Study on Hippophae rhamnoides Linn. Roots in Improving the Shear Characteristics of Soil

In this paper, the author investigates root´s soil mechanics´ mechanism and influencing factors of a typical soil reinforcing plant- Hippophae rhamnoides Linn. in the area that has been destroyed by wind and water. This investigation has been done from two aspects: shear strength of root-soil composite and friction characteristic of root-soil interface. The results show that when the root diameter is less than 1.5 m, both the shear strength and cohesion force of Hippophae rhamnoides Linn.in root-soil composite are stronger than those of in pure soil, and the friction force of root-soil interface is more intensive than soil-soil interface. Shear strength of root-soil composite is enhanced by its cohesion force and root-soil composite´s friction. At different moisture conditions, both the shear strength and cohesion force of root-soil composite show an increase first, then a decrease, and both of them reach the maximum at 14.8% water content. The friction coefficient of root-soil interface reduces as the moisture increases; whereas, shear strength and cohesion force of root-soil composite and friction coefficient of root-soil interface increase as dry density increases.