ABSTRACT
The protection of road infrastructure from the rockfall phenomenon is very demanding both for design and for construction of rockfall defense works. In particular, design approach is strongly influenced by the phenomenon’s aleatory nature and the difficult determination of the geomechanical parameters that characterize the interaction between the in motion rocky boulders and the affected slope ground. In this context the Authors propose a probabilistic methodological approach finalized to rockfall design of works through implementation of a three-dimensional simulation software called ROTOMAP®. This approach is described through the application to a case study on the road SS18 “Tirrena Inferiore” (Italy) recently affected by a drought rockfall. The results allowed verifying the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in the design process of new defensive rockfall works and in the verification of defensive existing works. The reliability of the design/verification process is linked to the execution of a large number of simulations.
