive drilling (Teale, 1964), the work done can 200
8000
described by the formula: 6000
150

100
4000
F 2 NT 50
S = + N.cm/cm3 (1) 2000
A A u 0 0
1
22
43
64
85
106
127
148
169
190
211
232
253
274
295
316
337
358
379
400
421
442
463

Blasthole Depth (cm)

where:
S = specific energy; FIG 3 - Variation in rate of penetration (ROP) versus pulldown pressure
F = thrust (Newtons); (PDP) from MWD.

232 Hunter Valley, NSW, 28 - 31 October 2001 EXPLO 2001

 BLAST DESIGN USING MEASUREMENT WHILE DRILLING PARAMETERS
Therefore, for a fixed rotation speed and a particular rock type,
there is a range of thrust where the specific energy will reach a
minimum value and the mechanical efficiency of the drill will
reach a maximum. This relationship offers a method of equating
drilling performance to a rock strength parameter. The
consequences of this are significant for operations such as
blasting, comminution and scheduling. However, it must be
noted that this is also dependent on drilling conditions. Rock
structure, such as open or closed joints, will generate
unpredictable fluctuations in specific energy that are not related
to rock strength.
Rock characterisation by MWD
As shown above, MWD systems are capable of highlighting
variations in rock types and thus improve the knowledge of the
geological characteristics of rock domains for drilling and
blasting. From these parameters, with the addition of a global
positioning system (GPS) to determine hole collar position, it is
possible to simulate a virtual bench for comparison and
enhancement.
The parameters can be divided into three categories:
measured,
calculated, and
inferred.
Measured parameters are, for example, RPM, bailing air
volume, vibration, pulldown force, depth of drill bit and rotation
pressure.
Calculated parameters include direct values such as rate of
penetration and torque, and indirect values such as specific
energy.
Inferred parameters are those which are dependent on the
operating conditions, and whose calculation must be calibrated
for the drill equipment, local rock properties and structure and
drilling performance. Two examples of these are the Blastability
Index (BI) generated by the Aquila system, and the
Comminution Index (CI) currently being investigated at JKMRC.
The Blastability Index aims to quantify the potential response of
the rock to blasting, similar to the rock factor in the Kuz-Ram
fragmentation model. A high BI indicates rock that is difficult to
break (high strength, low joint frequency) and a low BI indicates
softer rock (low strength, many joints). The Comminution Index
is seeking to extend this concept in terms of the crushability or
grindability of the rock, by comparing MWD parameters
recorded at higher rates with known values such as point load
test, drop weight test and Bond work index, from information
accumulated and developed at the JKMRC. In both cases, these
values are derived from models using both measured and
calculated parameters as inputs, and the calibration is highly
dependent on the relationships between the measured parameters
at any point in the rock. It will also be affected by the resolution
adopted for measurement of the downhole values.
There is a misguided tendency to use direct parameters
(measured and some calculated values) as an indication of rock
properties for example, using the rate of penetration (ROP) as a
direct measurement of the rock strength, or by association with
other rock properties, in blast design. Although ROP is
proportional to rock strength, it can be influenced by other
factors, the most common of which is variation in pulldown
pressure (PDP), which will be reflected directly in the ROP
readings (Figure 3). Fractures and voids can affect the ROP as
well. In highly fractured zones the ROP can increase but can also
create a stall. A typical example of this generally occurs in the
upper part of a bench, where the MWD parameters will indicate
a softer rock, possibly up to 2 m depth, even though this rock is
the same as that above and below. In fact, the parameters are
being affected by the pre-conditioning from the bottom charge of
EXPLO 2001 Hunter Valley, NSW, 28 - 31 October 2001
the previous blast. Most of the time this will not have a
significant influence in terms of blast design because it occurs in
the stemming zone. Nevertheless, it can be useful for the
prediction of blast fragmentation.
Blast design using MWD
Mines are now starting to apply MWD parameters to blast
design, such as in determining explosive charging after the holes
have been drilled. Three cases presented below illustrate this
application.
BHP Iron Ore in Newman, WA, was using a simple MWD
system producing only a few parameters for each blasthole. With
some modelling work done by the JKMRC, a crude specific
energy index was calculated as a normalised ratio of ROP and
PDP, expressed as a weighted average of the indices generated
from composites in each blasthole. Previously, the only system
in use was the Pilbara Iron Ore Classification (PIOC), which has
been applied for many years (Kneeshaw, 1984). PIOC is an
empirical index of the physical and chemical attributes of the ore
assigned by the mine geologist. This system was initially
developed for exposed ore faces for stratigraphic modelling and
refinement of the block model.
In this case, the blasting engineers use a simplified version of
the PIOC index applied to each blasthole in the pattern based on
inspection of drill cuttings. This is much more accurate than
considering the whole bench as one rock type and using one set
of charging parameters for all blastholes. However, comparison
with the drilling index shows that the results are not consistent,
depending on the subjective interpretation of the drill cuttings or
which section of the cuttings cone was inspected. For example,
cuttings from the bottom of the blasthole may entirely cover the
cone and give a false result of the index. In all cases, if large
discrepancies occurred when comparing PIOC with the drilling
index, the PIOC value was adjusted.
The resulting values for each hole were plotted as contour
plans, showing variations in rock strength across the bench that
could be used to determine an optimal quantity or type of
explosive for hole charging.
Ernest Henry Mine in Queensland is currently implementing a
MWD system with the aim to determine a comminution index
for downstream crushing and grinding, in terms of volume of
each rock type per blast. However, there is no existing rock mass
classification system for comparison on a hole by hole basis, so
results to date have been compared with geological maps. A
contour map of Blastability Indexes since the beginning of the
trial is shown in Figure 4.
FIG 4 - Contour map of bench WB24N (BHPIO Newman) of normalised
MWD parameters (from JKSimBlast).
The map shows three distinct zones. In the central part of the
pit there is a supergenic weathered rock (blue), which is
considered soft by the mine; in the NE and SW are medium
strength rock types; and in the southern part of the pit, felsic
volcanic and mafelsic volcanic rocks are rated as hard to very
hard material. Blast engineers use this information to determine
explosive charge for each hole in a way that previously was not
possible, particularly for transition within a blast from one rock
type to another.
233
J B SEGUI and M HIGGINS

The third example, from a copper mine, shows the downhole
variations in BI for a particular blast. Note that there are a
significant number of holes showing soft collars, which can be
directly attributed to pre-conditioning by previous blasts. When
the total length of each rock type in each hole is plotted as a
contour plan for the blast, distinct zones become apparent, with a
ridge of soft material extending up from the south and a second
concentration in the northern part of the blast area. It is then a
simple step to select those holes that exceed a certain quantity of
soft rock and charge them with a lower energy explosive. Also,
those holes that show a harder toe can be individually selected
for charging with a higher energy explosive to ensure consistent
breakage at floor level.

FIG 5 - Contour map of the whole pit at Ernest Henry Mine showing hard (red), medium (green) and soft (blue) rock strength zones (from JKSimBlast)
(refer to CD ROM version for colour explanation).

FIG 6 - Sectional view of downhole values of Blastability Index for a copper mine.

234 Hunter Valley, NSW, 28 - 31 October 2001 EXPLO 2001

 BLAST DESIGN USING MEASUREMENT WHILE DRILLING PARAMETERS
FIG 7 - Contour plot of total length of soft rock in each blasthole. Note the zoning of rock types (refer to CD ROM version for colour explanation).
These examples illustrate the possibility of using MWD
parameters to modify the charging aspects of blast designs to
cope with variations in rock properties within a blast. When rock
mass properties are consistent, blast design is straightforward
and performance is predictable. But when the properties vary,
such as rock strength and joint frequency, the a calculated or
inferred parameter will clearly show this.
There are also potential alternatives to fine tuning the
explosive charge. As the usage of electronic detonators increases,
it may be possible to optimise initiation timing with regard to
energy distribution within the rock mass from the explosive
column and burden relief performance during the detonation
sequence. With the increased sophistication of MWD systems, it
is now possible to provide results in real time, which means that
the on-board system could automatically determine the optimum
placement of subsequent blastholes while drilling (Segui, 2001).
CONCLUSIONS
MWD systems provide a better more accurate, detailed and
timely description of the rock mass inside the hidden volume
of the bench than traditional assessment methods.
The consistency behind the MWD system removes the human
error in manual classification systems.
Cost savings and improved blast performance are possible by
utilisation of the automation of drilling, such as prevention of
over and under drilling and increased rate of penetration. With
appropriate site developed guidelines, there is significant
potential to automate many aspects of the blast design process.
MWD systems are not absolute rock recognition systems.
However, with insitu calibration and proper interpretation, they
have considerable potential for not only drill and blast design and
implementation but also for short term scheduling and mineral
processing.
EXPLO 2001 Hunter Valley, NSW, 28 - 31 October 2001
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank mine superintendent Derek Miller,
training supervisor Chris Dunbar, drill and blast engineers
Andrew Theobald, Jason Kohn, Claye Bickers, and Derrick
Barden (IT Services) from BHPIO Newman for their tremendous
support for our constant demands for data and for help. Geoff
LeJuge was a tremendous help in fieldwork and we would like to
thank him for the wise guidance.
Our work would be not possible at Ernest Henry Mine without
the support of mine technical services manager John Moore, drill
and blast manager John Flynn, drill and blast engineer Shaun
Barker, and project geologist Max Ayliffe.
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