Masters Theses

Abstract

Methane and coal dust explosions remain a leading cause of catastrophic mining accidents, making it critical to understand their overpressure characteristics for better hazard modeling, mitigation, and regulation. Although high explosives (HE), flammable gases, and dusts have been studied separately, direct waveform comparisons in identical environments are rare. This study addresses that gap by comparing overpressure waveforms from HE, methane-air mixtures, and coal dust explosions to assess differences in peak pressure, impulse, rise time, and phase duration. Twenty-seven tests were conducted using standardized instrumentation and sensor arrays. Results showed that HE generated the highest peak pressures with short positive phases and low impulse. Stoichiometric methane-air produced broader waveforms with moderate peak pressures and longer negative phases, while fuel-rich methane and coal dust yielded the longest positive phases, highest impulses, and often suppressed the negative phase due to sustained combustion.

Waveform characteristics strongly correlated with oxygen balance: HE and stoichiometric methane, with higher oxygen content, produced sharp, short waveforms; fuel-rich methane and coal dust, with lower oxygen balance, exhibited slower rise times, extended pressure durations, and higher impulses. These findings demonstrate that waveform shape and phase structure—not peak pressure alone—are critical for hazard assessment. This work provides comparative data to improve hazard modeling and equivalency analysis for confined-space explosions in industrial and mining environments.

Advisor(s)

Johnson, Catherine E.

Committee Member(s)

Xu, Guang
Perry, Kyle A.

Department(s)

Mining Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Explosives Engineering

Publisher

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Publication Date

Summer 2025

Pagination

x, 79 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes_bibliographical_references_(pages 68-78)

Rights

© 2025 Frank James Schott , All Rights Reserved

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Thesis Number

T 12545

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