ABSTRACT
Blasting data from a number of Italian quarries involved in the production of raw materials for cement manufacturing and characterised by different conditions (kind of material, structural features of the rock and site location) have been properly processed in order to put into light the relationships existing between the various issues. Through the study of statistical correlation a straight linear function has been found to exist between the specific consumption of explosive and a global parameter accounting for the rock properties, the blasting geometry and the type and loading conditions of the explosive used, in which all the pertinent variables appear as factors to a fractional power. The influence of individual issues according to the model is discussed and the outcome is explained on scientific grounds. The reliability of the model appears very good to the extent that it can provide the base for a predicting tool in blast design and control.
