With the prominent economic progress and construction demand, exploitation, and utilization of deep underground space is becoming increasingly important. Many underground projects, have been built or scheduled, such as deep petroleum caverns, deep drainage tunnels, deep mines, deep powerhouses, etc.

Deep geotechnical engineering takes place in a special environment with high stress and complex thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) conditions. Therefore, geotechnical disasters such as rockburst, permeation/stress-induced collapse or large deformation, mining-induced earthquake, water inrush, fault slip, etc., have occurred frequently in recent years during deep rock engineering practice. These events have seriously endangered the safety of underground geotechnical engineering and the utilization of deep underground space. In order to mitigate the risk in deep engineering under the complicated multi-field coupling condition, there is an urgent need to increase understanding of the mechanisms of rockmass rupture, deformation, failure, fluid movement, and instability in deep rockmass engineering. New theories, methods and techniques related to the multi-field coupling model, numerical simulation method, test method, monitoring technology, early warning and control technology of disaster, will be extremely helpful for the construction safety of deep rock engineering.

This Special Issue encourages submissions that focus on the new theories, methods, and techniques of multi-field coupling and safety in deep rock engineering. Original research articles and review articles on early warning methods and risk mitigation technology for the safety of deep rockmass engineering are especially welcomed.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Fluid mechanics and multi-field coupling effect in deep rock engineering
• Multi-field coupling theory and simulation method for geomaterials
• Temporal and spatial coupling mechanical performance of hard rock and deep rock engineering
• Cracking, deformation, and failure mechanism of hard rock and deep engineering
• Risk warning, mitigation, and emergency management method and technology in deep engineering
• Lessons related to geotechnical disasters in deep engineering