Flexible debris flow barriers in fire burned areas

Abstract

A design model for debris flow barriers (based on a finite element software program, but not included in the paper) has been calibrated and verified by real-scale field-testing, under supervision/involvement of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape (WSL) and is the only known valid model for properly dimensioning a corresponding tested ring net barrier type in debris flow applications (Volkwein et al. Proceedings of 5th DFHM conference, Padua, 2011). In California, this concept has been applied to several project cases involving debris flow sites along sections of highway where wildfires have denuded the adjacent slopes of natural vegetation, making them very vulnerable to debris flow. These barriers have been installed and impacted by actual debris flows, have been cleaned out, and have been impacted by multiple subsequent debris flows. The performance of these barriers has successfully prevented loss of the roadways by preventing scouring and washout, as compared to similar areas with no such protection. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.