Investigating the effectiveness of semi-rigid protection fence

Semi-rigid, low energy rockfall protection fences, can provide in certain circumstances a convenient alternative to flexible falling rock protection barriers, if their installation is planned in an adequate and comprehensive manner. The response of these structures has been recently investigated (de Miranda et al., 2015; Mentani et al. 2016). Results of these studies have shown a dependency of the structure capacity on impact conditions. Realistic impact conditions can be applied to barrier models once they are suitably incorporated in an advanced rockfall simulation tool (Bourrier et al. 2014). Result of the simulations can then provide an effective support to intervention plans. The implementation of barrier models in a rockfall simulation model is a complex task and should rely on a thorough understanding of the fence structural behaviour. In this short note, the numerical response of a simple semi-rigid protection barrier is explored to the scope