Description:
Although the current plant slope protection technology can reinforce shallow landslides, it cannot reinforce deep landslides, and it ignores the slope stability at the initial stage of root growth. Aiming at the deficiency of current plant slope protection technology, a new type of supporting structure of living stump-bamboo anchor plant slope was developed. Based on the living stump plant slope with developed roots, the slope stability and root mechanical characteristics were analyzed. The model was based on the finite element method, using Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion to consider the mechanical plasticity of soil. The three-dimensional (3-D) root model of roots was implemented in the numerical software Midas using beam elements embedded in the slope soil blocks meshed with 3-D solid elements. The characteristics of potential sliding surface, slope safety factors and mechanical characteristics of the tap and lateral roots of elm tree in different positions of the slope were studied. Numerical simulations exhibited the stress state of root system in soil, which could be seen from the stress and bending moment diagram. There are obvious differences in mechanical characteristics of roots in different positions and directions. The root system in the middle and lower part of the slope mainly exerted its tensile strength and played a positive role in the stability of the slope. The mechanical characteristics of the root system in the slope may be affected by root length, root spatial morphology and spatial layout of the root system on the slope. The research results may have significant scientific value for exploring the reinforcement mechanism of living stump slopes