MODELLING FLEXIBLE WIRE NETTING APPLIED TO ROCK FALL ATTENUATING SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION ROCK FALL ATTENUATORS: Attenuation, is the loss in intensity of any flux through a medium. In this respects the purpose of rock fall attenuator systems is to reduce the intensity (kinetic energy) of rock fall and guide their trajectory. They function by intercepting rock fall trajectory, guiding it under a tail drape and dampening bounce heights (see Fig. 1). Through this there is the potential to dissipate large portions of the kinetic energy through barrier impacts deforming the netting and interaction with the slope during its transport to the base of slope (Badger et al., 2008). Rock fall attenuator systems are aimed at reducing the cleaning and maintenance requirements in comparison to standard rock fall barriers. They can also be applied where existing protection measures, such as rock galleries, do not meet the required energy level of rock fall hazard. The installation of an attenuator system can be used to dissipate the energy of rock fall to the design value of the existing installations.