ABSTRACT
The detonation of explosives in a blast produces four
key outcomes: displacement of the rock into a muck-
pile; a fragmentation distribution of the broken rocks;
damage to the surrounding host rock containing the
original blast pattern, and finally some environmen-
tal outcomes such as ground vibration, airblast, dust
and gasses. In general, the environmental outcomes
are nuisance outcomes and the blaster wishes to mini-
mise them. For example, people located near the blast-
ing area whose comfort or property is affected may
demand a vibration reduction. A necessary part of
that process is to measure the vibration levels. In this
paper, a review of the measurement, modelling and
management of ground vibration will be considered.
Airblast will not be discussed specifically; however,
many of the issues described here for ground vibra-
tion have a counterpart in airblast. In what follows
the word “vibration” will be used to describe ground
vibration, and where the context justifies it, vibration
may refer to airblast also.
