Blasting experiments for stemming material development based on shear-thickening fluid

Scaled model tests are the most extensively used methods for evaluating blasting performance. This study conducted the scaled model test of bench blasting to evaluate the stemming effect of the blast hole. Blasting experiments were conducted using emulsion explosives, wherein general stemming (sand) and shear-thickening fluid (STF)-based stemming materials were used in the blast hole. The blasting experiment results revealed that the STF-based stemming materials were superior to the general stemming material. In addition, the dynamic strain measurement results on the concrete surfaces of the high-speed three-dimensional digital image correlation system signified that the displacement and surface strain on the test models were the highest in the experimental case of STF-based stemming materials.