ABSTRACT
A fractal based theory is proposed to determine the effect of natural discontinuities in rock on blast fragmentation. Information about the in-situ blocks and the blasted fragments is obtained from photographs of the face and of the blasted muckpile. Fractal dimensions of the size distributions of the in-situ blocks and of the blasted fragments are used to determine the parameters of the Schuhmann distribution. Comparison of the Schuhmann distribution curves before and after blasting gives a quantitative estimate for the effect of natural discontinuities on fragmentation induced by blasting.
