Particle Simulations as a Key Technology in Alpine Disaster Management
As a side effect of climate change, gravitational mass movements, including rockfalls, are becoming more frequent. Scientists are researching how settlements can be best protected. To do this, they rely on experiments and numerical simulations.
Heavy rainfall, rising temperatures, and extreme weather conditions are effects of climate change that promote rockfalls and debris flows in the Alpine region. This increases the risk to residential areas and infrastructure facilities in their run-off areas. Scientists at the Department of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Innsbruck are conducting research into preventive protective measures.
Geotechnical conditions ans energies
In addition to geotechnical conditions, these scientists are primarily concerned with the energy released during rockfalls. The focus is on interactions, the effects on protective dams of various designs, and the spread and deposition patterns of debris after impact. The findings will help to ensure that dams are built to withstand the locally expected loads and provide maximum protection.
Experimentation and simulation instead of empiricism
With this research work, the Innsbruck team has broken new ground. This is because there is hardly any known empirical preliminary work, nor are there any documented events on which to rely as a pillar. As a result, a better understanding of these powerful processes must be gained through experiments on models and simulations, as well as through the interaction of both methods.
The Innsbruck research team has examined various questions relating to flow and impact properties on the basis of around 200 model experiments and extracted formulas from the measurement results. Calibrated simulations using the discrete element method (DEM) are then used to check the plausibility of the data and correlations obtained. In addition, influencing parameters are analyzed, sensitivities are extracted, and the findings are scaled to other scenarios.
