Chikatamarla, Ravikiran

Rockfalls of various magnitudes occur regularly in mountainous regions and Switzerland is no exception. Protection galleries made either of reinforced concrete or pre-stressed concrete members, with a cushion material laid on top, could be used more efficiently to prevent rockfalls that lie within the prevalent range from damaging infrastructure and lifelines. This requires greatest care in developing the general concept of design and construction, considering the ductility requirements of the structure and the selection of material for the energy absorbing cushion layer. Currently, design of the gallery in Switzerland is dependent upon the impact force selected as the "action" and the corresponding penetration depth of the falling rock into the cushion material with design limit of 3 MJ.