Duration: 6 months
Language medium: English
Target group:
The explosives and armaments industry (including commercial, arms manufacturing, military, police, mining, structural engineering and explosives regulatory sectors)
''All students wishing to register for the Short Learning Programmes in Explosives have to be employed in the explosives industry''
Admission requirements:
Senior Certificate or an equivalent NQF level 4 qualification. Note: Students should be competent with language, numeracy and communication skills at NQF Level 5.
Registration periods:
Semester registrations
Programme administrator:
Admin Officer: Lyndsey Lourie
Unisa Centre for Lifelong Learning
Christiaan De Wet Drive, Florida, Johannesburg
Tswelopele Building 3rd floor Room 15
Tel: 011 471 2747
Email address: lourilc@unisa.ac.za
Purpose statement:
To apply elementary explosives technologies during manufacturing processes in an explosives environment and to ensure students are able to supervise limited manufacturing processes, apply principles of quality control and solve management problems on middle management level
Modules:
PPSE01B - Primary High Explosives
Content:
Introduction including types, definitions and applications of primary explosives (lead styphnate, lead azide, silver azide and organic primary explosives), the power and sensitivity of explosives and explosive trains
The use of primary explosives and priming compositions
Methods of ignition of primary explosives
Other applications of primary explosives
PPSE02C - Secondary High Explosives and Blast Design Principles
Content:
The use of explosives in blasting operations
The influences of free faces (open joints) in the rock breaking process
Blasting geometry and explosives charge distribution
Blast design patterns
Environmental considerations
Computer based blasting modeling
PPSE03D - Propellants, Blasting and Ground Vibration
Content:
The legal requirements for use of explosives in blasting operations
The influences of ground vibrations in blasting operations
The influences of air blast and noise in blasting
The instrumentation used for the monitoring and evaluation of ground vibrations, air blast and noise during blasting
This module also covers the health and safety aspects working with the above mentioned machinery, including storage requirements
PPSE04E - Propellants
Content:
This module covers the practical skills required to operate, maintain and manage the following:
Introduction including types, definitions and applications of propellants, the historical overview, the behaviour of propellants, its energy and requirements
The use of propellants and priming compositions
Methods of ignition of gun propellants, the types of gun propellants, gun propellant ingredients and shapes
Methods of ignition of rocket propellants, the types of rocket propellants, rocket propellant ingredients and shapes
Manufacture, purification, transport, storage and safe handling of propellants
Typical manufacturing processes, quality processing and applications of pyrotechnic devices which generate heat; create a noise; generate gas or produce light of various colours, that are generators of smoke and other chemicals as well as pyrotechnic time delays
Chemical, physical and explosives properties of various propellants and internal ballistics and related sciences
Day-to-day applications of propellants, black powder and other typical propellant compositions
PPSE05F - Apply Quality Management Principles when Supervising Staff
Content:
The quality function
Six-sigma of information
Quality management systems
ISO 9000 family
PPSE06G - Configuration Management Techniques
Content:
The quality function
Documentation management
Configuration management
PPSE07H - Management Principles in the Working Environment
Content:
The quality function
Six-sigma of information
Quality assurance
Quality control
PPSE08J - Quality Techniques
Content:
The quality function
Six-sigma of information
Quality toolbox
Process development and qualification