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com toll free (877) 750-2229

Socorro, NM (575) 838-2229 fax (575) 835-3863
Kihei, HI (808) 344-8779
The Response of a Buried High-
Pressure Natural Gas Pipeline to
Surface Coal Mine Vibrations
Pittsburgh & Midway Coal Mining Co.
Gallup, NM
Surface coal mine blasting at the McKinley
Mine was conducted at distances as close as 150 ft. to a
30 in. diameter Grade X-52 steel natural gas pipeline.
The 845-psi operating pressure (MAOP) pipe is buried in
alluvium 7.2 ft. (pipe bottom), only a few inches from
sandstone bedrock.
The pipeline was excavated on April 27, 2001
and single component velocity geophones were attached
as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A series of 15 blasts were
conducted using various blasthole patterns, charge
weights and initiation timing to ensure that velocity
measurement on the pipeline remained below acceptable,
safe levels.
Fig. 1 Section and plan views of geophone placement
Vibration criteria used when blasting near
pipelines are often specified by the pipeline transmission
industry or a local government agency of authority.
Criteria in terms of peak particle velocity often range
from 2 to 4 ips measured at the surface above the
pipeline. The U.S. Bureau of Mines (Siskind, et al,
1994) recommended 5 ips as a reasonable level for large
surface mine blasts near Grade B or better steel
pipelines.
In this study, the relationships between vertical
(V), radial (R) and transverse (T) components of velocity
measured at three locations were analyzed for different
shot designs. These locations include the ground surface
above the pipeline, on the pipeline (see Fig. 1), and in the
ground, buried next to the pipeline at a depth equal to the
radial (R) component on the pipeline.
Excavating the 30 in diameter pipeline
Typical results, given in Figs. 3 and 4, show
distinct differences in the attenuation properties (as
signified by the value of the negative slope of the
velocity versus scaled distance plots) for the V and R
components, depending on the degree of charge
confinement and the amount of charge used in blastholes.
The close proximity of the pipeline to the sandstone rock
(with a 7000 ft/sec sound speed) resulted in dominant
(FFT) frequencies of measured wave time histories
between 9 and 26 Hz in the vertical direction. Transverse
and radial components show strong motions at 8 Hz and
15 Hz, respectively.
An important fact that this study illustrated is
vibrations both in the ground and on the pipe can be
lowered within safe vibration criteria with more energy
in the hole and proper initiation timing providing
maximum relief. Figs. 3 and 4 show strong evidence of
this.
Fig. 2 Gluing geophones to pipeline surface
vertical (V) and
Transverse (T)
Radial (R)
(horizontal)
Section view
vertical (V) and
Transverse (T)
Radial (R)
(horizontal)
Section view
T
V
R R
Plan view
T
V
R R
Plan view
Direction of Coal Mine blasting
Aimone-Martin Associates LLC www.aimonemartin.com toll free (877) 750-2229
Socorro, NM (575) 838-2229 fax (575) 835-3863
Kihei, HI (808) 344-8779
0.01
0.10
1.00
10.00
10 100
SCALED DISTANCE (D/W
1/2
) (lb/ft
1/2
)
P
E
A
K

R
A
D
I
A
L

V
E
L
O
C
I
T
Y

(
i
n
/
s
)
-1.10
-1.14
-1.02
SURFACE
PIPELINE
TOWARD SHOT

AWAY FROM SHOT
-3.71
-3.94
-3.64
HEAVY CONFINEMENT
200 - 500 LBS. PER HOLE
HIGH RELIEF
800 - 1500 LBS. PER HOLE
0.01
0.10
1.00
10.00
10 100
SCALED DISTANCE (D/W
1/2
) (lb/ft
1/2
)

P
E
A
K

V
E
R
T
I
C
A
L

V
E
L
O
C
I
T
Y

(
i
n
/
s
)

SURFACE

PIPELINE
-1.24
-1.00
-2.83
-1.51
HEAVY CONFINEDMENT
200 - 500 LBS. PER HOLE
21 Hz frequency
HIGH RELIEF
800 - 1500 LBS. PER HOLE
9 - 14 Hz frequency
This is a
good
example of more is
better when it comes to
computing charge weights to
control vibrations!

Fig. 3 Vertical peak velocity motion on the pipeline relative to ground surface motion (negative numbers represent the
slope of the 50-percentile fit shown)
Fig. 4 Radial peak velocity motion on the pipeline relative to ground surface motion (negative numbers represent the
slope of the 50-percentile fit shown)
REFERENCE
Siskind, D.E., M.S. Stagg, J.E. Wiegand, and D.J. Schultz, 1994, Surface Mines Blasting Near Pressurized Transmission
Pipelines, U.S. Bureau of Mines RI 9523.