A critical analysis of recent research into the prediction of flyrock and related issues resulting from surface blasting activities

Abstract

SYNOPSIS Since 2010, a number of researchers have investigated the development of new models to generate accurate predictions relating to the risks from flyrock. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyse these recent studies in order to determine the validity of the findings as a global solution. Recent publications have proposed a wide range of potential approaches and techniques to predict or investigate flyrock. Several authors have proposed viable solutions based on assumed causative parameters and their impact as inputs. However, the results were concluded to be site-specific and could not be applied to other environments. Since the actual impact of blast design parameters on the risk of flyrock remains debatable, based on the varying assumptions made in recent research, it is important to use an objective methodology for evaluating the impact of design parameters as well as environmental considerations. The testing methodologies used to measure the actual flyrock distance are not scientific and are highly dependent on the scrutiny of the researcher. In order to present results that are objective and uncriticizable, an accurate, quantitative and objective method of measuring the travel distance of flyrock is required. Keywords: flyrock, flyrock prediction, flyrock measurement, blast safety, blast analysis, blast damage.