Degradation of the mechanical properties of root–soil composites under moisture influence

Abstract

Although the root can enhance the soil's strength, vegetation cover landslide still occurs frequently under the rainfall. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the degradation of the shear strength of root‒soil composites under the influence of moisture, we investigated trees from hilly slopes in southeastern China. The tensile mechanical properties of roots were tested under varying moisture conditions.The results of previous work on the friction characteristics of the root-soil interface under different soil water content were also considered. Furthermore, large-scale direct shear tests were performed to assess the strength characteristics of root-soil composites under different root cross-sectional area ratios (RAR) and moisture contents. Based on the widely used Wu model, and incorporating the failure modes of roots in root‒soil composites and the mechanism of root‒soil interface friction, a root‒soil composite strength degradation model was established considering the effects of moisture. Moisture significantly affected the tensile strength of fine tree roots, with the tensile strength of fine roots being lower in the saturated state than in the fresh state. In contrast, coarse roots were almost unaffected by moisture. As the moisture content increased, the additional strength provided by the roots decreased, and the root efficiency (RE_p) decreased significantly. The model was validated against experimental data, and the calculated results were accurate. In root‒soil composites, as moisture infiltrates, the tensile strength of the roots, soil shear strength, and root‒soil interface shear strength decrease to different degrees. This results in reduced resistance to deformation in the root‒soil composites, leading to a decrease in its strength.