ABSTRACT
A rock fall event comprises a series of impacts, each followed by a trajectory. When the velocity and energy that are lost during impact are less than the velocity and energy that are gained during the subsequent trajectory, the rock fall will continue down the slope. However, as the slope angle decreases such that the impacts occur at a steeper angle with the slope surface and the trajectories become shorter, then the energy lost at the point of impact will be greater than the energy gained during the trajectory and the rock fall will come to a stop. For example, the relationship between slope geometry and energy loss is illustrated in Figure 6.1 where a high-velocity rock fall on a steep rock face was stopped in a short distance when it impacted a level bench; no significant damage occurred to the building.
