Influence of a Primer on the Velocity of Detonation of ANFO and Heavy ANFO Blends

ANFO is the most common explosive for civil use in the fields of mining and civil engineering. Some properties of ANFO, like poor water resistance, low density and low velocity of detonation can be improved by mixing ANFO with a certain percentage of an emulsion. These explosives are called Heavy ANFO blends. This paper presents a study of the influence of a primer on the velocity of detonation of ANFO and Heavy ANFO blends. Three types of primers were used for the initiation of the explosives and the velocity of detonation was measured in situ by a continuous method. Based on the results of these measurements, the relationship between the detonation velocity of the primer used and the detonation velocity of the primed explosive were established.