Abstract
Efficient design of flexible rockfall guiding nets requires a clear understanding of how slope topography influences rockfall energy dissipation and system loads, a task often hindered by the computational cost of conventional models. To this end, this study first developed, calibrated, and validated an improved equivalent truss constitutive model for ring nets based on nine sets of quasi-static and dynamic test data. Subsequently, using the validated equivalent truss method, systematic numerical analyses were conducted on the performance of rockfall guiding nets for different slope angles and geometries. Experimental data validation demonstrates that the equivalent truss method possesses high accuracy advantages, with computational errors consistently maintained within 10%. The key breakthrough lies in that, compared with traditional ring beam models, the computational efficiency of the equivalent truss model is improved by approximately 12 times, making it a powerful tool for engineering-scale analysis. Parametric studies reveal that under protection conditions, the rockfall energy dissipation rate exhibits a linear negative correlation with slope angle. More importantly, slope morphology is confirmed as the dominant factor—although stepped, concave, and Type-II composite slopes can enable high-efficiency protection performance of rockfall guiding nets, the latter two terrain types generate maximum structural loads within the system. The research findings establish the equivalent truss model as a robust and efficient tool for analyzing rockfall guiding nets, providing a critical theoretical framework and practical methodology for optimizing protection system design through quantitative correlation of net performance, structural demands, and specific terrain conditions.
Full Text
Quantitative Analysis of Large-Scale Guiding Flexible Rockfall Barriers Based on an Improved Truss Equivalent Method for Steel Wire-Ring Nets
Baoguo Yin¹,², Yueping Yin³,*, Zhihua Zhang², Yuntao Jin⁴, Chenyang Zhang⁵, Luqi Wang⁶, Xuebing Wang⁷, Zhiqiang Yi²,³
¹ Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
² No. 208 Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology Team of Chongqing Bureau of Geology and Minerals Exploration, Chongqing 400000, China
³ China Institute of Geo-Environment Monitoring, Beijing 100081, China
⁴ School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
⁵ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
⁶ School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
⁷ Department of Dam Safety and Management, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, Nanjing 210029, China
*Corresponding author
Abstract
Efficient design of flexible rockfall guiding nets requires a clear understanding of how slope terrain influences rockfall energy dissipation and system loading, a task often hindered by the computational cost of traditional models. To address this challenge, the present study first developed, calibrated, and validated an improved truss equivalent constitutive model for steel wire-ring nets based on nine sets of quasi-static and dynamic test data. Subsequently, the validated truss equivalent method was employed to conduct systematic numerical analyses of guiding net performance across varying slope angles and geometries.
Experimental validation demonstrates that the truss equivalent method offers high accuracy, with computational errors consistently maintained below 10%. The key breakthrough lies in its computational efficiency, which improves by approximately 12 times compared to conventional ring-beam models, establishing it as a powerful tool for engineering-scale analyses. Parametric studies reveal that under protective conditions, the rockfall energy dissipation rate exhibits a linear negative correlation with slope angle. More importantly, slope morphology is confirmed as the dominant factor—while stepped, concave, and Type II composite slopes enable high-efficiency performance of guiding nets, the latter two terrain types generate maximum structural loads within the system.
This research establishes the equivalent truss model as a robust and efficient tool for analyzing rockfall guiding nets. By quantitatively linking net performance and structural demands to specific terrain conditions, it provides a critical theoretical framework and practical methodology for optimizing protection system design.
Keywords: rockfall protection; truss equivalent model; guiding net; computational efficiency; rockfall energy dissipation rate; system response