News & Events
World Record 5MJ Rockfall Impact
Three years of research subjected to a few seconds of truth
The excitement was palpable at the Montagnole rockfall test site near Lyon, France on June 16.
Three years of collaborative research combining the expertise of Terre Armée and Gustave Eiffel University (formerly IFFSTAR) teams were distilled to a decisive moment of a mere five seconds.
The premise of thesis and the particularly slender rockfall protection bund using the Reinforced Earth® technique would either be shattered or withstand the test.
More than a dozen people stood and watched holding their breaths as the giant 12.4-tonne block was released from the crane at 41 m height with a clicking sound, then hit the structure a few seconds later, at no less than 103 km/h, resulting in an impact of 5.1 megajoules.
They saw all their hard work rewarded by a bund standing solidly; the big block – taller than an adult – now looking tiny in comparison, firmly embedded in the 15 m x 3 m x 6 m bund.
972 Employees
Key Figures:
- 186,000sqm on the I-66 Interstate
- Over 100m high shored Reinforced Earth walls in India
Read the report here
Janine Wallage from CISWO thanked Reinforced Earth and Prof Styles for their generous donation and for sharing his knowledge of the industry.
Reinforced Earth are the market leaders in retaining walls, precast arches, bridge abutments, green walls and noise barriers.
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The complex site geology meant that different solutions needed to be found along the corridor and to minimize excavation into rock. One solution involved the design of a unique panel system which acts as the facing for the Reinforced Earth system behind.