To explore the mechanical mechanism of burn cut blasting with a large-diameter empty hole,the stress concentration effect of the large-diameter empty hole was studied by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.Firstly,a mechanical model for the stress concentration effect of the empty hole was established.Furthermore,the empty hole′s stress concentration effect was clarified based on the elasticity theory and wave dynamics.A numerical simulation under a typical working condition was then carried out,and finally the stress concentration effect of the empty hole was investigated based on the numerical results of stress wave propagation,rock damage,and the first principal stress.The results show that the stress concentration effect of the empty hole is mainly derived from the stress concentration around the cavity and the stress wave superposition effect.During the blasting process,the stress wave is reflected at the empty hole wall and superposed with the incident wave,which is mostly located in the vicinity of the empty hole and the region between the cut holes.The regions with high damage degree are mainly around the cut hole,near the empty hole,and within the triangle regions formed by adjacent cut holes and the empty hole,and the latter two regions correspond to the stress wave superposition regions.There is a significant stress concentration effect near the empty hole,and the closer the rock is to the empty hole,the more obvious the effect is.