Effects of decoupled charge blasting on rock fragmentation efficiency

Laboratory experiments and numerical modelling are conducted to investigate the effects of decoupled charge blasting on rock fragmentation efficiency. It is concluded that the gap between the explosive and the borehole wall in decoupled charge blasting decreases the peak of the shock wave, extends the action time, and weakens the loading strain rate, which correspondingly reduces the crushed zone and improves the explosive energy utilisation ratio.A method is proposed to quantify the optimal decoupled coefficient range for optimal rock fragmentation in decoupled charge blasting.