Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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B L A S T I N G T E C H N O LO GY COMPANY PROFILE- PAID ADVERTISEMENT Hannay Reels Ideal for Mining Hannay Reels, the world's leading manufacturer of industrial hose and cable reels, offers a wide range of custom design capabilities to produce a variety of heavy-duty models ideally suited to meet the unique needs of mining applications. Used extensively both above and underground, Hannay Reels are the preferred choice for the mining industry due to their durability and dependability. Each reel is customdesigned and constructed of heavy-gauge steel with exclusive features for absorbing punishment, such as ribbed discs, dual-bearing and dual-frame support, and one-piece hub/axle designs. Drawing on decades of industry experience, Hannay Reels are designed for a variety of purposes in mining, including air/water lines, blasting/slurry, communications, electric cable for remote lighting and generators, fire protection, gas/arc welding, hydraulic/ pneumatic power tools, refueling, safety lines, service/lube hose for heavy off-road equipment, video inspection, washdown, waste oil excavation, and numerous other purposes. Hannay's superior manufacturing techniques, consistent quality, outstanding service and unmatched value result in the most dependable, best-engineered reels in the mining industry. For more information on Hannay's complete line of reels for the mining industry, please visit www.hannay.com or call 518.797.3791. 56 E&MJ; • DECEMBER 2012 Collar location and dimensions are updated automatically from drill rig navigation systems or field survey. Dip, backfill and charge sheets are automatically generated. Ruggedized tablets provide electronic data sharing in the field, extending immediate access to data. Site defined load design rules are applied across a pattern and can be further refined on a hole-by-hole basis. Video, photographs, documents and scans associated with a specific blast activity are stored in the BlastLogic SQL server and easily recalled. Overall, says Maptek, BlastLogic provides a standardized, repeatable and scalable process for single or multiple operations. DetNet, a 50:50 joint venture between AEL and Dyno Nobel, offers the ViewShot blast design software package, which allows firing plans to be designed and simulated on a computer, then downloaded with delay information from the firing plan to SmartShot and DigiShot Plus control systems. ViewShot, according to DetNet, offers support for sophisticated timing patterns, imports data from third-party planning software and provides blast design timing analysis and blast simulation, along with reporting and printing capabilities. Profit from Profiling Of growing interest to blast planners is the increasing capability— and availability—of simplified photogrammetric/stereo photogrammetric systems to profile bench faces and other terrain features of interest. Enterprises such as Austria-based 3G Software & Measurement (3GSM) have developed systems that provide a highly automated workflow that begins with the simple task of photographing, say, a bench face from slightly different angles with a calibrated digital SLR camera, then using sophisticated algorithms in the company's BlastMetrix3D software to process the photos into a 3-D image, and applying the resultant information to fit drill-pattern layout to the actual bench face geometry. In cases where larger areas or complex shapes extend beyond the information available from a single stereoscopic image pair, the area is recorded by several overlapping 3-D images. Using 3GSM's optional BMX ModelMerger software, the multiple images are converted to a larger 3-D model based on common structural and topographic information in the original images. This feature has been used to profile large blast sites extending more than 2,500 ft, according to 3GSM. Once the 3-D image of a bench face is generated, users can employ BMX BlastPlanner software, entering basic geometric parameters such as burden, spacing, or inclination of the boreholes and allowing the system to place them accordingly. Each borehole is profiled, and hole locations are viewable in 3-D and plan view. Robert McClure, president of international blast engineering and consulting firm RAM Inc., explained how stereo-photogrammetric solutions can benefit users. "Front row burdens are one of the most critical blast design measurements. Boreholes with excess burden can cause high vibration, poor fragmentation and lower burden velocity. All of these can negatively impact the overall blast and cast/throw performance as well as final wall integrity. Light burdens can generate flyrock and high air overpressures creating safety and compliance issues. Stereo photogrammetry profiling technology provides an accurate, safe and efficient way to profile the highwall and design an optimized blast pattern for improved blast performance," according to McClure. McClure, whose company represents 3GSM in North America, said BlastMetrix allows the user to optimize the blast design. The www.e-mj.com