[H-DS07] Landslides and related phenomena

[HDS07-04] Numerical Study on the Influence of Complex Rockfall Block Shapes Using 3D Scanning Technique

*Changze Li², Gonghui Wang¹ (1.Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, 2. Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University)

Keywords:Landslide, Numerical Method, Dynamic Simulation, Rockfall

Instabilities in rock slopes are common in mountainous regions, often resulting in destructive mass movements such as rockfalls and rock avalanches, which pose significant risks to human lives and infrastructure safety. Understanding the dynamics of multi-block systems is essential for engineers to predict and mitigate associated hazards. The shape of a rock block plays a crucial role in determining its behavior during a rockfall event. Different shapes affect the rock’s trajectory, bounce height, rotational motion, and energy dissipation. Irregularly shaped blocks tend to have more unpredictable paths and higher rotational energy, which can result in greater damage potential upon impact.
This study proposes a procedure for the improved 3-D DDA method, integrating 3-D scanning techniques to obtain 3-D shape information from real rock blocks. Three groups of 70 blocks each, with complex shapes obtained by scanning real rocks, are simulated to investigate the effect of sphericity on rockfall dynamics and post-failure deposits. The obtained results may enhance the current understanding of the dynamic behavior of rockfalls, thereby facilitating the prediction and assessment of related hazards.