Active Site Supervision to Enhance Drilling & Blasting

Abstract

In Hong Kong, the steep hilly terrain is a significant constraint on surface development but provides good opportunities for underground rock caverns. The systematic use of rock caverns will be the long-termed options to increase the land supply, and drill-and-blast is still the most commonly adopted excavation method in underground. However, the technology adopted in site supervision of drill-and-blast excavation has no significant advancement along the time-tunnel of development in Hong Kong. The checking on the as-built blast holes is not comprehensive enough as only the layout on the blast face and the depth of only reachable blast holes can be checked. The alignment of blast holes behind the blast face is unknown, which is however important. In addition, no qualitative and quantitative review on the geological condition ahead of the blast face can be carried out continuously while drilling.