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Tunnel Construction and Underground Engineering

This special issue belongs to the section “Civil Engineering“.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent years have seen significant advancements in tunnel construction and underground engineering, driven by technological innovations such as tunnel-boring machines (TBMs), advanced ground support systems, real-time monitoring techniques, and digital twin modeling. These developments have substantially improved safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability in tunnel and underground projects globally. Notable progress in this field includes the establishment of smart sensing technologies for structural health monitoring, innovative excavation methods, and advanced geotechnical risk assessment techniques.

Looking ahead, research in this field is expected to further integrate automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and sustainable practices into tunnel construction and engineering. Future research areas include the development of autonomous tunneling systems, application of artificial intelligence in predictive maintenance, enhanced resilience against geotechnical hazards, and sustainable utilization of underground spaces.

We welcome original research papers, comprehensive reviews, and case studies addressing, but not limited to, the keywords listed below.

Dr. Yuantian Sun
Dr. Haoyu Rong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • tunnel boring machines (TBMs)
  • smart monitoring systems
  • ground support innovations
  • digital twins in tunneling
  • geotechnical risk management
  • autonomous excavation
  • sustainable underground construction
  • artificial intelligence applications
  • underground space utilization
  • predictive maintenance

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Appl. Sci. - ISSN 2076-3417