A Study on Finite Element Analysis for Energy Absorption Ability of Each Member of Rockfall Protection Fence

Abstract

A rockfall protection facility is usually installed on steep cut slopes to minimize the damage from unexpected falling rocks. In Korea, such rockfall protection fence is designed to have an energy absorption ability of 50 kJ. In order to verify the energy absorption ability of the fence, a real scale drop test can be used. A real scale drop test is the most reliable method to evaluate the energy absorption ability of the fence. However, the real scale drop test is expensive and requires a lot of effort. Moreover, it is hard to evaluate the energy absorption ability of each member of the fence. Alternatively, finite element analysis can be used to evaluate the performance of the fence. In this study, the finite element model is first developed and verified. The finite element analysis results were compared with those from real scale drop test for verification. Then, a series of parametric studies was conducted by varying rockfall locations to evaluate the time it takes for total kinetic energy to dissipate, the maximum displacement, and the contribution of each member of the fence to energy absorption ability. Keywords: Rockfall Protection Fence, Finite Element Analysis, Energy Absorption Ability