Explosives & Detonators
The Explosives database stores all explosive products and detonator types available for use in charge designs. Every entry feeds directly into mass calculations, fragmentation analysis, and vibration predictions.
Detonator / Explosive Types
BlastCAD uses a single unified database for all initiation and explosive materials, differentiated by type:
| Type | Description | Used in |
|---|---|---|
bulk |
Bulk explosive product (ANFO, Emulsion, Heavy ANFO) | Charge segment material |
packaged |
Pre-packaged cartridge explosive | Charge segment material; can also act as primer |
detonator |
Detonator unit (non-electric, electronic) | Detonator assignment on holes |
surface_delay |
Surface firing delay element | Initiation harness (not in-hole) |
Creating an Entry
In Database Manager → Explosives tab, click New Product.
Fields
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Text | Product name (e.g., "Emulsion 1.2", "ANFO 0.8", "Dynadet-C2") |
| Type | Select | bulk, packaged, detonator, surface_delay |
| Density (kg/m³) | Number | Explosive or stemming density — used for mass calculation |
| Color | Hex color | Visualization color in Charge Mode (e.g., #FF4500 for emulsion) |
| RWS | Number | Relative Weight Strength (ANFO = 100). Used in Kuz-Ram fragmentation. |
| Nominal Delay (ms) | Number | For detonators and surface delays — the nominal firing delay |
| Scatter (%) | Number | Timing scatter as a % of nominal delay (see Vibration & Safety) |
Reference Values
Bulk Explosives
| Product | Density (kg/m³) | RWS | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANFO 0.8 | 800 | 100 | Dry holes, free-flowing |
| Emulsion 1.0 | 1000 | 90 | Wet holes |
| Emulsion 1.2 | 1200 | 105 | High-density, wet holes |
| Heavy ANFO 70/30 | 1050 | 115 | High-energy, mixed bulk |
| Heavy ANFO 50/50 | 1100 | 125 | Very high energy |
| Packaged Emulsion | 1150 | 110 | Uphole, packaged |
| Dynamite (NG) | 1300 | 120 | High-sensitivity applications |
Stemming Materials (Inert)
| Material | Density (kg/m³) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Drill Cuttings | 1700 | Least effective confinement |
| Crushed Stone 6–10 mm | 1600 | Standard recommendation |
| Crushed Stone 16–19 mm | 1550 | Best interlocking, highest confinement |
| Sand | 1800 | Common in quarry blasting |
Stemming materials have RWS = 0 and contribute zero explosive mass. Add them as products with type = bulk and density set to the appropriate bulk density.
Detonator Types
| Product | Type | Nominal Delay | Scatter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shock Tube 17ms | detonator |
17 ms | 5% |
| Shock Tube 25ms | detonator |
25 ms | 5% |
| Electronic Detonator | detonator |
Programmable | 0.1% |
| SD-1 Surface Delay (42ms) | surface_delay |
42 ms | 8% |
| SD-1 Surface Delay (67ms) | surface_delay |
67 ms | 8% |
Color Assignment Guide
Colors in the Charge Mode view help engineers instantly identify segment types. Recommended conventions:
| Segment type | Suggested color |
|---|---|
| ANFO | #FFA500 (orange) |
| Emulsion | #FF4500 (red-orange) |
| Heavy ANFO | #DC143C (crimson) |
| Stemming | #808080 (grey) |
| Air Deck | #87CEEB (sky blue, translucent) |
| Packaged cartridge | #FFD700 (gold) |
These are suggestions — use any color that is visually distinct and consistent with your site conventions.
Bulk Import
For sites with large product databases, import explosive entries from a CSV file:
Required columns: name, type, density_kg_m3, color, rws
Optional columns: nominal_delay_ms, scatter_percent
Click Import from CSV in the Explosives tab header to upload.
Usage in Analytics
The Explosives database feeds directly into:
- Charge Design: Mass calculation per segment.
- Fragmentation Analysis: RWS used in the Kuz-Ram equation.
- Vibration Analysis: Detonator scatter used in timing analysis.
- Energy Analysis: Energy density computed from RWS relative to ANFO's 3.85 MJ/kg.