Abstract: In the rockfall analysis, the restitution coefficient is an essential parameter for the prediction of the rock trajectory. The success of a rock fall mitigation project is strongly influenced by an accurate determination of the restitution coefficient. In this paper, the MatDEM, a discrete element software, is utilized to simulate the process that a falling rock impacts a slope. The influence of the rock and soil properties of the slope, the impact velocity and the incident angle on the restitution coefficient are also investigated. Range analysis on the results of the overall orthogonal experiments shows that the rock and soil properties of the slope have the most significant impact on the restitution coefficient. The normal restitution coefficient increases when the slope hardness improves and decreases when improving the incident angle and the impact velocity. The tangential restitution coefficient increases when the slope hardness improves and decreases when improving the impact velocity.

Key words: rockfall, restitution coefficient, factors, discrete element method