A Micromechanical Study of Root–Soil Interaction: Growth Patterns and Pullout Resistance

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4. A Micromechanical Study of Root–Soil Interaction: Growth Patterns and Pullout Resistance

Understanding root-soil interaction is inherently challenging due to the difficulty in visualizing and measuring the physical processes that govern root anchorage below ground. A robust understanding of these mechanisms is essential for developing reliable models to quantify root pullout strength. Traditionally, root-soil reinforcement has been modelled as an equivalent homogeneous medium, which overlooks potentially important local variations in soil and root structure. To address this limitation, this study incorporates the geotropic behaviour of root growth and its tendency to follow paths of least resistance, using the Discrete Element Method (DEM). A novel DEM composite root-soil model is presented and, by simulating root growth into the soil followed by pullout tests, the pullout strength of various root systems is evaluated. The DEM model accounts for both the characteristics of root growth and branching and the mechanical interactions between roots and soil, providing a novel approach to investigating root pullout behaviour. Simulation results indicate that physical properties such as root diameter, density, and strength significantly influence bending during growth, which in turn affects pullout resistance. This research offers new insights into root-soil interaction and has important implications for engineering applications such as slope stabilization

3rd International Workshop on Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Interaction (RootS2025)

2c. Numerical modelling of the behaviour of rooted soils and boundary value problems under static and dynamic loading conditions