Abstract
Natural discontinuities as well as mechanical properties are the difficult-to-control parameters that significantly influence the fragmentation of marble after blasting. In Central Africa, the Bidzar quarry is the only one producing marble, plagued for decades by block fragmentation problems, requiring multiple blasts that cause huge costs and environmental problems. The objective of this study is to predict the fragmentation of the Bidzar rock quarry and to improve its geological and mechanical knowledge using the Kuz–Ram method. Thus, blastability as a function of the dip of the discontinuity planes as well as fragmentation as a function of the powder factor, compressive strength and drilling mesh were studied. The results obtained show that, the rock quarry is heterogeneous, consisting mainly of fissured marble of medium hardness. Its dip is about 85°, its rock factor is 10.455 and it is class III, with a difficult blastability of 0.2654 kg/m3. The marble from the Bidzar quarry is of excellent quality with an RQD of 93%.The fractures and discontinuity planes are spaced and of class ES2. The density of the fractures and discontinuity planes is low and of class ID2.The rock quarry is intercepted by a network of discontinuity planes marked by three families of direction, major (N30–40E, N40–50E, N160–170E), secondary (N10–20E, N50–60E, N80–90E, N140–150E, N150–160E, N170–180E) and minority (N00–10E, N20–30E, N40–50E, N70–80E, N100–110E, N110–120E, N120–130E, N130–140E). Finally, the variation in fragmentation intensity is caused by differences in the dips of the blasting planes, their compressive strength, and the variation in the drilling mesh.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Director of CIMENCAM-Figuil, for his field assistance as well as the head of the laboratory for the physical and mechanical tests and the head of quarry service of CIMENCAM-Figuil. We would like to thank especially Editor-in-Chief and his staff, for the publication facilities. We also appreciate the contribution of the anonymous reviewers and correction as well as.
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Njock, M.C., Meli’i, J.L., Poufonne, Y.K. et al. Influence of natural discontinuities and mechanical properties on the fragmentation of marble by blasting in Central Africa. Environ Earth Sci 80, 616 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09916-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-021-09916-9