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Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Biochemical (THMBC) Characterization and Modelling of...
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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: closed (31 October 2025) | Viewed by 771

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Laureano R. Hoyos

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
Interests: characterization and modelling of unsaturated soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Dunja Perić

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Interests: characterization and modelling of unsaturated soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Aritra Banerjee

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA
Interests: geotechnical engineering; climate change; biogeotechnics; unsaturated soils; expansive soils

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3569 KB  
Article
Persistence of Soil Water Repellency After the 2022 Bolt Creek Fire
by Mustafa Demir, Peter R. Robichaud and Idil Deniz Akin
Geosciences 2025, 15(12), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15120472 - 15 Dec 2025
Abstract
Wildfire ash and water-repellent soil are new materials that are formed after a wildfire that change the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of wildfire-burned slopes. Wildfire ash is known to be typically hydrophilic and to retain water, whereas the water-repellent soil layer acts as [...] Read more.
Wildfire ash and water-repellent soil are new materials that are formed after a wildfire that change the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of wildfire-burned slopes. Wildfire ash is known to be typically hydrophilic and to retain water, whereas the water-repellent soil layer acts as a hydraulic barrier. However, there is limited in situ soil water content data to understand the short- and long-term impacts of wildfire ash and a water-repellent soil layer on the hydromechanical behavior of burned slopes. This study investigates the trends in water content of wildfire ash, water-repellent soil, and subsurface soil after the 2022 Bolt Creek Wildfire near Skykomish, WA. The ash deposit averaged 10 cm, with a maximum 30 cm thickness in channels immediately after the fire, which allowed the in situ measurement of ash water content. Soil water content sensors were installed in the ash and subsurface soil layers, and changes in the water content were monitored for a year after the fire. The surface ash layer was above a thin (<1 cm) water-repellent soil layer, which was followed by the soil that did not show any apparent effects from the fire. The results showed a reduction in ash thickness and the persistence of the water-repellent layer over a year. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Biochemical (THMBC) Characterization and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils)
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21 pages, 2749 KB  
Article
A Novel Poly-Potassium Salt Osmotic Technique for High-Suction Water Retention in Compacted Kaolin
by Abolfazl Baghbani, Yi Lu, Sankara Narayanan Murugesan, Hossam Abuel Naga and Eng-Choon Leong
Geosciences 2025, 15(12), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15120461 - 4 Dec 2025
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Abstract
Accurate suction control underpins thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) characterization of unsaturated soils, yet conventional polyethylene-glycol (PEG) osmotic methods suffer from membrane degradation, polymer intrusion, and marked temperature sensitivity. This study evaluates a potassium-neutralized poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel (PP) as a high-suction osmotic medium for water-retention [...] Read more.
Accurate suction control underpins thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) characterization of unsaturated soils, yet conventional polyethylene-glycol (PEG) osmotic methods suffer from membrane degradation, polymer intrusion, and marked temperature sensitivity. This study evaluates a potassium-neutralized poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel (PP) as a high-suction osmotic medium for water-retention testing of compacted kaolin using a sealed cell with a grade-42 filter paper separator (no semi-permeable membrane). The water-activity–suction relation of PP was calibrated with a chilled-mirror hygrometer (WP4C) over the high-suction domain, and temperature effects were assessed between 20–30 °C. The PP imposed stable target suctions across the practical engineering range, with cross-validation to WP4C of R2 ≈ 0.985 and RMSE ≈ 0.09 MPa, and exhibited modest thermal sensitivity (~2–3% per 10 °C). Mass–time records showed a two-regime equilibration (rapid first-day moisture loss then slowing to asymptote), with time to 95% equilibrium t95 ≈ 3–7 days depending on suction, and equilibrium within ~2 weeks under a normalized mass change, 1m∆m∆t<0.1%24h criterion. The resulting kaolin water-retention curves are smooth soil moisture factor (SMF) reproducible, and exhibited minor wetting–drying hysteresis (~20–25% gap at matched suctions). Collectively, the results indicate that PP provides a practical, membrane-free (in the semi-permeable sense) and accurate means to control high-range suction for unsaturated soil testing, showing only modest suction variations within the tested 20–30 °C range, while mitigating long-standing PEG limitations and simplifying laboratory workflows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Biochemical (THMBC) Characterization and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils)
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21 pages, 5847 KB  
Article
Probabilistic Slope Stability Assessment of Tropical Hillslopes in Southern Guam Under Typhoon-Induced Infiltration
by Ujwalkumar Dashrath Patil, Myeong-Ho Yeo, Sayantan Chakraborty, Surya Sarat Chandra Congress and Bryan Higgs
Geosciences 2025, 15(12), 453; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15120453 - 29 Nov 2025
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Abstract
Uncertainty and variability in soil properties strongly impact slope stability under extreme rainfall. This study applies a probabilistic hydro-mechanical slope stability assessment to unsaturated volcanic hillslopes in southern Guam, covering a range of slope angles and subjected to four major 2023 typhoons. The [...] Read more.
Uncertainty and variability in soil properties strongly impact slope stability under extreme rainfall. This study applies a probabilistic hydro-mechanical slope stability assessment to unsaturated volcanic hillslopes in southern Guam, covering a range of slope angles and subjected to four major 2023 typhoons. The slope scenarios analyzed include bare slopes, vegetated slopes with root water uptake, and vetiver with both uptake and root reinforcement. Laboratory-derived variability in effective cohesion, friction angle, and unit weight was incorporated via Latin hypercube sampling. Gentler slopes (≤40°) remained stable with a probability of failure (PoF) = 0%. For steep slopes (45–60°), vetiver root reinforcement improved the mean factor of safety by up to 12–15% and reduced variability in outcomes to less than 2%. Probabilistic predictions advanced failure timing compared to deterministic estimates, with differences more pronounced on steeper slopes. By integrating soil variability and vegetation effects within probabilistic frameworks, this approach provides a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of tropical slope failure risks, thereby informing more effective and resilient slope management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Biochemical (THMBC) Characterization and Modelling of Unsaturated Soils)
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