An Explosive Experience at Missouri S&T
Abstract
This issue of IEEE Potentials highlights "elemental engineering," focusing on earth, wind, water, and fire, which makes the explosives engineering program at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) a perfect fit for this theme. First, over 97% of commercial explosives used in the United States are to break rock, according to the United States Geological Survey. In 2007, 85.5% of explosives were used in the mining industry, 11.5% in civil excavation, and the remaining 3% in everything else combined (the third and fourth users being forestry and the oil patch), with similar numbers reported in 2012. Explosives are used in mining to break and remove rock so that raw materials can be won from the earth to support our civilization. Everything from coal (to fuel our power stat ions), to copper (to transmit electricity), to gold and rare earth metals (for high-tech electronic products) is taken from the ground, using over 6 billion lb of explosives each year in the United States alone.
Recommended Citation
P. N. Worsey and G. M. Worsey, "An Explosive Experience at Missouri S&T," IEEE Potentials, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 18 - 24, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Jan 2015.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/MPOT.2014.2356631
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Education; Commercial explosives; Engineering program; High-tech electronics; Missouris; Rare earth metals; Science and Technology; Similar numbers; United states geological surveys; Explosives
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0278-6648
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2015 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2015
