Drill & Blast Tutorial

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Drill & Blast Tutorial - Introduction
Overview
Drilling Parameters
Blasting Parameters
Database
Reports and Volume Calculations
Prerequisites
Overview
The drill and blast module allows you to create and charge vertical and inclined holes in
rectangular patterns, along segments, or in a straight line between any two points
digitised on the screen. Below is one example of blastholes drilled from an elevation to a
DTM, as well as some presplit holes drilled from one segment to another segment.
This information can be stored in a database:

or presented as a plot which can be sent to your printer or plotter.
Drilling Parameters
Drilling parameters which are customisable include:
 pattern type (rectangular or staggered)

 hole numbering (regular or zig-zag)
 burden (distance between rows)
 spacing (distance between holes in a row)
 collar position (set at an elevation or to a DTM)
 hole length (set at a given length, elevation, or to a DTM)
 bearing (also referred to as azimuth)
 dip
 diameter
 pattern name
 hole name (including optional prefix, suffix, and also padded with zeros)
Blasting Parameters
Blasting parameters which are customisable include:
 depth of stemming (rock chips, dirt, or other non-explosive material placed on top
of the charge)
 charge interval (multiple charge intervals separated by stemming are allowed)
 explosive name
 explosive SG (specific gravity, or density of explosive)
 detonator name
 delay name
 delay time (in milliseconds)
 charge depth can be automatically adjusted to hole depth
Database
All of the drilling and blasting information for each hole can be saved to a database.
Surpac supports MS-Access(TM), Paradox(TM), dBase(TM), and any database
connectable via ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity). This allows you to use the
database itself outside of Surpac for customised report generation.
Reports and Volume Calculations

Surpac offers a suite of other tools outside of the drill and blast module which can be
used to create customised reports and volume calculations. There is a user-definable
menu (SSI_ETC:blast.def) where you can insert macros and surpac functions that you
find useful for these functions. Surpac's support staff is currently creating other macros
for these purposes. Contact your Surpac support office for copies of these macros.
At the time of this writing, there are plans to include reporting and volume calculation
functions within the drill and blast module in a future version of the software. Contact
your Surpac support office for information about this.
Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes you have a good understanding of the basic Surpac concepts of
strings, segments, DTMs, and string tools (specifically string maths).
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Drill & Blast Tutorial -

Concepts
Terminology
Collar
Toe
Pattern
Presplit Holes
Terminology
There are several terms and concepts particular to this tutorial which will be explained
here. Note that not all terms are the same in all countries, and you may need to insert your
preferred terminology where applicable. Much of the terminology associated with this is
specific to the mining and quarrying industries.
Collar
The starting point of a drill hole is referred to as the collar.
Toe
The bottom, or ending point of a drill hole is referred to as the toe. However, a line
defining the base point of a slope may also be referred to as a toe.
Pattern
A pattern is a set of blast holes which will be collectively drilled, sampled, charged, and
blasted. An example of a pattern is shown below. Each dot represents one blasthole.
Presplit Holes
Often holes are drilled at relatively close spacing along a planned fracture plane. These
holes are referred to in Surpac as presplit holes. Surpac can create presplit holes along a
straight line, or along a segment. The example below shows presplit holes created along a
segment, and in a straight line. One set of holes are created from one segment, the crest of
a bench, to another segment, the toe of the ramp. The horizontal holes, which could be
used as drains in a pit wall, or for sampling, were created along a straight line.
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Drill & Blast Tutorial - Rectangular

Pattern
Files Used
Prerequisites
Creating a Rectangular Pattern
Blast Pattern Design Form
Files Used
This tutorial uses the following files:
 bench940.str
These files should have been supplied with this tutorial. If you do not have these files,
please contact your Surpac Support office.
Prerequisites
Creating a Rectangular Pattern
This example will explain how to create the following blast pattern, where all holes will
be drilled one meter below the surface of the ramp and the design floor.
Start by recalling the file bench940.str into graphics. Draw the string numbers.
You should see the following:

Click and drag in the graphics viewport to become familiar with the file. Note that the
following string numbers are used:
String Description
1 ramp strings
940 940 elevation design toe
950 950 elevation design toe and crest
960 960 elevation design crest
We will be creating a pattern near the ramp from the 950 elevation to the 940 elevation.
The area of interest is shown in a 3D view here:
In this example, we will want the holes to be drilled one meter below the surface of the
ramp and the design floor. To do this, we will save this file to SUBDRILL940.STR,
subtract one meter from the elevation of all points in the file, and create a DTM of it.
First, save the file as SUBDRILL940.STR.
Then use STR MATHS (you can just type "STR MATHS" at the function prompt) to
subtract one meter from the elevation of all points:
Press APPLY at the next form to overwrite the file:

Next, use CREATE DTM (you can just type "CREATE DTM" at the function prompt) to
make a Digital Terrain Model of SUBDRILL940.STR. The resulting file will be
SUBDRILL940.DTM:
As will be demonstrated later, it is not necessary to recall this file into graphics in order
to use it to create holes.
Since simple rectangular patterns can only be created in plan view, we need to return to a
plan view. Window in on the ramp area, as shown:
Draw a 2D grid (spacing of 20). Select RECTANGULAR, then click and drag from
600N,260E to 720N,320E. Don't worry about getting the coordinates exactly correct.
When you release, you will see a box with dashed lines and the words "Burden" and
"Spacing" drawn on two axes:
Experiment with the right and left mouse buttons. The left mouse button moves the
pattern around. The right mouse button allows you to rotate the pattern. Press the ASSIST
key (normally the F1 key). The ASSIST key zooms the viewport to an area slightly larger
than the pattern outline. When you are done experimenting with the mouse keys and the
ASSIST key, press the APPLY key (normally the F2 key). Fill in the blast pattern design
form as shown, and press APPLY.
A detailed explanation of each field on this form follows:
Origin X
The X coordinate of the origin of the grid.
Origin Y
The Y coordinate of the origin of the grid.

Grid Height
The length of the grid along the axis labelled "Burden".
Grid Width
The length of the grid along the axis labelled "Spacing".
Grid Angle
Grid angle may be set to any value from 0 to 360. The grid angle is the azimuth, or
bearing of the axis labelled "Burden".
Layout
Either "rectangular" or "staggered". Below is an example of each:
Rectangular Staggered

Order
Either "Regular" or "Zig-Zag". Below is an example of each:
Regular Zig-Zag
In these examples, the rows are ordered from south to north. It is possible to order the
rows from north to south or east to west or west to east by rotating the grid to an angle of
90, 180, or 270 degrees.
Spacing input
Either "Burden and Spacing" or "Number of holes".
If you select "Burden and Spacing", you will be prompted for the burden (distance
between rows) and the spacing (distance between holes in a row). The number of holes in
each direction is calculated based on the grid height and grid width, and displayed on the
form. As shown on the blast pattern design form above, if the grid height is 120, and the
burden is 10, the number of rows is 13 (120/10 + 1). If the grid width is 60, and the
burden is 7.5, the number of columns (or holes per row) is 9 (60/7.5 + 1).
In the example below, a burden of 10 and a spacing of 7.5 has been used.

If you select "Number of holes", you will be prompted for the number of holes per row,
and the number of holes per column. The spacing between holes in each direction is
calculated based on the grid height and grid width, and displayed on the form. If the grid
height is 120, and the burden is 10, the number of rows is set to 11, the burden (spacing
between rows) will be 12 ( 120 / (11 - 1) ). If the grid width is 60, and the number of
columns is set to 21, the spacing (distance between holes in a row) will be 3 ( 60 / (21-
1) ).
Collar Elevation
Either "Fixed", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".
If Fixed is selected, you will be prompted to enter an elevation (Z value). The collar
elevations of all holes in the pattern will be set to this value.
If you select "DTM layer", you will be prompted to enter the name of another existing
layer which contains a DTM. This layer must contain a DTM that is numbered object 1,
trisolation 1. This DTM must be a DTM surface and not a 3D solid model. In other
words, the DTM must have been created using the function CREATE DTM, and not with
any of the solids modeling tools. The collar elevation of each hole will be set to the
elevation of the DTM where the hole intersects the DTM.
If you select "DTM file", you will be prompted to enter the name of an existing DTM
file, and whether or not you wish for the DTM to be displayed. This DTM must be
numbered object 1, trisolation 1. This DTM file must be a DTM surface and not a 3D
solid model. In other words, the DTM must have been created using the function
CREATE DTM, and not with any of the solids modeling tools. The collar elevation of
each hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM where the hole intersects the DTM.
Hole Length
Either "Set Length", "Set Elevation", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".
If "Set Length" is selected, you will be prompted to enter a hole length. The length of all
holes in the pattern will be set to this value.
If "Set Elevation" is selected, you will be prompted to enter an elevation (Z value). The
elevation of the toes (end, or bottom point) of all holes in the pattern will be set to this
value.
any of the solids modeling tools. The toe elevation of each hole will be set to the
file, as well as whether or not you would like to see this DTM file displayed on the
screen. The nominated DTM must be numbered object 1, trisolation 1, and it must be a
DTM surface - not a 3D solid model. In other words, the DTM must have been created
using the function CREATE DTM, and not with any of the solids modeling tools. The toe
elevation of each hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM where the hole intersects
the DTM.
Hole Bearing
Hole bearing may be set to any value from 0 to 360. The bearing (also know as azimuth)
of all holes in this pattern will be set to this value. For vertical holes, hole bearing may be
set to any value. Zero is commonly used for the bearing of vertical holes. The bearing is
measured as the azimuth in plan view from the collar to the toe, or end of the hole.
Hole Dip
Hole dip may be set to any value from -90 to 0. The dip of all holes in this pattern will be
set to this value. For vertical holes drilled down, hole dip should be set to -90. For
horizontal holes, the dip should be set to zero. The dip is measured as the angle from the
horizontal plane to the toe, or end of the hole.
Hole Diameter
The hole diameter is to be entered in units of measure. If you are using the metric system,
this is in meters. For example, a 76mm hole would be entered as 0.076 (meters). If you
are using the imperial system, enter this value as feet. For example, a 6 inch hole would
be entered as 0.5 (feet). The diameter is written to the D4 field of the first point of the
segment which represents the hole.
Clip to Boundary
After you apply this form, if CLIP TO BOUNDARY is set to Yes, then you will be
prompted to select a closed segment. All holes which would have fallen outside this
boundary will be deleted. Direction of the boundary segment is ignored. In other words,
if the segment is anticlockwise, it is treated as if it was clockwise for determining if a
hole is inside or outside the segment.
Pattern Identifier
The pattern identifier is a string of text and/or numbers that will be written to the field
blast_pattern if the data is written to a database. The pattern identifier is written to the D1
field of the first point of the segment which represents each hole.
Hole ID Prefix
All holes will be created with a numeric hole name (hole ID). Any characters which you
wish to precede the numeric portion of the hole name can be entered here. For example, if
you wanted the holes to be numbered 940-1, 940-2, 940-3, etc., you would enter "940-"
as the hole ID prefix. The hole ID prefix may be left blank. If it is blank, the holes will be
numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.
Hole ID Suffix
wish to come afterthe numeric portion of the hole name can be entered here. For
example, if you wanted the holes to be numbered 1rc, 2rc, 3rc, etc., you would enter "rc"
as the hole ID suffix. The hole ID suffix may be left blank. If it is blank, the holes will be
Starting Value
All holes will be created with a numeric hole name (hole ID), starting at the number
specified here. For example, if you wanted the first hole number to be 1000, the second
hole to be numbered 1001, the third hole to be numbered 1002, etc, then you would enter
a starting value of 1000.
Pad Hole_id, Length, and Character
To insure that holes are presented in order when viewing them in a database table, you
may want to "pad" the numeric portion of the hole with a character. For example, if you
wanted holes numbered ABC-001, ABC-002, ABC-003, etc, you would say "Yes" to Pad
Hole_id, set Pad Length to 3, and set Pad Character to "0".
Below are some examples:
Hole ID Hole ID Starting Pad Pad Pad

Examples
Prefix Suffix Value Hole_id Length Character

1 No 1, 2, 3

A 1 No A1, A2, A3

940- rc 1 No 940-1rc, 940-2rc, 940-3rc

bh- 1 Yes 3 0 bh-001, bh-002, bh-003

N_ 201 Yes 4 x N_x201, N_x202, N_x203

bh 8 Yes 2 0 08bh, 09bh, 10bh

RC 901 No RC901, RC902,RC903
After pressing APPLY at the blast pattern design form, you will be prompted to select a
closed segment for clipping holes. Select the 950 design crest, as shown:
You should now see the holes:

Note that the holes are numbered with the prefix 940-, are in zig-zag order, and are inside
the 950 design crest. If you have something else than this, just UNDO, and try again.
The result will be a series of two-point segments in the layer "blast hole layer" which
represent individual holes. The first point of the segment is at the collar, and the second
point of the segment is the toe, or end of the hole. If the layer "blast hole layer" does not
exist, it gets created. If there are no strings in the blast hole layer, or if the blast hole layer
does not exist, the string number used for the holes will be the design string number. If
there are strings in the blast hole layer, the string number assigned to the holes will be
one greater than the maximum string number.
Let us assume that we will be drilling the east wall of the ramp with presplit holes, and do
not want vertical holes in the area between the 950 crest and the toe of the road. Since
there are only a few holes to delete, we will delete these holes individually. Sometimes it
is easier to see the holes without the names displayed, so use ERASE DESCRIPTIONS
to erase the hole names. The hole names are still stored in the D2 field of the first point
(the collar) of each hole. ERASE DESCRIPTIONS merely hides any descriptive
information from view.
Select EDIT HOLES - DELETE INSIDE TEMP SEGMENT, and digitise a temporary
segment in a clockwise fashion, as shown:
Note that we are leaving one hole in this column - no particular reason other than to
demonstrate how DELETE INSIDE TEMP SEGMENT works.
After you have finished, press CANCEL (the ESC key on most computers). Use ERTM
to erase the temporary markers. You should now see:
Use PD to "plot descriptions" on D2, the description field which contains the hole name.
By deleting those holes, the numbering sequence is now incorrect:

Select ASSIGN IDS, and fill in the form as shown, and press APPLY:
The holes should now be correctly numbered:

Again, you may use UNDO to go back any number of steps if you have made an error.
To see how the pattern has been drilled to a depth of 1 meter below the design (i.e., to
SUBDRILL940.DTM), spin the data around. You may use ERASE DESCRIPTIONS to
remove the hole ids.

Use IDENTIFY POINT and click on the collars and toes of some holes. Note that the
following data is present in the string file:

D1 D2 D3 D4
Collar (start of segment)
Pattern ID Hole ID Hole Length Diameter
Toe (end of segment)
blank blank blank blank
Save the file as PATTERN940-1.STR

You have now completed creating a simple pattern!
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Drill & Blast Tutorial - Presplit Holes
Files Used
Prerequisites
What are Presplit Holes?
Creating Presplit Holes Along a Segment
Form for Presplit Parameters Along a Segment
Creating Presplit Holes Along a Straight Line
Form for Presplit Parameters Along a Straight Line
Files Used
 bench940.str

Prerequisites
What are Presplit Holes?
Often holes are drilled at relatively close spacing along a planned fracture plane. These
holes are referred to in Surpac as presplit holes. Surpac can create presplit holes along a
straight line, or along a segment. The example below shows presplit holes created along a
segment, and in a straight line. One set of holes are created from one segment, the crest of
a bench, to another segment, the toe of the ramp. The horizontal holes, which could be
used as drains in a pit wall, or for sampling, were created along a straight line.
Creating Presplit Holes Along a Segment
Recall the file bench940.str into graphics. Draw the string numbers.

String Description
1 ramp strings
We will be creating a pattern near the ramp from the 950 elevation to the toe of the ramp.
The holes we will be creating are shown below:

Since presplit holes can only be created in plan view, we need to return to a plan view.
Window in on the ramp area, as shown:
Select PRE-SPLIT SEG, click down on the 950 crest as shown, and drag (holding the
mouse key down) to the top of the ramp, then release the mouse key. If, as you were
dragging, any other segment was highlighted, you just happenned to select string a
different string. If any other string was selected, just press CANCEL (the ESC key), and
try again.
Once you have successfully selected the 950 crest string, the PRE-SPLIT
PARAMETERS form will be displayed. Fill in the form as shown, and press APPLY:

A detailed explanation of each field on this form follows:
Spacing input
Either "Spacing" or "No holes" (i.e., "Number of holes").
If you select "Spacing", you will be prompted to enter the spacing distance between
holes. The number of holes is calculated based on the line length, and displayed on the
form. As shown on the presplit parameters form above, if the line length is 111.5, and the
spacing is 5, the number of holes is 23 (truncated integer value of(111.5/5 + 1) ).
If you select "No holes", you will be prompted for the number of holes you want drilled
between the first and last points. The spacing between holes is calculated based on the
line length, and displayed on the form. If the line length is 111.546, and you enter number
of holes as 11, the spacing between holes will be 11.1565 ( 111.546 / (11 - 1) ).

Collar Elevation
Either "Fixed", "Selected Segment", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".
elevations of all presplit holes created will be set to this value.
If you select "Selected Segment", the collar elevations of all holes will be set to the
elevation of the selected segment at the specified distance along the segment.
elevation of the DTM at the XY coordinates of the collar location.
file, and also whether or not you wish for this file to be displayed. This DTM must be
each hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM at the XY coordinates of the collar
location.
Hole Length
Either "Set Length", "Set Elevation", "DTM layer",."DTM file", or "Set to Segment".
holes created will be set to this value.
elevation of the toes (end, or bottom point) of all holes created will be set to this value.
If "DTM layer" is selected, you will be prompted to enter the name of another existing
If "DTM file" is selected, you will be prompted to enter the name of an existing DTM
file, and whether or not you would like to see the DTM file displayed. The nominated
DTM must be numbered object 1, trisolation 1, and it must be a DTM surface - not a 3D
CREATE DTM, and not with any of the solids modeling tools. The toe elevation of each
hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM where the hole intersects the DTM.
If "Set to Segment" is selected, after the form is applied, you will be prompted to enter a
"Segment offset", and a "Fix Value". You will then be prompted to select a segment, and,
if the segment offset amount is not zero, you will be prompted to select which side of the
segment you wish the toes to be extended. Where possible, the holes will be extended to
the segment at the nominated offset distance. In some cases, such as interior corners
shown below, you must choose between maintaining the bearing or the offset of the hole.
If you set Fix Value to "Bearing", the orientation of the holes will remain perpendicular
to the collar segment, but the offset will not be honoured. If you set Fix Value to
"Offset", the offset distance will be honoured, but the bearing of the hole will not be
perpendicular to the collar segment.
Bearing Offset
Bearing and Hole Bearing

If Hole Length is "Set to Segment", hole bearing and dip will be determined by the
geometry of the selected segment, and bearing, hole bearing, and dip will not require
input. If Hole Length is anything else, you must enter the method for calculating the
bearing of the hole as either "Set Bearing" or "Perp. to Segment". If you select "Set
Bearing", you must enter a value for Hole Bearing (from 0 to 360). The bearing (also
know as azimuth) of all holes in this pattern will be set to this value. For vertical holes,
hole bearing may be set to any value. Zero is commonly used for the bearing of vertical
holes. The bearing is measured as the azimuth in plan view from the collar to the toe, or
end of the hole. The value entered for Hole Bearing will be used for all holes, regardless
of the orientation of the segment. If you select "Perp. to Segment", all holes will be
created perpendicular to the segment.
Hole Dip
input. Hole dip may be set to any value from -90 to 0. The dip of all holes in this pattern
will be set to this value. For vertical holes drilled down, hole dip should be set to -90. For
Hole Diameter
Clip to Boundary
prompted to select a closed segment. All holes whose collar location would have fallen
outside this boundary will be deleted. Direction of the boundary segment is ignored. In
other words, if the segment is anticlockwise, it is treated as if it was clockwise for
determining if a hole is inside or outside the segment.
Pattern Identifier
Hole ID Prefix
Hole ID Suffix
Starting Value
hole to be numbered 102, the third hole to be numbered 103, etc, then you would enter a
starting value of 101.

Examples

1 No 1, 2, 3

A 1 No A1, A2, A3

940- rc 1 No 940-1rc, 940-2rc, 940-3rc

bh- 1 Yes 3 0 bh-001, bh-002, bh-003

N_ 201 Yes 4 x N_x201, N_x202, N_x203

bh 8 Yes 2 0 08bh, 09bh, 10bh

RC 901 No RC901, RC902,RC903
After pressing APPLY at the presplit parameters form, you will be prompted to select
segment which will be used as the toe position. Select the ramp string as shown:

You should now see the presplit holes created:
Note that the holes are numbered with the prefix 940-, suffix of "ps", and are drilled from
950 crest down to the ramp toe. If you have something else than this, UNDO, and try
again.
Use ERASE DESCRIPTIONS to erase the hole numbers. Spin the data around on the
screen. You should see something like this:


D1 D2 D3 D4
We want to ensure that we only create holes which are at least 1.5 meters long, as
anything shorter is not worth blasting.
Use DRAW DESCRIPTIONS (alias PD) to draw description field D3 on all points.

Return to plan view, and window in on the southern end of the presplit holes. You should
now see that at least one hole is less than 1.5 meters in length. Your hole lengths will
probably not be exactly the same as what is displayed.

We will need to delete these holes. Select EDIT HOLES - DELETE SINGLE, then click
on all holes less than 1.5 meters in length.
You have now completed creating a presplit pattern along a segment!
Creating Presplit Holes Along a Straight Line
If you have just completed the previous exercise use LAYER DELETE ALL (alias LDA)
to delete all layers except for the main graphics layer, and to delete all data in the main
graphics layer. Recall the file bench940.str into graphics. Draw the string numbers.

String Description
1 ramp strings
We will be creating horizontal drain holes on the pit wall. The holes we will be creating
are shown below:

We will be using a DTM of the pit wall in this area to set the elevation of the holes. This
is only done as an example to demonstrate how presplit holes can be created in a straight
line, and how the elevations of the collars can be set using a DTM file. In practice, there
is probably a better method: there would probably be a desired elevation that the collars
could be set at, and using PRE-SPLIT SEG along a contour line at that elevation would
probably be a better way to actually complete this task. This approach is only used to
demonstrate PRE-SPLIT LINE.
First, we must create a DTM of BENCH940.STR. Use CREATE DTM to do this. The
resulting file will be BENCH940.DTM:
As will be demonstrated later, it is not necessary to recall this file into graphics in order
to use it to create holes.
Since presplit holes can only be created in plan view, we need to return to a plan view.
Window in on the north end of the two ramps, as shown:
Select PRE-SPLIT LINE, click down on a point approximately halfway between the 960
crest and the 950 toe as shown, and drag (holding the mouse key down) to a point just
south of there, then release the mouse key. If you have any problems, just press CANCEL
(the ESC key), and try again.
Once you have successfully selected a line, the PRE-SPLIT PARAMETERS form will be
displayed. Fill in the form as shown, and press APPLY:

The exact coordinates of the Line Origin may be slightly different for you - as long as
they are close to what is shown here, that is OK.
In this case, note that we are nominating a DTM to set the collar elevations. What this
means is that the elevation of the holes created will be equal to the elevation of the DTM
at the given XY coordinates of each hole.
We are also setting the Bearing of the holes to be "Perp. to Segment" (perpendicular to
the line we clicked and dragged). After this form is applied, we will be prompted to select
which side of the line we clicked and dragged to create we want the holes to be drilled.
By setting the hole dip to zero degrees, we will be creating horizontal holes.
With a prefix of 950-, a suffix of d, and a starting value of 701, the holes will be
numbered 950-701d, 950-702d, 950-703d, etc.
A detailed explanation of the fields on this form follows:

Line Origin
The X (easting) and Y (northing) of the first point clicked with the mouse will be
displayed. These coordinates can be edited on the form.
Line Length
The length of the line (from the first point the mouse was clicked to the point where the
mouse was released) is displayed. The length of this line can be edited on the form.
Bearing (of the line)
The bearing of the line (from the first point the mouse was clicked to the point where the
mouse was released) is displayed. This bearing can be edited on the form.
Spacing Input
Either "Spacing" or "No holes" (i.e., "Number of holes").
If you select "Spacing", you will be prompted to enter the spacing distance between
holes. The number of holes is calculated based on the line length, and displayed on the
form. As shown on the presplit parameters form above, if the line length is 40, and the
spacing is 4, the number of holes is 11 ( (40/4 + 1) ).
If you select "No holes" (i.e., "Number of holes"), you will be prompted for the number
of holes you want drilled between the first and last points. The spacing between holes is
calculated based on the line length, and displayed on the form. If the line length is 40, and
you enter number of holes as 9, the spacing between holes will be 5 ( 40 / (9 - 1) ).
Collar Elevation
Either "Fixed", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".

elevations of all presplit holes created will be set to this value.
elevation of the DTM at the XY coordinates of the collar location.
file, and also whether or not you wish for this file to be displayed. This DTM must be
each hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM at the XY coordinates of the collar
location.
Hole Length
Either "Set Length", "Set Elevation", "DTM layer",."DTM file", or "Set to Segment".
holes created will be set to this value.
elevation of the toes (end, or bottom point) of all holes created will be set to this value.
If "DTM layer" is selected, you will be prompted to enter the name of another existing
If "DTM file" is selected, you will be prompted to enter the name of an existing DTM
file, and whether or not you would like to see the DTM file displayed. The nominated
DTM must be numbered object 1, trisolation 1, and it must be a DTM surface - not a 3D
CREATE DTM, and not with any of the solids modeling tools. The toe elevation of each
hole will be set to the elevation of the DTM where the hole intersects the DTM.
If "Set to Segment" is selected, after the form is applied, you will be prompted to enter a
"Segment offset", and a "Fix Value". You will then be prompted to select a segment, and,
if the segment offset amount is not zero, you will be prompted to select which side of the
segment you wish the toes to be extended. Where possible, the holes will be extended to
the segment at the nominated offset distance. In some cases, such as interior corners
shown below, you must choose between maintaining the bearing or the offset of the hole.
If you set Fix Value to "Bearing", the orientation of the holes will remain perpendicular
to the collar segment, but the offset will not be honoured. If you set Fix Value to
"Offset", the offset distance will be honoured, but the bearing of the hole will not be
perpendicular to the collar segment.
Bearing Offset
Bearing and Hole Bearing
input. If Hole Length is anything else, you must enter the method for calculating the
bearing of the hole as either "Set Bearing" or "Perp. to Segment". If you select "Set
Bearing", you must enter a value for Hole Bearing (from 0 to 360). The bearing (also
know as azimuth) of all holes in this pattern will be set to this value. For vertical holes,
hole bearing may be set to any value. Zero is commonly used for the bearing of vertical
holes. The bearing is measured as the azimuth in plan view from the collar to the toe, or
end of the hole. The value entered for Hole Bearing will be used for all holes, regardless
of the orientation of the segment. If you select "Perp. to Segment", all holes will be
created perpendicular to the segment.
Hole Dip
input. Hole dip may be set to any value from -90 to 0. The dip of all holes in this pattern
will be set to this value. For vertical holes drilled down, hole dip should be set to -90. For
Hole Diameter
Clip to Boundary
prompted to select a closed segment. All holes whose collar location would have fallen
outside this boundary will be deleted. Direction of the boundary segment is ignored. In
other words, if the segment is anticlockwise, it is treated as if it was clockwise for
determining if a hole is inside or outside the segment.
Pattern Identifier
Hole ID Prefix

Hole ID Suffix
Starting Value
hole to be numbered 102, the third hole to be numbered 103, etc, then you would enter a
starting value of 101.

Examples

1 No 1, 2, 3

A 1 No A1, A2, A3

940- rc 1 No 940-1rc, 940-2rc, 940-3rc

bh- 1 Yes 3 0 bh-001, bh-002, bh-003

N_ 201 Yes 4 x N_x201, N_x202, N_x203

bh 8 Yes 2 0 08bh, 09bh, 10bh

RC 901 No RC901, RC902,RC903
After pressing APPLY at the presplit parameters form, you will be prompted to select the
direction to which the holes will be drilled. Select a point to the east of the line as shown:
You should now see the presplit holes created:

Note that the holes are numbered with the prefix 950-, suffix of "d", start at hole 701, and
are horizontal. If you have something else than this, UNDO, and try again.
Use ERASE DESCRIPTIONS to erase the hole numbers. Spin the data around on the
screen. You should see something like this:


D1 D2 D3 D4

You have now completed creating a presplit pattern along a line!
[Previous] [Next]
Drill & Blast Tutorial - Database
Files Used
Prerequisites
How is a Database used with Drill & Blast?
Tables and Fields in a Drill & Blast Database
Creating a New Database for Drill & Blast
Modifying an Existing Database for Drill & Blast
Loading Holes into a Database
Loading Sample Intervals into a Database
Files Used
 bench950.str
 pattern950-8.str
Prerequisites
strings, segments, DTMs, and Surpac's geological database. It is not absolutely necessary
that you are familiar with Surpac's geological database, but it would be of assistance. Be
aware that there is an entire one or two day training course dedicated to creating and
manipulating data within geological databases. Contact your nearest Surpac Support
office for information on training courses.

How is a Database used with Drill & Blast?
When you create a pattern with the drill and blast module, the data is stored as one or
more strings which contain one segment per hole. Uncharged holes contain the following
information:

D1 D2 D3 D4
When this data exists in a layer called "blast hole layer", you can load it directly into a
Surpac geological database.
The use of a database with the drill and blast module is optional, but from a data
management viewpoint, it is highly recommended. In other words, you are not required to
store the drillhole data in a database - you can merely save the string files with the
information contained in them. However, as will be demonstrated, using a database can
make reporting and querying of historical data much easier.
Below is an example of some data loaded into a MS Acess database.

The database itself can be of any of the supported Surpac database formats (i.e., Paradox,
MS Access, dBase, etc.). If you are using a PC, it is generally recommended to use a MS
Access database.
Tables and Fields in a Drill & Blast Database
The MINIMUM table and fields required for a drill and blast database are:
TABLES COLLAR SURVEY TRANSLATION

hole_id hole_id table_name
y depth field_name
x dip code
FIELDS z azimuth num_equiv
max_depth description
hole_path
blast_pattern
The RECOMMENDED table and fields for a drill and blast database are:
TABLES COLLAR SURVEY TRANSLATION SAMPLE CHARGING

hole_id hole_id table_name hole_id hole_id
y depth field_name samp_id samp_id
x dip code depth_from depth_from
FIELDS z azimuth num_equiv depth_to depth_to
max_depth description explosive
hole_path detonator
blast_pattern delay
If you want to store samples, you will need a sample table. If you want to store charging
information, you will need a charging table. If you do not need to store this data, your
database does not need to have these tables.
Note: The fields "blast_pattern", "explosive", "detonator", "delay" are all character fields.
A minimum length value of 30 mixed-case characters is recommended.
Creating a New Database for Drill & Blast
At the time of this writing, there is a separate menu in Surpac v3.2 which contains macros
that perform certain tasks related to drill and blast design. One of these macros allows
you to quickly create a new database for use with the drill and blast design module. You
may also create your own database with the GEOLOGICAL DATABASE module, but it
is a much simpler process if you use this macro.
From the BLAST DESIGN menu in GRAPHICS, select USER MENU. From the blast
macro user menu, select CREATE DATABASE. Enter the name of the database as
shown (this name is required for use in the charging portion of this tutorial).
Note: If you are on a UNIX platform, you may use a Paradox format (since MS Access is
not supported on Surpac on UNIX platforms). In practice, you may choose whichever
format you are most comfortable with. The format of the database is irrelevant to Surpac,
it is completely your choice. An MS Access database is generally recommended for PC
users, and a Paradox database is recommended for UNIX users.
After you APPLY for form, the following messages will appear in the message window:
 Database definition file db950 not found.

 New Database "db950" created.
 Definition file db950.ddb opened.
 Database db950 connected.
 End playing for macro <SSI_APPLETS: directory>\create_blast_db.cmd
If the database did not exist before, the database will be created in the current working
directory. After the macro is completed, the files DB950.DDB and DB950.MDB will
exist in the current directory. The macro disconnects you from the database after creating
it. The CREATE DATABASE macro will create a database with all of the recommended
tables and fields, as listed above.
As mentioned in the Prerequisites portion of this tutorial, it is assumed that you have a
basic understanding of the Surpac geological database, although it is not absolutely
essential.
If you get an error message indicating that you are "not licenced to use GEOLOGICAL
DATABASE", this means that your copy of Surpac does not have the geological database
module enabled. Contact your nearest Surpac Support office for details on obtaining a
token number to enable you to use this module. You will not be able to proceed with this
portion of the tutorial until you can use the GEOLOGICAL DATABASE module.
Modifying an Existing Database for Drill & Blast
You can load drill and blast patterns into any existing Surpac database that you are
currently using (with Surpac version 3.1 or 3.2), with the addition of a few fields and
tables. If your database is not currently accessible via Surpac, contact your local Surpac
support office first.
As an example of how to do this, we will first create a database using GEOLOGICAL

DATABASE, then we will add the required fields and tables.
Note: At the time of this writing, the drill & blast module was only available in v3.2, so
these instructions will be applicable to that version. Later versions will not have the same
menu structure.
If you are currently in GRAPHICS, exit and return to the main Surpac menu. From the
main menu, select GEOLOGICAL DATABASE, enter the name as shown, and press
APPLY:
The database should not exist. If it does exist, and you connect to it, exit the geological
database, delete the files OLD.DDB and OLD.MDB (or the directory OLD.PDX if you
are on UNIX), then try again.
Since this is a new database, it will prompt you to create the database or re-enter the
name. Press APPLY to create the database.
At the next form, if you are using a PC, select the database type as "access", as shown. If
you are using UNIX, select "paradox". APPLY the form.
At the next form, leave all fields as they are, and APPLY the form.
At the next form, leave all fields as they are, and APPLY the form.
APPLY the next form.

You now have created the database "old". We will use this as our "existing" database to
demonstrate how to add the required tables and fields to make it suitable for use with the
drill and blast module.. For your information, the database OLD has the following tables
and fields (your existing database may have more):
TABLES COLLAR SURVEY TRANSLATION

hole_id hole_id table_name
y depth field_name
x dip code
FIELDS
z azimuth num_equiv
max_depth description
hole_path
Once again, the RECOMMENDED table and fields for a drill and blast database are:

hole_path detonator
blast_pattern delay
The tables and fields shown in bold red are the ones we will add.
At the main geological database, select MANAGEMENT & REPORTS. At the

management & reports menu, select ADD FIELD. Enter the following data, and press
APPLY:
You now have added the field "blast_pattern" to the collar table.
The name "blast_pattern" MUST be present in the collar table in order for the database to
be used to load collar and survey information from holes designed with the drill and blast
module. If you do not need to create sample interval data when you load the drill and
blast patterns, or do not care to store charging information in the database, your database
is now ready to load drill and blast pattern data.
If you do want to store sample intervals, you must have an interval type table for samples.
If you already have an existing interval table for storing sample data in your database,
that will work. In this example, our database named OLD does not have an interval table,
so we will create one.
At the management & reports menu, select CREATE TABLE, enter the following
information, and APPLY the form (you may use any name for the sample table in your
database) :
Enter the following values. The "valid entries" field may be left blank, and the "Phys or
Virt" field may be set to "physical". You may use any sample field names other than
"gold", "silver", and "copper" in your database. APPLY the form.

Your database is now ready to accept sample interval information from the drill and blast
module.
If you want to store charging information, you must have an interval type table with
specific field names, as listed:

hole_path detonator
blast_pattern delay
The tables and fields shown in bold red are the ones we are adding.
At the management & reports menu, select CREATE TABLE, enter the following
information, and APPLY the form (you may use any name for the sample table in your
database) :
Enter the following values. The "valid entries" field may be left blank, and the "Phys or
Virt" field may be set to "physical". You MUST use the field names"explosive",
"detonator", and "delay", spelled exactly as they appear here. A length of 30 is arbitrarily
chosen as sufficiently long to accommodate the names of the explosives, detonators, and
delays. You may set this to a larger value if you will have names longer than 30
characters. APPLY the form.
Your database is now ready to accept charging information from the drill and blast
module.
Select PREVIOUS, then EXIT to return to the main menu.
Loading Holes into a Database
Go to GRAPHICS. Recall the file bench950.str into the main graphics layer. Draw the
string numbers.
String Description
951 950 elevation as-built toe (2 segments)
960 elevation as-built crest (2
961
segments)
999 as-built ramp
Recall the file pattern950-8.str into a layer called the blast hole layer:
Note: In order for a pattern created by the drill and blast module to be loaded to a
database, it MUST reside in the layer "blast hole layer".
Click and drag in the graphics viewport to become familiar with the data.

D1 D2 D3 D4
These holes were previously created using Rectangular Pattern and Presplit Holes.
Typically, as soon as you use either of those functions to create a pattern, your data
would reside in a layer called blast hole layer, and you could immediately load it into a
database. The method of recalling the blast hole data into a layer called blast hole layer
prior to loading it into a database is only used as an example.
If there are no descriptions for the toes of the holes, as is the case for PATTERN950-
8.STR, the holes are "uncharged". That is, the holes are only assumed to be drilled, and
no explosives, detonators, or delays have been assigned to the holes. What this means in
loading data to a database is that when holes are uncharged, we cannot select to load data
into a "charging" table.
From the BLAST DESIGN menu, select LOAD DATABASE. Select the database
"db950", and APPLY the form.
If you have not yet created this database, go back to Creating a New Database for Drill &
Blast.
In this example, we will load only the collar and survey tables. Since we are not loading
any charging data to the database, leave Load charging/stemming data set to "N". Since
we are not loading any sample interval data to the database, set Load sample data to
"N". APPLY the form.
You will now see a text file pop up with the results of loading the database:
BLAST HOLE DESIGN - LOAD BLAST HOLES TO DATABASE REPORT
Load commencing on 10-Nov-99

Loading collar table - collar
Loading survey table - survey
Loading charging table -
Loading sample table -
=====================================================================
=====================================================================
End of Load blast holes to database report
This particular report indicates that the data was loaded successfully.
If you are using a PC, and have MS Access installed, open the file DB950.MDB (it will
be located in the current working directory you are using in Surpac). You should now be
able to see the data that was loaded into the database. Note that only the collar and survey
tables were loaded.
You can also use VIEW TABLE ROW in Surpac's GEOLOGICAL DATABASE to view
the data.
To do this, EXIT GRAPHICS (it is not necessary to save the data in graphics, since it has
not changed), then select GEOLOGICAL DATABASE. Select the database "db950", and
APPLY the form.
Select MANAGEMENT & REPORTS, then VIEW TABLE ROW. Enter the table name
"collar", as shown, and APPLY:
Press APPLY at the next form:

You should now see the following data.

After you are finished viewing the data, press APPLY or CANCEL, then select
PREVIOUS, then EXIT to return to the main menu.
Loading Sample Intervals into a Database
Go to graphics, then recall BENCH950.STR into main graphics layer, and

PATTERN940.STR into blast hole layer as previously documented in Loading Holes into a
Database.
From the BLAST DESIGN menu, select LOAD DATABASE. Select the database
"db950", and APPLY the form.
If you have not yet created this database, go back to Creating a New Database for Drill &
Blast.
If you have completed Loading Holes into a Database, you will see several holes listed as
duplicates. Set Overwrite to "Y" to overwrite the existing data in the database with this
data. If duplicate holes exist and Overwrite is set to "N", none of the holes will be loaded
to the database.
In this example, we will load the collar, survey, and sample tables. Since we are not
loading any charging data to the database, leave Load charging/stemming data set to
"N". Since we are loading any sample interval data to the database, leave Load sample
data to "Y". Enter the rest of the data as shown. A more detailed explanation of the form
follows.
Overwrite Duplicate Blast Holes
If one or more holes in the blast hole layer have exactly the same hole id (name) as holes
already in the database, then you can select whether or not to overwrite the existing data
in the database with this data.
If duplicate holes exist and Overwrite is set to "Y", all data in any table in the database
with a hole id which is listed under "Duplicate Blast Holes" will be deleted. Collar and
survey information (and optionally, sample and charging data) for the new holes will be
loaded into the database.
If duplicate holes exist and Overwrite is set to "N", the database will be left untouched,
and none of the data from the blast hole layer will be loaded to the database.
As an example, if a hole named 950-801 exists in the database, with data in the collar,
survey, and sample table, and you select to overwrite it, all of the data pertaining to hole
950-801 in the collar, survey, and sample tables will be deleted. If you then set Load
sample data to "N" and Load charging/stemming data to "N", then the data for hole
950-801 currently in the blast hole layer will be loaded to the collar and survey tables
only.
Load charging/stemming data
If you select "Y", you will be prompted to enter the name of an interval table which
contains the character fields "delay", "detonator", and "explosive". The charging data, if it
exists, will be loaded to the nominated table.
If you select "N", you will not be prompted to enter a table name. No charging data will
be loaded to any table in the database for the holes in the layer blast hole layer.
(Charging) Table name
If you set Load charging/stemming data to "Y", you will be prompted to select the
name of a valid charging table The only tables selectable here will be an interval type of
table which contains the character fields "delay", "detonator", and "explosive":
TABLE NAME CHARGING

hole_id
samp_id
depth_from
FIELD NAMES depth_to
explosive
detonator
delay
The string data must exist in the layer blast hole layer. The charging data, if it exists, will
be loaded to the nominated table.
Load sample data
If you select "Y", you will be prompted to enter the name of an interval table. Sample
intervals will be created in the nominated table
If you select "N", you will not be prompted to enter a table name. No new sample
intervals will be created in any table in the database.
(Sample) Table name
The sample table selected here must be an interval type of table (i.e., the table must
contain the following fields as a minimum:
TABLE NAME SAMPLE

hole_id
samp_id
FIELD NAMES
depth_from
depth_to
It is not necessary to have sample element fields in order to create sample intervals. In the
example immediately above, the SAMPLE table only contains hole_id, samp_id,
depth_from, and depth_to. It does not contain any sample element fields, such as gold,
silver, copper, ash_content, DDT_ppm, etc., and yet it is acceptable to load sample
intervals into such a table. Fields may be added afterward with the GEOLOGICAL
DATABASE - ADD FIELD option.
Additional rows of data will be written to the nominated table. The hole_id will be taken
from the string data in the blast hole layer. The samp_id will be taken from the sample
prefix, suffix, and sample id method chosen. Depth_from and depth_to will be calculated
from the sampling method selected.
Sample prefix
All samples will be created with an incrementing alphanumeric (letters or numbers)

sample name (sample ID). Any characters which you wish to precede the alphanumeric
portion of the sample name can be entered here. You can use the characters "%ID%" to
represent the hole ID.
For example, if the hole ID was 940, and you wanted the samples to be numbered 940-1,
940-2, 940-3, etc., you would enter "%ID%-" as the sample prefix. The sample prefix
may be left blank. If it is blank, the samples will be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. or A, B, C, etc.
Increment start
sample name (sample ID), starting at the number or letter specified here.
For example, if you wanted the first sample number to be 101, the second sample to be
numbered 102, the third sample to be numbered 103, etc, then you would enter a starting
value of 101.
Sample Suffix

sample name (sample ID). Any characters which you wish to come after the
alphanumeric portion of the sample name can be entered here.
For example, if you wanted the samples to be numbered 1rc, 2rc, 3rc, etc., you would
enter "rc" as the sample suffix. The sample suffix may be left blank. If it is blank, the
samples will be numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. or A, B, C, etc.
Padding Length, and Padding Character
To insure that samples are presented in order when viewing them in a database table, you
may want to "pad" the numeric portion of the hole with a character.
For example, if you wanted samples numbered ABC-001, ABC-002, ABC-003, etc, you
would set Pad Length to 3, and set Pad Character to "0".
Increment method
Either "continuous" or "reset at each hole". If you want your samples to start
incrementing at each new hole, use "reset at each hole". If you want your sample numbers
at the start of each hole to be one greater than the value at the end of the previous hole,
use "continuous"
For example, if you were taking two samples per hole, and set Increment method to
"reset at each hole", Sample prefix to %ID%-, Increment start to "A", and were starting
with hole ID DH5, you would get sample ids of: DH5-A, DH5-B, DH6-A, DH6-B, DH7-
A, DH7-B.
If you were taking two samples per hole, and set Increment method to "continuous",
Sample prefix to %ID%-, Increment start to "A", and were starting with hole ID DH5,
you would get sample ids of: DH5-A, DH5-B, DH6-C, DH6-D, DH7-E, DH7-F.

Below are some examples of sample ids:
Sample Increment Pad Pad Sample Increment

Hole
ID Example Sample ID
Prefix Start Length Character Suffix Method
950-8 1 0 0
continuous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
950-8 1 0 0
A continuous A1, A2, A3, A4, A5
950-8 1 0 0 950-8_1, 950-8_2, 950-

%ID%_ continuous
8_3, 950-9_1, 950-9_2
950-8 A 0 0 950-8-A, 950-8-B, 950-8-

%ID%- continuous
C, 950-9-A, 950-9-B
DH3 98 3 0 BM098, BM099, BM100,

BM continuous
BM101, BM102
DH3 1 2 _ DH3_1, DH3_2, DH3_3,

%ID% reset
DH4_1, DH4_2
DH04-1a, DH04-2a,
DH04 1 0 0 a
%ID%- reset DH04-3a, DH05-1a,
DH05-2a,
Sampling method and Sample length(s)
Either "fixed length", "varying lengths", or "single sample".
If you select "fixed length", sample increments will be created at the sample length
specified down the hole. If you enter a sample length is shorter than the hole length,
multiple samples per hole are possible. If you enter a sample length equal to the hole
length, you will get one sample per hole. If you enter a sample length longer than the hole
length, the sample length will be equal to the hole length.
If you select "varying lengths", sample increments of uneven length will be created at the
set of sample lengths entered. The sample lengths must be separated by semicolons.
For example, if you wanted samples from 0 to 1, 1 to 4, and 4 to 9, you would enter
1;4;9.
If you select "single sample", you will get one sample per hole. If you leave sample
length(s) blank, the sample will be equal to the length of the hole. If you enter a sample
length equal to or shorter than the hole length, the sample will be set to that length. If you
enter a sample length longer than the hole length, the sample length will be set equal to
the length of the hole.
End sample method
The end sample method allows you to select how to deal with the last sample in a hole, in
the case where the depth_to value of the last sample is not equal to the hole length.
Where the depth_to value of the last sample is equal to the end of the hole, the End
sample method is irrelevant.
The options for End sample method are: "ignore partial sample", "include partial
sample", "extend to hole length", "extend on tolerance", or "include if min length".
If you select "ignore partial sample", then any part of the hole after the last full sample
will be ignored. For example if you specified fixed samples of 10m and your actual hole
depth was 53m, then the remaining 3m after the last full sample (40m to 50m) would be
ignored.
Hole depth: 53
Fixed sample length: 10
IGNORE PARTIAL SAMPLE

hole_id samp_id depth_from depth_to
DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 50
If you select "include partial sample", then any part of the hole after the last full sample
will be included as a partial sample. For example if you specified fixed samples of 10m
and your actual hole depth was 53m, then the remaining 3m after the last full sample
(40m to 50m) would be included as a sample of 3m.
Hole depth: 53
INCLUDE PARTIAL SAMPLE
DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 50
DH3 DH3_6 50 53
If you select "extend to hole length", then any part of the hole after the last full sample
will be included as part of the last sample. For example if you specified fixed samples of
10m and your actual hole depth was 53m, then the last sample in the hole would be
adjusted to be from 40m to 53m.
Hole depth: 53
EXTEND TO HOLE LENGTH

DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 53
If you select "extend on tolerance", then any part of the hole after the last full sample will
be included as part of the last sample if it is with the specified end of hole tolerance
value. For example if you specified fixed samples of 10m and your actual hole depth was
53m, then the last sample in the hole would be adjusted to be from 40m to 53m if the end
hole tolerance was greater than 3m, otherwise the over drill would be ignored with the
last sample being from 40m to 50m.
Hole depth: 53
End hole tolerance distance: 5
EXTEND ON TOLERANCE
DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 53
Hole depth: 53
End hole tolerance distance: 2
EXTEND ON TOLERANCE
DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 50
If you select "include if min length", then any part of the hole after the last full sample
will be included as a partial sample if it is of at least the specified minimum length for a
sample. For example if you specified fixed samples of 10m and your actual hole depth
was 53m, then the remaining 3m after the last full sample (40m to 50m) would be
included as a sample of 3m providing the specified minimum distance for a sample was
greater than 3m.
Hole depth: 53
Minimum distance: 1
INCLUDE IF MIN LENGTH

DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 50
DH3 DH3_6 50 53
Hole depth: 53
Minimum distance: 7
INCLUDE IF MIN LENGTH

DH3 DH3_1 0 10
DH3 DH3_2 10 20
DH3 DH3_3 20 30
DH3 DH3_4 30 40
DH3 DH3_5 40 50
Now, back to the tutorial. After the database is loaded, you will see a text file pop up with
the results of loading the database:
BLAST HOLE DESIGN - LOAD BLAST HOLES TO DATABASE REPORT
Load commencing on 10-Nov-99

Loading collar table - collar
Loading survey table - survey
Loading charging table -
Loading sample table - sample
=====================================================================
Ignoring hole depth from 10.00 to 11.00 after sample (950-801-B)

.
.
.

Ignoring hole depth from 10.00 to 10.68 after sample (950-ps801-B)
=====================================================================
End of Load blast holes to database report
This particular report indicates that the data was loaded successfully, and that any partial
sample increments at the end of the hole were disregarded.
If you are using a PC, and have MS Access installed, open the file DB950.MDB (it will
be located in the current working directory you are using in Surpac). You should now be
able to see the data that was loaded into the database. Note that only the collar, survey,
and sample tables were loaded.
You can also use VIEW TABLE ROW in Surpac's GEOLOGICAL DATABASE to view
the data.
To do this, EXIT GRAPHICS (it is not necessary to save the data in graphics, since it has
not changed), then select GEOLOGICAL DATABASE. Select the database "db950", and
APPLY the form.
Select MANAGEMENT & REPORTS, then VIEW TABLE ROW. Enter the table name
"collar", as shown, and APPLY:

You should now see the following data.
After you are finished viewing the data, press APPLY or CANCEL, then select
PREVIOUS, then EXIT to return to the main menu.
You have now successfully loaded a database with sample intervals.
[Previous]
Drill & Blast Tutorial - Reports
Files Used
Prerequisites
Reporting in MS Access 97
Creating a Collar Report in MS Access 97
Creating a Drilling Summary Report in MS Access 97
Reporting in Surpac
Files Used
 db950reports.mdb
Prerequisites
This tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of database tables and fields.
Previous experience with MS Access 97 would be helpful, but is not absolutely necessary
. Be aware that there are entire training courses dedicated to using MS Access. The
examples presented here are quite basic.
Reporting in MS Access97
This section is only relevant if you are using Windows 95, 98, or NT, and have Microsoft
Access 97 installed. To see if you are using this product, go to Explorer, and double click
DB950REPORTS.MDB. If Microsoft Access comes up, select HELP - ABOUT
MICROSOFT ACCESS. If you see the following image afterward, then you are using
Microsoft 97. If you do not see the image below, it will either be difficult or impossible
to complete this section of the tutorial.
Click the OK button on the "About Microsoft Access" form when you are finished.
The use of a database with the drill and blast module is optional, but from a data
management viewpoint, it is highly recommended. In other words, you are not required to
store the drillhole data in a database - you can merely save the string files with the
information contained in them. However, as will be demonstrated, using a database can
make reporting and querying of historical data much easier.
To familiarise yourself with the data stored in this database, double click on the collar
table icon. This will bring up the collar information. Double click on the survey table
icon to review the data in the survey table. Double click on the sample table icon to bring
up the sample table. You should see something like the image below.
Refer to Creating a New Database for Drill & Blast for information on how this database was
created. If you want to see how the data was loaded, go to Loading Sample Intervals into a
Database.
The objective of this part of the tutorial will be to produce the following two reports:
1) Collar report:
2) Drilling Summary report:

These are only two simple examples of reports that can be created relatively quickly
using Access wizards. Much more detailed reports are possible.
To see full examples of these reports, select the REPORTS tab, then double click each
report name:
If you would like a hardcopy of these reports, select FILE - PRINT. Once you are
familiar with the output we are going to generate, close the report windows by using the
large X in the upper right corner of the window of each report. We will create the Collar
Report first, then the Drilling Summary report.
Collar Report
From REPORTS, select NEW. Select "Report Wizard" and the table "collar".
At the next form, you are asked to select the fields you want on your report. In this report,
let us assume that the blast pattern name and hole_path are not important, but we want to
see hole_id, y, x, z, and max_depth listed in that order. Since the hole_id is what we want
to appear first on the report, select hole_id, as shown below, and click the > button.
The next item we want is the northing, denoted by the field "y". Select "y", as shown, and
again click the > button:
Continue with "x", "z", and finally "max_depth", in that order, selecting the > button to
move each to the list of Selected Fields. When you are finished, you should see the
following view. It is important to note that the order in which you select the items is the
order in which they will appear on the report. Select the NEXT button.
We do not wish to add any grouping, so just select NEXT at the following form:
We will sort the report by hole_id, so select it in the first row, as shown, and then select
NEXT:
Leave the data at the next form set as it is, and select NEXT:
Enter the name for the report as "my new collar report", and select FINISH.
After a few seconds, your report will appear:
If you are hooked up to a printer, you may simply use FILE-PRINT to print out the
report.
Once you are done reviewing the document, close the report window by clicking on the X
in the upper right corner of the window. You should now see "my new collar report"
listed as a report. Double click the icon to the left of "my new collar report", and the
report will appear again. Close the report window by clicking on the X in the upper right
corner of the window.
This report has been automatically saved as part of the database. It will be available every
time you open the database.
Drilling Summary Report
The Drilling Summary Report will be a bit different than the collar report, in that we will
first need to create a "query", or a database table that will hold a subset of the data from
another table, and will also contain mathematical functions (like the sum of the lengths of
all holes).
Select the QUERIES tab. You will see a query already there called "Drilling Summary".
Double click the icon to the left of it, and you will see the query pop up. It will look like a
table:
This query is created from information in the collar table. It uses only the blast_pattern
field and the max_depth field. The report we will be creating (shown below) uses this
information, but different names are used for each field. For instance, "Sum Of
max_depth" is called "Total Drilling" in the report. Don't get too concerned over the
names used in the query for now.
To create the query, first close the existing query by clicking on the large X in the upper
right corner of the query table view that is currently displayed. From the QUERIES
window, select NEW. Select "Simple Query Wizard", then OK.
At the next form, you are asked to select the table and fields you want on your report. The
default table name will be the name of the current query, "Drilling Summary". Change
this to the collar table, as shown:
As we just mentioned, in this query, only the blast pattern name and max_depth are
important. The first field, "blast_pattern", should be highlighted. Click the > button to
move it to the "Selected Fields" box to the right. Select "max_depth", then click the >
button again. When you see the following image, select NEXT.
To get the minimum, maximum, average, and totals in the report, we need to add a
"summary". Click in the radio button for "Summary", then select SUMMARY
OPTIONS.
At the next form, click inside each box, in order to get the numerical representations of
the data that we want. Make sure you select "Count records in collar" at the bottom right.
When you have done this, select OK.
Now you will be presented with the same form as was shown before. Select NEXT.
At the next form, enter the name for your query as "My Summary". Leave everything else
as it is, then press FINISH.
You should now see something like this:
Note that the names of most fields are truncated. You can expand the column width to the
width of the widest piece of data in the column by moving your cursor between the
column names, until you see the cursor displayed as shown below, then double clicking.
Note: to widen the "Count Of collar" table, move the cursor to the right edge of the
column, just to the right of the word "collar" until the cursor is as shown below, then
double click.
When you are done, you should see the full names of the fields which have been created.
The order of these fields is not important.
Now the query has been created. You may close the table view of the query (the table
labelled "My Summary : Select Query" above), using the large X at the top right hand
corner. Since we have changed the column widths, we will be prompted to save the
"layout" of the query. When presented with the form below, select "Yes":
You may re-open the query by double clicking the icon to the left of "My Summary". If
you want more detailed information on the query, highlight the query "My Summary",
then select DESIGN. We will not discuss the design of the query here, as we are merely
creating it so that we can use it in a report.
When you are ready, select the REPORT tab, then select NEW. Select "Report Wizard"
and the query "My Summary". Select OK.
In our report, we will present each field in the order it appears in the query. To do this, at
the next form, make sure that "Query: My Summary" is selected, then click the > button
six times to move all fields to the "Selected Fields" box. When you see the view below,
select NEXT.
We do not wish to add any grouping, so just select NEXT at the following form:
We will sort the report by blast_pattern, so select it in the first row, as shown, and then
select NEXT:
This report has many columns of data, so change the orientation to "Landscape" at the
next form. Leave the options set as they were, and select NEXT:
Enter the name for the report as "My Summary", and select FINISH.
After a few seconds, your report will appear:

The report above is not exactly what we want - the report below contains the data as we
would like it. Note the different title names, and the number of decimal places used, and
the left justification of the data in the columns..
In order to get the report looking like what we want, we need to go into the "design" view
of the report. To do this, you can either right click the "My Summary" report, then select
Design, or you can left click the "My Summary" report, then select the Design button on
the right.
Either way, you should end up with the following "design view" of the report:
First, we will change the heading from "My Summary" to "Drilling Summary". To do
this, use the left mouse to click once on the word "My Summary" so that the heading is
selected. You should see six small black boxes surround the text:
Now click again on the words "My Summary", and you should see a vertical blinking
cursor. You are now editing the text. Delete the word "My", and replace it with the word
"Drilling". When you are done, you should see the image below:
Next, we will change the other titles. We will start by changing the text "Sum Of
max_depth" from right justified to left justified.. Left click once on "Sum Of max_depth",
to select the entire box, as shown. Then select the "Align Left" icon, as shown. The text
should become left aligned.
Next, we will change the text from "Sum Of max_depth to "Total Drilling". Using the
same technique as before, while the box is selected (has the six small black boxes
surrounding it), left click the text "Sum Of max_depth" again. Delete this title, and
replace it with "Total Drilling". When you are done, you should see the image below:
Use these same two techniques to left justify the text in all the other titles to the right of
"Total Drilling", and change the text as below:
We also want to left justify the data below the titles. Below the bar labelled "Detail", left
click once on "blast_patter", as shown below, then select the "Align Left" icon. The blast
pattern names will now be left aligned. Do the same for all of the items immediately
below the "Detail" bar (Sum Of max_depth, Avg Of max_depth, Min Of max_depth,
Max Of max_depth, Count Of collar). Although it may appear that the text for each of
these fields is already left aligned, the data that would be printed on the output report will
not be left aligned until you specify it in the manner outlined here.
We can leave the names here as they appear, because they refer to a field in the query.
The last thing we will do is to format the numerical data for the number of decimal
places. The blast_pattern is a character field, so we don't need to worry about it. We will
start with the "Sum Of max_depth" field. Right click on it, then select Properties, as
shown.
Select the tab at the top labelled "Format", then select the browser icon (the triangle at the
right) of the "Decimal Places" field. Select 2
In order for "Decimal Places" to take effect, we must also set "Format" to "Fixed". Again,
select the browser to the right of the field, then select "Fixed".
When you have done this, just close the box by clicking on the large X at the top right
hand corner of the form. Although there is no "APPLY" button on this form, the changes
you have made are indeed stored as soon as you close the form by clicking the X.
Use the same technique to set the number of decimal places for the remaining fields as
shown:
Field Number of Decimal Places

Sum Of max_depth 2
Avg Of max_depth 2
Min Of max_depth 2
Max Of max_depth 2
Count of collar 0
Now you are finished with the modifying the design of the report. Select File - Save to
save the changes to the report design.
Select the X in the upper right corner of the form displayed, as shown to close the report:
Once you are done reviewing the document, close the report window by clicking on the X
in the upper right corner of the window. You should now see "My Summary" listed as a
report
This report has been automatically saved as part of the database. It will be available every
time you open the database.
Now double click on the icon to the left of the "My Summary" report name to bring up
the report. You should now see the following report.
You can use File - Print to send the report to your printer. Use the large X at the top right
of the form to close the report when you are finished.
These two reports are only a couple of simple examples of how to create reports and
queries in MS Access. There are entire courses dedicated to learning MS Access, and if
you will be working with one on a daily basis, it is recommended that you attend a formal
training course on MS Access.
Reports and Volume Calculations in Surpac
Surpac offers a suite of other tools outside of the drill and blast module which can be
used to create customised reports and volume calculations. There is a user-definable
menu (SSI_ETC:blast.def) where you can insert macros and surpac functions that you
find useful for these functions. Surpac's support staff is currently creating other macros
for these purposes. Contact your Surpac support office for copies of these macros.
At the time of this writing, there are plans to include reporting and volume calculation
functions within the drill and blast module in a future version of the software. Contact
your Surpac support office for information about this.

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[Previous] [Next]

Drill & Blast Tutorial - Introduction

This information can be stored in a database:

Drilling parameters which are customisable include:

 pattern type (rectangular or staggered)

Blasting parameters which are customisable include:

Reports and Volume Calculations

Drill & Blast Tutorial -

The starting point of a drill hole is referred to as the collar.

Drill & Blast Tutorial - Rectangular

This tutorial uses the following files:

Creating a Rectangular Pattern

You should see the following:

First, save the file as SUBDRILL940.STR.

Press APPLY at the next form to overwrite the file:

A detailed explanation of each field on this form follows:

The X coordinate of the origin of the grid.

The Y coordinate of the origin of the grid.

The length of the grid along the axis labelled "Burden".

The length of the grid along the axis labelled "Spacing".

Either "rectangular" or "staggered". Below is an example of each:

Either "Regular" or "Zig-Zag". Below is an example of each:

Either "Burden and Spacing" or "Number of holes".

Either "Fixed", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".

Either "Set Length", "Set Elevation", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".

Pad Hole_id, Length, and Character

Below are some examples:

Hole ID Hole ID Starting Pad Pad Pad

You should now see the holes:

The holes should now be correctly numbered:

Save the file as PATTERN940-1.STR

You have now completed creating a simple pattern!

Drill & Blast Tutorial - Presplit Holes

This tutorial uses the following files:

What are Presplit Holes?

Creating Presplit Holes Along a Segment

You should see the following:

A detailed explanation of each field on this form follows:

Either "Spacing" or "No holes" (i.e., "Number of holes").

Either "Fixed", "Selected Segment", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".

Bearing and Hole Bearing

Pad Hole_id, Length, and Character

Below are some examples:

You should now see the presplit holes created:

Save the file as PATTERN940-2.STR

You have now completed creating a presplit pattern along a segment!

Creating Presplit Holes Along a Straight Line

You should see the following:

A detailed explanation of the fields on this form follows:

Bearing (of the line)

Either "Spacing" or "No holes" (i.e., "Number of holes").

Either "Fixed", "DTM layer",.or "DTM file".

Bearing and Hole Bearing

Pad Hole_id, Length, and Character

Below are some examples:

Hole ID Hole ID Starting Pad Pad Pad

You should now see the presplit holes created:

Save the file as PATTERN940-3.STR

You have now completed creating a presplit pattern along a line!

Drill & Blast Tutorial - Database