Abstract
The identification of potential rockfall and the accurate prediction of its trajectory are critical in prevention and mitigation of rockfall hazard. It is an important precondition to assess the uncertainty of rockfall motion, study the effective identification technology of potential rockfall, predict the rockfall trajectory, and calculate the threatened area by rockfall hazards. In this study, field investigations and numerical simulations were carried out to identify potential rockfall on a weathered rock slope. As a case study, our calculations results show that the area of tensile stress concentration and plastic failure is the potential area where the rockmass will fall off the surface of the weathered rock slope. A mathematical model for calculating the rockfall influence area of the weathered rock slope was established based on the optimization theory, neural network technology, and genetic optimization algorithm. The rockfall influence area of the weathered rock slope was determined using maximum horizontal distance of rockfall in the specified slope cross sections and described on the topographic map using spline curves to form a closed possibly vulnerable area. As a case study, our calculations confirm that the distributions of the plastic failure and tensile stress areas obtained from the numerical simulations are consistent with the dangerous rock masses identified by field investigations at Guanyindong Slope that is a popular tourist scenic spot in Zhejiang Province, China. In this study, it has been indicated that the influence area can be used as the basis for the design of passive protection methods for rock slopes vulnerable to rockfall hazards.
Highlights
Rockfall is a common geological disaster that occurs during any construction activities in the mountainous region
Since predicting the rockfall trajectory and calculating the influence area of rockfall are of profound importance in studying the uncertainty of rockfall and the active protection against rockfall hazards, a reliable estimate of the influence area of rockfall is crucial to the design of passive preventative methods for preventing rockfall
We studied the calculation method of the influence area of rockfall, by taking an engineering case in a tourist scenic spot in Zhejiang Province, China
Summary
Rockfall is a common geological disaster that occurs during any construction activities in the mountainous region. Many studies have been conducted on the controlling factors and motion characteristics of rockfalls using theoretical analysis [1], field investigations [2,3,4], statistical analysis [5], field tests [6,7,8], and numerical simulation analysis [9]. Formulas based on empirical models are often only locally applicable Both analysis and calculation models based on the theory of kinematics and mathematical models based on GIS require a large number of input parameters related to slope morphology and rolling blocks’ characteristics, which are usually not readily available. Based on field investigation and numerical simulation results, a corresponding mathematical model for determining the influence range was established, and the maximum run-out distance of the potential rockfall was computed using a genetic optimization algorithm. Based on field investigation and numerical simulation results, a corresponding mathematical model for determining the influence range was established, and the maximum run-out distance of the potential rockfall was computed using a genetic optimization algorithm. is study provides a basis for the design of passive preventative methods for preventing rockfall
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