PERFORMANCE OF SOIL EROSION CONTROL USING GEOCELL COMBINED WITH RUZI GRASS
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Abstract
Soil erosion on slopes induced by rainfall is a critical problem, as rainfall intensity is a major factor that reduces slope stability and may lead to slope failure. This study aims to investigate the erosion control performance of geocells installed in different configurations and the integrated application of geocells with Ruzi grass under varying slope gradients and rainfall intensities. Laboratory experiments were conducted using soil collected from the Lamtakhong Dam area, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. The tests were performed in a flume simulating three slope gradients of 30°, 45°, and 60°, under simulated rainfall intensities of 100, 130, and 170 mm/h. Geocells were installed in ten different configurations to evaluate their effects on surface runoff, soil loss, and sediment concentration. In addition, the combined use of geocells and Ruzi grass was examined by considering Ruzi grass growth periods of 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. The results indicate that geocell installation significantly reduces surface runoff and soil loss, with maximum reductions of approximately 65.8% in surface runoff and 89.2% in soil loss compared with the flume without geocells. The erosion control efficiency increases with the proportion of geocell coverage and decreases as slope gradient and rainfall intensity increase. The combined application of geocells and Ruzi grass further enhances erosion control performance, particularly when Ruzi grass reaches full growth. It can be concluded that the integrated use of geocells and Ruzi grass is an effective and suitable approach for designing slope erosion control systems under high-intensity rainfall conditions.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The published articles are copyright of the Engineering Journal of Research and Development, The Engineering Institute of Thailand Under H.M. The King's Patronage (EIT).
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