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ARTICLE

A Discrete Numerical Study of the Effect of the Thickness and the Porosity of the Sand Cushion on the Impact Response Due to the Rockfall

Song Yuan¹, Peng Zhao^2,*, Liangpu Li^1,*, Xibao Wang¹, Jun Liu³, Bo Zhang⁴

1 Sichuan Communication Surveying & Design Institute Co., Ltd., Chengdu, 610065, China
2 Key Laboratory of Deep Underground Science and Engineering (Ministry of Education), College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
3 Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
4 Institute of Science and Technology, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing, 100038, China

* Corresponding Authors: Peng Zhao. Email: ; Liangpu Li. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Computer Modelling in Disaster Prevention and Mitigation for Engineering Structures)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2022, 130(3), 1683-1698. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2022.018507

Received 29 July 2021; Accepted 23 September 2021; Issue published 30 December 2021

Abstract

The prevention and the reduction of the rockfall are the common measures of the prevention and the reduction of disasters. When the rock-shed resists the impact of the rockfall, the force that acts on the structure consists of the cushion dead load and the impact-induced load, of which the dynamic process of the propagation of the impact-induced load is complex. Therefore, we conducted a numerical study to investigate the impact of the rockfall. Considering the highly discrete characteristic of the sand, we developed a numerical model on the basis of the discrete element method (DEM). The numerical model, which simulation results were validated by the results of real-scale experiments, was used to investigate the dynamic response of the impact force of the rockfall and the transmission of the impact force under the different magnitude of the falling height and the different thickness of the sand cushion. The results of our study indicated that the cushion thickness had little effect on the impact of the rockfall, and the dense sand cushion generated higher impact force than did the loose sand cushion. Although the high thickness enhanced the buffer performance of the sand cushion, the additional force induced by the dead load of sand cushion was significant. Therefore, to determine the appropriate thickness of the sand cushion, we suggested designers consider the buffer performance and the dead load of the sand cushion. The analysis presented in this paper provided a practical estimation of the impact-induced force of the thick sand cushion.

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