Page 27 - WJE_50_MSP_Full_Book

Basic HTML Version

U.S. Bureau of Mines
Bl as t Mon i tor i ng
1967
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the U.S. Bureau of Mines engagedWJE to monitor and study ground vibrations generated by blasting operations
at a number of locations around the country. The work involved the use of state-of-the-art monitoring and data acquisition equipment.
This was the signature project in the long and distinguished professional career of Jack Wiss. The data generated by the ground vibration studies
for the Bureau of Mines formed the basis for several landmark publications by Wiss and others at WJE that are still referenced. The work helped
to define the threshold vibration levels that could produce cosmetic and structural damage to buildings.
Notes of Interest
• The job sites were typically located in remote areas of
the country, andWJE technicians and engineers would
often put in sixteen-hour days while out in the field;
the assignments typically lasted one to two weeks.
• In the early years, vibration data was recorded on strip
charts and had to be manually interpreted and reduced
each day.
WJE 50 Years