Drilling-blasting efficiency and effect of physical–mechanical properties of rocks on the perfromance of impact hammer

In this study, the drilling and blasting performances of seven different quarries are analyzed in Niğde municipality. The drilling and blasting performances were made by using the image processing method. The aim for analyzing drilling and blasting performances are to investigate the possible effects of them on the impact hammer working durations. The total working and breaking time for impact hammers were determined for each blasting cycle. Depending on the amount of rock material obtained after each blasting, the unit costs of drilling-blasting and impact hammers were determined. The methods of drilling-blasting and excavation by impact hammer were compared based on these determined values. The impact hammers operated in all quarries had the same technical specifications. In this respect, the effects of the physical-mechanical properties of rocks were investigated on the performance of impact hammers. The new equations between the breaking amount of impact hammers and uniaxial compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, Schmidt hammer, point load index, dry density and porosity values of rocks were obtained by using the simple regression analysis method. There were found significant linear relationships between rock mechanical-physical properties and performance of impact hammers.