SMS Wales

Copyright © 2023 SMS Wales

Mobile 07787 532 282

Office 01286 67 38 44

Copyright © 2023 SMS Wales

SMS Wales
Nxburst cartridges are designed as a safer alternative to conventional explosives, and can be used in a wide variety of construction, quarrying and demolition environments. Download our brochure here Applications include: Oversize boulders on building sites, roads and in gardens. Mass rock removal for Shopping centres, Industrial and other Civil projects Trenches and pipelines Underground garage extensions Harbour deepening and other underwater rock removal projects Mining applications (various) Many other rock and concrete breaking applications where explosives are not permitted
They are much safer to use, transport and store. Nxburst™ cartridges are classified as 1.4S UN 0323 and UN0432 SMS Wales provide a full range of cartridge sizes and weights as well as shot firing (initiation) equipment and drilling equipment in order to meet the demands of most projects. Nxburst™ Cartridges are the safe and easy way to break in- situ rock, boulders and concrete that is in close proximity of infrastructure or buildings. With Nxburst™ cartridges fly rock is 100% controllable, vibration, dust and noise are very low, and it only requires localised clearance of equipment and personnel.
The Nxburst™ cartridge technology is based on a non- detonating chemical compound enclosed in a cartridge which reacts very quickly when ignited to produce high volumes of harmless gas that mainly consists of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and steam. When the cartridge is sealed in a drill hole (by means of stemming), the gas generated by the ignition of the propellant enters into the micro fractures created from the percussion drilling process and into natural fractures and planes of weakness on the rock to produce a shearing of the rock or concrete called splitting. Nxburst™ cartridges are available in 13mm, 28mm, 34mm, 42mm and 60mm diameters. There are four variations available: Standard – ElectricNon-Electric (here we offer sequential firing as well) Underwater (electric and non-electric) Self-Stemming (Single self-stemming for blind holes or double self-stemming for blind and through holes) The procedure to successfully use the product is as follows: Drill the correct size hole for the cartridge you are using Insert a cartridge to the bottom of the hole Stem the hole with stone screening/aggregate Clear the local area (50m) of people and equipment Connect up and initiate the blast There are no expensive initiation systems or special tools required, just a serviceable shot-firer and a Nxburst™ Blasters Certificate. It is fast, simple and most importantly, safe when handled correctly.
Features: Environmental Constraints for Rock breaking The major environmental constraints which normally apply to rock breaking in environmentally sensitive areas are air blast over pressure, noise, ground vibration and fly rock.It is critical to control these elements in environmentally sensitive areas to prevent or minimise possible damage to people and infrastructure. Airblast Overpressure: Air blast overpressure (pressure above atmosphere) is caused by vibrations or compressional waves transmitted through air, produced by the rapid expansion of explosive gasses and the rapid movement of the rock, resulting in the sudden displacement of the air surrounding the blast. Overpressure levels produced by Nxburst cartridges are low when compared to conventional explosives and of a shorter duration and much less damaging frequency. This gives our cartridges a major advantage over explosives in environmentally sensitive areas. Noise Noise is the part of the air blast overpressure wave which falls within the audible frequency region of the human ear and is a nuisance factor, rather than a damaging influence. The high frequency portion of the air pressure portion is not audible but can cause structures such as windows in turn to respond and produce secondary noise such as rattles. A well-stemmed NxburstTM cartridge in granite will generally produce a noise level of 80 – 85dBL at 50m from the hole, well within the safe level of 128dB specified by the US Bureau of Mines. Noise levels can be tempered by the use of conveyor belting, other matting or ground cover to cover the holes being fired.

Ground Vibration

Ground vibrations from blasting can cause damage to buildings and infrastructure which are in the close vicinity of the blast. The degree of vibration induced damage caused by blasting is dependent on the magnitude, frequency and duration of the vibration. Nxburst cartridges have a vibration signature which is produced by the combination of high frequency vibration waves with low duration and low magnitude which enables them to be used in close proximity to vibration sensitive sites where conventional blasting is prohibited or impractical. A Nxburst cartridge’s specific vibration equation has been developed from monitored data collected from several rock breaking excavations in sensitive civil applications. This data has been collected by an independent group to reduce a practical graph which relates vibration levels (PPV) to charge weight and the distance from the shot at which the vibration is being measured. Ground vibration from our cartridges falls well within the maximum levels specified by the US Bureau of Mines. Flyrock Flyrock can be a very dangerous side effect of blasting. A Nxburst cartridge produces optimal pressurisation of the cartridge within the hole for a given burden and type of rock. The velocity and distance travelled by the dislodged rock are limited when using our cartridges by the characteristics of the pressure pulse of Nxburst cartridges. Controlled gas released from Nxburst cartridges at relatively low pressures results in a minimal quantity of low velocity fly rock which is generally contained within 20 – 50m of the rock breaking event. Flyrock is 100% controllable by covering the rock with sand or rubber mats.