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Towards Sustainable Rockfall Protection: An Interaction Matrix Method for Assessing Flexible Barrier Siting Adaptability

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  • Ziwei Ge

    (School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China)

Abstract

Earthquake-triggered rockfalls pose significant threats to human lives, critical infrastructure, and the natural environment, highlighting an urgent need for sustainable and effective mitigation strategies. Flexible barriers are effective against rockfall, but there is a lack of universal procedures for selecting appropriate sites. As a result, flexible barriers are often misused, and their protective effect significantly decreases. To address this, a method for quantitatively characterizing the “flexible barrier siting adaptability” is proposed. The concept of “flexible barrier siting adaptability” is used to assess the suitability of a selected site for flexible barrier installation. The assessment method consists of three parts: the evaluation index system, the evaluation index value standards, and the calculation method. The evaluation index system is based on the interaction matrix considering not only the factors influencing the flexible barrier siting adaptability but also the interactions between them. The interaction matrix is determined by the expert semi-quantitative method, which can quantitatively assess the flexible barrier siting adaptability. Furthermore, the proposed method is applied to a typical rockfall area in Jiuzhaigou county, Sichuan province, China. This method provides a resource-efficient and practical tool for preliminary site assessment, contributing to the development of sustainable infrastructure and enhancing community resilience in rockfall-prone regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ziwei Ge, 2025. "Towards Sustainable Rockfall Protection: An Interaction Matrix Method for Assessing Flexible Barrier Siting Adaptability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8675-:d:1759065
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuanyuan He & Lei Nie & Yan Lv & Hong Wang & Senfeng Jiang & Xiaohan Zhao, 2021. "The study of rockfall trajectory and kinetic energy distribution based on numerical simulations," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 106(1), pages 213-233, March.
    2. Chunlan Xia & Zhiyong Zhang & Chengqing Liu & Huaxin Zhang & Shuai Tian, 2022. "Study on Numerical Model and Dynamic Response of Ring Net in Flexible Rockfall Barriers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Xiuhong Zheng & Qihua Zhao & Sheqin Peng & Longke Wu & Yanghao Dou & Kuangyu Chen, 2024. "Analysis of Failure Mechanism of Medium-Steep Bedding Rock Slopes under Seismic Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-21, September.
    4. Dimitris Sotiriadis & Nikolaos Klimis & Ioannis M. Dokas, 2024. "Updated Predictive Models for Permanent Seismic Displacement of Slopes for Greece and Their Effect on Probabilistic Landslide Hazard Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-25, March.
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