Abstract
Trees and shrubs offer a sustainable method for improving slope performance, particularly in shallow translational slips. One effect that these biological systems have is to increase the shear strength of the rooted soil due to direct mechanical reinforcement. Quantifying this effect is difficult due to the complex geometry of root systems and the high variability of material properties along the roots. In this paper, a rapid prototyper (3-D printer) is used to produce repeatable models with Root-Area-Ratio (RAR), root distribution and root length representative of 1:10 scale tree root clusters in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic. This material is shown to have material properties (stiffness and strength) representative of real roots. Such models would be extremely difficult to fabricate using conventional technologies. Preliminary test data demonstrates that the models give repeatable and representative reinforcement to soil (dry sand in this case) under direct shear, and that the technique is therefore useful in modelling soil-root interaction problems in centrifuge models.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | ICPMG2014 – Physical Modelling in Geotechnics |
Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics 2014 |
Editors | Christophe Gaudin, David White |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Pages | 361-366 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Volume | 1 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781315776873 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781138022218, 9781138001527 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2014 |
Event | 8th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics 2014 - University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Duration: 14 Jan 2014 → 17 Jan 2014 http://www.icpmg2014.com.au/ |
Conference
Conference | 8th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics 2014 |
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Abbreviated title | ICPMG 2014 |
Country/Territory | Australia |
City | Perth |
Period | 14/01/14 → 17/01/14 |
Internet address |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geochemistry and Petrology