Full-scale modelling of falling rock protection barriers

Full-scale impact tests, carried out to evaluate the behaviour of flexible falling rock protection barriers, are described and relevant results presented and discussed. Falling rock protection barriers, which may be numbered among passive measures against rockfall, are designed to intercept and stop falling rocks by dissipation of impact energies through the elasto-plastic deformation of a system made up of metallic nets and supporting and connecting components. The testing programme involved models of barriers subjected to the impact of free-falling blocks of kinetic energy ranging from 500 to 5,000 kJ. The experimental test site, set-up in Fonzaso (Italy), and the experimental procedure were developed according to the new European testing standards (ETAG 027) on falling rock protection kits. The paper is aimed at presenting an extensive and high quality database, which can be extremely useful for a better understanding of the actual response of such structures and for any subsequent analytical and numerical modelling.