Advances in overburden blast-casting

The paper presents an overview of the global development in the field of overburden blast-casting. Parameters to be considered for a successful casting of overburden by blasting are discussed. The economical and environmental aspects of explosive casting are detailed. In India, where more than 60% of coal production is expected from opencast method, blast-casting is anticipated to be a cheaper alternative to conventional stripping operations. For open-pit mining of developed coal seams in Indian coalfields, blast-casting is likely to offer special technological advantage.