The flexible rockfall tunnel is constructed at a location where there is the highest probability of falling rock boulders, shooting rock particles near the hillside roadway, and entrance and exit of the hilly tunnels. Sometimes avalanches of rolling rock fragments also hit the mountain road traffic, thereby disrupting the traffic and causing unsafe traffic conditions. This kind of flexible shed protects from the shooting stones to prevent damage to the roadway network and provide the safe movement of traffic alongside the rockfall hazard zone.
The flexible protective shed tunnel comprises of the supports, shed, and energy-shock absorbers. In this, energy shock absorbers are mainly connected to the shed and supports. The shed is an arch-type of tunnel form a structure and comprises of the main arch rings of a light steel frame structure integrally connected to the round support tubes arranged in a mesh form. The flexible protective nets are mounted outside of the shed of main arch rings; the protective nets are annual steel omega-shaped wire nets, which are especially used in the mountains rockfall barrier net. The flexible protective shed tunnel is simple in structure, effective in protection, easy in construction, easy, and particularly applicable to rockfall hazard zone lying near bridges, tunnels, and mountain networks.
Advantages:
- Protection capacity: this structure is almost uniform to steel structure which performs effectively in toughness and plasticity. This is not getting fractured, damaged and performs well in dynamic loading conditions occurring due to the sudden impact of rockfall.
- Construction efficiency: simple construction, all components are installed at the site, with some skilled laborers.
- Economic advantages: less in size, mass, covering area, and foundation requirement also less and overall operation cost.
- Maintenance convenience: easy to reinforce, dissembling, modify and recycle. This reduces the overall maintenance cost.
- Environmental benefits: less damage to environmental and mountain stability structure.
Image Source: Google patents/Flexible protective shed-tunnel and method for designing same