Burden

In drilling and blasting, the perpendicular distance between a row of blast holes and the nearest free face or previously blasted material. Burden is a critical blast design parameter influencing fragmentation quality, blast energy efficiency, and ground vibration levels. Insufficient burden causes excessive vibration and airblast; excessive burden leads to poor fragmentation and toes. Burden is determined by rock properties, explosive type, and hole diameter, typically ranging from 20 to 40 times the hole diameter. Proper burden design is essential for safe and efficient blasting in open pit mining operations.