New Trends in Rock Materials Mechanics and Engineering Geology

Dear Colleagues,

Rock mechanics is a complicated science compared with solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, and physics. The research object of rock mechanics is various types of rock mass engineering, whose rock mass material properties are affected by a series of defects (fissures, cracks, pores, voids, faults, etc.). The scale region of these defects is above the mesoscopic and microscopic scales, and below the macroscopic scale, where it is difficult to find statistical laws. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the reasonable statistical scale of volume units when constructing the theoretical system of mechanics.

As an independent applied basic discipline, rock mechanics has the following basic elements: independent research object, independent service field, independent testing machine and method, independent constitutive or physical law, and independent theoretical system. Research from the direction of these elements has guided the science and engineering technology of various rock mass problems in the past, and future advances will still revolve around them.

Hence, the aim of this Topic is to publish original research and review articles on new trends in these directions including test instruments and methods, mechanical properties of rock and rock mass, the theoretical analysis of mechanics, numerical simulation and intelligent algorithms, engineering rock mass techniques, and prediction and prevention techniques for rock mass disaster.

Prof. Dr. Hang Lin
Prof. Dr. Yanlin Zhao
Prof. Dr. YiXian Wang
Dr. Yu Chen
Dr. Rihong Cao
Topic Editors