Some key issues regarding application of Eurocode 7 to rock engineering design

Lamas, L.; Perucho, A.; Alejano, Leandro R.

doi:10.1201/b16955-254

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…The successful use of partial factors in structural engineering is due to the fact that many systems in this field can be modeled in a linear form, and that the variability of structural loads and material properties are well understood and quantified. This has severe consequences for much (if not all) of rock engineering design [6,16,17] because of the variability, non-linearity, and uncertainty of rock properties. Moreover, no information on the value of the probability of failure of the designed structures is provided by the partial factor approach.…”

Section: Development Of the Structural Eurocodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eurocode 7 and Rock Engineering Design: The Case of Rockfall Protection Barriers

et al. 2020

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The Eurocode 7 or EC7 is the Reference Design Code (RDC) for geotechnical design including rock engineering design within the European Union (EU). Moreover, its principles have also been adopted by several other countries, becoming a key design standard for geotechnical engineering worldwide. It is founded on limit state design (LSD) concepts, and the reliability of design is provided mainly by a semi-probabilistic method based on partial factors. The use of partial factors is currently an advantage, mainly for the simplicity in its applicability, and a limitation, especially concerning geotechnical designs. In fact, the application of partial factors to geotechnical design has proven to be difficult. In this paper, the authors focus on the way to apply EC7 principles to rock engineering design by analyzing the design of rockfall protection structures as an example. A real case of slope subjected to rockfall is reported to outline the peculiarity connected to rock engineering. The main findings are related to the complementarity of the reliability-based design (RBD) approach within EC7 principles and the possibility of overcoming the limitations of a partial factor approach to this type of engineering problem.

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Section: Development Of the Structural Eurocodesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eurocode 7 and Rock Engineering Design: The Case of Rockfall Protection Barriers

et al. 2020

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“…Broadly speaking, EC7 requires the use of partial safety factors aimed at reducing resistance and enhancing actions. While the efficacy of this approach has been demonstrated in civil engineering, its efficacy in the geotechnical field has raised many doubts, particularly in rock mechanics, where variability and uncertainty associated with materials (soil and rock) play a fundamental role (Harrison 2014;Lamas et al 2014;Vagnon et al 2020). Furthermore, in EC7 a number of geotechnical problems are not adequately covered, including debris flows and rock falls.…”

Section: Rbd Versus Ec7 Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability-based design for debris flow barriers

2019

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In the European Union since 2010, the design of any type of structures must comply with EN-1997 Geotechnical Design (CEN 2004) (EC7) referring to engineering projects in the rock mechanics field. However, the design of debris flow countermeasures in compliance with EC7 requirements is not feasible: EC7 uses partial safety factors for design calculations, but safety factors are not provided for phenomena such as debris flows and rock falls. Consequently, how EC7 can be applied to the design of debris flow barriers is not clear, although the basic philosophy of reliability-based design (RBD), as defined in EN1990 (CEN 2002) and applicable to geotechnical applications, may be a suitable approach. However, there is insufficient understanding of interactions between debris flows and structures to support RBD application to debris flow barrier design, as full-scale experimental data are very limited and difficult to obtain. Laboratory data are available but they are governed by scale effects that limit their usefulness for full-scale problems. The article describes an analysis, using the first-order reliability method (FORM), of two different datasets, one obtained through laboratory experiments and the other reflecting historical debris flow events in the Jiangjia Ravine (China). Statistical analysis of laboratory data enabled a definition of the statistical distributions of the parameters that primarily influence debris flow and barrier interactions. These statistical distributions were then compared to the field data to explore the links between flume experiments and full-scale problems. This paper reports a first attempt to apply RBD to debris flow countermeasures, showing how the choice of the target probability of failure influences the barrier design resistance value. An analysis of the factors governing debris flows highlights the applicability and limitations of EN1990 and EN1997 in the design of these rock engineering structures.

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“…The code development in rock engineering design has, however, been lagging behind. The introduction of the Eurocodes provides a striking example: although the EN-1997 Eurocode 7 (CEN 2004) claims to include rock engineering structures in its scope, its practical applicability to rock engineering has been questioned (e.g., Ferrero et al 2014;Harrison et al 2014;Lamas et al 2014;Spross et al 2018b). In fact, even such a fundamental concept to the Eurocodes as limit state design has been found unsuitable or difficult to apply to some design issues in rock engineering, mainly because of the difficulty in defining analytical limit state functions and characterise the variability of involved variables.…”

Section: Challenges Of Rock Engineering Design: Code Development and mentioning

confidence: 99%

Principles of Risk-Based Rock Engineering Design

et al. 2019

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In comparison with other types of construction, the development of rock engineering design codes has been slow. Codes must, however, be developed with relevant discipline-specific characteristics in mind. This paper, therefore, presents a generic design framework for rock engineering. The framework is based on the presumption that rock engineering design must be viewed as decision-making under uncertainty, which makes the design process subject to general risk management principles, as risk is defined as "effect of uncertainties on objectives" (ISO 31000). Thus, rock engineering design codes ultimately need to facilitate design processes that target the risk, to enable design of structures that not only are sufficiently safe and durable and cost-effectively constructed, but also imply safe and healthy work conditions during construction and an acceptably low environmental impact. The presented framework satisfies this fundamental requirement and the authors find codification of its principles to be rather straightforward, as long as the level of detail in the code is governed by a strict application of ISO's general risk management principles. Further details on methods and practical recommendations can instead be supplemented in separate handbooks and application guidelines.

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Some key issues regarding application of Eurocode 7 to rock engineering design

Cited by 7 publications

References 1 publication

Eurocode 7 and Rock Engineering Design: The Case of Rockfall Protection Barriers

Eurocode 7 and Rock Engineering Design: The Case of Rockfall Protection Barriers

Reliability-based design for debris flow barriers

Principles of Risk-Based Rock Engineering Design

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