Blasting requires control measures related to structural damage to buildings and environmental impacts like ground vibrations, noise, flyrock and air blast. The use of explosives is controlled by federal and state regulations, which involve measurement of parameters to evaluate probable damage in buildings and other type of constructions. In urban areas, the peak particle velocity (PPV) associated with ground vibration and expressed in mm/second, is the best parameter to evaluate possible structural damages. Worldwide legal limits vary from a low 2 mm/s for historical buildings to a high 150 mm/s for reinforced concrete. Most of the regulations consider peak particle velocity and frequency as a double damage parameter. Some regulations were elaborated with an experimental database, involving different types of construction and building materials. Others were proposed using empirical data. Both regulations present conservative values. The Brazilian norm does not consider the frequency and the different types of buildings in the damage evaluation. This paper presents a review of American and other regulations for blasting activities as compared to European regulations.
ground vibrations; explosives; structural damage; regulations
