The seminar featured the expertise and knowledge of Arne Lislerud, one of the key figures within Sandvik’s quarry academy, and was attended by eight representatives from six of the leading regional quarry companies.
Participants were able to discuss the cornerstones of blast hole drilling. This saw such topics of interest as safety issues being covered, as well as examining the experiences of successful companies in Norway and Canada. Other topics included the reduction of fines and oversize rock levels in blasting.
A great deal of interest was also shown in the productivity and lifespan of Sandvik equipment, and how such equipment has successfully benefitted companies throughout the world.
The second day of the programme saw a visit to the Nadezhdinskoye quarry in the Privolzhsky region. Here the quarry seminar participants could see for themselves how state-of-the-art initiatives were implemented, and draw on these experiences to develop successful strategies for increasing the quality of final products at their own quarries.After seeing blasting undertaken, and following a thorough analysis of the deposits, Arne Lislerud discussed possible actions and suggested several measures which might improve blasting efficiency.
These included how to achieve the best possible results with respect to the geological make-up of a quarry, and how a few relevant parameters could be changed in such areas as blast direction, hole diameter, drill plan and delay intervals.
