The material point method (MPM) has been gaining increasing popularity as an appropriate approach to the solution of coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformation. In this paper, we survey the current state-of-the-art in the MPM simulation of hydro-mechanical behaviour in two-phase porous geomaterials. The review covers the recent advances and developments in the MPM and their extensions to capture the coupled hydro-mechanical problems involving large deformations. The focus of this review is aiming at providing a clear picture of what has or has not been developed or implemented for simulating two-phase coupled large deformation problems, which will provide some direct reference for both practitioners and researchers.@en

Because of the extreme terrain limitations and heavy traffic in congested urban areas, the supporting structures for deep excavations often undergo an asymmetric loading condition at two sides. This article reports the results of an investigation based on detailed numerical modeling of the supporting scheme and mechanical performance of a deep excavation of a metro station having different elevations at two sides. The two proposed types of design schemes for support and excavation were discussed and analyzed to evaluate the suitability of using regular or irregular supporting structures. The mechanical performance of the adopted supporting scheme was then evaluated using three-dimensional numerical analysis and verified via field observations. The results show that the irregular supporting structure functions satisfactorily when subjected to asymmetric loading, and it can also realize semicovered excavation in narrow and congested downtown areas to effectively solve the problem of traffic. The solution presented in this study can provide valuable references for the design of urban deep excavations with an asymmetric side elevation.@en