Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Contribution of the Root to Slope Stability

  • Published:
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Land sliding is a geotechnical event that includes a wide range of ground movements such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, and it can cause various problems in varied civil fields such as roads and dams. Since most conventional methods are neither inexpensive nor applicable everywhere, attention has nowadays been drawn to soil bioengineering using vegetation as the environment-friendly method for slope stabilization. Soil bioengineering or using vegetation in civil engineering design is mostly applicable to shallow slope stabilization projects characterized by unstable slopes with surface movement. Vegetation has both a silent effect on soil improvement to predict the landslide and a mechanical role to increase shear and pulling-out stress on the soil. During the last decade, many researches have been carried out to clarify the effect of vegetation on slope stability, but many questions still remain to be answered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Abbreviations

c :

Soil cohesion

ϕ :

Soil friction angle

Ψ:

Soil dilation angle

ν :

Poisson coefficient

γ :

Volumetric weight

References

  • Abe K, Ziemer RR (1991) Effect of tree roots on a shear zone: modeling reinforced shear stress. Can J For Res 21:1012–1019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson MG, Lloyd DM (1991) Using a combined slope hydrology-stability model to develop cut slope design charts. Proc Inst Civ Eng 91:705–718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes GE (2000) Soil mechanics: principles and practice, 2nd edn. Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, England

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop AW (1959) The principle of effective stress. Teknisk Ukeblad 106(39):859–863

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop AW, Morgenstern N (1960) Stability coefficients for earth slopes. Geotechnique 10(4):129–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brenner R (1973) A hydrological model study of a forested and a cutover slope. Hydrol Sci J 18(2):125–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Coppin NJ, Richards IG (1990) Use of vegetation in civil engineering. Butterworths, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Faisal Hj.Ali, Saravanan M, Low TH (1999) Influence of soil suction on shear strength of residual soils. World Engineering Congress, Kuala Lumpur

    Google Scholar 

  • Faisal Hj.Ali, Mohamed TA, Hashim S, Huat BBK (2006a) Relationship between shear strength and soil water characteristic curve of an unsaturated granitic residual soil. Am J Environ Sci 2(4):142–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faisal Hj.Ali, Huat BBK, Rajoo RSK (2006b) Stability analysis and stability chart for unsaturated residual soil slope. Am J Environ Sci 2(4):154–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faisal Hj.Ali, Huat BBK, Low. TH (2006c) Water infiltration characteristics of unsaturated soil slope and its effect on suction and stability. Geotech Geol Eng 24:1293–1306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredlund DG, Morgenstern NR (1978) Stress state variables for unsaturated soils. Geotechnical Engineering Division, American Society of Civil Engineers, Virginia, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray D (1995) Influence of vegetation on the stability of slopes. In: Barker D (ed) Vegetation and slope, stability, protection and ecology. Thomas Telford, London, pp 2–12

  • Gray DH, Ohashi H (1983) Mechanics of fiber reinforcement in sand. J Geotech Eng 109(3):335–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray DH, Sotir RB (1996) Biotechnical and soil bioengineering slope stabilization: a practical guide for erosion control. Wiely, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray DH, Leiser AT, White CA (1980) Combined structural-vegetative slope stabilization. Civ Eng ASCE 52(1):82–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenway DR (1987) Vegetation and slope stability. In: Richards MG (ed) Slope stability: geotechnical engineering and geomorphology. Wiley, New York, pp 187–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenwood JR (2004) A program for routine slope stability analysis to include the effects of vegetation, reinforcement and hydrological changes. Eco-and ground bio-engineering: the use of vegetation to improve slope stability. In: Proceedings of the first international conference on eco-engineering, 13–17 September 2004, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 193–203

  • Greenwood JR, Norris JE, Wint J (2004) Site investigation for the effects of vegetation on ground stability. eco-and ground bio-engineering: the use of vegetation to improve slope stability. In: Proceedings of the first international conference on eco-engineering, 13–17 September 2004, Springer, Dordrecht, pp 203–213

  • Jennings JE, Burland JB (1962) Limitation to the use of effective stress in partly saturated soils. Geotechnique 12:125–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johansson J (2000) Soil improvement techniques. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Soil Liquefaction web site: http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/html/how/soilimprovement.html

  • Li SC, Sun HL, Yang ZR, Xiong WL, Cui BS (2007) Root anchorage of Vitex negundo L. on rocky slopes under different weathering degrees. Ecol Eng 30:27–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu N, Likos WJ (2006) Suction stress characteristics curve for unsaturated soil. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng, 131–142

  • Matyas EL, Radhakrishna HS (1968) Volume change characteristics of partially saturated soils. Geotechnique 18(4):432–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicoll BC, Ray D (1996) Adaptive growth of tree root systems in response to wind action and site conditions. Tree Physiol, 891–898

  • Normaniza O, Barakbah SS (2006) Parameters to predict slope stability—soil water and root profiles. Ecol Eng 28:90–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oden JT, Ripperger EA (1981) Mechanics of elastics structures. Mc-Graw Hill Inc., New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Skempton A (1960) Terzaghi’s discovery of effective stress. In: Bjerrum L et al (eds) From theory to practice in soil mechanics. Willey, New York

  • Skempton AW, Hutchinson J (1969) Stability of natural slopes and embankment foundations. In: Soil mechanics and foundation engineering conference proceeding/Mexico/. Berkshire, TRID, pp 291–340

  • Stokes A, Guitard D (1997) Tree root response to mechanical stress. In: Waisel AA (ed) Biology of root formation and development. Plenum Press, New York, pp 227–236

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Stokes A, Berthier S, Sacriste S, Martin F (1998) Variations in maturation strains and root shape in root systems of Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.). Trees Struct Funct 12:334–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Terzaghi K (1943) Theoretical soil mechanics. Wiley, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tobias S (1995) Shear strenght of the soil root band system. In Barker D (ed) Vegetation and slopes, stability, protection and ecology. Thomas Telford, London, pp 280–287

  • Waldron LJ, Dakessian S (1981) Soil reinforcement by roots: calculation of increased soil shear resistance from root properties. Soil science; An interdisciplinary approach to soil research, pp 387–449

  • Wu W, Sidle RC (1995) A distributed slope stability model for steep forested basins. Water Resour Res 31(8):2097–2110

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are really grateful to University Malaya and Professor N. Shokrpour from Shiraz University of Medical sciences, Iran, for editing the manuscript for English.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Malaya, Lembah Pantai, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Abdolhossein Khalilnejad &  Faisal Hj. Ali

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, National Defense University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Faisal Hj. Ali

  3. Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Normaniza Osman

Authors
  1. Abdolhossein Khalilnejad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Faisal Hj. Ali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Normaniza Osman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdolhossein Khalilnejad.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Khalilnejad, A., Faisal Hj. Ali & Osman, N. Contribution of the Root to Slope Stability. Geotech Geol Eng 30, 277–288 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-011-9446-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-011-9446-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation