A Study on the Evaluation of Expanded Metal Characteristics for Application Rockfall Facilities

There are many mountains in Korean Peninsula, and those used for the construction of roads and railways sectors are forming slopes. Slope collapse occurs with falling rocks and landslide because of the relaxation of the thawing rocks. The heavy rain in summer can also significantly contribute to the process, and abnormal climate change is much more influential than before. Therefore, rockfall-related accidents in rainy season are easily accessible in media every year. There has been a lot of research on application of strengthening compensation of the sections in order to minimize casualties and property damage. Rockfall Protection Net, however, has not been focused on much in the field yet. This study highlights the need of Rockfall Protection Net, since it can segregate the falling rocks inside the net relatively safely. Although there has been a little doubt about the effectiveness of rockfall protection facilities, it is obvious that relevant studies dealing with the solidity of the net are necessary for the rockfall protection net to be capable of supporting rockfall energies. As a result, Expanded metal strength is much more durable compared to the PVC coating net, and it is regarded as an excellent alternative material for the Rockfall Protection Net. In this study, the applicability of Expanded Metal as the alternative of Rockfall Protection Net is verified experimentally.