Aims and Scopes

The special issue "Unsaturated Soils: Advanced Experiment and Modelling – A special Issue for the 8th Asia-Pacific Conferences on Unsaturated Soils" aims to provide a comprehensive platform for disseminating the latest advancements in understanding, testing, and modelling unsaturated soils. This special issue intends to bridge the gap among experimental investigations, theoretical modelling and engineering applications to enhance our comprehension of unsaturated soil behaviour and its implications for geotechnical engineering, environmental sustainability, and energy applications.

 

This special issue, referred to as ‘AP-Unsat 2024’, will cover the following key themes.

 

Fundamental Unsaturated Soil Behavior

This special issue seeks contributions that delve into the fundamental aspects of unsaturated soils, including micro- and meso-structural characterization, water retention behavior, stress-strain responses, multi-physics couplings, monotonic and cyclic behavior, shrinkage, swelling, and desiccation cracking. Papers that explore these aspects from both experimental and theoretical perspectives are welcome.

 

Testing Methods and Equipment Development

Researchers are invited to share their advancements in testing methodologies and equipment designed for characterizing unsaturated soils. This section encompasses innovative testing techniques, equipment development, the design of sensors for measuring suction and moisture content, and in-situ/field testing strategies aimed at monitoring unsaturated soil behavior.

 

Modelling

This special issue aims to showcase contributions related to the constitutive modeling of unsaturated soils, numerical modeling and analysis techniques, multi-scale and multi-field modeling approaches, and the utilization of numerical simulations to unravel the complexities of unsaturated soil behavior and its interactions.

 

Geotechnical Engineering Problems

Papers in this category should focus on practical applications of understanding unsaturated soil behavior to address geotechnical engineering challenges. Case histories, studies related to slopes, landslides, foundations, pavements, pipelines, and geohazards linked with unsaturated soils are all relevant themes for this special issue.

 

Environmental Issues and Waste Management

This special issue also emphasizes the interaction of unsaturated soils with the environment. Contributions may include studies on soil-atmospheric interactions, the role of capillary barriers, waste management involving gas and leachate interactions, and innovative approaches for reusing waste in unsaturated conditions.

 

Renewable Energy and Carbon Neutrality

Research relevant to the intersection of unsaturated soils and renewable energy/carbon neutrality is encouraged. Topics such as nuclear waste disposal, gas hydrate and mining, and CO2 sequestration fall within the purview of this special issue.

 

Through the special issue ‘AP-Unsat 2024’, we aim to foster collaboration between researchers, engineers, and practitioners working in diverse fields, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of unsaturated soil behavior and its applications across geotechnical engineering, environmental sciences, and energy sustainability.

 

Instructions for Authors

Authors are invited to submit original research articles, review papers, and case studies related to the special issue's aims and scopes. All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure high-quality contributions and promote the advancement of knowledge in the field of unsaturated soils. Given that this special issue ‘AP-Unsat 2024’ is for the 8th Asia-Pacific Conferences on Unsaturated Soils (https://www.ap-unsat2024.com/) , it is only open for the registered participants of this conference. Conference registration ID is required to make a submission. 

 

The official website of this journal can be found at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-rock-mechanics-and-geotechnical-engineering.

 

Manuscripts can be submitted via the journal website, and please do not forget to select the special issue ‘AP-Unsat 2024’ and highlight your Conference registration ID when you do your submission.

 

 

Authors should follow the manuscript requirements of Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering:

https://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-rock-mechanics-and-geotechnical-engineering/1674-7755/guide-for-authors.

 

Guest Editors

Professor Annan Zhou (Geotechnical Engineering), PhD

ARC Future Fellow 

Manager, Higher Degree Research (HDR) for Civil & Infrastructure Engineering, 

School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University).

GPO BOX 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia

https://www.rmit.edu.au/contact/staff-contacts/academic-staff/z/zhou-annan

 

Professor Jayantha Kodikara, BSc (Eng), PhD, FIEAust, CPEng

Director, ARC Smart Pavements Hub

Department of Civil Engineering

Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia

http://users.monash.edu.au/~kodikara/index.html

 

Special Issue Timeline

Online submission open: Jan 15, 2024

Deadline for manuscript submission: Nov 15, 2024

Online publication of the last accepted article: Apr 15, 2025

Publication of the Special Collection: Aug 15, 2025