Rockfall risk is often mitigated and managed by employing defensive structures to catch falling blocks(i.e.,passive works).Due to the widely spread nature of rockfall,the presence of such defensive structures is a com...Rockfall risk is often mitigated and managed by employing defensive structures to catch falling blocks(i.e.,passive works).Due to the widely spread nature of rockfall,the presence of such defensive structures is a common sight,especially in mountain areas.The most common passive defensive structures are rockfall flexible barriers,due to their significant flexibility and cost-effectiveness.The protective performance of said structures,though,can be severely reduced by prolonged exposure to weathering agents,vegetation growth,and rockfall impacts:these issues must be addressed by performing maintenance.With a view to optimizing the maintenance procedure,the need arises for a tool capable of providing useful information regarding the condition of existing rockfall barriers,in the simplest yet most complete and comprehensive way possible.The present work provides such a tool,alongside the required instruments for it to function properly.Basically,it consists of a survey spreadsheet to be used to collect raw data based on visual inspection of the barriers,coupled with the methodology to score their conditions and to produce a database with which to manage and plan their maintenance.An application to a suitable case study in the Central Italian Alps,featuring a number of barriers in different conditions,is then presented,and its results are discussed.展开更多
文摘Rockfall risk is often mitigated and managed by employing defensive structures to catch falling blocks(i.e.,passive works).Due to the widely spread nature of rockfall,the presence of such defensive structures is a common sight,especially in mountain areas.The most common passive defensive structures are rockfall flexible barriers,due to their significant flexibility and cost-effectiveness.The protective performance of said structures,though,can be severely reduced by prolonged exposure to weathering agents,vegetation growth,and rockfall impacts:these issues must be addressed by performing maintenance.With a view to optimizing the maintenance procedure,the need arises for a tool capable of providing useful information regarding the condition of existing rockfall barriers,in the simplest yet most complete and comprehensive way possible.The present work provides such a tool,alongside the required instruments for it to function properly.Basically,it consists of a survey spreadsheet to be used to collect raw data based on visual inspection of the barriers,coupled with the methodology to score their conditions and to produce a database with which to manage and plan their maintenance.An application to a suitable case study in the Central Italian Alps,featuring a number of barriers in different conditions,is then presented,and its results are discussed.
