Fundamental study on the impact of herbaceous plant root systems on slope surface stability.

Abstract

Vegetation works involve reinforcing surface soil by growing vegetation on slopes. Previous studies have shown that plant root systems, invading the slope surface and binding the soil, increase the shear resistance of the soil, consequently increasing the soil strength parameters, i.e., cohesion (c ), internal friction angle (φ ), or both. This study prepared soil specimens with herbaceous plants growing on them and conducted constant pressure box shear tests under three different vertical stress conditions to determine the strength parameters of the soil reinforced by plant root systems. Furthermore, as part of this study, based on the obtained strength parameters of the soil, a stability analysis was conducted assuming an infinite length slope, and it was confirmed that vegetation works significantly improved slope surface stability.