Real-scale investigation of the kinematic response of a rockfall protection embankment

• Main Authors: S. Lambert, A. Heymann, P. Gotteland, F. Nicot
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2014-05-01
• Series: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/14/1269/2014/nhess-14-1269-2014.pdf

This paper addresses the response of rockfall protection embankments when exposed to a rock impact. For this purpose, real-scale impact experiments were conducted with impact energies ranging from 200 to 2200 kJ. The structure was composed of a 4 m high cellular wall leaned against a levee. The wall was a double-layer sandwich made from gabion cages filled with either stones or a sand–schredded-tyre mixture. For the first time, sensors were placed in different locations within the structure to measure real-time accelerations and displacements. The test conditions, measurement methods and results are presented in detail. The structure's response is discussed in a descriptive and phenomenological approach and compared with previous real-scale experiments on other types of embankments.