New Rockfall Drapery System for Rockfall Mitigation Used on SR 79 Pennsylvania

摘要

This paper illustrates the use of a new hybrid rockfall mitigation system for drapery. This new product was used by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on SR 79 near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a rockfall mitigation system. The system consists of PVC coated double twisted mesh with steel cable integrated within the mesh during the manufacturing process. The incorporation of steel cable within the wire mesh provides multiple advantages in the installation and in the product characteristics. For a better integration with the rock, the wire mesh was coated with a black polymeric barrier. The design for the project was carried on using the mechanical characteristics of this new drapery system. In the project, the maximum height of the rock slope protection was 120 feet high with a total surface area of 40,000 square yards. Intensive laboratory tests were done to demonstrate the performance of this new system: mesh tensile strength, junction strength between cable mesh, cable sleeve connection, and punch test. The improvement of this new system over the specified product was not only related to the strength of the product, but also on the cost savings during installation.