The Impact Responses of a Pervious Concrete Wall with a Sand Cushion against Rockfall: A Full-Scale Experimental Study
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 12
Abstract
The Zhala hydropower station plant was under the threat of rockfalls induced from a high slope, especially in rainy seasons. This paper proposes an innovative protection structure consisting of a pervious concrete wall and a sand cushion to protect against rockfall impact as well as discharge surface runoff. Laboratory test results show that the peak impact force of the rockfall decreases with decreasing rockfall mass and impact velocity, together with increasing cushion thickness and rockfall sphericity. The most sensitive factor influencing the peak impact force is rockfall sphericity, followed by impact velocity, rockfall mass, and cushion thickness. Based on the sensitivity of influencing factors, a method of calculating the rockfall peak impact force was established by dimensional analysis. Furthermore, a full-scale test was conducted to investigate the feasibility of this structure; test results indicate that an increased rockfall mass results in increased peak impact force, impact stress, and displacement of the pervious concrete wall. By placing a sand cushion in front of the pervious concrete wall, the peak impact force of rockfall and the maximum displacement of the wall are decreased by 70% and 65%, respectively. Meanwhile, the proposed calculation method has good reliability for evaluating the practical rockfall impact force, compared with four classical calculation methods. After the buffering effect of the sand cushion, the impact stress distribution on the pervious concrete wall can be characterized as a bell shape, with high magnitude at the impact point and low magnitude on the sides.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52409150), the Key Technologies Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2018YFC1505005), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (Grant No. ZR2023QE206), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. 23CX06016A). These supports are gratefully acknowledged.
References
ASTM. 2011. Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purpose (unified soil classification system). ASTM D2487. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
Bhatti, A. Q. 2015. “Falling-weight impact response for prototype RC type rock-shed with sand cushion.” Mater. Struct. 48 (10): 3367–3375. https://doi.org/10.1617/s11527-014-0405-5.
Bjureland, W., F. Johansson, A. Sjölander, J. Spross, and S. Larsson. 2019. “Probability distributions of shotcrete parameters for reliability-based analyses of rock tunnel support.” Tunnelling Underground Space Technol. 87: 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2019.02.002.
CAGHP (China Association of Geological Hazard Prevention). 2019. Code for design rock retaining wall engineering in geological hazards. T/CAGHP 060-2019. [in Chinese.] Wuhan: China University of Geosciences Press.
Castro-Fresno, D., J. J. del Coz Diaz, L. A. López, and P. G. Nieto. 2008. “Evaluation of the resistant capacity of cable nets using the finite element method and experimental validation.” Eng. Geol. 100 (1–2): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2008.02.007.
Escallón, J. P., C. Wendeler, E. Chatzi, and P. Bartelt. 2014. “Parameter identification of rockfall protection barrier components through an inverse formulation.” Eng. Struct. 77: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2014.07.019.
Feng, X., F. Xue, V. Carvelli, T. Zhao, F. He, and D. Wang. 2022. “A novel rock bolting system exploiting steel particles.” Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol. 32 (5): 1045–1058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2022.08.003.
Ferrari, F., A. Giacomini, and K. Thoeni. 2016. “Qualitative rockfall hazard assessment: A comprehensive review of current practices.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng. 2016: 2865–2922. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-016-0918-z.
Gao, G., and M. A. Meguid. 2018. “Modeling the impact of a falling rock cluster on rigid structures.” Int. J. Geomech. 18 (2): 04017141. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001045.
Hertz, H. 1882. “Über die Berührung fester elastischer Körper.” Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik 92: 156–171.
Jia, J., X. Pei, G. Liu, G. Cai, X. Guo, and B. Hong. 2023. “Failure mechanism of anti-dip layered soft rock slope under rainfall and excavation conditions.” Sustainability 15 (12): 9398. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129398.
Kawahara, S., and T. Muro. 2006. “Effects of dry density and thickness of sandy soil on impact response due to rockfall.” J. Terramech. 43 (3): 329–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2005.05.009.
Labiouse, V., F. Descoeudres, and S. Montani. 1996. “Experimental study of rock sheds impacted by rock blocks.” Struct. Eng. Int. 6 (3): 171–176. https://doi.org/10.2749/101686696780495536.
Lambert, S., and F. Bourrier. 2013. “Design of rockfall protection embankments: A review.” Eng. Geol. 154: 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2012.12.012.
Lambert, S., and B. Kister. 2018. “Efficiency assessment of existing rockfall protection embankments based on an impact strength criterion.” Eng. Geol. 243: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.06.008.
Lam, C., A. C. Yong, J. S. Kwan, and N. T. Lam. 2018. “Overturning stability of L-shaped rigid barriers subjected to rockfall impacts.” Landslides 15 (7): 1347–1357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-0957-5.
Li, L., and H. Lan. 2015. “Probabilistic modeling of rockfall trajectories: A review.” Bull. Eng. Geol. Environ. 74: 1163–1176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0718-9.
Liu, C., Z. Yu, and S. Zhao. 2022. “Consideration of maximum impact force design for a rock shed against dry granular flow.” Eur. J. Environ. Civ. Eng. 26 (7): 2963–2984. https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2020.1779135.
Meng, X., Y. Chi, Q. Jiang, R. Liu, K. Wu, and S. Li. 2019. “Experimental investigation on the flexural behavior of pervious concrete beams reinforced with geogrids.” Constr. Build. Mater. 215: 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2019.04.217.
Meng, X., Q. Jiang, J. Han, and R. Liu. 2022. “Experimental investigation of geogrid-reinforced sand cushions for rock sheds against rockfall impact.” Transp. Geotech. 33: 100717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2022.100717.
Meng, X., Q. Jiang, and R. Liu. 2021. “Flexural performance and toughness characteristics of geogrid-reinforced pervious concrete with different aggregate sizes.” Materials 14 (9): 2295. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14092295.
MOTPRC (Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China). 1996. Specifications for design of high subgrades. JTJ 013-95. Beijing: China Communication Press.
Peila, D., C. Oggeri, and C. Castiglia. 2007. “Ground reinforced embankments for rockfall protection: Design and evaluation of full scale tests.” Landslides 4: 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-007-0081-4.
Pichler, B., C. Hellmich, and H. A. Mang. 2005. “Impact of rocks onto gravel design and evaluation of experiments.” Int. J. Impact Eng. 31 (5): 559–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2004.01.007.
Prisco, C., and M. Vecchiotti. 2006. “A rheological model for the description of boulder impacts on granular strata.” Géotechnique 56 (7): 469–482. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2006.56.7.469.
Schellenberg, K., and T. Vogel. 2009. “A dynamic design method for rockfall protection galleries.” Struct. Eng. Int. 19 (3): 321–326. https://doi.org/10.2749/101686609788957928.
Seguin, A., Y. Bertho, F. Martinez, J. Crassous, and P. Gondret. 2013. “Experimental velocity fields and forces for a cylinder penetrating into a granular medium.” Phys. Rev. E 87 (1): 012201. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.87.012201.
Shen, W., T. Zhao, F. Dai, G. B. Crosta, and H. Wei. 2020. “Discrete element analyses of a realistic-shaped rock block impacting against a soil buffering layer.” Rock Mech. Rock Eng. 53: 3807–3822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-020-02116-0.
Shen, W., T. Zhao, F. Dai, M. Jiang, and G. G. Zhou. 2019. “DEM analyses of rock block shape effect on the response of rockfall impact against a soil buffering layer.” Eng. Geol. 249: 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.12.011.
Tan, D. Y., J. H. Yin, Z. H. Zhu, J. Q. Qin, and H. C. M. Chan. 2020. “Fast door-opening method for quick release of rock boulder or debris in large-scale physical model.” Int. J. Geomech. 20 (2): 06019019. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001556.
Thornton, C., and Z. Ning. 1988. “A theoretical model for the stick/bounce behaviour of adhesive, elastic-plastic spheres.” Powder Technol. 99 (2): 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-5910(98)00099-0.
Volkwein, A., K. Schellenberg, V. Labiouse, F. Agliardi, F. Berger, F. Bourrier, L. K. Dorren, W. Gerber, and M. Jaboyedoff. 2011. “Rockfall characterisation and structural protection - a review.” Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (9): 2617–2651. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-11-2617-2011.
Wang, X., P. Frattini, D. Stead, J. Sun, H. Liu, A. Valagussa, and L. Li. 2020a. “Dynamic rockfall risk analysis.” Eng. Geol. 272: 105622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105622.
Wang, X., Y. Xia, and T. Zhou. 2018. “Theoretical analysis of rockfall impacts on the soil cushion layer of protective structures.” Adv. Civ. Eng. 2018: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9324956.
Wang, Y., M. Xu, C. Yang, M. Lu, J. Meng, Z. Wang, and M. Wang. 2020b. “Effects of elastoplastic strengthening of gravel soil on rockfall impact force and penetration depth.” Int. J. Impact Eng. 136: 103411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2019.103411.
Xu, W., B. Chen, X. Chen, and C. Chen. 2021. “Influence of aggregate size and notch depth ratio on fracture performance of steel slag pervious concrete.” Constr. Build. Mater. 273: 122036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.122036.
Xu, Z. H., W. Y. Wang, P. Lin, X. T. Wang, and T. F. Yu. 2020. “Buffering effect of overlying sand layer technology for dealing with rockfall disaster in tunnels and a case study.” Int. J. Geomech. 20 (8): 04020127. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001751.
Yoshida, H., T. Nomura, D. C. Wyllie, and A. J. Morris. 2007. “Rock fall sheds-application of Japanese designs in North America.” In Proc., 1st North American Landslide Conference, 179–196. Madison, WI: Omnipress.
Zhang, G., H. Tang, X. Xiang, K. Kurat, and J. Wu. 2015. “Theoretical study of rockfall impacts based on logistic curves.” Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 78: 133–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmms.2015.06.001.
Zhao, W., C. Zhang, and N. Ju. 2021. “Identification and zonation of deep-seated toppling deformation in a metamorphic rock slope.” Bull. Eng. Geol. Environ. 80: 1981–1997. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02027-y.
Zhu, C., D. Wang, X. Xia, Z. Tao, M. He, and C. Cao. 2018. “The effects of gravel cushion particle size and thickness on the coefficient of restitution in rockfall impacts.” Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 18 (6): 1811–1823. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-1811-2018.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 16, 2023
Accepted: Apr 4, 2024
Published online: Sep 17, 2024
Published in print: Dec 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Feb 17, 2025
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.