Improvement and application of Green-Ampt infiltration model for vegetated cement soil in vegetation restoration of slopes

Prediction of rainfall infiltration in vegetation restoration of slopes is particularly important. In order to explore the rainfall infiltration process of filling soil in rock-desertificated slopes lattice, the rainfall infiltration modeling of five groups of composite soil columns is conducted, including pure soil, pure soil plus plant hole, soil with cement contellt of 2 %, soil with cement content of 4%, and soil with cement content of 4% plus plant hole. The traditional Green-Ampt infiltration model is too simplified, which divides the rainfall infiltration of soil column into saturated zone and dry zone. Therefore based on the layered soil assumption, the Green-Ampt infiltration model is improved, and the rainfall infiltration of soil column is divided into saturated zone, transitional zone and dry zone. The cumulative infiltration depth and cumulative infiltration amount of new vegetated cement soil with time are studied, and the improved model is verified by compariny with the test results. It is shown that the calculated values by the improved Green-Ampt model for wetting front migration depth are in good agreement with the measured ones, and the calculation accuracy is significantly improved. The improved Green-Ampt model can be used to analyze the cumulative infiltration (water-storage capacity) for the ecological restoration technology in vegetated cement soil in the rock-desertificated slope lattices, which is of a positive engineering practical value.