Experiments and simulation of block motion in underwater bench blasting

The blasting mechanism underlying drilling and blasting of underwater rocks, as an important component of the engineering blasting technology, has not been systematically studied. Laboratory model experiments are expensive and take a long time, while field tests fail to obtain timeous breakage and accumulation effects of underwater blasting, and may even be impossible. Considering this, a model experiment of underwater concrete bench blasting was designed, and the motion of blasted blocks was observed and evaluated with a high-speed camera. Then, numerical simulation was conducted based on Fluent and an engineering discrete element method coupling program complied using the application programming interface. Results show that the blocks form a bulge in the underwater blasting experiment under action of blast waves and expansion in the first period of bubble pulsation. Then, some blocks shrink in the first period of bubble pulsation. As the charge increases, the blast load exerts larger disturbance on the block group, resulting in significant motion of blasted blocks along the vertical direction. At the same time, the horizontal displacement of blasted blocks in the throwing direction increases.