What is it about?
Soft soils present significant challenges to infrastructure development worldwide due to high compressibility, low shear strength and low permeability. Bibliometric analysis remains scarce in the soft soil management field, making it difficult to grasp global trends and contributions. This research addresses this gap by providing a novel and comprehensive bibliometric analysis of soft soil management literature to investigate the trend, opportunities and challenges. The analysis predominantly examines ground improvement methods based on 2,260 journal articles and proceeding papers from WOS core collection between 2013 and 2023 using CiteSpace. The analysis encompasses country distribution, authorship and cocited authors, cited journals, reference co-citations and identification of research hotspots and frontiers. Findings show a growing interest and increased research focus in soft soil management, with China emerging as a prominent contributor. Reference co-citation clustering analysis reveals two dominant research themes: ground improvement methods (geosynthetic-reinforced embankments and stone columns) and sustainable practices (reuse of waste materials). The emerging word analysis reveals an evolutionary trend from investigating innovative and sustainable techniques to shear strength and failure mechanisms. Recent studies focus on the use of vertical drains, deep mixing columns, chemical stabilization, and sustainable ground improvement strategies. Opportunities lie in sustainable ground improvement methods and novel sensing technologies. Key challenges include bearing capacity, settlement, and slope stability. The study highlights the need for more research into two other key areas such as geotechnical characterization and foundation design. Overall, this bibliometric review contributes to a more thorough understanding of soft soil management studies for researchers and practitioners.
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Why is it important?
This research is important as it addresses the significant challenges posed by soft soils in infrastructure development, focusing on ground improvement techniques, foundation design, and sustainable practices. Through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends from 2013 to 2023, the study reveals key contributors, dominant research themes, and evolving topics in soft soil management. It highlights opportunities for innovative and sustainable solutions, such as waste material reuse and novel foundation systems, while also identifying major challenges like settlement and slope stability. The findings offer valuable insights for researchers and practitioners aiming to improve geotechnical solutions.
Perspectives
The study of soft soil management is critical due to the challenges these soils pose for infrastructure development, including low bearing capacity and high settlement. Research in this field is evolving, focusing on ground improvement techniques, sustainable solutions, and foundation design. The bibliometric analysis of global research trends reveals China's dominance in publications, with authors like Horpibulsuk leading in productivity. Emerging topics include failure mechanisms, shear strength, and innovative solutions like waste material stabilization and novel sensing technologies for monitoring soil behavior. This research offers valuable insights for improving geotechnical practices and addressing key engineering challenges.
Dr Gobinath R
SR University, Warangal
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Global Research Trends in Soft Soil Management for Infrastructure Development: Opportunities and Challenges, IEEE Access, January 2024, Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE),
DOI: 10.1109/access.2024.3403720.
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