Design of falling rock protection barriers using numerical models

A numerical approach has been recently devised by the authors for the modelling of falling rock protection barriers, metallic structures used as passive measures against rockfall. Following this approach, in this study a FE model of a specific barrier type is developed. The constitutive parameters of the model are calibrated employing the data of a series of experiments carried out onto the main barrier components such as the interception structure and the energy dissipating devices. Then, the ability of the FE model to reproduce the real barrier behaviour is explored by simulating, retrospectively, a set of experiments carried out onto real-scale prototypes of the barrier, under various impact conditions. The very good fit of the rather complex experimental and numerical results can assess the ability of the FE model to reproduce the prototype behaviour, so validating the reliability of the adopted numerical approach and giving further confidence to the use of such models as design tools. Therefore, based on the numerical results, the considered barrier model has been enhanced in terms of cost-effectiveness and on-site performance.