An Uncoupled Approach for the Design of Rockfall Protection Tunnels

This paper concerns the definition and the discussion of an uncoupled approach for the design of rockfall protection tunnels. This concerns, in particular, the reinforced concrete structures covered by granular soil strata, and it derives from the interpretation of previous experimental test results obtained by performing in situ impact tests on a real structure. The approach is based on the hypothesis of interpreting the system mechanical response by starting from the evaluation of the impact force acting at the boulder–soil interface (where the soil is assumed as an infinitely half space), then by describing the propagation of stresses throughout a soil stratum placed on a rigid and fixed lower boundary. Some engineering considerations about the consequent dynamic excitation of the reinforced concrete structure (the sheltering tunnel) are also added.