Use of a rock fall risk measurement system in operational phase on the Altas Cumbres road, Sierra Chica, Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

This paper shows the conclusions of the second stage of a research project developed in the Faculty of Engineering of the Catholic University of Córdoba, whose objective is the application of geotechnical models for the analysis of risk of falling rocks in mountains routes.

The first part of the project was dedicated to the establishment of a "baseline" in the RP34 - Camino de Altas Cumbres – at Sierra Chica, Córdoba, through the modified Rockfall Risk Rating System. (RHRS – Rockfall Hazard Rating System) carried out at time zero, that is, a few months after release to traffic, and allowed for basic information on the situation of the slopes.

After more than a year the road has been in operation, rock falls have been recorded on various slopes that determined a new risk scheme and allowed the functioning of the implemented system to be observed.

The results obtained made it possible to detect those variables that underwent changes and affected the risk indices, and to separate them from others whose changes or increases remained below a threshold that did not cause changes in the risk category.

In this way, the variables considered by the system that must be monitored in detail on each slope were defined to determine actions to be implemented to avoid an increase in the category and, consequently, the risk value.