Root reinforcement effect on cover slopes of solid waste landfill in soil bioengineering

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of vegetation plant roots on the stability of the cover slopes of solid waste landfills. A large direct shear test and a root tensile strength test were conducted to quantify the effect of rooted soil of revegetation plants on the increment in shear strength of the soil as a method to protect the cover slope of solid waste landfills. In the large direct shear test, an increase in the shear strength of the ground with the presence of roots was observed, and the root reinforcement proposed in the literature was modified and proposed by analyzing the correlation between the root diameter and the tensile strength according to water content. The stability of the slope revegetation of a landfill facility, considering the root reinforcement effect of revegetation, was calculated by conducting a slope stability analysis reflecting the unsaturated seepage analysis of rainfall conditions for various analysis conditions, such as the gradient, the degree of compactness, the thickness of the cover, and the rooted soil depth of the landfill facility.