Effect of aparent cohesion from tree roots on the stability of natural slopes of Reñaca dunes

Abstract

Several researches have shown that vegetation plays a key roll in preventing displacements of soil masses, particularly of surficial displacement of slopes. Thus, tree roots provide a reinforcement system that depends on its structure and distribution. This article presents a research applied to a natural slope in Reñaca-Chile, and the objective is to analyze the apparent cohesion developed as a result of roots existing in the slope. The analysis of the problem was conducted for two scenarios: static loading and a pseudostatic loading based on data collected after the 1985 Chile earthquake (Mw7.8). From this analysis, different factors of safety and seismically induced displacements have been estimated.