Seasonal shrinkage and swelling of clay fill railway embankments can disturb the track geometry, resulting in train speed restrictions that disrupt normal operations. Such movements are exacerbated by vegetation, but reliable analytical descriptions of the effects of trees on embankment behaviour are not yet established. This paper presents and analyses the results of a field experiment, carried out on a heavily vegetated clay railway embankment to investigate quantitatively the influence of trees. After the first year of monitoring, the mature trees initially present on the upper two-thirds of the embankment slopes were removed. The field monitoring data are used to assess and understand the mechanisms of soil water content and pore water pressure changes before and after tree removal, and their influence on the vertical and lateral displacements of the embankment slopes. Removal of the vegetation stopped seasonal volume changes in the clay fill at the crest of the earthwork, but also resulted in the loss of the deep-seated suctions generally beneficial to embankment stability. The wider implications for the management of vegetation on embankment slopes are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.