EXPLOSIVE ENGINEERING LAB

ASSIGNMENT

SUBMITTED TO:
SIR ATIF ISMAIL
SUBMITTED BY:
AMRAHA NOOR (2017-GE-23)

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, LAHORE
 Table of Contents
To study the various explosives manufactured by WAH Noble group.....................................3

To study the various explosives by BIAFO industry limited.....................................................4

To study the cap and fuse connection in explosive engineering................................................5

Practice of the recommended knots for detonating cord in explosive engineering...................6

To study the working of shock tube initiator.............................................................................7

Introduction of the Working of Electric Blasting Machine differentiated on the basis of Power
Source.........................................................................................................................................8

Application of Nonel Practice in Explosive Engineering..........................................................9

Introduction to Lighting Storm Detector in explosive engineering.........................................10

References................................................................................................................................11
Assignment

To study the various explosives manufactured by WAH Noble group

Introduction

The mother company was founded in 1962. It is a journey between the Wah Industries
Limited, Saab (Sweden) and Almisehal Co (Saudi Arabia). Indeed it’s a brand name in the
field of commercial explosives. At present Wah Nobel. It is meeting 70% of the requirement
of commercial explosives of the country. Wah Nobel Group could be a multinational group
with six companies on its orbit. It is engaged in production of business
Explosives/Accessories, wide selection of commercial chemicals and acetates and
encompasses a presence within the energy sector. The three types of Wah Noble explosives
are nitroglycerine based explosives, powder explosives and emulsion explosives. Since 1962,
Wah Nobel has experienced rapid expansion of business and has grown into one among the
biggest manufacturing conglomerates in Pakistan. This has been primarily because of our
customers’ trust and also the dedicated workforce of Wah Nobel.

Application

The company has stood as a symbol of quality, safety and reliability in the field of
commercial explosives for more than 5 decades. It is used in mining Industry, oil & gas
industry and mega infrastructural projects i.e. dams, tunnels and road networks. Mega
Projects of the country include Mangla Dam, Tarbella Dam, Karakoram Highway, Saindak
Project, Motorways, and Neelum Jhehlum Hydro Power Project. Explosives and initiation
devices are employed in modified forms based on the respective application. Wah Nobel with
unequalled experience, competence, innovation capability, advanced technology and
production systems is well equipped to fulfill of these divergent applications. We are the
dominant brand in field of explosives with operations spread across the country. Our products
are a silent contributor towards national development and progress. At the moment Wah
Nobel is not only meeting the country’s commercial explosive requirements still as exporting
its products to a bunch of friendly countries. Although, Wah Nobel has resumed progressing
and concentrating the company's core expertise in traditional explosives the NG based
dynamites and powder explosives

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 To study the various explosives by BIAFO industry limited.
Introduction

Biafo Industries Limited having its registered in Islamabad, Pakistan, would really like to
require this chance to introduce their product-Tovex Water Gel Explosive manufactured at
their plant located at Hattar Industrial Estate, KPK, Pakistan. Biafo has the trendy and State
of the art manufacturing unit that is extremely automated and may produce quite 2500
metric loads of explosives per shift annually. Due to its commitment with E.T.I. Biafo only
manufactures products that meet the international standard of tovex. Nitroglycerin based
Dynamite has been very productive explosive but it has been a really difficult task to
securely use it and transport it from one place to a different because of its sensitivity. The
products manufactured by Biafo Industries are mainly related to Tovex Water Gel which is a
replacement of Nitroglycerine based Dynamite and Tovex is also safer to handle as well as to
store and transport. Biafo Industries is well placed to attenuate transportation charges for
explosives, as these are a big cost for end users especially in countries like Iran,
Bangladesh, land and Gulf States. The major categories are as follow;

• Tovex water gel explosives

• Powder explosives
• Accessories

Application

Biafo has expressed a considerable share of the market. About 80% of International oil
companies use tovex for seismic exploration, also local seismic surveys
are administered using this product e.g. British Gas, Premier Oil, Mari Gas, Oil and Gas
Development Corporation of Pakistan. And almost 20 major cement plants used tovex for
their limestone quarries. It is used as the blasting for road construction by local as well as
international companies. And it is also used in mining for minerals and quarries for the
construction and building industry. Dynamite has obeyed the industry well but
hazards related to the utilization, manufacture, transportation, storage and toxic nature has
been the reason behind serious concern. Tovex Water Gel is significantly safer and is
intended to perform adequate, if not better than dynamite all told sectors of the industry i.e.
construction, mining, quarrying, seismic, tunneling etc.

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 To study the cap and fuse connection in explosive engineering
Introduction

Cap and fuse is that the oldest explosive initiation system. Though, its use has reduced
gradually. Its primary remaining use is in small underground mines, although some large
mines still use it. Surface applications are limited to secondary blasting and therefore
the initiation of detonating cord rounds with one cap. The detonator employed in a cap-and-
fuse system could be a small capsule that's open at one end. The capsule carries a base charge
and a heat-sensitive primer charge of explosive. The powder charge within the cap is initiated
by a core of combustible powder within the fuse. Safety fuse has an appearance
somewhat just like detonating cord excluding that the surface of fuse is smoother and waxier.
Therefore the core load is black. The core load of detonating cord is white. To collect a cap
and fuse, the fuse is precisely cut squarely and placed into the cap till it abuts against
the charge within the cap. The fuse should never be warped against the explosive
charge within the cap. The cap is then grooved near the open end with an approved hand or
bench crimper.

Application

“Fast fuse" has been blamed for blasting accidents but the very fact is that this rarely if ever
occurs. Anyway, pressure on the fuse may increase its burning rate. One among the
foremost important considerations within the use of cap-and-fuse systems is that the use of a
positive approved lighting technique. Matches, cigarette lighters, carbide lamps, or other
open flames aren't approved for lighting fuse. MSHA regulations specify hotwire lighters,
lead spitters, and lgnitacord as approved ignition systems. The safest, most manageable
lighting method is lgnitacord. In African nation, where fuse is most commonly sold as an
assembly with an lgnitacord connector attached, the security record with cap and fuse is
way better than within the US.

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 Practice of the recommended knots for detonating cord in explosive
engineering
Introduction

Detonating cord initiation system has been used for several years as another to electric
blasting where the operator choose to not have an electrical initiator within the blast hole.
Detonating cord comprise of a core of explosive, usually PETN, hold  in an
exceedingly waterproof plastic sheath enclosed during a reinforcing covering of
assorted combinations of textile, plastic, and waterproofing. Detonating cord is offered with
PETN core loadings starting from 1 to 400 gr/ft. All cords are often detonated with a cap and
have a detonation velocity of roughly 21,000 fps. Detonating cord is adaptable to most
surface blasting situations. When employed in a wet environment the ends of the cord should
be protected against water. The most usual strengths of detonating cord are from 25 to 60
gr/ft. These strengths are used for trunklines that connect the single blast holes into pattern,
and for down lines, which transfer the energy from the trunkline to the primer cartridge.
There are three basic types of knotting the detonating cord and nonel or detonating cord with
a detonating cord and i.e. half hitch knotting, double wrap half hitch knotting and square
knotting.

Application

When the primer has been lowered to its proper location within the blast hole, after that the
detonating cord is cut from the spool. About 2 or 3ft of cord should enlarge from the hole to
allow for charge settlement and tying into the trunkline. When the entire shot has been filled
and stemmed, the trunkline is laid out along the pathway of desired initiation progression.
Trunkline-to-trunkline connections are typically made with a square knot. A tight knot,
generally a knot or a double-wrap knot, is employed to attach the downline to the trunkline.
Any excess cord from the downline should be interrupting and inclined. If Primadets or other
in-hole delay assemblies are used, a plastic connector often is the connection to the trunkline.
The cord lines should be slack, but not excessively so. If an excessive amount of slack is
present, the cord may cross itself and possibly cause a cutoff. Also, if the lines are too tight
and form an acute angle; the downline is also bringing to an end without detonating. The
manufacturer should be consulted for suggestions on the use of detonating cord with
numerous explosive products.

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 To study the working of shock tube initiator
Introduction

The hookup of the Nonel (also called the shock tube) system is similar in some respects to the
detonating cord system. Typical non-electric systems used today consist of detonating cord,
shock-tube detonators, or a combination of the two. Non-electric detonators contain sensitive
ignition charges and base charges and can be accidentally detonated by heat or impact. It
always use a detonating cord matched to the blasting methods and type of explosive materials
being used A shock tube initiator is in the form of small-diameter hollow plastic tubing used
to transport an initiating signal to an explosive by means of a shock wave (also known as a
percussive wave) traveling the length of the tube. Shock tube is used to convey a detonation
signal to a detonator. Shock tube is a hollow extruded tube containing a thin layer of
energetic material upon its inner diameter. Once it is initiated, the shock tube transfers a
signal to a detonating output charge. The shock tube is initiated by using an electric blasting
cap, cap and fuse, or other initiating device recommended by the manufacturer. The most
common product is 3 mm outer diameter and 1 mm inner diameter, with a tiny dusting of
HMX/aluminum explosive powder on the tubing's inner surface, which detonates down the
tube at a speed greater than 6500 feet per second but does not burst the tube. Being non-
electrical and non-metallic, shock tubes are less sensitive to static electricity and radio
frequency energy and thus have replaced many uses of electric detonators and are safer to
handle and store than detonating cord.

Application

It is used in commercial blasting, military demolition, theatrical special effects, automobile

airbags, aircraft ejection seats, IED initiation and professional fireworks. For underground
blasting, millisecond and long period delay caps are available with 10 to 20-ft lengths of
shock tube attached. Shock-tube downlines can be used with surface trunkline delay units.
Shock-tube surface-delay trunkline units use a plastic connector attached to a non-electric
detonator with MS-delay timing. Many shock-tube system configurations are available from
most explosive manufacturers. MS trunkline delay assemblies are used for surface blasting.
Many varieties of shock-tube delay. MS and long-period shock-tube detonators are used as
in-hole detonating units or as delay units between holes in a row or rows in a blast.

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Introduction of the Working of Electric Blasting Machine differentiated on
the basis of Power Source

Introduction

Electric initiation system has been used for several years in both surface and underground
blasting. An electrical detonator consists of two insulated leg wires that labor under a
waterproof seal and into a metal capsule comprising a sequence of explosive powders. Mostly
electric blasting caps have copper leg wires. Electric blasting circuits can be stimulated by
generator-type blasting machines, condenser (capacitor) discharge blasting machines and
sequential blasting machine. Generator blasting machines is the rack-bar (push down) or the
key-twist type. The capacitor discharge (CD) machine uses dry cell batteries to charge a
series of capacitors. The energy kept in the capacitor is then discharged into the blasting
circuit. A sequential blasting machine is a unit holding 10 capacitor discharge machines that
will fire up to 10 separate circuits with a preselected time interval between the individual
circuits. When used in conjunction with millisecond delay electric blasting caps, the
sequential machine gives a very large number of separate delay intervals 3 millisecond. This
can be useful in refining fragmentation and in controlling ground vibrations and airblast.

Application

It is a safe and dependable system that used properly under the right conditions. The
importance of the electric blasting is due to its reasonably accurate delays, simple circuit
testing, control of blast initiation time, and lack of airblast or disruptive effect on the bursting
charge. Additionally to extraneous electricity, one should guard against kinks within the cap
leg wires that may cause broken wires, mainly in deep holes. Different brands of caps may
differ in electric properties, so only one brand per blast should use. It is approved that the
blaster take the key or handle to the ability source on his or her person. Therefore,
the shot cannot be inadvertently fired while he or she is trying out the shot. A tool called an
exploding bridge wire is obtainable to be used where one cap is employed to initiate a
nonelectric circuit. This device has the security advantages of a scarcity of primary explo·
sive within the cap and a high voltage required for firing. A special firing box is required for
the system. The high power required and high cost of the exploding bridge wire device make
it unsuitable to be used in multicap circuits.

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 Application of Nonel Practice in Explosive Engineering

Introduction

Nonel tube has a thin coating of reactive material on its inner surface that detonates at a
velocity of 6,000 fps. It is a very mild dust explosion that has inadequate energy to damage
the tube. Nonel tube-cap assembly, system accessories include noiseless trunklines with built-
in delays, noiseless lead-in lines, and millisecond delay connectors for detonating cord
trunklines. The delay systems used with this method of initiation are the same as those
discussed in the "Detonating Cord Initiation" section. They include in-hole cap delays and
surface delay connectors. In some cases this system creates an excessive amount of airblast
and noise. To prevent this, the detonating cord trunkline can be replaced by an electric
blasting cap circuit with a cap connected to each downline, or a noiseless nonel trunkline can
be used. The NoneI tube from each blast hole is attached to the trunkline with a J-connector.
A simpler method is to use the bunching system, where up to 30 tubes are tied together
parallel, in a bunch, and detonating cord is clove-hitched around the bunch. The manufacturer
should be consulted to demonstrate the bunching technique and to determine the number of
wraps of detonating cord required for a given size bunch. The Nonel system has the
advantages of no airblast (when a noiseless trunkline is used), no charge disruption (when
Nonel tube or a 7.5-grcord in conjunction with a Nonel Primadet is used as a downline), no
electrical hazards, and a versatile delay capability.

Application

It is a shock tube detonator designed to initiate explosions, typically for the purpose
of destruction of buildings and for use in the blasting of rock in mines and quarries. One
Nonel system for surface blasting makes use of a NoneI Primadet in every single blast hole
with 25- to 60-gr/ft detonating cord even as a trunkline. The Nonel cap used in this system is
factory crimped to a 24-in length of shock tube with a loop with inside the end. The caps are
accessible in a variety of millisecond delay periods. A 7 .5-gr detonating cord down line is
attached to the loop with a double-wrapped square knot. The 7.5-gr detonating cord extends
out of the borehole. This downline will no longer disrupt a column charge of blasting agent
however it is able to initiate dynamite and other cap-sensitive products. The design of nonel
detonators consists of patented technology, along with the Cushion Disk (CD) and Delay
Ignition Buffer (DIB) to offer reliability and precisely in all blasting applications.

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 Introduction to Lighting Storm Detector in explosive engineering
Introduction

Lightning can pose a severe safety hazard during explosive manufacturing and handling
operations due to very strong electric and magnetic fields that are produced. Three categories
of lightning warning methods: public media, lightning detectors, and atmospheric
electrostatic field measurement are discussed. When any storm or lightning approaches at a
site where electric connections are present, the lightning could energize the circuit by
providing enough current and blast can occur that would be very fatal. The SD- 250 provides
this advanced warning by detecting the electric discharges of lightning with a custom
amplified receiver and is sensitive enough to detect strikes as far as 100 miles away. A
speaker function is built in to allow the user to monitor background noise when setting up the
unit to minimize interference from external devices. Proximity of electrical discharges can be
monitored as the distance of lightning strikes are indicated by the range lamps and an alarm
can be set to go off should the storm come closer than the distance set by the operator. When
tripped a built in "squawking" alarm sounds and twin lamps alternately flash until reset by the
operator. The system can also be configured to activate a variety of external warning devices
such as sirens, strobe lamps, transmitters, computer interfaces, etc.

Application

Lightning detection hardware can be incorporated into a facility's Hazardous Heather Plan. It
is used in weather forecasting. Local radio and television weather forecasts are generated
with information from the National Weather Service, based on the statistical analysis of many
meteorological inputs. These forecasts only predict the probability of a thunderstorm
occurring during the day in the given forecast area. This does not mean that the storm will
pass over the facility. In addition to the climatological data supplied by the weather service,
weather radar is often used to determine the location of thunderstorm activity. The National
Weather Service radar displays can accurately identify the precipitation center of a cloud and
determine from the density and altitude of the radar reflection whether this cloud is likely to
contain lightning activity. It reduces exposure to and potential hazard for people who are
outside such as blasters, construction and mining crews, window cleaners, airport and marina
personnel, golfers and swimmers, or anyone who needs advanced warning of approaching
electrical storms.

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References

 Wah Nobel Group Ltd. Retrieved from,

http://www.wahnobel.com/index.php

 BIAFO Industries Ltd Retrieved from,

http://www.biafo.com/aboutus.htm

 Explosives and Blasting Procedures Manual (2020). Retrieved from,

https://www.osmre.gov/resources/blasting/docs/USBM/IC8925BlastProceeduresMan
ual.pdf

 Initiation systems (2020). Retrieved from,

https://www.osmre.gov/resources/blasting/btm/Module2.pdf

 Hayat.F (2017). Explosives engineering labs Retrieved from,

https://www.slideshare.net/redeyeshayat/explosive-engineering-labs

 Nonel SL (2020). Retrieved from,

https://www.dynonobel.com/~/media/Files/Dyno/ResourceHub/Technical
%20Information/ort

 LIGHTNING WARNING SYSTEMS (2020). Retrieved from,

https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/p000462.pdf

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