Springer Theses Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research Bettina Sellmeier Quantitative Parameterization and 3D‐run‐out Modelling of Rockfalls at Steep Limestone Cliffs in the Bavarian Alps Springer Theses Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research Aims and Scope The series “Springer Theses” brings together a selection of the very best Ph.D. theses from around the world and across the physical sciences. Nominated and endorsed by two recognized specialists, each published volume has been selected foritsscientificexcellenceandthehighimpactofitscontentsforthepertinentfield of research. For greater accessibility to non-specialists, the published versions includeanextendedintroduction,aswellasaforewordbythestudent’ssupervisor explainingthespecialrelevanceoftheworkforthefield.Asawhole,theserieswill provide a valuable resource both for newcomers to the research fields described, and for other scientists seeking detailed background information on special questions. 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More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/8790 Bettina Sellmeier Quantitative Parameterization ‐ ‐ and 3D run out Modelling of Rockfalls at Steep Limestone Cliffs in the Bavarian Alps Doctoral Thesis accepted by ä ü Technische Universit t M nchen, Germany 123 Author Supervisor Dr. Bettina Sellmeier Prof. KuroschThuro Technische UniversitätMünchen Technische UniversitätMünchen Munich Munich Germany Germany ISSN 2190-5053 ISSN 2190-5061 (electronic) SpringerTheses ISBN978-3-319-24509-6 ISBN978-3-319-24510-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-24510-2 LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2015950006 SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon ©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2015 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor foranyerrorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade. Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerInternationalPublishingAGSwitzerlandispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia (www.springer.com) Parts of this thesis have been published in the following articles: 2011 SELLMEIER, B., & THURO, K. (2011): Possibilities and limitations of 2d and 3d rockfall-simulations concerning the digital terrain model (DTM). - In: Interdisciplinary workshop on rock fall protection 2011. - Congresspark Igls, Innsbruck May 17th to 19th, 2011, 5 p. (USB-Stick). SELLMEIER, B. & THURO, K. (2011): Possibilities and limitations of 2D and 3D rockfall-simulations concerning the Digital Terrain Model (DTM). – In MARSCHALLINGER, R. & ZOBL, F. (ed.): IAMG-Mathematical Geosciences at the Crossroads of Theory and Practice, September 5th to 9th, 2011, Salzburg. – 5 S. (Paper Nummer: doi: 10.5242, USB Stick). SELLMEIER, B. & THURO, K. (2011): Possibilities and limitations of 2D and 3D rockfallmodeling—findinganoptimalwayforintegratingprotectionsystems.—In: Slope stability 2011. - International Symposium on Rock Slope Stability in Open Pit Mining and Civil Engineering, Vancouver, Canada September 18th to 21st, 2011, 7 p. (USB-Stick). 2012 SELLMEIER,B.,KRAUTBLATTER,M.&THURO,K.(2012):Possibilitiesandlimitations of 2D and 3D Rockfall Simulations—which kinds of uncertainties do we have to consider? - Conference of the European Geoscience Union (EGU), April 22nd to 27th, 2012, (Vienna). 2013 SELLMEIER,B.,KRAUTBLATTER,M.&THURO,K.(2013):Enhancedhazardassessment ofasteeplimestonerockslopeabovethefederalroadB305.-In:Thuro,K.(eds.): 19.TagungfürIngenieurgeologiemitForumfürjungeIngenieurgeologen.–660S., Technische UniversitätMünchen,March 13th to 15th, 2013, München. SELLMEIER, B., ZUMBRUNNEN, TH., KRAUTBLATTER, M. & THURO, K. (2013): Mid magnitude rockfalls: too big for protection measures - too small for acceleration anticipation? - Österreichische Gesellschaft für Geomechanik, Workshop Versagensprognose in der Geotechnik, October 9th, 2013. SELLMEIER, B., KRAUTBLATTER, M. & THURO, K. (2013): Enhanced hazard assess- ment of a steep limestone rock slope above the federal road B 305. - Conference of the European Geoscience Union (EGU), April 7th to 12th, 2013, (Vienna). 2014 SELLMEIER, B., KRAUTBLATTER, M. & THURO, K. (2014): Quantitative parameteri- zationofmid-magnituderockfallsatasensitivestageoffailureintheBavarianAlps (Berchtesgaden). - Conference of the European Geoscience Union (EGU), April 27th to May 2nd (Vienna). SELLMEIER, B., KRAUTBLATTER, M. & THURO, K. (2014): Failure and mobilization analysis of mid-magnitude rockfalls on a steep limestone slope in the Bavarian Alps. - International Association for Engineering Geology (IAEG), proceedings, IAEG congress September 15th to 19th (Torino). Sellmeier, B, Zumbrunnen, Th., Thuro, K. & Krautblatter, M. (2014): SteinschlagereignissemittlererMagnitude:WiekönnenwireineGefährdungs-und Prozessbeurteilung gewährleisten? - Wildbach- und Lawinenverbau, Heft 173, Verein der Diplomingenieure der Wildbach- und Lawinenverbauung Österreichs, 228–245. ’ Supervisor s Foreword The Ph.D. thesis of Mrs. Bettina Sellmeier deals with the determination of input parameters for rockfall modelling in 3D and their application at a study site in the region of Berchtesgaden (Bavarian Alps, Germany). The project was set up in cooperationwiththeBavarianStateAgencyforEnvironmentandtheStateAgency of Road Construction in Traunstein, Germany. The objective was not only to consider regular low-magnitude, high-frequency rockfalls, but also mid-magnitude events, which are up to now insufficiently considered in 3D rockfall modelling. 2Drockfallrun-outmodellingissettobeastate-of-the-arttoolforseveralyears, but only for rock slope heights up to 40 m. The parameterization of rockfall scenarios is still demanding for the different codes and potential uncertainties increase with an increasing area of survey. At the current study site, the vertical height from thereleasearea tofederal roadattherun-outareaisabout 600 m.For the investigation of the process areas (source, transit and run-out area), Bettina Sellmeierwasabletosetupinnovativeapproaches,whichincorporatenotonlylow magnitudes (<10 m3) but also mid-magnitudes (boulder falls 10–100 m3and block falls upto10,000m3).Thelatter exceed theload capacities ofcommonmitigation measures in alpine regions. In this project, a geomechanical approach to charac- terizemid-magnitudeeventsbymeansofacasestudyincludinga200-m3blockat the so-called Wachterl-Horn at the source area of the project site has been devel- oped. For this block, a potential failure scenario was analysed by linking a deter- ministic failure analysis with a numerical process-based run-out model. For the probabilistic models, 2D codes, in contrast to 3D codes, are already the state-of-the-arttools.Therun-outanalysisfortheentireprojectsitewasperformed usingthemodellingcodeRockyfor3D(DORREN/ecorisQ).Formodellingapotential run-outscenarioofthe200-m3block,BettinaSellmeierusedthebetaversionofthe codeRAMMS::Rockfall,developedbytheSwissInstituteforSnowandAvalanche Research (SLF). RAMMS::Rockfall provides the possibility of considering the block shape and thus relating different block shapes to the run-out distance. By meansofthisapproach,theinformationaboutthediscontinuitiesatthesourcearea and the block shapes at the talus slope can be transferred into the rockfall model. vii viii Supervisor’sForeword Due to a scientific cooperation between the Chair for Engineering Geology (Technische Universität München) and the SLF (Dr. Perry Bartelt), Bettina Sellmeier was able to contribute to the improvement and processing of the beta version of RAMMS::Rockfall. The current Ph.D. thesis represents the first major project, in which RAMMS:: Rockfall was systematically applied and tested. At the same time, the Ph.D. thesis of James Glover, which deals with the processing of the rockfall code, was supervised by Prof. Dave Petely (University of Durham) in cooperation with the SLF (Dr. Perry Bartelt). Although Bettina Sellmeier used 2D codes in the very beginning of her Ph.D. research, these preliminary studies were not taken into account for the final thesis. Thus,thecurrentapplicationof3Drockfallmodellingcouldbeconsideredasfuture state of the art. In this context, the aims of the current research project were given as follows: 1. Theanalysisoffailuremechanicsatrockfallsourceareasunderconsiderationof crack generation and propagation in carbonate rocks. The study object was a 200-m3 limestone block subjected to planar failure at the source area of the projectsite(“Wachterl-Horn”).Thefieldworkincludedthein-situinvestigation of the failure surface due to the unique accessibility of a “failure cave” under- neath the block. 2. The outline of a reproducible recommendation, summing up quantitative methods for determining the crucial discontinuities at the source area (influencingthemaximumblocksizesandmagnitudes)aswellasthegeometric blockinventoryatthetalusslope.Thisapproachleads,especiallyforthecurrent study,toaquantitativeparameterizationoftheinputparameters;notestimating the parameters like it is usually often the state of practice. 3. The performance of run-out modelling, analysing the influence of the slope roughness and damping parameters as well as the effect of windblow-areas on the run-out distance. The effect of potential block-fragmentation along the rockfall trajectories was approached for the case study of the critical 200 m3 block. The aspect offragmentation can still be seen as an unsolved task in the field of applied rockfall modelling. The block sizes are usually determined by the inter- section of discontinuity sets at the source area. The released blocks will be disin- tegrated and destroyed during the ground contacts along the falling path (trajectory);thisprocesscanbenamedasfragmentation.BettinaSellmeierwasable to give enhanced input to this topic due to a statistical evaluation of the block inventory at the talus slope, where the block dimensions were quantitatively recorded and taken into account for the run-out analysis. Up to now, the detailed quantitative recording was not taken into account for the rockfall modelling of the Bavarian State Agency for Environment or their consultants (GEOTEST, Switzerland). The latter is one of the main contractors in professional 3D rockfall-modelling projects for public clients like the Bavarian State Agency for Environment in Germany. Supervisor’sForeword ix Up to the current state of the art, it is not possible to take the mentioned fragmentationscenariosintoaccountfor3Drockfallcodes.Nevertheless,usingthe code RAMMS::Rockfall, Bettina Sellmeier was able to set up various parameter studies analysing the effect of fragmentation processes on the run-out distance in terms of the current case study. The parameter studies were based on certain assumptions concluded from accurate field investigation. Munich, Germany Prof. Kurosch Thuro June 2015