Golder Associates Blasting Software

Looking for software for underground blasting? Open pit or quarry blasting? Or general purpose blasting software? We have developed a suite of software to support our clients, which we modify to suit their individual needs. Costs vary for the software licence, training and customization.

Spreadsheets

The benefit of spreadsheets is their relative simplicity and flexibility. They can be modified rapidly as requirements change. We have spreadsheets to:

• Predict vibration amplification functions (frequency dependent)
• Determine scaled distance relationships at standard and user selectable confidence limits
• Measure hole deviation using seismic analysis (underground mining)
• Calculate the risk of vibration induced damage (open pit)

Standalone Programs

Our standalone programs provide a complete interactive package for:

• Open cut or quarry blast CAD and analysis
• Underground ring CAD and analysis
• Tunneling or drifting CAD and analysis
• Fragmentation measurement and prediction

Fragmentation Assessment

The program GoldSize 2.0 was released in January 1997. A single user license now costs US$500. Thanks to our beta testers the final release incorporated many improvements, including:

• Better fragmentation modeling
• Better graphing
• New particle counting
• Faster particle sizing (it now uses binary files)
• Three new data export formats to allow you to extend the analysis possibilites

New Developments

We have started development of a complete blasting package for open pit blasting. The software, which is tentatively called ‘Blast Central’, would:

• Use geometry from mine design programs,
• Create blast patterns using a combination of manual and automatic steps,
• Add explosive and timing,
• Provide a comprehensive set of blast design checks from inventory control to regulatory requirements and even blast prediction,
• Produce plots and print outs for drill and blast crews,
• Provide legal reports if required,
• Store the design and actual blasting results for long term blast optimization,
• Keep track of costs
• Keep a perpetual inventory (automatic reconciliation)

Our existing software already contains most of the componentsthat need to be tied together. They will be connected using database technologyand modified to work together.

The benefits would include:

• Detailed Blasting Costs
• Inventory Control
• Reduced Inventory
• Meet legal requirements
• Consistent documentation
• Detailed and accurate blast reports
• Improved short and long term blast results
• Labor savings
• No duplicate entries

This is a tall order, but with today’s programming technologies and sufficient input from the industry, it can be achieved.

For additional information, please contact: Tom Kleine, Associate, Golder Associates Inc.