1st NORTH AMERICAN LANSLIDE CONFERENCE

ROCK FALL SHEDS

APPLICATION OF JAPANESE DESIGNS IN
NORTH AMERICA
June 5, 2007

Dr. H. Yoshida
Toshimitsu Nomura
Duncan C. Wyllie
Anthony J. Morris

Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

Protec Engineering, Niigata, Japan
Wyllie & Norrish Rock Engineers, Vancouver, Canada
Canadian Pacific Railway, Calgary, Canada
Opening of Protec
Engineering new
office building
May 22, 2007
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall analysis
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
ROCK FALL MITIGATION STUDY
NIIGATA AND KANAZAWA
JAPAN

OCTOBER 20 TO 25, 2003

 Sea of Japan
Niigata

Kanazawa

To Tokyo
Rock Sheds
 “Rock Concrete Rock MSE
Fence Keeper” Shed
500
Barrier Barrier
Relative Construction Cost

Styrofoam
200

Sand Cushion
Styrofoam
Sand Super
cushion
cushion shed
100
50
10
5

5 10 20 50 100 200 300 500 1000

Impact Energy Capacity (tf.m)

 Rock
SHEDS Shed
SHEDS
Pre-cast concrete shed
Test loading:
Mass = 44,000 lb
Height = 120 ft.

“Super Rock Shed” – high ductility shed, capacity 800 tf m

 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall analysis
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
 Rock fall modeling programs
Objective of modeling is to determine:
„ Velocity of rock falls, which is used to determine impact
energy on protection structure
„ Trajectory of rock falls to determine dimensions of
protection structure

Common modeling programs:

„ CRSP – Colorado Rockfall Simulation Program
„ RockFall – RocScience

Modelled trajectories are often too high.

Typical computer simulation of rock falls
Calculation of rock fall trajectory
Impact point

⎛ ⎛ x ⎞
2
⎞
⎜
y = − 0.5 ⋅ g ⎜
⎜ ⎟ + x ⋅ tan α ⎟⎟
⎝ ⎝ V ⋅ cos α ⎠ ⎠
α

Velocity, V

Impact point

x
 Rolling rock hazard -
boulder travelled ~1 km
from source

Impact marks on slope

and bounce heights on
trees used to calculate
trajectory and velocity
Skagway, AK
 Source of rock falls –
blocks break up as they
impact the slope
Impact points on dock
 Trajectory calculations
Rock fall trajectories at base of slope
32 ft. high rock fall net
Measured Rock Fall Trajectories
(Japan)

No. of tests: 212

Rock sizes: 300, 500, 700 mm
Shape: spherical, tabular
 Energy Loss during Rock Falls
⎛ μ ⎞
Fall V = 2 ⋅ g ⋅ H ⎜⎜ 1 − ⎟⎟
μ – friction velocity, V ⎝ tanψ f ⎠
coefficient at
impact points

Free fall velocity:

V0 = 2 ⋅ g ⋅ H
ψf
 Rock fall velocities
250
Skagway Bare rock faces: Free fall
Slope = 45° velocity
μ = 0.40 (impact)
200

Terminal velocity?
Fall height, H (m)

150
Swiss test
Energy loss
due to impacts
100 Talus slopes: on slope
Slope = 31°
μ = 0.35 (rolling)

50

Big Sur ⎛ μ ⎞
V = 2 ⋅ g ⋅ H ⎜⎜ 1 − ⎟⎟
⎝ tanψ f ⎠
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 7
V evelocity,
Rock fall lo c i t y (m/s)
V (m/s)
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall analysis
3. Principles of rock shed design
and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
 Transfer of impact energy into shed structure
Weight impact force –
Weight impact mass
force – x deceleration
mass x deceleration
Rock
mass

Cushion
Cushion material
material
Transmitted force
distribution

Rock shed roof

Transmission impact force –

integration of transmitted
pressure on distributed area
 Instrumented shed to
measure weight impact and
transmission impact forces
 Fall Height (m)
0 5 10 15 20
600
W = 10kN
Span length
Span length
(m)
12m
10m
8m
400
Maximum reaction force (kN)

Variation of weight
and transmission
Test Setup (plan view) impact forces with
time, full-scale tests
200

2H-390X300X10X16 (Base beam)

2H-390X300X10X16 (Main beam)
150

Beam A
170

Sand Tank
650

Beam B
3175
250 Span length 250

Displacement meter
Load cell
0

Earth pressure gauge (Unit: mm)

 Relationship between
force and Sand
deformation for three
cushioning materials
Force

Styrofoam

Rubber tires

Deformation
Deformation
Longitudinal connection Rigid connection
between roof beams between column
and roof beam

Pinned
connection

Hinge in
column

Pre-cast concrete shed

Hinge at base
of column
 Roof beam

Rigid
Post
connection
tensioned between roof
cables beams and
columns

Column
Post tensioned
cables joining
roof slabs
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall modeling
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and
forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
 Design Impact Load, P
Japanese Rock Fall Protection Measures Handbook (2000)

P = 2.108( mg ) 2/ 3
λ H
2/ 5 3/ 5
β −1

m = rock fall mass (tonnes)

λ = Lame constant, 1000 kNm-2 for soft sand cushioning material
H = fall height, m
β = factor defining the relationship between the thickness of cushioning
layer (T, m) and the diameter of the impacting rock (D, m)

−0.58
⎛T ⎞
β =⎜ ⎟
⎝D⎠
 Relationship Cushion Thickness (T), Rock Fall
Dimension (D) and Factor β

β
Large value
for T adds
β weight with
little increase
in energy
absorption

T/D
Distribution of impact load through
cushion on to roof of shed

Sand cushion,
thickness T

Roof

Effective area of
transmitted force on
roof, A

T2
A=π
4
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall analysis
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed,
Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
Kicking Horse Canyon
Rock falls are concentrated in gullies
19 m Rock shed location
Roof beams (pre-cast) Rigid connection – post-
with ducts for tensioned cables Sand cushion Pinned connection
longitudinal 900 mm thick with rubber pad
connection cables

Column
(pre-cast)
with
flexible
hinge
Granular
fill Rock anchor
Clearance with tie-back
Clearance
envelope through wall
“Crash” wall envelope
Retaining
with socket wall (cast
connection in place)
to column

Footing Footing
supported dowelled to
with rock rock
socketed foundation
piles
Rock fill
supporting track
Concrete
blocks to
retain
sand
cushion

Roof
beams

Valley-
side
columns,
1500 O.C.

Top of “crash”
wall with sockets
for lower ends of Elevation view
columns.
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall analysis
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
Pitkins Curve, Highway 1, CA
Pitkins Curve Shed
• 45 m high rock face
• Design rock fall ~2.5 m
Roof protection –
Styrofoam with
sand covering

Artists rendering of
completed project
Widely spaced columns to
maximize view of ocean
 Summary of Topics

1. Rock fall sheds in Japan

2. Rock fall modeling
3. Principles of rock shed design and testing
4. Design impact energies and forces
5. North American rock fall sheds:
¾ Kicking Horse Canyon Shed, Canada
¾ Pitkins Curve Shed, CA
¾ Ferguson Rock Slide Shed, CA
 Slide has blocked
highway- temporary
bridges by-pass route
traffic on to right bank

Ferguson Rock Slide

Highway 140 between
Mariposa and Yosemite
National Park, CA
Pre-fabricated steel shed
constructed after removal
of slide debris
 Steel shed design based
on technology to protect
aircraft from missile attack
 Steel shed
under
construction
 Conclusions
1. Rock fall modeling can produces excessively high
trajectories based on observations of actual rock falls
2. Information needed on impact friction coefficients
related to slope surface conditions
3. Extensive testing of rock fall sheds in Japan provides
reliable information on design impact forces
4. Rock sheds constructed with flexible components that
absorb impact energy
5. Properties and thickness of cushioning material (sand
and/or Styrofoam) influences magnitude of
transmitted impact force

Thank you
Impact positions of rock falls on
roof of shed

P′ P
ψ
Envelope of Rock Fall
Trajectories
Source

Trajectory envelope

Trajectory
height, h

Angular velocity
Translational velocity

ψf
Steel shed
 Ferguson Rock Slide
Highway 140 between
Mariposa and Yosemite
National Park, CA
Deflection
sheds
Measured Rock Fall Trajectories
Trajectory height, h (m)

Fall height, H (m)

90%
envelope