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Rock Mechanics-Pt12
Rock Mechanics-Pt12
ROCK FALL
HAZARDS
Rockfalls
• Rockfalls are a
common problem
along highways in
mountainous
terrain
• They can be costly
and deadly; easily
triggered by short
bursts of intense
precipitation
• Many rock masses are mixtures of dissimilar
materials with markedly contrasting
stiffness, as seen in this glacial till
Rock Falls
• 70% of all rockfalls
occur during the
initial fall freeze or
initial spring thaws
• Rock falls are
generally driven by
pore pressures, not
by the volume of
water. Its all about
pressure, not volume.
Rockfall Mitigation
• Standard
guidelines exist
for mitigating
damage from
rockfalls
• These include
debris ditches,
rock fences, and
placing mesh on
the raveling
slope using
rockbolts
Triple twisted galvanized or PVC coated gabion wire
mesh is an excellent structural material to employ on
raveling rock slopes where insufficient right-of-way
exists to construct a catchment ditch and fence.
Some mechanism for periodic mucking of
accumulated debris should be incorporated into the
remedial scheme
Most rockfalls occur during first significant freeze or
thaw cycles
Design details for typical
rockbolt stabilization scheme
on raveling rock cut slope
(from Rogers, 2003)