Fragmental rockfall paths: comparison of simulations on Alpine sites and experimental investigation of boulder impacts

摘要

In the framework of rockfall trajectory modelling, the paper focuses first on the comparison of three computer codes on Alpine rockfall sites. The possibilities and limitations of the modelling are discussed on two case histories: Saint-Marcel, France, and Bieudron, Switzerland. Then, the paper describes an experimental campaign aiming at better understand and model the bouncing mechanism of boulders during rockfalls. It points out the dependency of the commonly-used coefficients of restitution not only on slope material characteristics, but also on factors related to the kinematics and to the block.