Simulation of blast‑induced ground vibrations using a machine learning‑assisted mechanical framework

2023-10-01
Blasting, as a cost-effective method of rock breakage, assures a size distribution for efficient material handling in surface andunderground mining. An immense level of energy released from explosive charge in blast holes induces plastic deformationsin competent rocks, while the remaining part transforms into destructive ground vibrations. Seismic wave velocity is a majorconcern for blasting to mitigate possible human discomfort and structural damage. The common approach is to characterizethe wave propagation within geological units by monitoring trial blasts depending on either conventional or advanced statisticalmethods. The scaled distance method and the novel soft computing techniques are commonly used for the predictionof peak particle velocity. This study explores the limitations of conventional statistics and the widely accepted parameterscontrolling blast-induced ground vibrations. The velocity vector direction was analyzed to reveal the effects of geological,geomechanical, and structural features. Discrepancies of the scaled distance method in predicting the peak particle velocitydue to complex geology and the need for an extensive trial blast database motivate the research for an alternative approach.The proposed method takes advantage of machine learning for the calibration of the mechanical model and simulates groundvibrations by a mass–spring–damper system. Blast records from an aggregate quarry and a metal mine were used for validationpurposes. The proposed method offers remarkable improvements in terms of accuracy by reducing prediction errorsdown to 0.04 mm/s. Regarding the structural condition of rock mass, the average error is around 4% for relatively massiverock mass and 20% for complex structural geological conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES
Citation Formats
A. G. Yardımcı and M. Erkayaoğlu, “Simulation of blast‑induced ground vibrations using a machine learning‑assisted mechanical framework,” ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES, vol. 82, pp. 1–20, 2023, Accessed: 00, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12665-023-11194-6.