Abstract
An optimal design method for rockfall countermeasures based on the discrete element method (DEM) is proposed. In this method, firstly, the path and the kinetic energy of rockfalls are simulated using the 3-dimensional DEM. Secondly, optimal design conditions that maximize the performance of rockfall countermeasures are selected based on the DEM results. In order to quantitatively evaluate the performance of countermeasures under a given set of conditions, we introduce a multi-objective function with three separate objectives. A response surface model for the function is determined by using the maximum likelihood estimation, which is based on the data collected from the DEM simulations, and optimal design conditions can be found by maximizing the response surface model. During the course of the explanation, a simple numerical example is presented to demonstrate the capability and the advantage of the proposed method.
