Full-scale impact test on a reinforced earth embankment with advanced monitoring for rockfall protection

Reinforced earth embankments represent a robust solution for rockfall mitigation, yet their dynamic response under high-energy impacts remains poorly documented. This study presents a unique full-scale impact test performed on a 6.54 m-high RPE composed of nine layers of granular material reinforced with Green Terramesh units by Maccaferri, developed in the framework of PERSEIDI project (contributo Legge 6/99 Provincia Autonoma Trento - CUP:C39J21046780001). The test involved a standardized block (EAD 340059-00-0106:2018) impacting below the first reinforcement layer with an energy of approximately 10 MJ, simulating an extreme rockfall event. The novelty of this work lies in the advanced multi-sensor monitoring system integrated into the embankment and in the block. The embankment was instrumented with tri-axial and mono-axial accelerometers positioned across different layers, both at the impact centre and laterally to the impact zone, to capture the propagation of dynamic loads and the volume of disturbed material. A custom-designed network of strain gauges was embedded within the reinforcement layers to monitor tensile forces, while load cells at the foundation recorded stress transmission during the impact. Additionally, the impacting block was equipped with a gyroscope and accelerometer to track its kinematics. High-speed cameras captured the impact sequence, enabling correlation between visual observations and sensor data. Preliminary results reveal the extent of the volume of the embankment disturbed by the impact. The combined dataset provides unprecedented insight into energy dissipation mechanisms and deformation patterns in reinforced earth structures under extreme impacts. This experiment establishes a benchmark for validating numerical models and improving design guidelines for embankments used as rockfall protection systems. The integrated monitoring approach offers a powerful tool for understanding structural resilience and optimizing reinforcement strategies under high-energy impact scenarios.