dc.contributor
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Departament d'Enginyeria Civil i Ambiental
dc.contributor
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. GGMM - Grup de Geotècnia i Mecànica de Materials
dc.contributor.author
Fraccica, Alessandro
dc.contributor.author
Romero Morales, Enrique Edgar
dc.date.accessioned
2026-03-25T11:19:15Z
dc.date.available
2026-03-25T11:19:15Z
dc.identifier
Fraccica, A.; Romero, E. Exploring stress-paths and vegetation reinforcement mechanisms ina compacted soil. A: European Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference. «Proceedings of the 29th European Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference: 29th EYGEC: Rijeka, Croatia 9-12 September 2025». Croatian Geotechnical Society; University of Rijeka, 2025, p. 37-40. ISBN 978-953-6953-67-7. DOI 10.32762/eygec.2025.7 .
dc.identifier
978-953-6953-67-7
dc.identifier
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/396487554_EXPLORING_STRESS-PATHS_AND_VEGETATION_REINFORCEMENT_MECHANISMS_IN_A_COMPACTED_SOIL
dc.identifier
https://hdl.handle.net/2117/459345
dc.identifier
10.32762/eygec.2025.7
dc.identifier.uri
https://hdl.handle.net/2117/459345
dc.description.abstract
The use of vegetation is a sustainable technique to mitigate the risk of landslides and erosion phenomena. The reinforcement of roots on soils is complex and depends on their morphological and mechanical characteristics and the stresses that develop at the soil–root interface. Many models have been produced in literature to infer the increase in soil shear/tensile strength due to roots. However, many of these models give limited consideration to the effects of soil hydraulic conditions and soil volume changes. Large cell triaxial compression tests, oedometer test, uniaxial tensile tests and volume change tests upon drying were carried out to explore the mechanical effects of vegetation on a compacted soil at low confining stresses and at different hydraulic states. Root features were assessed through X-ray tomography for each soil specimen in order to compare the different laboratory tests carried out. Different stress-strain responses were observed during the mechanical tests, depending on the hydraulic state of the specimens. Two soil reinforcement mechanisms were observed (roots breakage and slippage), particularly in uniaxial tensile tests. Such mechanisms in turn impacted the mechanical behaviour of the vegetated soil. Volume change behaviour and microstructural effects of roots on soil influenced the macrostructural mechanical response, too. Despite an increase in shear strength, vegetated specimens showed larger volumetric deformations upon shearing and a delayed reinforcement activation, close to saturation. Results were jointly interpreted within the Barcelona Basic Model, allowing to trace the effects of roots and two hydraulic states on the yielding behaviour of the tested specimens following the different stresspaths presented.
dc.description.abstract
The support of the European Commission via the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN-ETN) project TERRE (H2020-MSCAITN2015-675762) is acknowledged.
dc.description.abstract
Peer Reviewed
dc.description.abstract
Postprint (published version)
dc.format
application/pdf
dc.publisher
Croatian Geotechnical Society; University of Rijeka
dc.relation
https://eygec2025.uniri.hr/paper/exploring-stress-paths-and-vegetation-reinforcement-mechanisms-in-a-compacted-soil/
dc.relation
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/675762/EU/Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future/TERRE
dc.rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
dc.subject
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geotècnia::Mecànica de sòls
dc.subject
Triaxial compressions
dc.subject
Oedometer tests
dc.subject
Uniaxial tensile tests
dc.subject
Soil-root interactions
dc.subject
Soil volume change
dc.title
Exploring stress-paths and vegetation reinforcement mechanisms ina compacted soil
dc.type
Conference report
