Soil-Structure Interactions in Underground Construction

Dear Colleagues,

In today’s society, urbanisation and the scarcity of greenfield sites in densely populated cities have increased the demand for underground infrastructure construction. Underground construction projects tend to be more complex due to one or more of the following factors: climate change influencing design requirements, interactions of new structures on existing structures, ground subsidence due to water table lowering, catastrophic or progressive failures, wide variations in geomaterial properties due to weathering, occupational health and safety risks, design challenges in constrictive spaces and expectations of clients on scientists and engineers to deliver outcomes over tight timelines.

Geomaterials that underlie potential building and infrastructure footprints can be difficult to characterise because they form naturally and are not subject to quality control protocols. It is, therefore, important that scientists and engineers develop their expertise and skills through research and practice to quantify the interactions between the intended underground infrastructure and the natural environments in which they are to be built on or in. The term 'soil–structure interactions' is, therefore, an integral part of a successful project outcome.

In addition, advances in information technology have led to the development of artificial intelligence or machine learning techniques to aid in data collection and data analysis for underground geotechnical problems. The data-driven techniques are employed to develop robust design models that can consider complex relationships and produce insightful interpretations to enhance the engineering design processes to include sustainability considerations.

Therefore, as the honorary Guest Editors for the theme “Soil–Structure Interactions in Underground Construction”, we cordially invite you to submit your articles on your recent projects, experimental research or case studies, detailing how geosciences (soil, rock, ground water, geochemistry, geology, hydrogeology, surface run-off, rain, wind, temperature, etc.) directly interact with and impact the performances of underground man-made geostructures through aspects including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Underground construction (e.g., deep excavation, tunnelling, pipe-jacking and trenching);
2. Innovative ground improvement methods (e.g., DSM, stone column, in situ walls and subgrade stabilisation);
3. Geological explorations and interpretation;
4. Instrumentation and field observational methods;
5. Use of artificial intelligence or machine learning;
6. Post-failure forensic engineering or inverse-analysis methods;
7. Geophysical methods for soil or rock characterisation;
8. Advancements in laboratory and field testing of geomaterials;
9. Advancements in remote sensing/LiDAR/image-processing detection;
10. Advancements in finite/discrete element/large-deformation/mesh-free modelling;
11. Advancements in multi-disciplinary design theories, government policies, construction innovation and engineering education.

We would like to also encourage you to send a brief abstract outlining the purpose of your research and the key results obtained in order to verify at an early stage that your manuscript falls within the objectives of the Special Issue.

Dr. Dominic E. L. Ong
Dr. Siaw Chian Jong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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