Kong Kunfeng, Deng Zixuan, Chen Feng, Wang Zheng, Chen Yiling
Railway Engineering Research Institute, China Academy of Railway Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
State Key Laboratory of High-Speed Railway Track System, China Academy of Railway Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):23233. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06400-3.
Rainfall-induced instability of loess slopes presents significant threats to infrastructure and ecological systems. Vegetation serves as an effective measure to enhance slope stability through mechanical reinforcement by roots and hydrological regulation of soil moisture. The influence of vegetation root system characteristics, including root tensile strength and rooting depth, on the stability of loess slopes subjected to rainfall infiltration is investigated using a finite element model developed in COMSOL®, which couples seepage and mechanical behavior. Rainfall infiltration, pore water pressure evolution, and progressive slope failure are simulated to analyze the stability response. Varying levels of additional cohesion provided by roots and different rooting depths are systematically evaluated. The results indicate that stronger root systems and deeper rooting depths significantly enhance slope stability by increasing the factor of safety, delaying plastic zone development, and reducing displacement. The reinforcement effect becomes more pronounced on steeper slopes, while its marginal contribution diminishes with increasing root depth beyond a certain threshold. These findings provide insights into the role of vegetation in mitigating rainfall-induced slope failures and provide practical guidance for the selection and application of vegetation in ecological slope stabilization projects.
降雨引发的黄土边坡失稳对基础设施和生态系统构成重大威胁。植被是通过根系的机械加固和土壤水分的水文调节来增强边坡稳定性的有效措施。利用在COMSOL®中开发的有限元模型，研究了植被根系特性（包括根系抗拉强度和扎根深度）对降雨入渗作用下黄土边坡稳定性的影响，该模型耦合了渗流和力学行为。模拟了降雨入渗、孔隙水压力演化和边坡渐进破坏，以分析稳定性响应。系统评估了根系提供的不同附加黏聚力水平和不同扎根深度。结果表明，更强的根系和更深的扎根深度通过提高安全系数、延缓塑性区发展和减少位移，显著增强了边坡稳定性。加固效果在较陡边坡上更为明显，而当扎根深度超过一定阈值时，其边际贡献会随着深度增加而减小。这些发现为植被在减轻降雨引发的边坡破坏中的作用提供了见解，并为生态边坡稳定工程中植被的选择和应用提供了实际指导。
