ABSTRACT

This chapter introduces the basic concepts about ground vibrations needed for the successful planning of blasting operations. Ground vibrations are an integral part of the process of rock blasting. The sudden acceleration of the rock by the detonation gas pressure acting on the drillhole walls induces dynamic stresses in the surrounding rock mass. This sets up a wave motion in the ground much like the motion in a bowl of jelly when disturbed by the action of a spoon. Vibration and shock can be described mathematically as the way a body or particle moves in time. The time-dependent motion can be given alternatively in terms of displacement, particle velocity, or acceleration. In construction work, in addition to the ground vibrations generated by the blasting, activities such as driving, piling, and trucks or trains traveling nearby also generate ground vibrations of similar amplitudes.