- SHOTPlus™ Variant:
- Surface
- Version:
- Beta 6.11.10 or Production 6.11.1 and above
- KBA Summary:
- This Knowledge Base Article details how the Exclusion Zone Tool within SHOTPlus™ works.
Summary
The SHOTPlus™ Exclusion Zone Tool enables users to generate an exclusion zone.
Users should exercise caution and ensure a thorough risk assessment is completed when defining an exclusion zone.
The SHOTPlus™ Exclusion Zone Tool is an empirical calculator that generates a theoretical Exclusion Zone based on estimated flyrock travel distances. Site specific information should be taken into account when using these estimations to define any exclusion zone.
The Exclusion Zone Tool enables users to two generate two different outputs:
- A polygon that represents the estimated maximum horizontal travel distance of flyrock, plus a nominated safety factor.
- A surface that represents the estimated trajectory of flyrock based on a 45° launch angle, plus a user nominated safety factor.
These outputs can be based on either:
- Visible holes in a plan; or
- Selected holes in a plan.
Outputs can be clipped to either:
- The plane of the blasthole collars; or
- The registered topography surface.
Open the Exclusion Zone Tool by either:
- Selecting the Exclusion Zone Tool from the main toolbar; or
- Selecting Tools > General functions > Mark clearance zone from the main toolbar.
The exclusion zone outputs, generated by the Exclusion Zone Tool, can be based on either:
- A user-defined radius from blastholes within a plan.
- A flyrock calculation, based on user-defined model inputs, plus a nominal safety factor.
- A flyrock calculation, based on user-defined model inputs and blast design properties, plus a nominal safety factor.
- Select Constant radius from the drop down list.
- Select Base exclusion zone on either:
- All visible holes - to base the exclusion zone on all visible holes in the plan; or
- Selected holes - to base the exclusion zone on selected holes in the plan.
- Select the desired exclusion zone radius.
To add polygon based on the Constant Radius settings:
- Select the Polygon tab.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars - to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography - to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the desired polygon colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone polygon to the plan as a layer.
To add a surface based on Constant Radius settings:
- Select "use vertical distance to create surface" checkbox.
- Select the maximum vertical distance of the constant radius surface.
- Select the Surface tab.
- Select the surface resolution for the exclusion zone surface.
- Standard; or
- High Resolution.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars - to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography - to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the surface colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone surface.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Calculate.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone surface to the plan as a layer.
Using the Manual entries option, horizontal flyrock travel distances are calculated based on holes within the plan and user-defined variables. Travel distances are calculated for each blasthole individually and then combined.
The exclusion zone generated by the Exclusion Zone Tool is based on these calculated travel distances, multiplied by the desired safety factor.
Using Manual entries, horizontal flyrock travel distances are not based on the loading, or design parameters of the blastholes in the plan.
To generate an exclusion zone based on Manual entries:
- Select Manual entries from the drop-down list.
- Select Base exclusion zone on either:
- All visible holes - to base the exclusion zone on all visible holes in the plan; or
- Selected holes - to base the exclusion zone on selected holes in the plan.
- Enter the appropriate Flyrock calculation inputs (manual entries):
- Front row burden.
- Charge mass per metre/foot.
- Stemming height.
- Hole angle.
- Enter the appropriate Flyrock calculation inputs (site law):
- Flyrock constant (k).
- Cratering dispersion angle.
- Direction of throw.
To add polygon based on the Manual Entry settings:
- Select the Polygon tab.
- Select Based on either:
- Maximum distance all sources.
- Maximum face burst distance.
- Maximum cratering distance.
- Maximum stemming ejection distance.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the desired polygon colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Enter the desired Safety factor for your exclusion zone.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone polygon to the plan as a layer.
To add a surface based on Manual Entry settings:
- Select the Surface tab.
- Select the desired surface resolution from either:
- Standard; or
- High Resolution.
- Select Based on either:
- Maximum distance all sources.
- Maximum face burst distance.
- Maximum cratering distance.
- Maximum stemming ejection distance.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the desired polygon colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Enter the desired Safety factor for your exclusion zone.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone surface.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Calculate.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone surface to the plan as a layer.
Using the Blast properties option, horizontal flyrock travel distances are calculated based on holes within the plan, user-defined variables, blasthole loading, and hole type design data. Face burst travel distances are calculated for the nominated front row hole type only. Stemming ejection and cratering are calculated for all hole types. Travel distances are calculated for each blasthole individually and then combined.
The exclusion zone generated by the Blast properties is based on these calculated travel distances, multiplied by the desired safety factor.
Using Blast properties, the Launch angle is based off the blasthole angles within the plan. Stemming height and Charge mass per meter/foot is based of the assigned blasthole loading. Front row burden is based of the hole type design data OR if a Face surface has been registered, it will be based off the minimum calculated burden from the nominated front row hole type to the face surface.
To generate an exclusion zone based on Blast properties:
- Select Blast properties from the drop-down list.
- Select Base exclusion zone on either:
- All visible holes - to base the exclusion zone on all visible holes in the plan; or
- Selected holes - to base the exclusion zone on selected holes in the plan.
- Select the desired Flyrock calculation inputs (blast properties):
- Front row hole type.
- Direction of throw source:
- Slice direction.
- Hole bearing.
- Manual entry.
- Base charge weight on:
- Design.
- Measured (where available).
- Enter the appropriate Flyrock calculation inputs (site law):
- Flyrock constant (k).
- Cratering dispersion angle.
- Direction of throw. (only if Manual entry has been selected in Direction of throw).
Information
A KBA on Slice direction can be found here.
To add polygon based on the Blast Property settings:
- Select the Polygon tab.
- Select Based on either:
- Maximum distance all sources.
- Maximum face burst distance.
- Maximum cratering distance.
- Maximum stemming ejection distance.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the desired polygon colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Enter the desired Safety factor for your exclusion zone.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone polygon to the plan as a layer.
To add a surface based on Blast Properties settings:
- Select the Surface tab.
- Select the desired surface resolution from either:
- Standard; or
- High Resolution.
- Select Based on either:
- Maximum distance all sources.
- Maximum face burst distance.
- Maximum cratering distance.
- Maximum stemming ejection distance.
- Select Clip to either:
- Plane of hole collars to clip the output to the plane of the blasthole collars; or
- Surface topography to clip the output to the registered topography surface.
- Select the desired polygon colour for the exclusion zone from the drop down box.
- Enter the desired Safety factor for your exclusion zone.
- Select the desired layer destination for the exclusion zone surface.
- Enter the desired text tag for the exclusion zone polygon.
- Select Calculate.
- Select Add to plan to add the generated exclusion zone surface to the plan as a layer.
The SHOTPlus™ Exclusion Zone Tool can generate an exclusion zone based on a constant radius from blastholes within a plan, or calculated horizontal flyrock travel distances.
When based on calculated horizontal flyrock travel distances, three sources of flyrock are evaluated:
| Face Burst: | Generated only from the nominated front row hole type, as designated in the Exclusion Zone Tool. The direction of throw for face burst is set within the Exclusion Zone Tool, or can be based on the slice direction for each front row blasthole, as detailed below in the Flyrock Tool Inputs section of this KBA. The launch angle for all flyrock generated by face burst is assumed to be 45°. |
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| Stemming Ejection: | Generated from all blastholes. The launch angle for stemming ejection is set within the Exclusion Zone Tool when basing the flyrock prediction on Manual entries or is based on the blasthole angle when based on Blast properties. |
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| Cratering: | Generated from all blastholes. The launch angle for cratering is set within the Exclusion Zone Tool when basing the flyrock prediction on Manual entries or is based on the blasthole angle when based on Blast properties. |
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Once each source of flyrock is evaluated the exclusion zone generated is based on the maximum calculated horizontal flyrock travel distance in each direction, multiplied by the desired safety factor.
| K Factor: | Also known as the flyrock constant. Used to calibrate the flyrock calculation to site specific conditions. The higher the K Factor, the more conservative the calculation i.e. the model that flyrock will travel further. |
| Cratering Dispersion Angle: | Describes the angle, from the hole angle or launch angle at which cratering so projected at. This forms a theoretical cone from the hole's collar at which cratering may be projected at. |
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| Safety Factor: | The factor which the maximum calculated flyrock travel distance will be multiplied by to generate the exclusion zone. |
| Direction of Throw: | Direction of throw for face burst generated from front row blastholes. When basing a flyrock calculation on Blast properties, this can be set to the hole's slice direction instead. |
| Launch Angle: | The launch angle for flyrock generated from stemming ejection and cratering. This is only required when basing a flyrock calculation on Manual entries. |
| Front Row Burden: | Front row burden used to calculate face burden generated from front row blastholes. This is only required when basing a flyrock calculation on Manual entries |
| Stemming Height: | Stemming height used to calculate stemming ejection and cratering generated by all blastholes. This is only required when basing a flyrock calculation on Manual entries. |
| Charge Mass per Meter/Foot: | Charge mass per unit length of the blasthole, used to calculate flyrock generated by all blastholes. This is only required when basing a flyrock calculation on Manual entries. |
References
Richards, A B and Moore, A J (2004), Flyrock Control – By Chance or Design in the proceedings of The 30th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, (The International Society of Explosives Engineers: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)