Rockfall Protection Drape

1. Applicable to rock slopes of any gradient, regardless of the physical and mechanical properties of the ground.
2. Convenient and fast installation: no prolonged closure of highways and railways adjacent to the slope is required.
3. The rockfall drapery system features a maintenance-free design.
4. Significant cost savings: a wide selection of nets allows you to choose a cost-effective project configuration.
5. Capability for structural calculations and design, taking into account additional loads and external factors.
6. No weak points in the structure.
7. All materials are manufactured in Russia.

Rockfall Protection on Rocky Slopes

The ring net drapery manufactured by Geo-Barrier is the simplest and most effective solution for rockfall protection in areas adjacent to slopes composed of coarse and fine fragmented rock.

The primary function of such a drapery is to ensure the controlled descent of rock blocks by limiting their fall trajectory to the slope surface and the ring net drapery. This reduces the impact kinetic energy of the rock blocks.

The design of a rockfall drapery system requires a debris accumulation zone (or trench) at the toe of the slope.

Main Structural Element of the Drapery

The main element of the rockfall drapery is a steel ring mesh with cable-woven rings. The net is laid on the slope in panels with standard dimensions of 3x10 m. Depending on the tensile strength of the net, adjacent panels are stitched together with rigging shackles of the appropriate size.

Around the perimeter of the protected slope, the rockfall drapery is reinforced with steel cables. At the top, the drapery is typically extended 1.5–5 m beyond the slope crest. The load-bearing ground anchors are placed behind the upper slope crest. The length of the anchors is determined based on the physical and mechanical properties of the soil and the pull-out loads. The mesh is attached to the cable anchor heads using an upper load-bearing steel cable.

The lower edge of the drapery, secured to the lower perimeter cable, is either positioned 1.0–1.5 m above the lower platform at the toe of the slope or lowered to the ground. In this case, the lower perimeter cable (if provided) is tensioned so that the lower edge of the drapery has free movement away from the slope, but only up to a distance not exceeding the largest dimension of the largest potentially hazardous rock block on the protected slope.

Additional Protection

In some cases, the largest and most hazardous rock blocks (when forced descent is not possible) are additionally rigidly secured to the slope using steel cables and rock bolts, in addition to the ring mesh. This forms retaining nets around such blocks, thereby eliminating the possibility of their collapse.

Ring diameter

The aperture size of the ring net is selected not only based on the loads generated when falling rock blocks contact the mesh surface but also depending on the particle size distribution of the coarse fragmented rock soils. The net aperture diameter can be 420, 350, or 250 mm.

If the diameter of the rock fragments is less than 250 mm, the ring net can be supplemented with or completely replaced by a high-strength 2D-Geo steel mesh with a rhomboidal aperture shape.

Consultations

Qualified Geo-Barrier engineers will advise you on all matters regarding the application and selection of the most effective rockfall drapery configuration for your slope, and will suggest possible ways to optimize your project.

Distinctive Features of the Rockfall Drapery

• Versatility — Applicable to rocky slopes of any steepness, regardless of the physical and mechanical properties of the soils
• Anchor Savings — Requires a minimal number of cable anchors to secure the upper load-bearing cable behind the slope crest
• Fast Installation — Does not require preliminary slope scaling, nor does it require prolonged closure of highways and railways adjacent to the slope
• Safe Installation — Installed from top to bottom, ensuring installers are always in a safe zone, protected from rockfalls
• Maintenance-Free — The rockfall drapery structure requires no maintenance
• Convenient Cleaning — The fragmented material accumulation zone at the base of the slope is easy to clear using mechanized methods. No special equipment is required
• Custom Selection — All elements of the rockfall drapery are individually selected for the specific slope
• Cost-Effective — A wide range of cable-woven ring meshes allows you to select the most economically efficient drapery configuration for your project
• Calculations — Capability for structural calculations and design, accounting for additional loads and external factors
• Reliability — No weak points in the structure
• Made in Russia — All materials, components, and accessories for the rockfall drapery are manufactured in Russia using Russian equipment and domestic raw materials