BlastQuest
is a blasting company which offers many types of blasting services to
our clients. This document aims to demystify the types of blasting that
is available by shortly listing and discussing each blasting type
(civil, bulk, trench blasting etc.) and its application in your
environment. BULK BLASTING BlastQuest
is a blasting company and offers bulk blasting for the Mining and
Quarrying industry as well as the civil industry. In the mining industry
bulk blasting may also mean cast blasting which literary means to
throw. Cast blasting is popular in coal mines where the need exists to
blast large amounts of overburden and coal. Cast blasting operations
aims to achieve the optimum fragmentation of the blasted product that
will be easily hauled and crushed to the final desired product.
BlastQuest make use of tried and tested blast calculations to achieve
this Blast
Quest is also involved in quarry blasting such as dimension stone
quarries. Bulk blasting requirements in quarry operations often require
the removal of large amount of rock and rubble in order to expose a
solid rock formation which is suitable for the dimension stone industry. These
rock formations are mechanically cut into large blocks of stone before
they are further processed and polished. BlastQuest may have been part
of the process that gave you your beautiful kitchen top! Bulk
Blasting is also typically found in the civil engineering /
construction industry. The aim of bulk blasting in the civil industry is
mainly to remove large quantities of rock for the purpose of preparing or levelling a construction site and not to expose a mineral or rock formation. CIVIL BLASTING Unlike
mine or quarry blasting, civil blasting is not done for the sole
purpose of mining or exposing a product but it is for the sole purpose
of breaking, removing, excavating or demolishing rock and concrete of
various sizes and amounts. Civil blasting requires a different licence
to mine licences. The challenge in civil blasting is that more accuracy
is required since many civil operations are in or close to public
infrastructure. As a blasting company, BlastQuest as a blasting company
specialises in this type of blasting and enjoys the fact that no one
blast is ever the same. CIVIL BLASTING – TRENCHES One
of the most common requirements for civil blasting companies is for the
purpose of hard rock excavation through trench blasting. Trenches are
usually dug to insert infrastructure such as reticulation systems,
electricity etc. BlastQuest has developed unique trench drilling and
blasting methodologies and techniques to ensure that the correct level
is maintained while safely and quickly blasting away rock. CIVIL BLASTING – SUMPS & RESERVOIRS BlastQuest
is often required to conduct box cutting in order to blast out specific
sizes and depths of rock for the purpose of excavating hard rock to
prepare the construction of sumps, dams or reservoirs. As with the case
of most reticulation blasting projects, BlastQuest as a responsible
blasting company must take special care not to use the incorrect
explosive which may negatively affect the environment and water safety. CIVIL BLASTING – ROAD CUTTING With
the current infrastructure growth seen in Africa BlastQuest has been
involved in many road construction projects. Often blasting is required
for the planned road to maintain a certain level or to excavate hard
rock under the planned road surface thus ensuring better road
preparation. The most challenging aspect of road cutting for any
blasting company is blasting through slopes, hills or large rock
formations. BlastQuest believes the trick here lies with the choice of
perfect drilling leaving symmetrical drill lines in the completed face
or for the more natural look where there are very few drill line visible
only rugged rock formations. CIVIL BLASTING – TUNNELLING South
Africa has the most developed road infrastructure in Africa, thus there
is a constant need to cross roads when laying storm water, industrial
liquids or related pipes. The cheapest and least disruptive method is to
tunnel underneath the road, river, railway or building. Blasting rock
in such a tunnel requires special drilling and blasting patterns in
order not to disrupt the infrastructure overhead. BlastQuest as a
blasting company has experienced tunnelers which will deliver a safe and
precise blast. CIVIL BLASTING – ROCK BREAKING / SPLITTING / SECONDARY BLASTING / BOULDER BUSTING Rock
blasting or breaking is also a common form of blasting with the aim to
break boulders or concrete into smaller pieces which will ease the
debris removal by standard construction equipment such as a TLB’s. The
challenge facing blasting companies is to break exposed rock and
boulders with very few explosives. Too much explosives will generate
large amounts of fly rock endangering humans and buildings. BlastQuest
has developed three specialised techniques dependant upon the situation
to break boulders safely and effectively. CIVIL BLASTING – NON-EXPLOSIVE BLASTING / CHEMICAL BLASTING Due
to various concerns such as nearby infrastructure, sensitive
environmental areas, legislation etc. blasting companies are
increasingly required to break rock without using explosives. BlastQuest
has tried and tested various methods and found that chemical rock
breaking and non-explosive cartridge blasting has the desired results. CIVIL BLASTING – SPECIAL APPLICATIONS Due
to the speed and efficiency of explosive products today civil blasting
have many additional applications such as furnace carbon clearance,
concrete demolition inside a truck, breaking safes etc. You are welcome
to contact BlastQuest for these requirements. CIVIL BLASTING – BUILDING DEMOLITION Thanks
to documentaries and press coverage over the years, building demolition
is perceived as civil blasting. Building demolition is the use of
explosives to destroy a man made structure with accuracy and safety.
Demolitions require careful planning and preparation work in order to
implode the building safely. A big part of demolition is also the
preparation of cutting charges that will cut through concrete and steel
when blasted. BlastQuest is one of the few blasting companies who has
the specialised skill end experience to conduct building demolition. You are welcome to visit www.blastquest.co.za for more information! Thank you
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