An experimental investigation on the effect of vetiver grass root system on the engineering properties of soil

The research described in this paper centered on exploring the potential of vetiver plant roots for reinforcing slopes and mitigating erosion. Vetiver roots act as a natural defense against erosion by shielding the soil from raindrop impact and securely anchoring the root system. A laboratory study was conducted to investigate whether hybrid vetiver roots could enhance slope stability and mechanically reinforce the soil. A shear strength test was conducted with fiber concentrations of 0 to 2% in 0.5% increments and fiber lengths adjusted between 20 and 25 mm in this study. In conclusion, the presence of vetiver roots significantly increased the soil's shear strength. Silty clay soils were significantly affected by soil cohesiveness, especially in terms of shear strength. The study showed that adding vetiver roots to soil significantly improved the soil's shear strength parameters (c) and optimal moisture content (OMC), while lowering maximum dry density and raising OMC slightly. In addition, root fibers were added in order to improve the California Bearing Ratio (CBR). The study also found that soil treated with vetiver root fibers had much lower discharge and permeability constants. Specifically, the permeability constant and discharge dropped by about six times in marginal soil treated with 1% vetiver root fibers. The enhanced soil properties resulting from vetiver root reinforcement suggest that reinforced soil can be effectively utilized for slope stabilization. This insight can be instrumental in leveraging plants as a natural means of erosion control and slope stabilization, providing technical justifications for their application in such contexts.