Deriving Three-Dimensional Rock Structure from LiDAR Point Clouds for Evaluating Scour of the Ricobayo Dam Spillway

Rock scour evaluation procedures consider both the erosion capacity of flowing water and the resistance offered by the rock mass. The Block Scour Spectrum (BSS) provides a framework for assessing the rock mass resistance according to details of the discontinuity structure. This study introduces a procedure for identifying and extracting rock block structural elements directly from LiDAR point clouds using open source algorithms to support BSS analyses. The approach offers a road map for tackling the details of discrete fracture network generation and block mould computations. As a case study, spillway scour at the Ricobayo Dam in Zamora, Spain is evaluated.