The Many Uses of Explosives

Safety First! Don't Touch

The History of Explosives and Blasting

What is an Explosives Engineer?

How Explosives Work

How Explosives Have Shaped Our World

The Many Uses of Explosives

A Few Major Projects

Blasting In Your Neighborhood

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The Many Uses of Explosives
Many people know that explosives are used in Mining, Building Demolition, Pyrotechnics and even Construction. Many would be surprised to know about some of the unusual uses of explosives. Did you know that explosives were used to carve Mount Rushmore? Explosives are also used to control Avalanches and are used in the backcountry for Trail Maintenance. Explosives are even used in Medicine to break-up kidney stones!

In the United States, explosives are primarily used in Mining, Quarrying and Construction as shown below:

Nationwide explosive use:
Coal Mining 67%
Non-metal mines and quarries 14%
Metal mining 10%
Construction 7% and
Miscellaneous 3%

The Many Uses of Explosives:
Aerospace - As in Ejector Seats and Separation Devices for Rocket Boosters

Agriculture - Farmers use explosives to break up boulders, blow tree stumps, felling trees and loosening soil.

Aggregate Blasting

Art - As in Metalclad art and large projects such as Mountain carving

Automotive Restraint Systems - to inflat Airbags


Avalanche Control

Coal Blasting

Commercial and Industrial Products - Door Systems, for example

Construction

Demilitarization Work


Demolition - The quantities of explosive used on this type of operation vary, depending on the size, construction and location, of the structure to be demolished. Whether it be Bridges, Buildings, Chimneys, or Towers.

Diamond Manufacturing - Jewelry grade and Very fine industrial-type diamonds used for grinding and polishing are produced by the carefully controlled action of explosives on carbon.

Emergencies at Sea - project lifelines to ships in distress off storm-beaten shores

Excavation - to dig Foundations and clear Underwater Channels/Dredging

Fire Fighting - Along fire paths to cut off oxygen to a large fire and to extinguish oil well fires.

Fire Suppression Systems

Fireworks (See Pyrotechnics)

Food Preparation - Meat Tenderizing

Forestry - Trail Blazing

Hazardous Wastes - for destruction of some hazardous waste materials

Ice Jams

Law Enforcement and Security - used in Exploding Dye Capsules and other Security Systems.

Logging - For cutting and removing timber

Manufacturing - Man-made diamonds

Medical Uses
Medicines
Fracturing Kidney and Gall Stones

Metalworking
Hardening of Metals - Including railway frogs and hardening of crusher wear parts, shovel teeth, ripper shanks, and speciality wear components such as striker bars and striker plates for mills. The explosive depth hardening process will take manganese steel from 350 brinell up to 490 brinell after two shots. The EDH process increases wear life substantially.

Metal-cladding - Explosives are sometimes used to bond various metals to each other.

Mining and Quarrying - Explosives are used to break up rock and displace large quantities of earth.

Nail guns

Oil Well Perforation

Pile driving - When pile drivers are not available, exploding dynamite on an iron plate placed on top of the piles can do their work.

Pyrotechnics
Display fireworks
Theatrical Special Effects

Quarrying

Railroads - Hardening and removing track parts

Riveting - Blind rivets are needed when space limitations make conventional rivets impractical. Explosive riveting is an engineering practice.

Rocketry

Seismic Exploration

Signal Lights

Soil Compaction - For large-scale construction projects, soil compaction is often accomplished with the use of explosives.

Sport Shooting - Gunpowder (blackpowder and smokeless powder) is used for shooting purposes, such as muzzle-loading handguns and rifles, or events where re-enactments of historical battles involve the use of muzzle-loading muskets and cannon.

Tools - Hand tools

Tunneling

Welding - Explosives jigs are often used to weld large diameter Pipelines.