From seasonal field study to surrogate modeling: Investigating the biomechanical dynamics of Elymus sp. in salt marshes

Salt marshes have been studied in the context of ecosystem services they can provide for coastal protection. In this study, monthly field campaigns focusing on Elymus spp. and its biomechanical properties were conducted from December 2021 to December 2022 on the German Barrier Island Spiekeroog. A total of 1390 specimens were investigated to determine their growth length, out of which 418 specimens were investigated mechanically with three-point bending tests to determine their biomechanical properties. To evaluate the interaction of hydraulic loads and vegetation, the challenge of modeling biomechanical plant properties to scale is addressed by using resin 3D printing with flexible material, while focusing on the materials mechanical properties. Based on the field data acquired and additional literature (adding up to 1959 measurements), a cylindrical plant model with an outer diameter of d(o )= 1.60mm (scale 1 : 1) was developed. It was manufactured mixing two resin components with varying volume ratios resulting in surrogates with different flexural stiffnesses. The surrogates were characterized using three-point bending tests and image analysis of their bending behavior when subjected to currents between 0.4 and 1.2 m/s. With the average Young's modulus E ranging from 8.45 to 1708.42 MPa, the bending angle varies from 0 degrees to 77.4 degrees displaying the influence of material stiffness and flow velocity. Applying the Cauchy scaling law, this study shows that resin 3D printing can be used to model Elymus sp. with respect to its biomechanical properties allowing for seasonally independent physical laboratory experiments with plant models.