Concrete lozenges impact on the slope erodibility

Abstract

Water erosion is a natural phenomenon, the severity of which is related to several parameters depending on the raindrop impact, the characteristics of the soil and the level of human intervention. The risk of water erosion occurs in both drainage basins and road and rail slopes. Indeed, this phenomenon can be aggravated causing major gullies and landslides. The PK 94 of the Taourirte-Nador railway line, located in the oriental region of Morocco, whose slopes are formed by silt-clay formations experiencing intense erosion. The Moroccan experience for the slopes protection of water erosion knows the use of several methods in particular; concrete arcades and methods based on biological engineering. The objective is to contribute to this subject by proposing the use of concrete lozenges technique. It have the advantage of reducing both the area at risk of erosion and especially the length of slope which is an important factor in the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation RUSLE used to quantify the quantities of soil eroded.