Electric Blasting

blasting with an electric blasting cap connected in a blasting circuit. Electric blasting was proposed in Russia in 1812 by P. L. Shilling as a means for exploding powder charges with the aid of carbon fuzes developed by Shilling. In 1839 the carbon fuzes were replaced by electric fuzes equipped with a bridge wire. Primary batteries for electric blasting were developed in 1840, and the first shot exploder, of magnetoelectric design, was introduced in 1843.

In electric blasting, conductors are used to connect the blasting caps together and to the current source. Series, parallel, and combination connections are used, depending on the blasting conditions.

Electric blasting is widely used in mining, construction, and military engineering work. Modern blasting equipment and instruments ensure the necessary work safety when stray currents or static electricity may be present and when blasting is conducted near high-voltage lines, radio transmitters, or radar equipment. The use of capacitor-discharge shot exploders makes it possible to trigger blasting circuits with as many as 1,500 electric blasting caps.