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Development, justification, and verification of a rock fall hazard rating system

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Abstract

The Missouri Rock Fall Hazard Rating System (MORFH RS) was recently developed for the State of Missouri. It is a system that separates the risk of failure from the consequences of failure factors, thus allowing better assessment of the hazards of rock falls. Efficiency is gained by video logging of highway rock cuts from vehicles moving at highway speeds, pre-screening of rock cuts from video images, making some of the measurements needed for the rating system on digital images, and using GPS receivers to collect field data and GIS to organize all the data. This paper describes the rationale behind the parameters selected for the system using factor analysis and other methods and the verification of the system through sensitivity studies and multiple rater tests. Simulations of remediation techniques were applied to recognize the most effective methods for remediation.

Résumé

Le système d’évaluation de l’aléa de chute de blocs dans le Missouri (MORFH SR) a été récemment développé pour l’état du Missouri. Ce système distingue le risque de rupture des conséquences des facteurs de rupture, permettant ainsi une meilleure évaluation des aléas de chute de blocs. L’efficacité du système réside dans l’utilisation de panoramas vidéo des déblais rocheux d’autoroute réalisés à partir de véhicules se déplaçant à grande vitesse, la réalisation de pré-enregistrements des déblais rocheux à partir d’images vidéo, l’acquisition de mesures nécessaires au système d’évaluation à partir d’images numériques et l’utilisation de capteurs GPS pour rassembler les données de terrain et d’un système SIG pour traiter ces données. Cet article décrit le raisonnement développé à partir des paramètres sélectionnés pour le système d’évaluation, utilisant l’analyse factorielle et d’autres méthodes et vérifiant le système à travers des études de sensibilité et de multiples tests. Des simulations de techniques de limitation des risques ont été réalisées pour identifier les méthodes les plus efficaces.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) for funding this research. They would especially like to thank Mike Fritz, Ray Purvis and Rob Lauer of MODOT for their help in providing guidance for this project. They would like to thank the University of Missouri System Research Board for the original seed funding of this research, especially the development of the RockSee program. The authors would also like to thank the raters who helped in verifying the rating system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geology Department, Sohag University, Sohag, 82524, Egypt

    Ahmed M. Youssef

  2. Missouri University of Science and Technology, 1006 Kingshighway, Rolla, MO, 65409-0660, USA

    Norbert H. Maerz

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  1. Ahmed M. Youssef
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  2. Norbert H. Maerz
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Correspondence to Norbert H. Maerz.

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Youssef, A.M., Maerz, N.H. Development, justification, and verification of a rock fall hazard rating system. Bull Eng Geol Environ 71, 171–186 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0339-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0339-2

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