The rapid advancement of modern megapolises has led to a dearth of surface space, and, in response, engineers have begun to trial substitutes below ground level. Shafts are generally used to provide temporary access and permanent work to the subsurface for tunnelling, as well as for lifts or ventilation purposes. In urban areas, one important design issue is the prediction of the excavation-induced displacements by open caisson shaft construction. Settlements and ground movements associated with open caisson shafts are influenced by the choice of construction method, soil composition, and excavation geometry. Compared with other geotechnical construction events, for instance, tunnelling, the literature relating to the ground deformations induced from open caisson shafts are comparatively limited. This review offers an evaluation of several case studies that utilize experimental and computational modeling techniques to provide clearer insights into earth pressure distribution and induced surface and subsurface soil displacements, as well as the associated ground deformations during open caisson shaft construction. The modeling test results are compared to the state of the practice ground deformation prediction theories and measured results from field monitoring data. Findings indicate that the lateral earth pressure distribution aligns closely with the theoretical predictions based on Terzaghi’s and Berezantzev’s models, and lateral earth pressure diminishes gradually until the onset of active wall displacement. Current modeling techniques generally fail to properly represent in situ stress states and large-scale complexities, emphasizing the need for hybrid approaches that combine physical and numerical methodologies. In future studies, modern approaches, including artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring (e.g., PINNs, ACPP), multi-field coupling models (e.g., THMC), and transparent soil testing, hold profound potential for real-time prediction, optimization, and visualization of soil deformation. Numerical–physical coupling tests will integrate theory and practice. Improving prediction reliability in complicated soil conditions such as composite and heterogenous strata using different modeling techniques is still unclear, and further investigation is therefore needed.

Cross-interchange metro stations formed by the orthogonal intersection of two station boxes with different numbers of stories present complex three-dimensional seismic response characteristics due to pronounced stiffness discontinuities and strong spatial coupling near the conjunction region. In engineering practice, induced joints are widely adopted in underground stations in soft soil to control the restraint-induced cracking. However, their seismic implications remain insufficiently understood, especially for cross-interchange stations. This study presents 1g shaking-table tests on a reduced-scale (1:25) soil-structure model of a cross-interchange metro station incorporating two induced joints placed at different distances from the cross-intersection. By comparing the dynamic response of the induced-joint station (IJS) with a baseline monolithic station (MS) under a comprehensive suite of sinusoidal, synthetic, and recorded earthquake motions, the seismic implications of induced joints on acceleration response, dynamic earth pressures, deformation modes, and internal force demands are systematically quantified. The results demonstrate that induced joints introduce spatially dependent acceleration amplification, with higher Fourier amplitude ratios (10–15%) at sections distant from the intersection due to kinematic release, while the strong three-dimensional confinement at the junction suppresses such effects. The joints trigger asymmetric depth-dependent earth pressure redistribution, with differential stiffness distributions across the joint. Regarding deformation, induced joints effectively mitigate global overturning and torsional coupling, but induce pronounced spatial non-uniformity in inter-story drift ratios, with drift concentrations at joint-adjacent sections. They homogenize and reduce column-end bending moments in upper stories near the intersection, yet show marginal reduction lower-story moments due to base-shear transfer. These findings reveal the dual-sided seismic role of induced joints and highlight the necessity of enhanced seismic detailing and flexible waterproofing measures at joint locations in long, multi-story cross-interchange stations.

Owing to the special configurations of the culvert–frame combined underground structure, discrepant responses at different portions of the structure arise when earthquakes strike in the longitudinal direction. This paper presents other experiments when shaking along the lateral direction and comparing structural dynamic responses between these two cases. Data on accelerations and culvert joint displacements were presented under a series of 1 g shaking tests, that is, five synthetic earthquake motions between white noise cases. Comparing the seismic responses of the culvert–frame structure under varying intensities of excitations gave findings that, with respect to longitudinal excitation, the acceleration responses of the model soil were increased under transverse excitations. For the model structure, the acceleration responses under longitudinal excitations were larger than those of transverse excitations. A significant difference in the displacement of the culvert joint was observed.