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Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design
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Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Civil Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 3395

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Peizhi Zhuang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Interests: soil-geostructure interaction; tunnelling engineering; deformation control and lining reinforcement of tunnels; intelligent geotechnical investigation
Dr. Pinqiang Mo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Health Operation & Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: geotechnical engineering; soil mechanics; plasticity
Dr. Ran Yuan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of High-Speed Railway Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
Interests: physical and mechanical properties of special soils; mechanism of soil-structure interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hong-Ya Yue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250002, China
Interests: automatic construction; solid waste utilization; soil-structure interaction
Dr. He Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
School of Qilu Transportation, Shandong University, Jinan 250002, China
Interests: physics-informed machine learning; multiphysics coupling; constitutive modelling; soil-structure interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With rapid urbanization and growing infrastructure demands, underground construction has become pivotal for sustainable development, offering solutions to space constraints and environmental challenges. This Special Issue will explore cutting-edge advancements in underground construction and tunneling design, emphasizing multidisciplinary innovations, digital intelligence developments, and sustainability. Papers should cover diverse aspects, such as geological surveys, design and modeling methods, construction techniques, the maintenance of underground structures, and relevant case studies, featuring AI, robotics, and smart monitoring systems for safety and efficiency. The Special Issue aims to drive innovation and improvement in underground construction and tunneling design, fostering intelligent, sustainable and resilient underground infrastructure.

Prof. Dr. Peizhi Zhuang
Dr. Pinqiang Mo
Dr. Ran Yuan
Guest Editors

Dr. Hong-Ya Yue
Dr. He Yang
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advances in underground intelligent construction
  • AI-driven innovations for underground and tunnel engineering
  • Resilience-based design of underground and tunnel infrastructure
  • advanced analytical solutions and numerical methods for underground and tunnel engineering
  • health monitoring and predictive maintenance of underground structures
  • robotics for hazardous underground work
  • smart monitoring systems

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 16845 KB  
Article
Fracture Behavior of Rocks with Different Grain Sizes Based on the Boundary Effect Model: Insights from AE and DIC
by Zhe Dong, Zhonghui Li, Enyuan Wang, Xin Zhou and Quancong Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(7), 3209; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16073209 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 288
Abstract
Rock fracture behavior is strongly influenced by grain size and boundary effects, which complicate the determination of fracture parameters and the interpretation of size-dependent failure. This study investigates the fracture behavior of sandstone and diorite within the framework of the boundary effect model [...] Read more.
Rock fracture behavior is strongly influenced by grain size and boundary effects, which complicate the determination of fracture parameters and the interpretation of size-dependent failure. This study investigates the fracture behavior of sandstone and diorite within the framework of the boundary effect model (BEM) using three-point bending tests, acoustic emission (AE), and digital image correlation (DIC). By varying the prefabricated crack length, different values of the structural geometric parameters ae were obtained, and the fracture toughness KIC and tensile strength ft were identified by regression analysis. The results show that KIC = 0.6841 MPa·m0.5 and ft = 4.5625 MPa for sandstone, whereas KIC = 2.7233 MPa·m0.5 and ft = 21.8218 MPa for diorite. Increasing the prefabricated crack length reduces the peak load and prolongs the pre-peak damage evolution stage. Diorite, with a larger average grain size, exhibits higher AE energy release, a higher proportion of high-energy AE events, and a larger fracture process zone (FPZ) than sandstone. Moreover, the AE energy distribution along the crack propagation direction shows a distinct “three-stage” characteristic, consistent with the non-uniform distribution of local fracture energy gf predicted by boundary effect theory. The results indicate that BEM can reasonably characterize the fracture behavior of rocks with different grain sizes, and the identified material parameters can be used to construct a BEM-based structural failure curve for estimating nominal failure stress over a wider range of structural geometric parameters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design)
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19 pages, 5882 KB  
Article
The Mechanical Behavior and Segmentation Optimization of Prefabricated Lining for Railway Tunnels: A Case Study of the Yongfengcun Tunnel in China
by Zhenchang Guan, Guimei Zhu, Fengjin Chen, Qi Feng and Jingkang Shi
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(6), 2766; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16062766 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 245
Abstract
Prefabricated lining is increasingly used in railway tunnels due to its advantages of environmental friendliness, high construction efficiency, and convenience. However, the existence of block joints weakens structural integrity, and the segmentation optimization of prefabricated lining remains a challenge especially for irregular lining. [...] Read more.
Prefabricated lining is increasingly used in railway tunnels due to its advantages of environmental friendliness, high construction efficiency, and convenience. However, the existence of block joints weakens structural integrity, and the segmentation optimization of prefabricated lining remains a challenge especially for irregular lining. Based on the Yongfengcun tunnel in the Fuzhou Ganghou Railway Project, the nonlinear mechanical behaviors of joint stiffness were investigated under axial force, bending moment and shear force. A beam–spring model was established by considering the bending and shearing stiffness of block joints, and the mechanical behaviors were analyzed efficiently by Python 3.9 and ABAQUS 2025 for 572 segmentation schemes. Based on a Delphi questionnaire, three key indicators including horizontal convergence, bending moment amplitude and length variance were selected as independent optimization objectives. The stable Pareto frontier was obtained using the NSGA-II algorithm. Application in the Yongfengcun tunnel fully verified the effectiveness of the method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design)
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24 pages, 2885 KB  
Article
Analysis of Vertical Shafts Excavation and Support Based on Cavity Contraction–Expansion Method
by Xian-Song Deng, Pei-Hong Xin, Jun Jiang, Yang Wang, Feng-Sheng Yang, Hai-Yang Huang and Pin-Qiang Mo
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 1390; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031390 - 29 Jan 2026
Viewed by 500
Abstract
Vertical shafts are key channels for underground energy storage, mineral exploitation, and related engineering fields. Yet in deeply buried complex strata and high ground stress environments, traditional passive supports are prone to lining failure, while linear yield criteria cannot accurately characterize rock masses’ [...] Read more.
Vertical shafts are key channels for underground energy storage, mineral exploitation, and related engineering fields. Yet in deeply buried complex strata and high ground stress environments, traditional passive supports are prone to lining failure, while linear yield criteria cannot accurately characterize rock masses’ nonlinear mechanical behavior, limiting their use in shaft analysis. The core mechanical process of shaft construction aligns with the cavity contraction–expansion mechanism: excavation induces cavity unloading and contraction, causing shaft deformation and plastic zone expansion in surrounding rock; support enables cavity reverse expansion via preset shaft wall counter loads to actively control surrounding rock deformation. Based on this, this study integrates the Hoek–Brown nonlinear yield criterion, large-strain theory, and non-associated flow rules; couples cavity contraction–expansion semi-analytical solutions with the composite shaft wall mechanical model; and establishes a composite shaft wall–surrounding rock interaction analysis method. This research clarifies excavation-induced surrounding rock mechanical responses, reveals shaft wall counter loads’ regulatory effect on surrounding rock, and develops a systematic excavation support calculation workflow. Parameter analysis shows that increasing lining thickness is the most direct way to reduce inner wall tensile stress and improve safety; composite linings optimize stress distribution and enhance structural collaborative performance; and safety assessment confirms the lining inner wall as a structural weak zone. The proposed method and findings fill the gap in applying cavity contraction–expansion theory to shaft construction, providing reliable theoretical and practical guidance for deep shaft design, construction, and safety evaluation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design)
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26 pages, 5518 KB  
Article
Mechanism of Time-Dependent Deformation and Support Collaborative Failure in Water-Rich Red-Bed Soft Rock Tunnels
by Jin Wu, Feng Peng, Zhiyi Jin, Zhize Han, Geng Cheng and Jiaxin Jia
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(17), 9810; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15179810 - 7 Sep 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1670
Abstract
Substantial time-dependent deformation and support failure in deep tunnels through water-rich red-bed soft rock present critical engineering challenges, yet the underlying mechanisms under hydro-mechanical coupling remain inadequately quantified. This study integrates wireless remote monitoring, laboratory testing, and theoretical analysis to investigate the stress-deformation [...] Read more.
Substantial time-dependent deformation and support failure in deep tunnels through water-rich red-bed soft rock present critical engineering challenges, yet the underlying mechanisms under hydro-mechanical coupling remain inadequately quantified. This study integrates wireless remote monitoring, laboratory testing, and theoretical analysis to investigate the stress-deformation behavior of surrounding rock and support structures. Results reveal that deformation evolves through four distinct stages as follows: sharp, slow, stable, and creep, with the creep stage—governed by pore-water pressure—accounting for over 40% of total displacement. Groundwater-induced clay mineral hydration and stress redistribution significantly weaken rock self-support capacity. Support elements exhibit degraded performance; rock bolts suffer interfacial bond failure, steel arches yield asymmetrically, and the secondary lining resists transmitted deformation pressure. A novel deformation rate-based failure criterion is proposed, revealing a progressive “local breakthrough-chain transmission–global instability” failure pathway. These findings provide a theoretical basis for stability control in deep buried tunnels under hydro-mechanical coupling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Underground Construction and Tunneling Design)
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