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Root reinforcement is an interesting and environmentally favorable measure for soil stabilization. When properly applied, it can improve soil strength significantly. The paper presents a simulation of a series of drained triaxial tests on soil samples with different levels of root reinforcement in a form of three 5-mm-thick layers, located on different heights. Modified Cam-clay extended for unsaturated soils containing plant roots is used in calculations. The tests are modeled numerically and the results are compared with experimental results from the literature. Missing soil and root parameters are obtained based on the model calibration and further applied in the calculations of the stability of the vegetated slope subjected to rainfall. The influence of the initial root mass in the reinforcing superficial soil layer on the time after which a landslide occurs is investigated. The results suggest that even a minor level of root reinforcement may postpone the development of a rainfall-induced landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluctuations of reservoir water levels significantly change the hydrogeological conditions of reservoir banks and thus affect the steady state of the bank slope. Reservoir landslide stability is governed by the complex interactions between the rock and the water (both reservoir and pore water). This paper establishes the constitutive coupled model of seepage and stress field for the E20 bank slope in the Haizhou Open Pit Coal Mine hydropower station's lower reservoir. Using the geotechnical engineering three-dimensional fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (FLAC-3D 4.0) program as a computational analysis tool, the E20 bank slope deformation mechanism was analyzed. The simulation model, calculated by using the Boit consolidation and pore-water continuity principles, was built using FEMs. The numerical simulation results showed that cyclical fluctuations and speeds of the reservoir's water level affect its bank slope stability. When the water level drops at a speed of 12 m/day, the simulation's calculated safety factor value is 0.99, but when the water level rises at a speed of 12 m/day, the calculated safety factor value is 1.03. The results demonstrated that the rapid drop of the water level had a greater impact on the reservoir bank slope stability than the rapid rise of the water level under the same conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]