University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Tensile strength and elastic modulus of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) grass roots

Wall, Kayla

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130071

Description

Title
Tensile strength and elastic modulus of tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) grass roots
Author(s)
Wall, Kayla
Issue Date
2025-07-25
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Olson, Scott M
Department of Study
Civil & Environmental Eng
Discipline
Civil Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • root
  • root strength
  • tensile strength
  • fescue
  • lolium arundinaceum
Abstract
This thesis presents the sample collection, testing methods, and results of tensile strength testing for laboratory-grown tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) for comparison with existing tensile strength and modulus data for Lolium arundinaceum from other studies. Lolium arundinaceum plants were grown and fertilized in temperature- and light-controlled growing chambers in both confined growing tubes on a level surface and in boxes constructed at a 3 horizontal to 1 vertical (3H:1V; or 18.4-degree) slope. Seventy-three tensile strength measurements and 52 elastic modulus values for Lolium arundinaceum roots less than 0.5 millimeters in diameter collected during this research were compared with 97 tensile strengths and 94 modulus measurements for Lolium arundinaceum grass root diameters ranging from 0.45 to 2.30 millimeters obtained from literature. Tensile strength and elastic modulus were found to increase with decreasing diameter, represented as a power law regression trendline. Coefficients of determination (R2) for the power-law regression trendlines from this testing program were improved for tensile strength (from 0.66 to 0.82) and for modulus values (0.59 to 0.76) after including data from the literature.
Graduation Semester
2025-08
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130071
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Kayla Wall

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois