Multiscale Modeling and Experimental Characterization of Soil Behavior: Seepage, Deformation, and Constitutive Mechanisms for Engineering Applications
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 October 2026 | Viewed by 180
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Soil behavior is central to geotechnical engineering practice, influencing the safety and performance of slopes, foundations, and infrastructure affected by subsurface flow. Understanding the interaction between seepage, soil deformation, and mechanical response—from the particle scale to the field scale—is essential for the design, assessment, and risk management of geotechnical systems. In light of increasing demands for resilient infrastructure and sustainable development, there is a pressing need for advanced, practical approaches to characterize and predict soil behavior across scales.
This Special Issue on "Multiscale Modeling and Experimental Characterization of Soil Behavior: Seepage, Deformation, and Constitutive Mechanisms for Engineering Applications" welcomes contributions that connect theoretical, numerical, and experimental advances to real-world geotechnical engineering applications. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Constitutive models for saturated/unsaturated soils with coupled hydraulic and mechanical behavior, and their application in engineering design;
- Particle-scale and mesoscale studies of seepage–deformation interactions and their implications for macroscopic engineering properties;
- Numerical modeling of seepage-induced instability, erosion, or failure in slopes, embankments, retaining structures, and other geosystems;
- Experimental methods (e.g., imaging, DEM, μCT) for model calibration and validation in practical geotechnical contexts;
- Data-driven and machine learning approaches for predicting soil response in engineering applications;
- Integration of field monitoring and geophysical data with numerical models for site characterization and performance assessment;
- Sustainable design, risk mitigation, and decision-support frameworks based on advanced soil modeling.
Authors are encouraged to share relevant datasets, code, or case studies to support practical implementation and reproducibility.
Thank you for considering this opportunity to contribute to a collection focused on advancing the engineering application of soil mechanics across scales.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Yingguang Fang
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- soil mechanics
- constitutive modeling
- seepage
- soil deformation
- multiscale modeling
- hydro-mechanical coupling
- micromechanics
- unsaturated soils
- experimental characterization
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