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Geotechnical Structure Analysis and Risk Assessment in Tunnel Engineering, 2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 781

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

No structures above ground can be compared with tunnel engineering surrounded by rock and soil. The main load on the geotechnical structures and construction risk is based on the interaction between the surrounding rock mass and underground structures. The complex geological materials, geological structures, excavation steps, and thermal–hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (THMC) coupling environment make tunneling even more challenging.

Under challenging conditions, numerous new, complex tunnel construction methods create new problems. Recent advances in deep, large-span, bifurcated, multi-arch tunnels under extremely unfavorable conditions in the rock mass, together with shield tunnels, immersed tunnels, and suspension tunnels in soil, produce countless historical knowledge and experiences. Meanwhile, progress in numerical and physical analysis and emerging technologies, represented by artificial intelligence (AI), presents us with strong theoretical tools to solve these challenges.

We encourage the sharing and publishing of all these new insights in our Special Issue, specifically focusing on the following overlapping fields:

  • Tunneling case history analysis (long, deep, large-span, bifurcated, multi-arch tunnels under extremely unfavorable conditions);
  • Multi-scale tunnel geological structure analysis (investigation, surrounding rock classification, advance geological prediction, monitoring, and laboratory and on-site experiments);
  • Tunnel environment analysis (THMC and coupling effect);
  • Tunnel structure–surrounding rock interaction (load mode, excavation optimization, environment protection, risk motivation, and new numerical simulation models and methods);
  • Tunnel geotechnical risk mitigation (groundwater, karst, collapse, large deformation, and gas and groundwater resource depletion risk analysis and mitigation);
  • New emerging technology applications (AI, machine learning, deep learning, big data, virtual reality (VR), internet of things (IoT), photogrammetry, BIM, and robots).

Prof. Dr. Jianxiu Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • case history analysis
  • multi-scale geotechnical structure analysis
  • risk assessment of tunneling
  • geotechnical risk mitigation
  • new emerging technology

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Research

45 pages, 7008 KiB  
Article
A Comprehensive Review of Open Caisson Modeling Technology: Current Practices and Future Prospects
by Jianxiu Wang, Naveed Sarwar Abbasi, Weqiang Pan, Weifeng Wu, Sharif Nyanzi Alidekyi, Xiaofei Zhang, Panfeng Guan, Hao Li, Ali Asghar and Bilal Ahmed
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(11), 6029; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15116029 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 512
Abstract
The rapid advancement of modern megapolises has led to a dearth of surface space, and, in response, engineers have begun to trial substitutes below ground level. Shafts are generally used to provide temporary access and permanent work to the subsurface for tunnelling, as [...] Read more.
The rapid advancement of modern megapolises has led to a dearth of surface space, and, in response, engineers have begun to trial substitutes below ground level. Shafts are generally used to provide temporary access and permanent work to the subsurface for tunnelling, as well as for lifts or ventilation purposes. In urban areas, one important design issue is the prediction of the excavation-induced displacements by open caisson shaft construction. Settlements and ground movements associated with open caisson shafts are influenced by the choice of construction method, soil composition, and excavation geometry. Compared with other geotechnical construction events, for instance, tunnelling, the literature relating to the ground deformations induced from open caisson shafts are comparatively limited. This review offers an evaluation of several case studies that utilize experimental and computational modeling techniques to provide clearer insights into earth pressure distribution and induced surface and subsurface soil displacements, as well as the associated ground deformations during open caisson shaft construction. The modeling test results are compared to the state of the practice ground deformation prediction theories and measured results from field monitoring data. Findings indicate that the lateral earth pressure distribution aligns closely with the theoretical predictions based on Terzaghi’s and Berezantzev’s models, and lateral earth pressure diminishes gradually until the onset of active wall displacement. Current modeling techniques generally fail to properly represent in situ stress states and large-scale complexities, emphasizing the need for hybrid approaches that combine physical and numerical methodologies. In future studies, modern approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring (e.g., PINNs, ACPP), multi-field coupling models (e.g., THMC), and transparent soil testing, hold profound potential for real-time prediction, optimization, and visualization of soil deformation. Numerical–physical coupling tests will integrate theory and practice. Improving prediction reliability in complicated soil conditions such as composite and heterogenous strata using different modeling techniques is still unclear, and further investigation is therefore needed. Full article
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