Technical Committee 204: “Underground Construction in Soft Ground” of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) was first established as TC28 in 1989 to provide a forum for interchange of ideas and discussion amongst representatives from different countries with an active interest in tunnelling and deep excavations in the urban environment. In 1994, under the Chairmanship of Prof. Keiichi Fujita, TC28 organised its first symposium as a satellite event to the ISSMGE International Conference in New Delhi.

Underground metalliferous mining in Australia began in the mid-1840s at the copper and silver–lead mines in and around Kapunda and Burra in South Australia. Mining in the Victorian goldfields following the discovery of gold and the Gold Rush of 1851 was initially alluvial but soon evolved into the underground mining of deep leads and then quartz veins.

Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geotechnical engineering is important in civil engineering, but also has applications in military, mining, petroleum and other engineering disciplines that are concerned with construction occurring on the surface or within the ground.

Experimental investigation requires an appreciation for more than the individual test method. In order to perform the tests effectively, interpret the measurements properly, and understand the results, background information is required on a variety of general topics.