Effectiveness of Bamboo Geogrid Reinforcement for Landslide Prevention in Baguio City

Dylan Carter B. Uy, Jan Dale G. Cortez, Anthony Q. Elcano, Paulo J. Labrador, Bill Nelson B.
Tacod, Gianne B. Abejuela, Erica Zoe F. Cayton, Xyrielle Agne T. Tacmo, Roxanne Joy B.
Trinidad, Mary Rose R. Ulep

Saint Louis University – Laboratory Senior High School, 12 STEM N-Saint Ambrose

Abstract
This study sought to primarily prove that bamboo Geogrid can prevent landslides in Benguet,
Baguio City, creating a cheap yet effective reinforcement compared to traditional landslide
prevention infrastructure. This study is bases its theory on the Principle of Reinforced Earth by
Henri Vidal. Experimental design was chosen for this study to be able to quantify and compare
the compressive strengths of the undisturbed soil sample (control) and the Geogrid reinforced
soil sample (experimental). The tests conducted on the soil samples were Unified Soil
Classification System (USCS), and Unconfined Compression Test (UCT). The main test that will
tell if the Geogrid is effective is the Unconfined Compression Test (UCT), because it tests the
compression strength of the soil samples. The sampling design used in acquiring the soil is
purposive sampling, but the soil sample that was acquired is the dominant soil type in Baguio
City. The findings of Unconfined Compression Test (UCT) were that there was a 26.98%
increase in the compression strength of the experimental sample compared to the control sample
and a 50.41% increase in axial load bearing. In general it can be concluded that the Geogrid
reinforced soil can be a viable alternative landslide prevention device, because there is an
increase in compressive strength compared to the control sample.

Keywords: Geogrid, Landslide Prevention, Bamboo

May 10,2019

Introduction slopes to accommodate more structures there

Baguio City, also known as the
Summer Capital of the Philippines, is a
mountainous area that stands 4810 feet
above mean sea level (1466 m). Since
Baguio City is a mountainous area it is vital
that there be geological surveys to calculate
the maximum number of structures that each
area in Baguio can hold naturally without
stabilization, to ensure the structural stability
of the many natural slopes in and around
Baguio City. This should dictate the
population cap of the region and according
to Katrina Acupanda of the Baguio Midland
Courier “Baguio was designed for a
maximum of 30,000 inhabitants”. Unless
measures are taken to strengthen natural
should be a cap on how many building can
be built in Baguio City
The reality of the situation is that
with a population of 345,000 in 2015 and an
average annual population growth rate of
1.54% during the years of 2010-2015.
(Philippine Statistics Authority, 2016)
Baguio City is well beyond its population
capacity.
With the current overpopulation and
inevitable population growth comes with a
massive increase in the construction of
residential homes and since Baguio is filled
with slopes and not much flat land, many opt

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to build homes on the side of these slopes
which turn into problems. Since most of the
natural slopes around Baguio are filled with
trees, these trees are being cut down to make
way for these houses, but at the cost of
lowering the stability of the natural slope.
Without any slope protection or
stabilization it is increasing the risk of the
area to a landslide. In Baguio most slopes
are protected by retaining walls, mostly
Riprap walls, but even though Ripraps may
be preferred for it’s easier and cheaper
construction but the lack of slope
stabilization a slope is likely to fail causing
massive damage. (Agayao, et al., 2016)
A better way to solve this problem is
to stabilize the slope itself and the only way
to stabilize a slope is through Reinforced
Earth. Reinforce Earth is made by
combining earth and a reinforcing material,
this is done because earth according to the
definition used in soil mechanics, is made up
of non-cohesive particles, which means that
they are not one whole object but they are
only kept together because of the
compressive force from other soil particles.
But without these compressive forces, like
on slopes, the soil in the area will crumble
away.
What reinforced earth is doing is instead of
adding compressive force it introduces
cohesive forces. “The cohesion of reinforced
earth arises from friction of [soil] grains of
earth against the reinforcing members.”
(Vidal, 1969), thus stabilizing a slope. A
Geogrid will be used due to its advantages
compared from the other soil
reinforcements. Its advantages are the
following: A geogrid has flexible
components, a good intersection quality, can
resist damage during installation and has a
high rate of bearing capacity since they are
produced using high thickness polyethylene,
a substance that is resistant to chemical and
biological factors that normally happen in
soils (Geogrids for Soil Reinforcement,
n.d.).
With the increasing deforestation and
increase in the number of infrastructure with
in Baguio City, landslide has been
continuously occurring many years now that
is why a lot of reinforcement products to
prevent it are already produced. These
commodities are sub divided into three areas
which are excavation, strengthening slopes
and drainage techniques. Excavation is
about the removal of some soil parts at the
top most of the ground surface to decrease
driving forces and increase stability of the
slope while in slope strengthening, it is the
process where man made reinforcements are
used to plant it in or on the slope and lastly,
the drainage technique deals with reducing
ground water which is one of the great
factors in the occurrence of landslides (A
Guide for Management of Landslide-Prone
Terrain in the Pacific Northwest). Over the
years, these reinforcements continue to
develop and improve leading to a just right
percentage of success (Rogers, 1992). The
success however is very costly because of
the materials used, especially that most of it
coming from outside countries such as
China, Russia and United States of America.
These reinforcements also need to turn the
success rate into a higher value.
Even with the ever growing number
of retaining structures that are being built
there are still landslides that are happening
all over the country. As a result, new
techniques in landslide prevention must be
developed to avert landslides. Geogrid can
be a solution but its use in the Philippines is
rather low due to the popularity of retaining
walls and the lack of manufacturers of
geogrids in the Philippines.
The aim of this study is to primarily
prevent landslide in Benguet, Baguio City.
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The researchers want to help and prevent
landslide not only Baguio but also
throughout the country. This research also
intends to create a cheap yet effective
reinforcement. The use of bamboos would
make an efficient and strong geogrid which
can also be a way to help Baguio’s industry
grow by using local natural resources, since
we have 62 species of bamboos growing in
the Philippines today (Meniano & Abella,
2018). Researchers have the convenience
due to the reason that going to other
countries will not be needed just to cater the
geogrid. With these the researchers would
like to find out if using Bamboo Geogrid is
an effective landslide prevention
infrastructure.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
The study is primarily focused on the
reinforcing effects of bamboo geogrid for
landslide prevention in Baguio City. This
type of infrastructure will help stabilize
unstable slopes in Baguio City, helping
reduce the incidence of landslides. The study
is experimental in nature because the soil
samples will undergo different testing at BIP
Steadfast Ground Incorporation. The study
will be only focused in one type of dominant
soil found in Baguio City, Benguet.
The study and the experimentations
that will be done by the group certainly have
a lot of limitations due to different factors.
The soil samples were only tested once
which do not comply to the criteria of an
experiment undergoing multiple times of
testing. Another factor to be considered that
will greatly affect the limitations of this
study is the condition and consistency of the
soil samples collected, the samples may
exhibit the best condition to be able to
prevent the happening of a landslide, and on
the other hand, it may exhibit the worst
condition to control the landslide.
Significance of the Study
The relevance of the study creates
the type of infrastructure that is cheap yet
effective reinforcement that will help
stabilize unstable slopes in Baguio City,
intended to prevent the incidence of
landslides. The research will also benefit
mining companies considering that their
livelihood comes from mountains. Residents
in Baguio will also be provided with safety.
Geodetic Engineers will also benefit from
the study because they can suggest and
ensure the effectivity of the geogrid. This
study can also help broaden the knowledge
of future resarchers.
Theoretical Framework
Vidal (1969) defines reinforced
earth, in The Principle of Reinforced Earth,
as follows: “is a material formed by
combining earth and reinforcement”. He
further adds reinforced earth can resist more
pressure than just earth alone and
deformations do not produce cracks and
breaks within the structure. Furthermore, he
says that in French highways, reinforced
earth structures cost almost half of that of
concrete structures for the same uses.
In the conclusion of the reinforced earth
Henri Vidal’s The Principle of Reinforced
Earth (1969) elaborates that the reinforcing
material of the reinforced earth can be made
out of any material that has the necessary
tensile strength, and shape to give the
necessary friction to a surface. The earth that
was used covers a great number of natural
soils, mostly granular material, with some
clay.
Methodology
Research Design
The researchers only used one type
of soil, Bakakeng Sandy Clay Loam (silt)
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due to the reason that it is the dominant soil
type in the Southern Benguet which Baguio
City is located at (City Government of
Baguio, 2017). The soil that was tested from
the BIP Steadfast Ground Incorporation.
The Geogrid are made of
Gigantochloa levis (bamboo) strips.
The control sample, which is the
undisturbed soil sample, was extracted using
a 2 inch diameter shelby tube at a depth of 5
feet.
Extraction area for the soil samples
The experimental sample, which is
the reinforced earth, was made by
compressing the same soil from the control
sample reinforced with six bamboo
geogrids.
Creation of the Geogrid reinforced soil
Sampling
sample Techniques
The research utilized a Simple
Random Sampling technique and the sample
will be the dominant soil type in Baguio
City. In random sampling, there is a
selection of sample where in every unit has
an equal chance of being chosen (Shalabh).
Data Collection
The data was gathered and evaluated
by Mr. Joseph D. Lopez CE, ME-I of BIP
Soils/Materials Engineering Department
during their testing procedures. The tests
made were the Atterberg Limit, Grading,
Specific Gravity, Unconfined Compression,
and Unified Soil Classification System.
Unconfined Compression Testing Machine
Data Analysis
The collected data was compiled and
analyzed using inferential analysis to get the
general trend of failure for unreinforced
slopes and the general trend of failure for
reinforced slopes. Inferential statistics are
valuable when examination of each member
of an entire population is not convenient or
possible (Minitab Incorporation, 2017).
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Inferential statistics is the attempt to apply
the conclusions that have been obtained
from one experimental study to more
general populations (Wilson, 2010)
Ethical Considerations
The precautions and safeguards
incorporated in this study are letters of
approval we got from the different persons
in charge of the different factors that helped
this study to be completed. The letter of
approval for the collected soil samples that
was needed for testing was carefully
evaluated by our research instructor and
school principal. The group followed certain
limitations and proper collection of the
needed samples at all costs and assured that
no damage or negative effects was brought
upon due to the gathering of the soil samples
needed. Rest assured that the collected
samples was used strictly only for research
purposes and improvements only.
Results and Discussion
Control Sample
Table 1
Table
1 shows the classification of our soil sample,
which came out as Silt.
Table 2 shows the results from the tests done
on the undisturbed soil sample (control).
Table 3
The test conducted on the sample was the
Unconfined Compression Test. The test
shows compressive strength of the
undisturbed soil sample. The control sample
exhibited a compressive strength of 61.62
Kpa (8.9372254psi), being able to withstand
an axial load of 159.53N (16.2785714kg)
pushing down on it, as shown in Table 3.
This was used as the baseline for
comparison for the experimental sample.
Figure 1
Figure 1 show how the control sample failed
because of the stress that was placed upon it.
The development of a long fissure and a
small one cause the failure of the control
sample. This was the result that the
researchers were expecting, because there
Table 2
was no reinforcing material keeping the
sample together.
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Experimental Sample
Table 4
Table 4 shows the results from the tests done
on the Bamboo Geogrid Reinforced soil
sample (experimental).
Table 5
The experimental sample exhibited a
compressive strength of 78.25Kpa
(11.349203psi), being able to withstand an
axial load of 239.95N (24.4846939kg)
pushing down on it, as shown in Table 5.
Figure 2
Figure 2 show how the experimental sample
failed because of the stress that was placed
upon it. The formation of a deformation was
expected because of the nature of reinforced
earth and the lesser unit weight of the
experimental sample compared to the
control sample. The formation of the
deformation on the experimental sample was
not the cause of failure, the cause of failure
was the formation of a small crack on the
right side of the sample.
Comparing the compressive
strengths of both the control and
experimental samples, there is a 26.98%
increase in compressive strength.
When comparing their axial load, the
experimental sample had a 50.41%
compared to the control sample.
This means that the load resistance of the
experimental sample is higher overall
despite the lower unit weight (Specific
Weight) of the experimental sample.
Conclusions
With the 26.98% increase in compressive
strength and 50.41% increase in axial load
bearing of the soil sample, the effectiveness
of Bamboo Geogrid therefore is proven to be
an efficient soil reinforcement and can be a
viable option as a landslide prevention
infrastructure.
Recommendation
Since the soil samples were only
tested once the researchers recommend more
multiple times of the same type of different
tests used to treat the soil.
Another recommendation is to test other
types of soil present around Baguio or
possibly soils present around the Philippines
since the study only used one type of soil
which is the Silt type.
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