Durability of Polymer Infused Roots Used for Soil Stabilization
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 8
Abstract
Polymer-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.
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Acknowledgments
This paper is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. CMMI-0929294.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 8 • August 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 14, 2013
Accepted: Aug 23, 2013
Published online: Aug 27, 2013
Published in print: Aug 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Oct 8, 2014
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