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Structure response and damage produced by ground vibration from blasting.

Siskind DE; Stagg MS; Kopp JW; Dowding CH

Minneapolis, MN: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, OFR 105-80, 1980 Jan; :1-176

10007144

The Bureau of Mines studied blast-produced ground vibration from surface mining to assess its damage and annoyance potential, and to determine safe levels and appropriate measurement techniques. Direct measurements were made of ground-vibration-produced structure responses and damage in 76 homes for 219 production blasts. The results were combined with damage data from nine other blasting studies, including three analyzed previously for Bureau of Mines bulletin 656. Safe levels of ground vibration from blasting ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 in/sec peak particle velocity for residential-type structures. The damage threshold values are functions of the frequencies of the vibration transmitted into the residences and the types of construction. Particularly serious are the low-frequency vibrations existing in soft foundation materials and/or blast-to- residence distances that not only produce structural resonances, but also excessive levels of displacement and strain.

Mining-industry; Explosive-hazards; Explosion-damage; Vibration

19800101

CP

1980

OFR 105-80

TCRC

Minneapolis, MN: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, OFR 105-80

MN