Design and Life-cycle Assessment of Gabion Barriers for Rockfall Mitigation using Numerical Modeling

To summarize, gabion barriers are Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s preferred rockfall barrier, for a multitude of reasons, yet there is no existing design standard. Standards of any kind are a product of fundamental research and measured implementation within a research framework. Research provides the facts and scientific truths upon which standards can be established and allows the “state-of-the-practice” to follow the “state-of-the-art”. The impact of a moving rock mass on a gabion barrier is a remarkably complex interaction, but one for which the physics can largely be described mathematically, and subsequently solved numerically. Two specific objectives for this research project include: (1) Deliver decision support tools for both design and life cycle assessment. Develop numerical tools that ODOT engineers can use to perform parametric analyses and design calculations for the sizing and positioning of gabion barriers, and deliver these research results through video tutorials and workshops across the state. Provide ODOT engineers with a users’ manual for the decision support tools. (2) Deliver gabion design criteria. Using results from parametric simulations performed with the new numerical tool, develop standard procedure for the design, best practices, maintenance, and life-cycle assessment of gabion rockfall barriers. These design criteria will be delivered as part of the final SPR report. Suggested GDM standard language will be provided.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $250243
• Contract Numbers:

  SPR 831

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Oregon Department of Transportation

  555 13th Street NE
  Salem, OR  United States  97301
• Project Managers:

  Glover-Cutter, Kira

• Performing Organizations:

  Oregon State University, Corvallis

  101 Kearney Hall
  Corvallis, OR  United States  97331
• Principal Investigators:

  Evans, Matthew

• Start Date: 20190901
• Expected Completion Date: 20221231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Transportation, Planning, Research, and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision support systems; Design; Gabions; Life cycle analysis; Rockfalls
• Identifier Terms: Oregon Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01724981
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Oregon Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: SPR 831
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 12 2019 1:09PM