ISSMGE Geoengineering Case Histories: 138,733 downloads and what it means for design
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on Geoengineer.org – News
30 Second Briefing
ISSMGE’s International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories recorded 138,733 paper downloads in 2025, an 18.32% increase on 2024’s 117,260, signalling growing use of detailed case records by practising geotechnical engineers. Open-access case histories on foundations, embankments, ground improvement and slope stability are increasingly being used for benchmarking designs, calibrating numerical models and validating observational methods. The trend points to stronger reliance on documented field performance data, construction records and back-analyses to refine design parameters and risk assessments.
Technical Brief
- ISSMGE International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories focuses exclusively on detailed, instrumented geoengineering case records.
- Case histories typically combine construction logs, monitoring data and back-analyses to document soil–structure interaction.
- Data sources include field performance records from foundations, embankments, ground improvement works, excavations and slopes worldwide.
- Research method is observational: measured behaviour is compared against design predictions and numerical models.
- Case records are structured to report stratigraphy, in situ and laboratory test results, and staged construction sequences.
- Design applications include parameter selection, model calibration and verification of limit-equilibrium or finite-element analyses.
- Scope is limited to documented case histories; no pure theory or laboratory-only studies are published.
- Macro implication: curated, peer-reviewed case databases are becoming de facto reference benchmarks for complex ground conditions.
Our Take
Within the 18 Geotechnical stories in our database, very few are journal-centric, so the ISSMGE International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories stands out as one of the main channels through which project and research case histories are being disseminated to practitioners.
An 18.32% year-on-year rise in downloads suggests that case-history style documentation is gaining traction relative to more theoretical work, which typically sees flatter usage patterns in our research-tagged coverage.
For practitioners, this level of engagement with the ISSMGE International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories implies that well-documented project case histories are likely to be rapidly picked up and cited in design justifications and method statements, especially in complex ground conditions where precedents are heavily relied upon.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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