Advanced Automatic Optical Blast Fragmentation Sizing and Tracking

Sizing of blast fragmentation using digital image analysis has proven an effective way to evaluate the results of blasting technique. Image analysis methods like WipWares's WipFrag system work best under controlled conditions like over moving conveyor belts, where camera angles and distances can be held constant, lighting can be controlled, and sampling errors can be kept to a minimum. However, once the fragmentation is on the belt, it has usually passed through a primary crusher and is no longer completely indicative of the blasting process. In practice, for many operations, this means that the best measurements can be made by imaging the rock while in transit between the muck pile and the primary crushing station. This includes surface and underground HD (Haul Dump) and LHD (Load Haul Dump) type vehicles which can be images as they dump, or prepare to dump, or as they pass through a gate or other restriction.