An EU directive is soon to be implemented concerning obligatory hole deviation measurement when bench drilling for blasting in quarries.  The Swedish company Transtronic AB has developed a Windows-based system, Devibench, that will make such measurements easy and accurate. This electronic system, which comprises a bench probe and a robust PC, is said to provide increased safety, lower drilling costs, more even surfaces at the bottom of boreholes, and reduced vibrations.

"The first row of holes can be measured with great precision," explains Magnus Thele, CEO of Transtronic. "This enables controlled blasting, which reduces the risk of people or property being damaged."
Devibench shall optimise both drilling and blasting.
"The measurement of all boreholes and the following analysis are performed very rapidly and require no special knowledge," continues Thele. "The bench probe measures the angles in two planes and also contains an electronic magnetic compass. Each borehole is named and the result of the measurement, that is, the angles and direction, are displayed on the computer screen and compared with reference values. Once all the holes have been measured, the final results are analysed with the aid of the system software."

Optimise the Effect
After the analysis, the blasting foreman can assess whether additional holes are required to optimise the effect of the blasting.
"If one blasts without first measuring, it can sometimes be necessary to blast again," says Thele. "The drill rig may then be located in another part of the quarry and must be transported back in order to drill new holes. This entails additional costs and lost time."
The possibility to be able to adapt the charge size according to the internal characteristics of the holes also reduces vibrations.
"This is an important aspect, as the rock masses used for quarrying, due to transport reasons, are often located near urbanised areas," says Thele.
The Swedish quarrying company Ballast Nord is one of the companies that use Devibench.
"Previously, we've used items such as pocket torches to check the characteristics of boreholes," says Fredrik Karlsson, site manager at Ballast Nord in Gävle. "This is an inaccurate measurement method that doesn't provide the necessary overall picture of the bottom of the hole and nor can it be used if there is water in the hole. This new measuring system provides all the information I need in order to optimise the series of detonations and drill correctly from the beginning. Before, for example, the resulting shot rock could be too large to remove and we were forced to blast again. That doesn't happen now."

About the Company
The engineering company Transtronic develops, designs, and manufactures, among other things, measurement systems for rock drilling rigs in mines and quarries. The company has agents in a number of countries throughout the world.

Caption:
Devibench shall optimise both drilling and blasting.

For further information, please contact:
Transtronic AB, Magnus Thele, CEO
Box 175, SE-731 24 Köping, SWEDEN
Tel: +46 (0)221 847 70 Fax: +46 (0)221 190 50
E-mail: info@transtronic.se
Homepage: www.transtronic.org

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