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Journal of Arid Land  2024, Vol. 16 Issue (10): 1444-1462    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-024-0030-2     CSTR: 32276.14.s40333-024-0030-2
Research article     
Numerical simulation on the influence of plant root morphology on shear strength in the sandy soil, Northwest China
ZHANG Lingkai1,2, SUN Jin1,2,*(), SHI Chong1,2,3
1College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052, China
2Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Water Conservancy Engineering Safety and Water Disaster Prevention and Control, Urumqi 830052, China
3Geotechnical Research Institute, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
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Abstract  

Serious riverbank erosion, caused by scouring and soil siltation on the bank slope in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Northwest China urgently requires a solution. Plant roots play an important role in enhancing soil shear strength on the slopes to maintain slope soils, but the extent of enhancement of soil shear strength by different root distribution patterns is unclear. The study used a combination of indoor experiments and numerical simulation to investigate the effects of varying plant root morphologies on the shear strength of the sandy soil in the Tarim River. The results showed that: (1) by counting the root morphology of dominant vegetation on the bank slope, we summarized the root morphology of dominant vegetation along the coast as vertical, horizontal, and claw type; (2) the shear strength of root-soil composites (RSCs) was significantly higher than that of remolded soil, and the presence of root system made the strain-softening of soil body significantly weakened so that RSCs had better mechanical properties; and (3) compared with the lateral roots, the average particle contact degree of vertical root system was higher, and the transition zone of shear strength was more prominent. Hence, vegetation with vertical root system had the best effect on soil protection and slope fixation. The results of this study have important guiding significance for prevention and control of soil erosion in the Tarim River basin, the restoration of riparian ecosystems, and the planning of water conservancy projects.



Key wordsroot-soil composites      discrete element method      direct shear test      simulation      Tarim River     
Received: 08 April 2024      Published: 31 October 2024
Corresponding Authors: * SUN Jin (E-mail: 2717493056@qq.com)
Cite this article:

ZHANG Lingkai, SUN Jin, SHI Chong. Numerical simulation on the influence of plant root morphology on shear strength in the sandy soil, Northwest China. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(10): 1444-1462.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-024-0030-2     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2024/V16/I10/1444

Water content (%) Wet density (g/cm3) Dry density (g/cm3) Void ratio Specific density of solid particles
27.44 1.87 1.47 0.83 2.68
Table 1 Physical properties of soils on the Tarim River bank
Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of root system generalization in the Tarim River basin. (a), root sampling site and sample of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud; (b), schematic diagram of root system configuration; (c), root system generalization process diagram; (d), root system generalization result.
Fig. 2 Relationship between root diameter and tensile force
Vegetation type Regression equation R2 Regression coefficient test
Constant Exponent sign
t P t P
Tamarix ramosissima F=11.38d2.5936 0.90 2.29 <0.001 2.59 <0.001
Alhag sparsifolia F=8.39d2.0969 0.96 0.74 <0.001 2.10 <0.001
Phragmites australis F=5.77d2.1851 0.97 0.76 <0.001 3.07 <0.001
Table 2 Regression analysis of relationship between root diameter and tensile force for different vegetation types
Fig. 3 Two-dimensional numerical simulation of root systems. (a), horizontal type; (b), vertical type; (c), claw type.
Fig. 4 Comparison between experimental curve and numerical simulation of root tension-strain relationship. (a), bond model of root-soil composites (RSCs); (b), numerical simulation of root tensile force.
Parameter and unit Symbol Calibrated value
Linear model normal stiffness (N/m) kn 1×106
Linear model stiffness ratio k* 2.0
Linearpbond model stiffness (N/m) kt n 1×107
Linearpbond model stiffness ratio $\overline{k_{{}}^{\text{*}}}$ 2.0
Normal stiffness between soil and wall (N/m) kw n 1×106
Root effective modulus (MPa) Eo 1×106
Root bond effective modulus (MPa) Ep 1×107
Adhesive force between root particles (MPa) pb_coh 1×107
Tensile strength between root particles (MPa) pb_ten 1×107
Friction coefficient between root particles (°) pb_fa 30
Damping ratio $\xi $ 0.5
Soil particle-particle friction coefficient ${{\mu }_{\text{b}}}$ 0.1
Soil particle-wall friction coefficient ${{\mu }_{\text{w}}}$ 0
Particle density (kg/m3) ${{\rho }_{\text{b}}}$ 2660
Porosity $n$ 0.12
Shear rate (mm/min) - 0.1
Intrinsic length scale ratio ${{d}_{\text{min}}}/D$ 1×10-4
Table 3 Calibration value of each mesoscopic parameter
Fig. 5 Simulation sample and fitting results. (a), shear simulation diagram; (b), shear stress-displacement fitting curve of remolded soil; (c), shear stress-displacement fitting curve of RSCs.
Fig. 6 Relationships among shear stress, volumetric strain, and displacement. (a), stress-displacement relationship for four groups of samples; (b), strain-displacement relationship for four groups of samples; (c), stress-displacement relationship of vertical type specimen under different normal stresses; (d), strain-displacement relationship of vertical type specimen under different normal stresses.
Fig. 7 Comparison of force chain strength of four groups of samples during shearing process. (a1-a4), remolded soil; (b1-b4), vertical type; (c1-c4), horizontal type; (d1-d4), claw type.
Fig. 8 Comparison of velocity field of four groups of samples during shearing process. (a1-a4), remolded soil; (b1-b4), vertical type; (c1-c4), horizontal type; (d1-d4), claw type.
Fig. 9 Shear band evolution of vertical type root under different stages (a-d) and four groups of root samples (e-h)
Fig. 10 Homogeneity of contact number distribution of vertical type root under different stages (a-d) and four groups of root samples (e-h)
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