Analysis of Blast Fragmentation Using WipFrag

Abstract

Fragmentation is the process of breaking of solid in-situ rock mass into several smaller pieces which are being excavated or moved by material handling equipment. It is the major concern of any blasting operation. Information on the degree and size distribution of fragments within a blasted rock mass is essential for efficient loading, transport, crushing and milling operations. An automated image based granulometry system WipFrag is used to analyze the digital image of rock photographs to determine grain size distribution. The method was tested in Dongri Buzurg open-pit manganese mine of Maharashtra (India). WipFrag software was found to be useful for fragmentation analysis of blast fragment sizes in very short interval of time