Durability of Polymer Infused Roots Used for Soil Stabilization

• Published in: Journal of materials in civil engineering Vol. 26; no. 8
• Main Authors: Sauceda, Miguelangel, Johnson, Drew W, Huang, Jie, Bin-Shafique, Sazzad, Sponsel, Valerie M, Appleford, Mark
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reston, VA American Society of Civil Engineers 01-08-2014
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Buildings. Public works; Durability; Exact sciences and technology; Geotechnics; Plant roots; Roots; Shear strength; Soil stabilization; Soil strength; Stabilization. Consolidation; Stems; Strength of materials (elasticity, plasticity, buckling, etc.); Structural analysis. Stresses; Technical Papers; Tensile strength; Shear test; Root; Growth; Polymer-infused root; Property of soil; Mass loss; Shear strength; Durability; Polymer; Compositae; Tensile strength; Mass; Infusion; Plant; Soil stabilization; Artemisia annua; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Spermatophyta; Measurement method; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0899-1561; 1943-5533
• DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000928

AbstractPolymer-infused plant roots can be created without soil excavation by infusing polymer into the roots of plants through the easily accessible above-surface plant stems. Efficacy of this technique for use in soil stabilization applications involves assessing the durability of polymer-infused plant roots. Polymer content was determined for infused Artemisia annua plant roots. Durability of these polymer-infused roots was evaluated by mass loss resistance and strength loss resistance of acid-treated samples. Durability in the context of soil stabilization applications was determined by comparing the shear strength of aged samples. Polymer infusions improved the durability of the plant material. Infused plant stems incubated in acid for 15 weeks lost 29% mass, whereas noninfused stems lost 60% mass. Infused roots incubated in acid for 24 h retained a tensile strength of 25 MPa, whereas noninfused acid-treated roots had a tensile strength of 12 MPa. In comparison to plant roots that provided no enhancements to the soil after 8 weeks of aging, polymer-infused plant roots provided 44% enhancement to soil shear strength.