Numerical modeling of shallow landslide impacts on flexible protection systems and its validation with full scale testing

Innovative flexible protection barriers against shallow landslides, made from high tensile steel meshes, demanded the development of numerical models for the different mesh types accompanied with 1:1 scale prototype field testing. To generate the barrier model, a special Discrete Element had to be developed that represents the chain link type of steel mesh. It was crucial that it includes the complex out-of-plane height of the mesh that accomodates the local high deformations of the net. The filling process of the barrier is simulated using OpenFOAM, taking the fluid-structure interaction with high deformations into account. In addition to the shear thinning behaviour of the mud, the turbulence in form of a large eddy simulation can be introduced, having regard to the interaction with the complex geometry and free surface by a Dynamic Mixed Model approach for the subgrid scales. The model is validated with 1:1 scale tests where shots of 50 m ³ of mud travel down a 40 m long slope and hit the barrier.