Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Biochemical (THMBC) Characterization and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils
A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Geomechanics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 6
Special Issue Editors
Interests: characterization and modelling of unsaturated soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: characterization and modelling of unsaturated soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Over the last few decades, research on coupled hydro-mechanical processes—essential for understanding and modelling unsaturated soil behaviour—has been expanded to include the effects of thermal gradients. This advancement has led to significant breakthroughs in both the development and refinement of experimental techniques, as well as the formulation of more robust constitutive and computational models.
The present Special Issue of Geosciences aims to expand the scope of unsaturated soil mechanics by incorporating thermo-hydro-mechanical and biochemical couplings. It highlights key scientific advances essential for the thorough characterization and modelling of the interactions between unsaturated soils and their natural or engineered environments. Integrating fundamental concepts from core science subjects—including physics, chemistry, and biology—within the realm of unsaturated soil mechanics is crucial for a sustained progress in the production and storage of clean energy, the bioremediation of contaminated soils, and the development of bio-inspired technologies within the practice of geotechnical engineering.
From a broader perspective, the development of experimental and computational techniques to understand and model the behaviour of geotechnical systems—where soil materials are subject to mechanical and biogeochemical changes due to human-made amendments and/or exposures to extreme conditions—is essential for building resilient and sustainable civil infrastructure.
The main goal of this Special Issue is to gather some of the most pivotal advances in the thermo-hydro-mechanical and biochemical (THMBC) characterization and modelling of unsaturated soils. This Issue serves as a follow-up edition of a recent open access Special Issue published by Geosciences: Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Characterization and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils (http://mdpi.com/si/178396).
Prospective contributions to this Issue will undergo a rigorous review process. Submissions are expected to primarily focus on recent advances in experimental THMBC-based characterization of unsaturated soils, including developments in equipment, protocols, and data interpretation, as well as the proposal of refined computational modelling frameworks grounded in robust experimental evidence.
Contributions that exclusively focus on hydro-mechanical, thermo-hydro-mechanical, or biomechanical processes—considered as independent and discrete couplings—are also welcome. The present Special Issue aims to serve as a valuable reference for both scholars and practitioners.
Prof. Dr. Laureano R. Hoyos
Prof. Dr. Dunja Perić
Dr. Aritra Banerjee
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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. Geosciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1800 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
- unsaturated soils
- hydro-mechanical, thermo-hydro-mechanical, and biochemical characterization
- hydro-mechanical, thermo-hydro-mechanical, and biochemical modelling
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