| Abstract: | The settlement of soil occurs whenever there is an increase in effective confining stress. The withdrawal of water by plant roots results in a change in water pressure and moisture content in the soil. The variation in the moisture content leads to a change in the effective stress that causes a decrease in porosity which eventually results in the settlement of soil. The driving force for the uptake of water by the roots is the difference in the plant water and soil water potential existing between the soil solution adjacent to the roots and the root xylem. In case of transpiring plants, this driving force is mainly due to the tension (negative pressure) produced in the roots. A finite element solution of the governing equation yields the variation of moisture content with depth and the total settlement of the soil column due to the extraction of water by the plant roots. The simulated results indicate the damaging situation due to changes in the soil moisture content on account of transpiring trees and plants grown around the perimeter of structures. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
