Impact of rock block characteristics on rockfall hazard and its implications for rockfall protection strategies along Himalayan highways: a case study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok K. Singh ◽  
J. Kundu ◽  
K. Sarkar ◽  
H. K. Verma ◽  
P. K. Singh
Keyword(s):  
Rock Block ◽  
Rockfall Hazard ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Rockfall Protection

An improved hazard assessment chart for rock falls in near vertical blocky rock environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fhatuwani Sengani ◽  
Mulenga Francois
Keyword(s):  
Slope Angle ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Rock Falls ◽  
Structural Mapping ◽  
Initial Height ◽  
Rockfall Hazard ◽  
Final Destination ◽  
Bedding Planes ◽  
Hazard Rating

Abstract The purpose of the study was to perform rockfall stability analysis and develop an improved rockfall hazard matrix chart using the R518 road in Limpopo as the case study. The study entailed structural mapping, wedge simulation using stereonet plots. The RocFall software was then used to identify the parameters that influence the occurrence of rockfall. The software was also used to monitor the variations in the kinetic energy of rolling, bouncing or falling rocks. The effects of the initial height and velocity of falling rocks on the final destination of fragments were also explored. Results showed that the selected area along the R518 road consists of joints and bedding planes. These features weaken the rock mass and create wedges that can potentially fall. Simulations with RocFall, on the other hand, indicated that slope height, vegetation density, slope angle, the velocity of the falling rock largely contribute to the extent that the broken rock could reach. From the empirical and numerical findings, an improved rockfall hazard rating chart was proposed. The chart was found to be suitable for the rating of level of rockfall hazard along highways and roads.

scholarly journals Assessing Protection Strategies for Urban Rail Transit Systems: A Case-Study on the Central London Underground

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annunziata Esposito Amideo ◽  
Stefano Starita ◽  
Maria Paola Scaparra
Keyword(s):  
Path Length ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Urban Rail Transit ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Sequential Approach ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Urban Rail ◽  
London Underground ◽  
Protection Strategies

Urban rail transit systems are highly prone to disruptions of various nature (e.g., accidental, environmental, man-made). Railway networks are deemed as critical infrastructures given that a service interruption can prompt adverse consequences on entire communities and lead to potential far-reaching effects. Hence, the identification of optimal strategies to mitigate the negative impact of disruptive events is paramount to increase railway systems’ resilience. In this paper, we investigate several protection strategies deriving from the application of either single asset vulnerability metrics or systemic optimization models. The contribution of this paper is threefold. Firstly, a single asset metric combining connectivity, path length and flow is defined, namely the Weighted Node Importance Evaluation Index (WI). Secondly, a novel bi-level multi-criteria optimisation model, called the Railway Fortification Problem (RFP), is introduced. RFP identifies protection strategies based on stations connectivity, path length, or travel demand, considered as either individual or combined objectives. Finally, two different protection strategy approaches are applied to a Central London Underground case study: a sequential approach based on single-asset metrics and an integrated approach based on RFP. Results indicate that the integrated approach outperforms the sequential approach and identifies more robust protection plans with respect to different vulnerability criteria.

Adaptive management in transboundary protected areas: The Bialowieza National Park and Biosphere Reserve as a case study

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 326-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Agrawal
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Adaptive Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Environmental Cooperation ◽  
Key Species ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Transboundary Protected Areas ◽  
Future Outcomes

Transboundary protected areas (PAs) currently represent nearly 10% of the world's network of PAs. The protection of their biological wealth poses special challenges because of the need for cooperation among sovereign states. Adaptive management strategies offer hope for a more accurate assessment of ecological conditions within PAs, and have the potential for furthering one of the major objectives of these PAs, namely enhancing environmental cooperation between countries across whose boundaries the protected area complex is situated. This paper examines the implications of adaptive management for transboundary PAs by using the Polish/Belarusian Bialowieza PAs as a case study. Managers of PAs have conventionally aimed at accurate predictions and short-term system equilibrium through ‘top-down’ policies of control and exclusion. In the case of PAs, these objectives have meant limiting use and employing models of linear growth. Adaptive management strategies rely instead on long-term experience, assessment of experimental interventions, and collection of greater amounts of information to assess future outcomes. They aim at the satisfaction of objectives that may include equilibrium changes. These features of adaptive management imply attention over time to the interactions between different key species, greater involvement of local populations in the collection of information about the resources, and experimenting with different levels of use to infer the most suitable protection strategies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Rockfall Hazard Based On UAV Technology And 3D Rockfall Simulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Utlu ◽  
Muhammed Zeynel ÖZTÜRK ◽  
Mesut Şimşek
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Free Fall ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Rock Block ◽  
Central Anatolia ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Runout Distance ◽  
Rockfall Hazard

Abstract In this study, the rockfall hazard in Hacıabdullah village located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey was assessed with three-dimensional (3D) rockfall analyses based on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology using RAMMS (Rockfall software). With several rockfall disasters experienced in the village, the final event occurred in 2008, and several houses were evacuated due to rockfall risk after this event. A total of 17 hanging blocks with fall potential were identified and block dimension measurements were performed during field studies. In order to assess the rockfall hazard in the study area, digital surface model (DSM) data were obtained using high-resolution images obtained by UAV. According to dimensional values, the geometric and volumetric features of each rock were assessed close to reality with the RAMMS 3D rockfall modeling program. As a result of 3-D rockfall modelling, the maximum kinetic energy, maximum velocity, and maximum jump height of the falling blocks are reached to 3476 kJ, 23.1 m/s, and 14.57 m, respectively. The shape and volume of the blocks, as well as the slope features, rocks display differences in their runout distances after falls. A rock block with equant geometry has a runout distance of 53.1-126.9 m, whereas a rock block with flat or long geometry has a runout distance of 34-122.9 m. Rocks that do not move very far from the source area are; in other words, where the free-fall process is dominant, may significantly damage the roads. However, rolling blocks, in other words, blocks which can travel long distances from the source area, have a potential to cause great damage at the settlement areas, roads and trees. According to the hazard map, R6, R12, R13, R14, R15, R16, and R17 blocks involve high and moderate levels of risk for settlement units. R1, R4, R7, R8, R9, and R10 blocks show that the majority of them involve low risk, while a small portion is a moderate risk.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Protection of Critical Infrastructure in Nigeria. A Case Study of Protection of Power Facilities in Abuja

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saladin Quadri Adigun
Keyword(s):  
Electric Power ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Electricity Distribution ◽  
Security Personnel ◽  
Protection Strategies ◽  
Distribution Company ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Government

This research work investigated the protection of critical infrastructure in Nigeria with special attention to electric power infrastructure within Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The study was guided by six research questions and the instrument employed for the research was titled ‘Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Protection of Critical Infrastructure’ (EEPCI). The study was carried out among the consumers of electricity in three of the six Area Councils, the security personnel employed to guard as well as the workers of the power facilities called Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in the capital territory. The entire population of the study was 3,750 and this cut across the strata of the stakeholders in power industry. The data gathered were analyzed by the use of frequency, percentages and statistical mean distribution technique. Findings from the study showed that the existing protection techniques are weak, unassertive and the power companies are slow to mitigating effects of attacks on their facilities. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that policies and equipment protection strategies be utilized by the power companies and the government. The study laid emphasis on establishment of community anti-crime group and provision of free toll hotline for emergency purposes. Furthermore, the penalty for damages to power facilities was recommended to be stiffer and the security should be empowered to excel in their profession.

scholarly journals An approach for evaluating the role of protection measures in rockfall hazard zoning based on the Swiss experience

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1127-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Prina Howald ◽  
Jacopo Maria Abbruzzese ◽  
Chiara Grisanti
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
Correct Operation ◽  
Rockfall Hazard ◽  
Step Procedure ◽  
Hazard Zoning ◽  
Swiss Experience ◽  
Federal Guidelines ◽  
Rockfall Protection

Abstract. Rockfall hazard zoning is essential for ensuring the safety of communities settled at the toe of potentially unstable slopes. Rockfall hazard zoning can be performed to include the effect of protection measures when land use restrictions might not be enough to mitigate hazards. The real effectiveness of the measures must be assessed to make sure they can play their role, especially in those cases when measures might have been installed at a given site for years. This article focuses on how to evaluate the effectiveness of rockfall protection measures and how hazard zoning can be influenced by their correct operation. The approach presented is divided into four main stages, which include a two-step procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of both existing and new protections. It is based on quite a comprehensive rockfall protection database built for the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and on the Swiss Federal Guidelines for hazard zoning; however, all the methodological framework proposed and related considerations could be in principle extended to any other regional or national context in which a combination of intensity and frequency is used to assess rockfall hazards.

scholarly journals Rockfall Hazard Analyses and Rockfall Protection along the Adriatic Coast of Croatia

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Željko Arbanas ◽  
Mirko Grošić ◽  
Dalibor Udovič ◽  
Snježana Mihalić
Keyword(s):  
Rockfall Hazard ◽  
Adriatic Coast ◽  
Rockfall Protection
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