Assessment & Evaluation Techniques Flashcards
7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Assessment & Evaluation Techniques flashcards as text
In the evaluation of electronic detonator (EDD) systems, timing accuracy is typically specified as:
Answer: ±0.01% of programmed delay time
Electronic detonators achieve extremely precise timing, typically within ±0.01% of programmed delay, far superior to pyrotechnic detonators, which is a key evaluation advantage.
When conducting a vulnerability assessment of an explosives storage magazine, BATFE regulations require minimum distance separation based on:
Answer: The American Table of Distances (ATD) using net explosive weight
The American Table of Distances provides separation distances from inhabited buildings, public roads, and other magazines based on net explosive weight, as required by 27 CFR 555.
A CES evaluates a tunnel blasting round and finds that half-barrel marks are visible on 85% of the perimeter. This result indicates:
Answer: Excellent smooth blasting technique with well-controlled fracture planes
Half-barrel marks (remnants of the drillhole on the tunnel wall) indicate precise smooth or pre-split blasting where the explosive fractured along the drill line with minimal overbreak.
Which test method evaluates an explosive's resistance to detonation when subjected to an unconfined burning scenario (deflagration-to-detonation transition)?
Answer: External fire test (large-scale burn test per UN Series 6)
The UN Series 6 large-scale burn test (external fire test) evaluates whether a packaged explosive transitions from burning to detonation under realistic fire conditions, a key transport safety assessment.
During a risk assessment for surface coal mine blasting near a coal seam, which hazard requires specific evaluation for ignition potential?
Answer: Methane gas liberation and frictional heat from rock fragmentation
Methane liberated from the coal seam can be ignited by the heat of detonation or frictional sparks from rock breakage, requiring specific permissible explosives and evaluation protocols.
The 'gap sensitivity' (card gap) test measures which explosive characteristic?
Answer: The ability of a detonation to propagate across an inert gap to initiate an acceptor
The card gap test measures shock sensitivity by determining the maximum gap of inert material (cardboard cards) through which a donor's detonation shock can still initiate the acceptor explosive.
After a construction blast, a CES conducts a noise impact evaluation. Which measurement descriptor is used by OSMRE to evaluate airblast from surface mining operations?
Answer: dBL (linear, unweighted) peak level
OSMRE and USBM research use dBL (linear, flat-weighted) to measure blasting airblast because the standard captures the full energy of blast impulses without filtering low-frequency content.