TITLE:
Airblast and Ground Vibration Monitoring at Chimiwungo Pit
AUTHORS:
Eugie Kabwe, Yiming Wang
KEYWORDS:
Airblast, Blasting, Chimiwungo Pit, Seismographs, Vibration
JOURNAL NAME:
Geomaterials,
Vol.6 No.1,
January
28,
2016
ABSTRACT: Impacts of airblast and
vibrations arise from blasting, a dangerous activity if not designed and
performed to standard. This paper evaluates airblast
and ground vibration levels and its potential impact on the neighbouring communities. Two calibrated seismographs were used
to monitor potential airblast and ground vibration generated from the blast at
Chimiwungo Pit. The blast complied with the set limits for infrastructures and
slopes monitoring. Vibrations recorded from the trial shot PPV were predicted at 2.46 mm/s and
Airblast of 10 mm/s with a maximum of 134 dB at the mine boundary, all remained
well below accepted industry standards and guidelines. The airblast and ground
vibration levels monitored and recorded were considered to be normal for
surface blasting operations and had no negative impact on the nearby township
of Manyama.