applied

sciences
Editorial
Trends and Prospects in Geotechnics
Paulo J. Venda Oliveira 1, * and António Alberto S. Correia 2, *

1 Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE),

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal
2 Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products Research Centre (CIEPQPF),
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Coimbra, 3030-790 Coimbra, Portugal
* Correspondence: pjvo@[Link] (P.J.V.O.); aalberto@[Link] (A.A.S.C.)

The Special Issue, titled “Trends and Prospects in Geotechnics”, was launched with an
invitation to authors from all over the world to address current and future challenges in
geotechnics. As is well known, the world is constantly changing, and so are geotechnics.
Advances in constitutive models, sustainable materials, biobased methods, nanotechnology,
energy, artificial intelligence, and climate change, among other topics, are examples of
the most recent advances, trends, and prospects in soil mechanics and geotechnical engi-
neering. Twenty-six manuscripts were submitted to this Special Issue, and twelve were
accepted for publication. Contributions were received from 13 countries (Australia, Brazil,
China, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden,
and Thailand), representing 4 continents (America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania), which
addressed some of these emerging topics, with a specific focus on the research, design,
construction, and performance of geotechnical works.
In the first paper, Sukmak et al. [1] study the effects of several types of cohesive-
frictional soil and geotextile reinforcement configurations on the bearing capacity via
laboratory tests and numerical simulation. Several factors were studied, which included
embedment depth of the top reinforcement layer, width of horizontal planar form of the





 reinforcement, spacing between geotextile reinforcement layers, and number of reinforce-
Citation: Oliveira, P.J.V.; Correia, ment layers. The outcome of this research provides a preliminary guideline in a design of
A.A.S. Trends and Prospects in reinforced soil foundation structures with different ground soils and other reinforced soil
Geotechnics. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 3347. foundation structures with different geosynthetic types.
[Link] In the second paper, Yan et al. [2] present a novel study that integrates the spatial
app12073347 time domain reflectometry technique, high precision tensiometer, and consistent outflow
Received: 16 March 2022
logging to investigate the dynamic response of moisture distribution, soil suction, and
Accepted: 24 March 2022
seepage flux during a transient drainage process. After performing experimental validation
Published: 25 March 2022
tests, the authors concluded that the spatial time domain reflectometry technique offers the
researcher a higher resolution of moisture distribution variation with time.
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
The third [3] and twelfth [4] papers deal with tailing dams. In the third paper,
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
Do et al. [3] investigate the effects of the pond filling rates on excess pore water pres-
published maps and institutional affil-
sure and the stability of an upstream tailings dam by a numerical study. The approach
iations.
presented in the paper can be a guide for dam owners to keep a sufficiently high pond
filling rate, while still ensuring the desirable stability of an upstream tailings dam. On
the other hand, in the twelfth paper, Consoli et al. [4] propose a new approach to deal
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
with the stability problems of tailing dams. In this work, a new approach is proposed for
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. tailings disposal: stacking compacted filtered ore tailings–Portland cement blends. The
This article is an open access article influence of compaction, as well as the amount of Portland cement, on strength and stiffness
distributed under the terms and properties was evaluated. Although there are parameters that require further studies (mois-
conditions of the Creative Commons ture content, sustainable binders, and confining pressure), the authors concluded that the
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// addition of a binder to the compacted filtered tailings reduces the volume of hydraulically
[Link]/licenses/by/ carried out sediments, thus allowing smaller sedimentation structures downstream of the
4.0/). disposal structure.

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 3347. [Link] [Link]

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 3347 2 of 3

The fourth [5] and ninth [6] papers are focussed on the study of machine learning
algorithms as a tool to accurately predict the geomechanical properties of rock or soils, thus
mimimizing the costs associated with the pre-design and design stages of geotechnical
structures. In the fourth paper, Ahmad et al. [5] investigate supervised machine learning
algorithms (support vector machine, random forest, AdaBoost, and k-nearest neighbour) to
predict the rockfill material shear strength. The performance of the supervised machine
learning models are assessed using statistical parameters. The SVM model results in
the best and highest performance algorithm, which suggests that this algorithm is more
robust in comparison with others in rockfill material shear strength prediction. On the
other hand, in the ninth paper, Tinoco et al. [6] study the performance of four machine
learning algorithms (artificial neural networks, support vector machines, random forest,
and multiple regression) to predict the unconfined compressive strength and the tensile
strength of soil–binder–water mixtures reinforced with short fibres. Exploring global
sensitivity analysis ensured a deeper understanding around the proposed algorithms. The
authors concluded that the proposed models were able to catch both mechanical properties
behaviour with a promising performance (R2 higher than 0.95), particularly those based on
artificial neural networks.
The fifth [7] and tenth [8] papers study the effects of applying nanomaterials to chemi-
cally stabilised soils, i.e., innovative materials with a promising future. In the fifth paper,
Takahashi et al. [7] studied the effects of using cellulose nanofibre (CNF) as an additive in
Portland cement in the treatment for soft soil. Authors have concluded that CNF can mix
the Portland cement evenly, hardly change the permeability, and reduce the variation in the
strength, while at the same time, promoting an increase in the initial age and a reduction in
the long-term strength development. In the tenth paper, Correia et al. [8] identify the key pa-
rameters in the chemical stabilization of soils with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT).
The characteristics of the surfactant (with an impact on MWCNT dispersion) and time (the
importance of MWCNT diminishes as the stabilized matrix becomes denser and stronger)
seem to be fundamental parameters which affect the geomechanical behaviour of the stabi-
lized soil enriched with MWCNTs. From the study, the authors concluded that MWCNTs
applied in a proper concentration and enriched with a specific surfactant type may be a
short-term valid alternative to the partial replacement of traditional additives.
The sixth [9] and eleventh [10] papers deal also with chemically stabilised soils, but
now focusing on durability, quality control, and quality assurance issues. In the sixth
paper, Ehwailat et al. [9] investigate the use of different materials (nano-magnesium oxide,
ground granulated blast furnace slag, and rice husk ash) in soil stabilization to prevent
ettringite formation (associated to volume increase), thus avoiding the deterioration of
civil engineering structures. The results proved the potential of the nano-magnesium
oxide-based binders (incorporating ground granulated blast-furnace slag and rice husk
ash) as effective soil stabilizers, showing them to be valid alternatives to traditional binders.
In the eleventh paper, Kitazume [10] studies the importance of quality control and quality
assurance (QC/QA)-related activities along the workflow of soil stabilisation projects.
Based on the Japanese experience/results with mechanical mixing technology by vertical
shaft mixing tools with horizontal rotating circular mixing blade, the current and recent
developments of QC/QA are presented, which demonstrates their importance to clients
and engineers.
In the seventh paper, Mendonça et al. [11] present an interesting study where a more
sustainable alternative (xanthan-like biopolymer) is proposed to replace the use of Portland
cement in soil stabilisation problems. The authors showed that a treatment with xanthan-
like biopolymers or with commercial xanthan gum can be used to replace the Portland
cement over the short term (curing time less than 14 days), although a greater level of
effectiveness is obtained with the use of the commercial xanthan gum, due to its higher
level of purity. The soil treatment with xanthan-like biopolymer creates a network of
fibres that link the soil particles, while the commercial xanthan gum fills the voids with a
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 3347 3 of 3

homogeneous paste. Although the results are promising, future studies are still needed to
ensure that this bio-material is fully safe.
In the eighth paper, Abdulhamid et al. [12] present a soil contaminated with crude
oil in order to reduce the level of soil pollution and then reuse it as a construction mate-
rial. The contaminated soil is chemically stabilised with two types of Portland cement.
The geomechanical properties of the contaminated and stabilised soil have shown that the
treatment with Portland cement is an effective remediation method for processing waste to
produce a safe, dry material acceptable for onsite application. Moreover, the remediation
of contaminated soil with crude oil can utilize Portland cement type II, resulting in a more
significant improvement compared to ordinary Portland cement.

Funding: This research received no external funding.

Acknowledgments: The Guest Editors finish by acknowledging all the authors who contributed
to this special issue, “Trends and Prospects in Geotechnics”. A special mention of thanks is also
addressed to the Applied Sciences/MDPI Editorial team for the invitation and for all the support
given during the production of this special issue.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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