Numerical Modeling for the Selection of Coir Geotextile for Erosion Control Application Based on the Universal Soil-Loss Equation

Abstract

A fuzzy logic–based modeling approach using the universal soil-loss equation (USLE) along with selection and application of the appropriate coir geotextile (CG) in soil erosion control was attempted in this study. The fuzzy logic model was developed to address issues of soil erosion risk with constant rainfall intensity. Two simple and efficient fuzzy logic soil erosion models were developed, of which one was for predicting soil erosion intensity (fuzzy-soil erosion model, or F-SEM) and the other was for selecting an appropriate CG type for soil erosion control based on types of soil in various combinations of slope angle and length, crop cover, rainfall intensity, and so forth (fuzzy-CG model, or F-CGM). These two models were developed in such a way that the input data requirement was the minimum for model execution. The considered input parameters were the main primary governing factors that influence soil erosion intensity in the USLE platform. F-SEM and F-CGM was compared with actual field data and found to be very closely matching. F-SEM predicts the erosion intensity of an area, and F-CGM can be used in the selection of CGs for erosion control application.