Provided is an extensible spacer (14) for an inflatable blasthole plug (10) in the form of a collapsed bag (12). The spacer (14) includes a body (14.1) attached to the bag (12), and an associated leg formation (16) which may include leg segments (16.1, 16.2).

The present invention is directed towards an apparatus for providing a nonlabor-intensive process for sealing an opening formed in the ground with a chemically-inflatable bag. The chemically-inflatable bag contains two or more chemical reactants, one of which is a liquid reactant that is initially stored in a liquid-containing device. The liquid-containing device has a removable cap, which upon removal or breakage of the cap permits the liquid reacting agent to contact and react with another reacting agent. The chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide, which expands the chemically-inflatable bag from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition. In the inflated condition, the chemically-inflatable bag fills and protects the integrity of the formed cavity.

The present invention is directed towards an apparatus for providing a nonlabor-intensive process for sealing an opening formed in the ground with a chemically-inflatable bag. The chemically-inflatable bag contains two or more chemical reactants, one of which is a liquid reactant that is initially stored in a liquid-containing device. The liquid-containing device has a removable cap, which upon removal or breakage of the cap permits the liquid reacting agent to contact and react with another reacting agent. The chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide, which expands the chemically-inflatable bag from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition. In the inflated condition, the chemically-inflatable bag fills and protects the integrity of the formed cavity.

The invention provides a method of Wasting an open cast blast hole the method including placing one or more explosive charge in the blast hole, stemming the blast hole with stemming material above said one or more explosive charge, placing a propellant powder cartridge into the stemming material so that there is a layer of stemming material between the propellant powder cartridge and the explosive charge which is closest to the open end of the blast hole, and initiating the propellant powder charge with an igniter, or a detonator, or a fuse head, or any electronic initiation system.

Provided is a piston-type explosive loading and blasting structure for a hard rock cable pit. The structure includes a first-step cut provided at a center of an excavation section and second-step cuts provided on a periphery of the first-step cut; and piston-type explosive loading structures are used for explosives in the first-step cut and the second-step cuts. According to the piston-type explosive loading structures in the present disclosure, due to plastic plugging of stemming and fixed elastic plugging of two disc steel plates, time of energy such as stress waves and explosive gas generated after the explosives explode acting on surrounding rocks is obviously prolonged, rock mass is fully broken, and loose blasting is formed without throwing.

The invention relates to the field of drilling and blasting operations, and more particularly to confining gaseous explosion products in a charge cavity, and can be used in rock blasting using borehole charges. The technical result of the invention is that of reducing the specific charge of explosive per cubic metre of blasted rock mass, increasing the fragmentation of the rock mass, making it possible for explosive to be loaded into and work effectively in a borehole with excess water pressure (flooded boreholes), providing ease of use and structural simplicity, providing ease of transportation and storage since the device can be dismantled to compact dimensions, and reducing the weight of the structure. A further technical result is the possibility of using devices of a single type in boreholes of different lengths and types (flooded or non-flooded), thus making it possible for the claimed device to be used as a universal device for all types of boreholes. The above-mentioned technical result is achieved in that the claimed borehole plugging device, which is made of a pliable polymer material and has elements with a shape, the outside diameter of which is commensurate with the diameter of a borehole, and an axial internal cavity, is characterized in that it consists of a rod with a cruciform cross section, having identical dome-shaped, slotted elements fixably mounted thereon from each end.

The invention relates to the field of drilling and blasting operations, and more particularly to confining gaseous explosion products in a charge cavity, and can be used in rock blasting using borehole charges. The technical result of the invention is that of reducing the specific charge of explosive per cubic metre of blasted rock mass, increasing the fragmentation of the rock mass, making it possible for explosive to be loaded into and work effectively in a borehole with excess water pressure (flooded boreholes), providing ease of use and structural simplicity, providing ease of transportation and storage since the device can be dismantled to compact dimensions, and reducing the weight of the structure. A further technical result is the possibility of using devices of a single type in boreholes of different lengths and types (flooded or non-flooded), thus making it possible for the claimed device to be used as a universal device for all types of boreholes. The above-mentioned technical result is achieved in that the claimed borehole plugging device, which is made of a pliable polymer material and has elements with a shape, the outside diameter of which is commensurate with the diameter of a borehole, and an axial internal cavity, is characterized in that it consists of a rod with a cruciform cross section, having identical dome-shaped, slotted elements fixably mounted thereon from each end.

The invention relates to the field of blasting operations. The mechanical stemming device has the following elements. A sleeve having expandable structures and, positioned in a cavity thereof, an element that has wedge-type surfaces. Conductors are arranged in the elements of the stemming plug in functional channels. The sleeve has an end surface that faces the mouth of the hole and that forms a thrust surface to allow action on this surface as the expandable structures are wedged into place. The element is equipped with a structural and functional stopping and gauging tool that has reference elements. The invention allows a stemming device to be secured at a set distance from the mouth of a hole while completely avoiding it coming into contact with the explosive.

The invention relates to the field of blasting operations. The mechanical stemming device has the following elements. A sleeve having expandable structures and, positioned in a cavity thereof, an element that has wedge-type surfaces. Conductors are arranged in the elements of the stemming plug in functional channels. The sleeve has an end surface that faces the mouth of the hole and that forms a thrust surface to allow action on this surface as the expandable structures are wedged into place. The element is equipped with a structural and functional stopping and gauging tool that has reference elements. The invention allows a stemming device to be secured at a set distance from the mouth of a hole while completely avoiding it coming into contact with the explosive.

The invention relates to a wedging arrangement to plug a blast hole accommodating an explosive charge. The wedging arrangement comprises a body comprising a first part and a second part arranged to angularly slide relative to each other. Each of the first and second parts defines a holding arrangement for holding the first and second parts relative to each other. The wedging arrangement is configurable between a default configuration in which the holding arrangement holds the first and second parts relative to each other, and a stressed configuration in which the body is subjected to external stress forces thereby causing the holding arrangement to be disengaged to allow the first and second parts to angularly slide relative to each other, in use to locate and lock the wedging arrangement in place within the blast hole in order to plug the blast hole and contain the blast energy resulting from the explosive charge being detonated.