Patent ID: 8807535

Claim:
A rockfall protection system configured for positioning between an uphill side and a downhill side of a slope, comprising: a plurality of upright and spaced supports, each having a support head and a plurality of guides configured for holding and guiding cables, a catch net having an upper edge, a middle portion, and a lower edge, the catch net being configured to receive a moving rock on an uphill facing side of the catch net between the upper edge and proximate the middle portion and being configured to hold a resting rock beneath a downhill, downward facing side of the catch net between the lower edge and proximate the middle portion, an upper support cable guiding the upper edge of the catch net at the support heads of the supports by a first guide of each of the supports, an upper central cable and a lower central cable guiding the middle portion of the catch net in a central support area of the supports, the upper central cable being guided by a second guide of each of the supports, the lower central cable being guided by a third guide of each of the supports, the lower central cable being connected to, and tensioned using, one or more side anchors configured to be anchored to the ground, each side anchor being provided with a first brake system that includes a first impact-absorbing element configured to provide for braking upon stretching of the catch net due to rockfall, wherein the first brake system is connected at one of its ends to the side anchor and at its other end to the lower central cable by a cable loop, and the side anchor is connected to the lower central cable via a sacrificial element configured to provide a predetermined breaking point, wherein upon stretching of the catch net due to rockfall, the predetermined breaking point is exceeded and the sacrificial element breaks away from the side anchor and the impact-absorbing element absorbs the impact of falling rocks, a lower support cable guiding the lower edge of the catch net, the lower edge being spaced apart and downhill from the supports, the lower support cable being guided together with the lower edge of the catch net on a downhill side of the supports and unconnected to said supports, and one or more downhill anchors, proximate the lower support cable, wherein the lower support cable guides the lower edge of the catch net at the one or more downhill anchors by a guide of each of the downhill anchors.