And the number of variables is enormous. Is the site open pit or underground mining? Is the rock hard or soft? Are the veins of ore small or large? Do you want large fragments or small ones? Does the rock need to be moved far away or stay in the same place? Precise planning and technology are required to achieve the desired outcomes. Over the last 10 years, blasts have become much more specialized, and the explosives used to create them have risen to the challenge. But an important part of the equation is missing: how do different types of rocks behave? "With explosives, the tools are there," says Mohanty. "We know a lot more about explosives than rocks. Rocks are a complex material, and no two rocks behave alike." What mining engineers know tends to be gained from experience based on trial and error, and is not readily transferable to different sites and rock conditions. Mohanty recently left the explosives research lab of ICI, one of the world's largest manufacturers of specialty chemicals and paints, after 27 years to form an innovative new program in blasting technology at U of T. Based in the civil engineering department, the research team draws on multiple disciplines, including geology, shockwave physics, seismology, and engineering, to discover the fundamental fragmentation properties of rocks. "You have to know the geological and strength properties of rock and detonation properties of explosives, how the shockwaves and explosion gases interact with the rock and what damage they cause," says Mohanty. The program is supported by some big names in mining - Barrick Resources, Franco-Nevada, and Placer-Dome - as well as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. It aims to build synergy with Queen's and Laurentian, the other Ontario universities working in this field, to serve as a resource to Canadian mining, and to establish international cooperation with other research institutes. The end goals? To build a computer model that takes into account all the variables involved in blasting, including the physical properties of rock, and to make Canadian companies more competitive worldwide. "We're looking at the industry as a whole. Our technology would be used worldwide, and in the process we would promote what Canada can do." Mohanty feels that the university's large student population and excellence in many fields of research are fundamental building blocks to attain his goals. "The only place in Canada that you can build a program like this is U of T. You can think big here." —Susan Murley

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