Abstract
Bio-slope stabilization is an environmentally friendly and sustainable technique for rehabilitation and maintenance of slope infrastructure. The processes in which these plants stabilize the slope, particularly root reinforcement, and evapotranspiration, mainly involved the unsaturated zone of the slope. Plants are also subjected to continuous change during the life time of bio-engineered slopes. This paper reports on recent studies on influence of roots on saturated and unsaturated soil properties, and suction effects on root reinforcement. These experimental results were then used to estimate the change in in-situ root reinforcement of biostabilized slope in the field. A new methodology based on the mini-rhizotron technique was proposed which linked the root-area ratio with root-reinforced strength and the factor of safety of the slope through laboratory-based relationships. This newly proposed method can be used to evaluate timebased performance of vegetated slope infrastructures in practice.
Highlights
Bio-slope stabilization or the use of plants to prevent erosion and shallow landslides has long been used for rehabilitation and maintenance of slope infrastructures around the world [1,2]
There are different kinds of planting techniques which has been developed and effectively used, namely vetiver system, live stake, brushlayer, branch packing etc., most of which can be used in conjunction with engineering measures such as soil nail, gabion wall, geosynthetics and erosion control blanket
When planted as hedgerows along the slope contour, Vetiver grass will act as a strong fence that considerably reduces the erosive force of runoff water, forming a so-called Vetiver System (VS)
Summary
Bio-slope stabilization or the use of plants to prevent erosion and shallow landslides has long been used for rehabilitation and maintenance of slope infrastructures around the world [1,2]. A major benefit in the mechanical aspect of plants on slope stability is via root soil reinforcement, which is considered as an additional soil strength or root cohesion [11,12,13,14]. Plants can provide additional slope stabilization effect further through transpiration, whereby soil moisture is extracted from the ground, increasing the soil suction and shear strength [15,16]. Active growing roots tend to decrease permeability while decaying roots can increase macrovoid content, soil permeability, and infiltration into the soil Despite that this increased infiltration is considered beneficial for erosion control, it could cause adverse effect on slope stability due to possible excessive induced pore-water pressure, especially for steep slopes (> 60O) [18]. A case study of a bioengineered slope along highway route no 44 in Southern Thailand is presented in order to illustrate the field technique
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
