ABSTRACT
With fast depleting mineral resources at lower depths and increased demand for alternative resources of power, underground mining and
1 INTRODUCTION
Drilling and blasting has been used for centuries to excavate all types of tunnels, whether mining or civil. The drill and blast method of tunneling is preferred over mechanical excavation due to various reasons, like, if the shape of the tunnel is not circular, utilization coefficient of the machines is reduced in cases of poor tunnel stability, high investment costs of the machines and the long
hydroelectric tunneling activity is expected to experience a boom in the times to come. In both the activities speed is of utmost priority. Any method to increase rate of advance will always be a welcome. With increasing production pressure in underground mines and ambitious commissioning targets for hyro-projects it becomes imperative to search for methods to increase advance rates.
