New approach for flexible debris flow barriers

Flexible debris flow protection barriers consist of a combination of steel ropes and high tensile steel wire nets following certain design criteria to provide a reliable protection against the sudden impact of a debris flow with flow heights of up to 2 m and middle front velocities of around 10 m/s in channelized river beds with widths and heights up to 30 m and 6 m. However, to go beyond the above described typical application range special design is required. In the actual case a debris retention basin with a height of 14 m and a width of 40 m was created. The contribution shows the precedent research on flexible debris flow barriers consisting of field tests and laboratory experiments, leading to the validated numerical simulations. Main focus then is the design process of the special purpose barrier, its construction together with the experiences gathered within the project leading to a not only remarkable but also elegant way to protection from impressive debris hazards.