Recent Advances in Geotechnical Structures and Soil–Structure Interaction

Dear Colleagues,

Geotechnical structures in cold and polar environments face challenges from extreme temperatures, freeze–thaw cycles, and ice loading; therefore, understanding soil–structure interaction is crucial in terms of ensuring stability and durability in Arctic, Antarctic, and high-altitude frozen regions. Advances in material science, numerical modeling, and field monitoring have enhanced infrastructure design in these harsh conditions.

This Special Issue highlights cutting-edge research on geotechnical engineering in cold regions, including permafrost mechanics, ice–structure interaction, and sustainable construction techniques. Papers on new and emerging topics within the general discipline are also encouraged, and we invite contributions on innovative design methods, numerical simulations, and experimental studies that advance knowledge of polar and seasonally frozen environments.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Soil–structure interaction under freeze-thaw cycles—impacts on pipelines, roads, railways, and offshore structures.
• Numerical and physical modeling—advanced finite element analysis (FEA), discrete element methods (DEMs), smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH), and the coupled methods, e.g., SPH-FEM, FEA-DEM, etc. Including physical tests for geotechnics, such as centrifuge testing, especially in cold region geotechnics.
• Innovative materials and construction techniques—frost-resistant materials, thermal insulation methods, and eco-friendly stabilization approaches.
• Remote sensing and monitoring—applications of UAVs, satellite imagery, and IoT-based sensors for real-time structural health monitoring.
• Case studies and field experiments—lessons learned from Arctic and Antarctic seasonally frozen region infrastructure projects, including failures and mitigation strategies.
• Numerical simulation and advanced algorithms—multi-objective optimization algorithms and machine learning for parameter optimization, ensuring the safety, economic viability, and sustainability of geotechnical engineering, especially in frozen soil engineering and mining engineering
• Geotechnical engineering stability assessment and reinforcement—slope engineering, roadway and tunnel engineering under dynamic loads (including conventional conditions), and deep-buried ground stress, continuous rock masses and discontinuous rock masses such as joints.

Dr. Shengyi Cong
Dr. Xudong Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• cold-region geotechnics
• frozen soil mechanics
• soil–structure interaction
• hydro–thermo–mechanical coupling modeling
• remote sensing and monitoring
• field experiments and case studies