Open Access

REVIEW

Empowering Underground Utility Tunnel Operation and Maintenance with Data Intelligence: Risk Factors, Prospects, and Challenges

Jie Zou^1,2, Ping Wu^2,*, Jianwei Chen³, Weijie Fan², Yidong Xu²

1 School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, 400074, China
2 School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, NingboTech University, Ningbo, 315100, China
3 Ningbo Urban Construction Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Ningbo, 315012, China

* Corresponding Author: Ping Wu. Email:

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring 2025, 19(3), 441-471. https://doi.org/10.32604/sdhm.2024.058864

Received 23 September 2024; Accepted 11 November 2024; Issue published 03 April 2025

Abstract

As an essential part of the urban infrastructure, underground utility tunnels have a long service life, complex structural performance evolution and dynamic changes both inside and outside the tunnel. These combined factors result in a wide variety of disaster risks during the operation and maintenance phase, which make risk management and control particularly challenging. This work first reviews three common representative disaster factors during the operation and maintenance period: settlement, earthquakes, and explosions. It summarizes the causes of disasters, key technologies, and research methods. Then, it delves into the research on the intelligent operation and maintenance architecture for utility tunnels. Additionally, it explores the data challenges, monitoring technologies, and management platform architectures faced during the operation and maintenance process. This work provides new research perspectives for the long-term, healthy, and sustainable development of utility tunnels, which serve as the underground arteries of cities.

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Keywords

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