Academy Blasting

In Episode #5 of AcademyBlasting.TV we interview Dr. Josh Hoffman, the technical director of the Institute of Makers of Explosives. Dr. Hoffman's career includes numerous different aspects including public perception of mining and explosives, work on Capitol Hill with mining and explosive policy, and now he works in all sectors of commercial explosive use as an interface between industry and the government. Dr. Hoffman is considered one of the leading experts in explosive engineering and explosive policy.
This episode has a wide span of conversation including Ammonium Nitrate disasters such as Beirut, blowing up trains in the desert, and much more.
More information on the Institute of Maker's of Explosive can be found here: https://www.ime.org/
Information on IME SLPs can be found here: https://www.ime.org/products/category/safety_library_publications_slps
Information on IMESAFR can be found here: https://www.ime.org/content/imesafr_learn_more
And if you are looking for more training on explosives, please visit our show sponsor: AcademyBlasting.com

In this episode of AcademyBlasting.TV, Dr. Anthony Konya discusses the future of blast design. Starting with the history of blast design, powder factor is introduced and the development of powder factor is discussed at length - including why powder factor has been nearly abolished for the second time in the industry.
Concepts such as Dual Cratering Theory and Sheer Theory are also discussed and how these centered around the evolution of blast design principles and the breakage mechanisms of rock.
Independent Variable Blast design is then introduced and the concepts of the Konya Independent Variable Blast Design methods are described. Multivariate Blast Design and N-Factor blast design are then introduced as the blast design methodology of the future. All this and much more in Episode #4 The Future of Blast Design from AcademyBlasting.TV
This week's show sponsor is AcademyBlasting.com - for all your Explosive Engineering Educational needs.

Episode 3 of AcademyBlasting.TV answers the question - what is the future of initiation systems?
The show starts off discussing the history of initiation systems, starting in the 1600s and the development of the black powder/pricker initiation system. Advancements through blasting caps are discussed including the invention of electric blasting caps by Benjamin Franklin, the development of the Nonelectric blasting system by Per Anders Person, and the new age electronic blasting caps. Common myths about the electronic blasting caps are broken down and the real facts are presented.
The podcast then shifts into a discussion on the latest innovation in blasting caps - the wireless blasting cap. How do these systems currently work, what are the major developments that need to be made to bring this technology to market, and what does a future with these caps look like? Dr. Anthony Konya discusses how these are the missing piece to the automation of the blast loading process. This is an episode you do not want to miss if you are looking at how cutting-edge technologies in blasting are going to shape the industries future.
Today's show sponsor is AcademyBlasting.com the industries leading online education platform for Explosive Engineering. Courses are approved for continuing education hours in numerous states.
Check out the other episodes of the podcast at: AcademyBlasting.TV

Will explosives of the future be free of NOx?
In this episode of AcademyBlasting.TV, Dr. Anthony Konya discusses the future of explosives in the civil industry. One of the major upcoming developments is likely the introduction of Green Explosives. Many groups have been working on developing green explosives, which aim to remove NOx from mining and construction operations - but how do we actually measure this?
In this episode two new parameters are detailed which will be critical in the development of green explosives, the Fume Rating and the Leach Rating. Dr. Konya discusses these ratings and how to actually accomplish monitoring and measuring them. The Safety and Performance of green explosives are also discussed in an attempt to answer the question - what are the baseline standards from today's explosive that will need to be carried into the future. This is one of the first works in green explosive technology for the civil explosives marketplace discussed in the world.
Finally, the discussion shifts to how 30 or more years from now, the blasting process will be automated and run from a control room. All this and more is discussed in this weeks episode of AcademyBlasting.TV.
For more information, see Dr. Anthony Konya's recent article on Green Explosives

What does the future of drilling hold?
Will drilling ever be fully antonymous?
In this episode of Academy Blasting, Dr. Anthony Konya discusses the history of the drilling industry and what is to come in the future. Drilling and Blasting has completely changed in the last 20 years, yet alone the last 400. The story of drilling starts with the first blast in a gold mine in 1627 - the old methods of hand steeling were difficult and relied on brute force. In 1840 the first hand crank rotary drill was developed and in 1844 a new age of drilling dawned - that of mechanized drilling. With advancements in drilling being driven to improve drill accuracy, increase drill speed, and remove large crews from the drilling process the improvements to mechanization lasted until the early 2000. Following this, the story of drilling shifted to the Age of Automation, which is ongoing. The emphasis with this face was better data collection, reduction in inaccuracy, and completely removing the operator form the drill cab. Some sites have already started down this road - but will we ever see it take over the industry?
What will companies require in order to transition to this type of automation?
This podcast begins to explore those answers. For more information visit AcademyBlasting.TV or AcademyBlasting.com
For an article written by Dr. Anthony Konya on this, visit the June 2020 edition of Pit and Quarry at: https://snip.ly/x57qdw