Design tool for rockfall net barriers with ECRANS software

Abstract

Rock instabilities are among the hazards frequently encountered in mountain areas. In order to reduce the associated risk, the so-called passive strategy aims at implementing protection techniques that allow to control the trajectory of moving boulders. Among these protection techniques, the use of rockfall net barriers is a particularly effective solution. This paper will present a numerical tool for sizing rockfall net barriers in an illustrative way. The proposed simulation examples demonstrate the fundamental role that numerical simulation can play in the analysis of the interaction between a hazard and a structure. The calculation code that has been developed constitutes a tool to guide the manager in the choice and definition of a successful strategy. In particular, it is possible to explore the residual performance of a structure after impacts, as well as the effect of the failure of an organ (anchor, post, ring...) on the overall behavior of the structure.