ABSORBNET · New concept and technology for high energy rock fall protection fences

The ETAG27 has been endorsed in January 2008 by EOTA. This document defines the technical performances a rock fall protection kit has to meet to get (CE) marking on the product. The rock fall protection market is growing rapidly (+17% p.a.) due to the new consciousness of safety, not only for existing infrastructures, but also for future ones for whom safety is considered at conception stage.ETAG27 will be fully applied from 2014. At this time only certified rock fall protection kit will be authorised to be retailed. ETAG27 raises a technical issue in the case of high energy rocks. Only two models for low energy rock fall protection have been approved by EATO in November 2009 such a time gap proofs the technical challenge issued by ETAG27 and it is clear that strong R&D effort is necessary to obtain high energy products which can meet the requirements.So a new solution is needed to create a new rock fall protection kit based on a new concept to get enhanced performances by specific innovations specially optimised for rock fall protection context: New optimised absorbing material.New set-up processing for materials.New optimised net weaving.Absornet will offer to the market a new generation of rock fall protection kits based on new knowledge technology. Moreover the net will be design to not only meet ETAG27 requirement but also to minimise the remaining stress on anchorages below a level that make installation of rock fall protection kit possible in every ground type. Such a new concept based solution will be a large improvement within the concerned market. The penetration impact is expected to by high thanks to the new technology but also to the ETAG27 application. The amount of research and development needed unfortunately over-passes SMEs potential (in term of knowledge, human resources and time), so the “research for the benefit of SMEs” program is completely adequate to our project.