Flexible rockfall barriers are commonly constructed on steep hillsides to mitigate rockfall. The evaluation of the dynamic response of proprietary flexible rockfall barriers is conventionally performed using full-scale field tests by dropping a block onto the barriers in accordance with the European test standard ETAG 027. The block typically has a spherical or polyhedral shape and cannot reproduce more complex rockfall scenarios encountered in the field. Little attention has been paid to the effects of the block shape on the impact force and structural response. This paper aims to quantitatively reveal the influence of the block shape on the dynamic response of flexible rockfall barriers. First, an ellipsoidal model is established to approximately simulate the block, and the sphericity is employed as the representative index of the block’s shape. A full-scale test on a typical flexible barrier system is carried out and then used to calibrate an advanced three-dimensional finite element model. Finally, the dynamic responses of flexible rockfall barriers are analyzed and discussed, focusing on the effects of the block’s shape. The numerical results show that the sphericity will obviously influence the maximum elongation of flexible barriers, the peak impact force, the peak force of the upslope anchor cable, the peak force of the lower main support cable, the axial peak force of the post, and the peak shear force at the post foundation. The assumption of spherical or polyhedral blocks in the test standard could lead to the defensive failure of flexible rockfall barriers in some impact scenarios.

通常在陡峭的山坡上建造柔性的落石屏障，以减少落石。常规上，按照欧洲测试标准ETAG 027的要求，通过将一个块体放到障碍物上，使用全尺寸的现场测试对专有的柔性落石障碍物的动态响应进行评估。该块体通常具有球形或多面体形状，无法重现现场遇到的复杂的崩塌情景。几乎没有注意块形状对冲击力和结构响应的影响。本文旨在定量揭示块体形状对柔性岩崩屏障动态响应的影响。首先，建立一个椭圆模型来近似地模拟块，并且球形度被用作块形状的代表指标。在典型的柔性屏障系统上进行了全面测试，然后将其用于校准高级三维有限元模型。最后，以块体形状的影响为重点，分析和讨论了柔性崩塌障碍物的动力响应。数值结果表明，球形度将明显影响柔性屏障的最大伸长率，峰值冲击力，上坡锚索的峰值力，下部主支撑缆索的峰值力，柱的轴向峰值力，以及桩基基础上的峰值剪切力。在测试标准中采用球形或多面体块体的假设可能会导致在某些冲击情况下柔性岩崩屏障的防御性失效。