Research on the Reinforcement Treatment Technologies for Building Foundations

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Structures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1420

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Tunnel Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: grouting materials and grouting technology; mechanical behavior of anchor bolts; ground improvement methods; constitutive modeling of rock mass

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: grouting reinforcement technology; grouting materials; grouting effect monitoring; reinforcement effect evaluation; grouting process optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to rapid urbanization and the increasing demand for high-rise, heavy-load, and long-service-life buildings, the natural ground can seldom satisfy the strength, stiffness, and deformation requirements of modern structures. Building foundations serve as the critical load-bearing components of structures, directly influencing safety, durability, and service performance. With the increasing complexity of engineering projects, diverse geological conditions, and the growing demand for sustainable construction, the reinforcement and treatment of foundations have become pivotal issues in civil and geotechnical engineering. Consequently, foundation reinforcement has become an indispensable step in almost every new construction, renovation, and infrastructure-upgrading project worldwide. Recent decades have witnessed remarkable innovations in reinforcement materials (e.g., geosynthetics, micro-piles, bio-based additives), installation equipment (e.g., low-carbon jet-grouting rigs, automated vibro-probes), and design philosophies (e.g., resilience-oriented, performance-based, and digital-twin-assisted approaches). These advances not only upgrade bearing capacity and mitigate settlement but also improve resilience against earthquakes, floods, and climate-induced hazards.

To further promote safe, economical, and sustainable built environments, continuous interdisciplinary research on foundation-reinforcement technologies is essential. This Special Issue focuses on the latest research progress and practical applications of reinforcement treatment technologies for building foundations. Topics include soil improvement methods, innovative reinforcement materials, foundation underpinning techniques, ground treatment under complex geological conditions, performance evaluation and monitoring, as well as case studies of engineering applications. This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality, original research, reviews, case studies, and technical notes that deepen our understanding, optimize design parameters, and broaden field applications of ground-improvement solutions.

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

  • Experimental and numerical investigations on deep-soil mixing, jet grouting, and micro-piling.
  • Geosynthetic-reinforced foundations: bearing-capacity models, long-term creep, and seismic performance.
  • Composite ground-improvement systems (e.g., rigid–flexible pile networks, geocell-encased columns).
  • Intelligent monitoring, machine-learning-assisted design, and digital-twin simulation of reinforced substructures.

Your invaluable contributions will advance scientific knowledge and foster more resilient, eco-efficient foundation solutions for tomorrow’s built environment.

Dr. Yingming Xiao
Dr. Quan Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • building foundations
  • ground improvement
  • geotechnical engineering
  • structural safety
  • sustainable construction
  • engineering case studies

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 6083 KB  
Article
Shear Creep Failure Characteristics of Cement-Grouted Sandstone Structural Planes
by Wenqi Ding, Fengshu Li, Qingzhao Zhang, Chenjie Gong and Dong Zhou
Buildings 2026, 16(8), 1585; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16081585 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 269
Abstract
The rheological behavior of rock masses governs long-term stability, yet the time-dependent properties of grouted structural planes remain insufficiently quantified. Graded shear creep tests were conducted on artificially split sandstone structural planes with controlled grout thicknesses, complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to [...] Read more.
The rheological behavior of rock masses governs long-term stability, yet the time-dependent properties of grouted structural planes remain insufficiently quantified. Graded shear creep tests were conducted on artificially split sandstone structural planes with controlled grout thicknesses, complemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), to clarify creep evolution and long-term shear strength. The results show that the total shear creep displacement of grouted specimens exhibits limited sensitivity to grout thickness, while the ratio of long-term to theoretical shear strength increases by approximately 10% at a grout thickness of 2 mm; this strengthening effect, however, diminishes at greater thicknesses. Moreover, the creep rate evolution of grouted specimens differs fundamentally from that of ungrouted specimens, with about 60% of grouted samples exhibiting an accelerated creep stage characterized by a U-shaped rate curve. The failure mode shifts from asperity-controlled slip in ungrouted structural planes to damage concentrated at the grout–rock interface in grouted specimens. SEM observations further reveal that micro-defects at this interface initiate and propagate cracks, ultimately governing the macroscopic creep failure process. Overall, this study establishes an isochronous curve-based method for determining long-term strength and demonstrates that interface micromechanics critically control the long-term performance of grouted rock masses. These findings provide practical guidance for grouting reinforcement in underground engineering. Full article
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15 pages, 6065 KB  
Article
Numerical Simulation Investigating the Creep Behavior of Jointed Rock Masses Incorporating Variable Shear Stiffness
by Dong Zhou, Wenjie Zhang, Liuqun Dong, Peng Ying and Bhuyan Muhammad Hussain
Buildings 2026, 16(5), 977; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16050977 - 2 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 486
Abstract
This study investigates the mechanical behavior of jointed rock mass tunnels through numerical simulations using UDEC software. Focusing on the time-dependent variation in joint shear stiffness, a theoretical model is proposed to characterize the evolution of shear stiffness over time. Based on this [...] Read more.
This study investigates the mechanical behavior of jointed rock mass tunnels through numerical simulations using UDEC software. Focusing on the time-dependent variation in joint shear stiffness, a theoretical model is proposed to characterize the evolution of shear stiffness over time. Based on this model, numerical simulations are conducted to analyze tunnel stability and associated deformation patterns. A variable shear stiffness model is first established in UDEC, which effectively captures the evolution of shear creep displacement along rock joints. Incorporating this model, an adaptive support scheme involving locally extended rock bolts is introduced to improve long-term tunnel stability. The proposed approach is further validated through a comparative analysis with field monitoring data obtained from a tunnel in Yunnan Province. The results indicate that creep effects significantly influence tunnel behavior, leading to rapid increases in crown settlement and expansion of the surrounding rock disturbance zone during the early stages following excavation. Optimizing the bolt layout is shown to effectively reduce the extent of the disturbed zone and enhance the tunnel’s load-bearing capacity. Finally, a novel reinforcement optimization method for jointed rock mass tunnels is proposed, along with a key threshold value for assessing tunnel stability, thereby providing theoretical support for practical engineering applications. Full article
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17 pages, 4863 KB  
Article
Numerical Simulation of Large-Span Bifurcated Tunnels with Large Cross-Sections in Urban Underground Interchanges
by Shiding Cao, Ruiyang Ma and Yunpeng Li
Buildings 2026, 16(3), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16030498 - 26 Jan 2026
Viewed by 325
Abstract
The stress distribution after excavation becomes highly complex in large-span bifurcated tunnel sections commonly found in urban underground interchanges. This study investigates the stress evolution induced by the excavation of large-span and bifurcated tunnel, focusing on the 32.17 m maximum-span section of the [...] Read more.
The stress distribution after excavation becomes highly complex in large-span bifurcated tunnel sections commonly found in urban underground interchanges. This study investigates the stress evolution induced by the excavation of large-span and bifurcated tunnel, focusing on the 32.17 m maximum-span section of the Shenzhen Baopeng–Shahe Underground Interchange. The results show that stress concentration near the tunnel walls of large-span sections is greater than that in sections with bifurcated tunnels. Adjusting the burial depth of the large-span tunnel, the influence of stiff layer thickness on the redistribution of surrounding rock stress was analyzed. When the tunnel is buried at a shallow depth and the stiff layer thickness is small, the maximum tangential stress of the surrounding rock occurs at the stiff layer boundary, and the surrounding rock remains entirely elastic. In large-span tunnels, as the thickness of the stiff layer increases from 5 m to 20 m, the stress relaxation zone grows from 0 m to 8 m, and the stress-bearing zone expands from 10 m to 27 m. As the burial depth increases and the stiff layer thickness grows, the maximum tangential stress shifts to within the stiff layer. In this case, the tangential stress distribution at the stiff layer boundary becomes non-smooth. Therefore, an appropriate stiff layer thickness must be selected to prevent the surrounding rock from entering a plastic state. The findings provide theoretical guidance and technical support for the design of large-scale underground interchange bifurcated tunnels, advancing the intelligent and scientific development of urban underground transportation facilities and offering significant practical and social benefits. Full article
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