Projects per year
Abstract
This paper presents results of an investigation into an entirely novel technique for ground improvement involving the use of fungal hyphae. Fungal hyphae (long filamentous branches) are known to contribute to soil aggregation and soil hydrophobicity, and are hypothesised to also influence the hydro-mechanical behaviour of soil. We present here preliminary observations of the mechanical behaviour of sands treated with the fungal species Pleurotus ostreatus (P. ostreatus). Direct shear tests were carried out on sand containing different percentages of organic substrate (the nutrient source for fungal growth) and treated with P. ostreatus. The stress-strain behaviour of fungal treated and untreated soil was investigated. Results show that irrespective of the percentage of organic matter, fungal treated specimens tended to show a loss in the peak behaviour characteristic of the untreated control specimens and an associated transition towards a more contractive volumetric response. The limited experiments conducted to date appear to indicate that the main factor responsible for the differences in behaviour between treated and untreated specimens is due to lubrication of the grains by the fungal hyphae and exudates. Further investigation is required to fully elucidate the mechanisms influencing the mechanical behaviour of fungal-treated soils.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | ES3 Web of Conferences |
Subtitle of host publication | 7th International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials (IS-Glasgow 2019) |
Editors | A Tarantino, E Ibrahim |
Number of pages | 6 |
Volume | 92 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 25 Jun 2019 |
Event | 7th International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials - Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 26 Jun 2019 → 28 Jun 2019 https://www.is-glasgow2019.org.uk/ |
Publication series
Name | E3S Web of Conferences |
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Publisher | EDP Sciences |
ISSN (Print) | 2267-1242 |
Conference
Conference | 7th International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Glasgow |
Period | 26/06/19 → 28/06/19 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- ground improvement
- fungal hyphae
- soil aggregation
- soil hydrophobicity
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Preliminary observations of the shear behaviour of fungal treated soil'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 2 Finished
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Engineering FUngal Networks for Ground Improvement (Engineering FUNGI)
El Mountassir, G. (Principal Investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/09/17 → 3/03/20
Project: Research
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TERRE: Training Engineers and Researchers to Rethink geotechnical Engineering for a low carbon future (H2020 ETN)
Tarantino, A. (Principal Investigator), El Mountassir, G. (Co-investigator), Ferguson, N. (Co-investigator), Knapp, C. (Co-investigator), Lunn, R. (Co-investigator) & Switzer, C. (Co-investigator)
European Commission - Horizon Europe + H2020
1/11/15 → 31/10/19
Project: Research
Datasets
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Data for: "Preliminary observations of the shear behaviour of fungal treated soil"
Salifu, E. (Creator) & El Mountassir, G. (Creator), University of Strathclyde, 14 May 2019
DOI: 10.15129/33cf0fc5-7e8d-4240-a931-b1b669231bc9, https://www.is-glasgow2019.org.uk/
Dataset