Full-scale impact tests of a rockfall protection gallery - cases using sand and gravel cushions

Abstract

In order to establish a performance-based impact resistant design procedure for rockfall protection galleries, falling-weight impact tests of a full-scale gallery specimen were conducted for the cases of using sand and gravel cushions. The gallery specimen was designed based on the allowable stress design procedure for an input impact energy of E = 100 kJ following Japanese design guideline. From this study, following results were obtained: 1) the absorbing performance of the sand cushion was higher than that of gravel one, when the input impact energy was fifteen times greater than the design value; and 2) for both sand and gravel cushions, the gallery specimen was still in the elastic (cracked) state, i.e. serviceability limit state.