Study on Rockfall Simulation Method Using Discontinuous Deformation Analysis

In this paper, simulation on real rock fall by discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) is conducted. In the simulation, the energy loss of rock fall was carefully modelled in response to each different movement feature of rock fall by using absolute parameter. The energy losses of the rock fall were categorized into three types, that is, the loss by friction, the loss caused by collision and the loss by vegetation. The modelling of the energy loss using absolute parameter has been built in the DDA method. So far, to verify the applicability and validity of the proposed DDA, field tests on rock fall and corresponding simulation of the rock fall tests by DDA have been performed. As the results, the simulated results of rock fall velocity and rock fall jumping height agree well with the results from the field tests. By these results, the new technique in which the energy-absorption ability of slope based on vegetation condition and shape of the rock fall is properly considered, has been established as a new method for the disaster prevention of rock fall. In this paper, consideration of collision damping coefficient and the possibility of reproducibility and predictive analysis had been examined.