Special Issue on Multiscale Failure Mechanisms, Intelligent Sensing, and Risk Control of Tunnels under Complex Geological Conditions

Introduction

Tunnel and underground engineering underpins transportation, hydropower, energy storage, municipal utilities, and urban underground development. As construction extends into deeper, water-rich and increasingly difficult environments — including weak and fractured surrounding ground, mixed strata, karst formations, fault-fracture zones and dense urban areas — tunnels face increasing risks of large deformation, collapse, rockburst, water and mud inrush, face instability, ground settlement, lining damage and long-term performance degradation. These challenges reflect geological uncertainty, multiscale geomaterial behaviour, excavation disturbance, seepage evolution and ground-support interaction.

To promote academic exchange and targeted technical development in this field, the journal will launch a themed special issue entitled Multiscale Failure Mechanisms, Intelligent Sensing, and Risk Control of Tunnels under Complex Geological Conditions. This special issue will bring together advances in failure mechanisms, intelligent sensing, data-physics fusion, experimental and numerical modelling, artificial intelligence based prediction and risk control, with the goal of improving tunnel safety and resilience.

Topics covered

• Multiscale failure mechanisms and large deformation of tunnels;
• Experimental micromechanics and grain-scale behaviour of soils and rocks;
• Laboratory testing, numerical modelling and excavation disturbance analysis;
• Water and mud inrush, collapse, rockburst and face instability;
• Intelligent sensing, monitoring, early warning and artificial intelligence based prediction;
• Support optimisation, risk control and life-cycle safety assessment.

Important deadlines

• Submission deadline: 31 December 2026
• Publication date: August-October 2027 or as per the journal's policy and plan of the EiC

Submission Instructions

Please read the Guide for Authors on the journal website before submitting. Submission website: https://www.editorialmanager.com/undsp/default.aspx  Please select the special issue "VSI: Tunnel Risk Control”

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Yanbin Luo, Chang'an University, China, Email: lyb@chd.edu.cn
• Prof. Liping Li, Shandong University, China, Email: liliping@sdu.edu.cn  
• Dr. Sai Sandeep Chitta, Michigan Technological University, United States, Email: schitta@mtu.edu  
• Prof. Shuying Wang, Shenzhen University, China, Email: swang24@szu.edu.cn
• Dr. Xuzhen He, University of Technology Sydney, Australia, Email: Xuzhen.He@uts.edu.au