Numerical simulation of the effects of falling rock's shape and impact pose on impact force and response of RC slabs

摘要

A spherical falling rock is usually assumed in the design of reinforced concrete (RC) sheds. Little attentions have been paid to the effects of falling rock's shape on impact force and structural response theoretically, numerically and experimentally. This paper aims to reveal the influence of falling rock's shape on the impact effect of RC slabs. Firstly, ellipsoidal models are established to simulate falling rocks approximately, and sphericity is employed as the representative index of falling rock's shape. A numerical analysis approach is then presented to simulate RC slabs under falling rock impact, which is validated by the test data. Finally, the impact forces and the dynamic responses of RC slabs are analyzed and discussed, focusing on the effects of falling rock's shape and impact angle. It is demonstrated that sphericity and impact angle have significant effects on the impact force and dynamic response of RC slabs. The assumption of spherical falling rocks leads to unsafe of RC slabs in some rockfall impact scenarios. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.