国総研ニューズレター

No.45

NILIM News Letter

Summer 2013

■ Durability evaluation of existing RC deck slabs
Road Department, Bridge and Structures Division

To prepare for the revision of the Periodic Inspection Manualfor Highway Bridges, durability tests were conducted using RC
deck slabs sampled from decommissioned bridges.
Periodic Inspection Manual for Highway Bridges (Draft)
was released in March 2004 by the National Highway andRisk Management Division, Road Bureau, Ministry of Land,Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is used for bridge
inspections on National Highways routes managed by the Ministry.
The periodic inspection manual directs that the bottom surfacesof RC deck slabs are visually inspected.
Damage ratings are given as a function of the number (or interval)
and width of cracks based on earlier laboratory tests.
However, our analysis of nationwide bridge inspection data
indicates that some deck slabs collapsed even though their cracks
did not expand very much.
Accordingly, an experimental study was conducted using deckplate specimens that were sampled from a decommissioned bridge.
The deck plate specimens were the same age and categorized
into the same damage rating in terms of crack intervals and widths,

but although a penetrated crack was observed in one specimen, nopenetrated cracks were found in the other specimen.
Wheel load test using a large-scale wheel loading machine wasconducted as shown in the photo on the right.
The result conﬁrmed that the rate of deterioration was very
sensitive to the existence of penetrated cracks in deck slab concreteand the present damage rating criteria may underestimate the degreeof damage to deck slabs.
Further investigation is also in progress to incorporate a better
criterion in the next revision of Periodic Inspection Manual.
Loading wheel to model
large vehicle travel

RC deck plate specimen sampledfrom a decommissioned bridge
Example of the collapse ofRC deck slabs

Wheel load test using a large-scale
wheel loading machine■ The Handbook for Historic Preservation
Road Department, Landscape and Ecology Division

The Handbook for Historic preservation, which presents
a method of developing an attractive community by taking
advantage of local historical assets, organizes concepts, important
approaches, and advanced examples, etc.
In 2008, the Act on Maintenance and Improvement of HistoricLandscapes in Communities (Historic Preservation Act) wasenacted, introducing a system in which the MLITT and the Agency
for Cultural Affairs jointly support municipalities using their local
historical assets to perform community development.
Certiﬁcation under the law can only be obtained by municipalities
with a building designated by the national government, but HistoricPreservation intended to improve the attractiveness of a region
considers a variety of efforts for each district; not only policies andprojects based on a certiﬁed plan. And some regional governments
have, through their ongoing efforts to preserve and use culturalproperties, earned designation of a local historical building as animportant cultural asset of Japan, and even obtained a plan certiﬁcation.
So this division has prepared the Handbook for HistoricPreservation (Draft) in order to provide opportunities for action andinformation about concrete methods to many regions undertaking orplanning historic preservation activities.

StreetConserving the Streetscapein Shukuba-machi Town
(Kameyama City, Sekijuku Important
Historic Buildings Preservation District)

Masugata

Shukuba-machi
Canal/bridge

Tradesmanʼs house

Shrine/Temple

Streetscape

Daimyo Inn
Secondary
Daimyo Inn
StreetBranching roads

StreetIndication of the boundary between
pedestrians and cars using naturalstone in harmony with the streetscapeFigure: Example of the historical assets, structure, of a city
originating in Shukuba-machi, and a specific method ofhistorical preservation

Details * Web site of the Landscape and Ecology Division
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/ddg/naiyo/rekimachi.html

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■ Liquefaction Countermeasure by the Grid-form Underground Wall for Reclaimed Housing Areas
Urban Planning Department, Urban Planning Division

To provide applicable re-liquefaction countermeasures forhousing areas damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake,
NILIM performed experiments to test the grid-form undergroundwall method.
Soil liquefaction countermeasures are usually taken on vacantland without buildings, but there has been no applicable methodthat can be implemented in residential districts already occupied bydetached houses. However, since the Great East Japan Earthquake,
urgent technical research to develop a practical method has beenrequired. The research revealed two countermeasure methods: theground water level reduction method and the grid-form undergroundwall method. Of these, the latter method is counted on to be used onreclaimed land around Tokyo Bay, where there is a lower clay layer
at high risk of consolidation settlement. But it has never been applied
to detached housing land so there is little technical information that
local governments or residents can use as a reference to ﬁnd out
how to apply it and how effective it will be.
NILIM developed a software program for the simple evaluationof the effectiveness of the grid-form underground wall method, andplaced it on its web site as a free download in January 2013, in order
to allow local governments as well as residents to judge whether
the countermeasure can be effective or not by inputting the proper
test data for soil conditions at the site. Then, NILIM performed
seismic experiments followed by the preparation of a ground modelthat can simulate ground conditions in reclaimed land along Tokyo
Bay using a centrifugal device by varying conditions such as theintervals between the underground walls. The results have shownthat if the grid size of an underground wall encloses a lot of about
50 tsubo (165 sq. meters), it can be counted on to mitigate damage
caused by earthquake motion equal to that of the Great East Japan
Earthquake, and that if this is combined with an embankment of
about 1m or with ground water level reduction, it appears sure tomitigate liquefaction to a great degree.
The ﬁgure below shows the results of the seismic test with andwithout the countermeasure, with the red part indicating liquefaction.
It is possible to view an animation of liquefaction on our web site.

(Top) without
countermeasure(Bottom)
grid-formunderground wall
method executed
Excess pore water pressure ratio contour
figure obtained by the test

Details * NILIM web site (Disaster Prevention for Housing Land page)
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/jbg/takuti/takuti.html■ Research Partnership with Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS)
Urban Planning Department, Urban Planning Division

KRIHS (Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements) andNILIM held joint workshops on current urban policies based on
the Research Cooperation Memorandum which was signed lastyear. In March 2013, the two institutes held a joint inspectionof the new city of Sejong where the relocation of government
ministries has begun.
The Korean Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS)
is a national research institute with 300 personnel established by
the Government of Korea for the purpose of contributing to theimprovement of the quality of life of the Korean people and tobalanced development of the national land.
Recently, most of the problems which cities face in Korea, as anindustrialized country, are shared with Japan. On the other hand,policies implemented to deal with the problems sometimes differ,and it is correct to say that Japan and Korea are two countries which
can learn most from each other.
In November 2012, the NILIM and KRIHS signed the Research
Cooperation Memorandum to promote research exchanges,
especially those related to urban issues.
Korea is constructing a brand-new city named Sejong as anational government center about 160km south of Seoul. At the2Signing of the Research Cooperation Memorandum (November 2012)end of last year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and other ministries had
already moved their ofﬁces to the city and had begun operations.
In March of this year, researchers from NILIM and KRIHS took
part in a joint inspection of the city. Japan also discussed a potential
Capital relocation project during the 1990s, but it was not done.
However, Korea has actually done it, which is of interest to Japan asa real trial of its own incomplete project.

■ Japan-Vietnam Joint Seminar on Development of Technical Standards for Port Facilities
Administrative Coordination Department, Planning and Coordination Division
Port and Harbor Department, Port Facilities Division

The National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
held the Japan-Vietnam Joint Seminar on Development ofTechnical Standards for Port Facilities to promote joint projects toreestablish port and harbor standards for Vietnam jointly with thePorts and Harbours Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism and the Science and Technology
Department of the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam.
The NILIM held the Japan – Vietnam Joint Seminar on theEnactment of Port and Harbour Standards for Vietnam with thebacking of the Ports and Harbours Bureau of the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Science andTechnology Department of the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam
at the Yokohama International Center of the Japan International
Cooperation Agency on July 22. The event was held under the joint
sponsorship of the Port and Airport Research Institute, Japan Societyof Civil Engineers, Service Center of Port Engineering (SCOPE),
the Overseas Coastal Area Development Institute (OCDI), and theJapan Overseas Ports Cooperation Agency (JOPCA) and with thebacking of the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA).
At this seminar, representatives of Japan and Vietnam gave
11 presentations including Outline and Characteristics of Port
Standards in Japan by Kiyomiya Osamu (professor at Waseda

University) to an audience of about 120 people, which was morethan originally expected.
Each presentation was followed by many questions and bylively discussions which continued long than planned. Academicexperts and representatives of domestic companies who attended
gave valuable opinions concerning the project, ensuring that theevent gained important results that will contribute to the project toestablish national port and harbor standards for Vietnam.

View of the Seminar

Details* http://www.ysk.nilim.go.jp/oshirase/press-releaseh250806_1.pdf■ Conducting Showcase Demonstrations at the 20th ITS World Congress Tokyo 2013
Research Center for Advanced Information Technology, Intelligent Transport Systems Division

The EMV payment service using an automobile trafﬁcsmoothing service at sag sections on expressways in cooperation
with ITS Spots and a mobile network will be showcased throughdemonstrations at the 20th ITS World Congress Tokyo 2013.
The Intelligent Transport Systems Division will present “GS ITS
Spot Services (I2V)”, “GS Smartway with ACC/CACC (I2V, V2V)”
and “GS Mobile and ITS Spot cooperative services (I2V)” as part ofthe ITS Green Safety Showcase (GS) scheduled for the 20th ITS World
Congress Tokyo 2013, that will be held from October 14 to 18, 2013.
In “GS ITS Spot Services (I2V)”, the EMV payment service usingautomobiles (a service in which credit card payment is conductedusing ITS Spot communication), developed through public-private

joint research from FY2009 to FY2012, will be demonstrated.
Participants will experience simulated payment of parking fees
using credit cards in an actual parking lot.
In “GS Smartway with ACC/CACC (I2V, V2V)”, the trafﬁcsmoothing service at sag sections, where the road slope changes
gradually to a rising slope, will be demonstrated. Participants will
experience a service that optimizes the gap between vehicles incooperation with ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control: technology thatmaintains constant speed and gap between vehicles) and ITS Spots,and experience smooth platooning with the cooperation of CACC
(Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control: technology which control
gap between vehicles using vehicle-to-vehicle communication in
addition to ACC) and ITS Spots.
Traffic information
Stampcollection rally

Road signage
information

View of a test of EMV payment using
automobile

Image of “GS Smartway with ACC/CACC(I2V, V2V)”

Roadsideinformation

Traffic information

Wide area road traffic
information

Emergency
announcement

Image of “GS Mobile and ITS Spotcooperative services (I2V)”

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In “GS Mobile and ITS Spot cooperative services (I2V)”, theinformation provision service that links ITS Spots with smartphones
will be demonstrated as a part of Cooperative ITS. Cooperative
ITS is a service in which the collaboration and complement of
infrastructure-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-vehiclecommunication to enable a variety of ITS service applications,which has been developed by public-private joint research
conducted since FY2012. Participants will experience a service

that displays information provided through ITS Spots and a mobilenetwork on smartphones on metropolitan expressways.

Details* 20th ITS World Congress Tokyo 2013 web site
http://www.itsworldcongress.jp/index.html* NILIM mail service No.145
http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bcg/mailmag/pdf/ml145.pdf● Schedule of Principal Events
Scheduled Dates

Event Name

October 14-18

20th ITS World Congress Tokyo 2013 http://www.itsworldcongress.jp/index.html

November 16

Open House (Public Works Day)

December 3

2013 Conference of the National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management● Publication (research achievements) < May-July 2013>
Download from here * http://www.nilim.go.jp/lab/bcg/siryou/index.htm

PROJECT RESEARCH REPORT of NILIM
No.

Title of Paper

Project Leaders

40

Research on Integrated Environmental Planning and Management Systems for Coastal
Area

Director of Coastal and Marine
Department

TECHNICAL NOTE of NILIM
No.

Title of Paper

Names of Divisions

715 Spatial distribution of sediments by chemical composition and particle-size distributionin Tokyo Bay

Marine Environment Division

716 Basic Analysis on Energy-saving Domestic Marine Unit Load Transportation

Port Systems Division

717 Damaged Breakwaters by Wave Action(Part-5)

Port Facilities Division

718 A Study on the Back-up Airport in the Early Stage of Tsunami Disaster

Research Coordinator for
Advanced Airport Technology719 Scenario Analysis of Domestic Aviation Markets in Japan
Subject to Multiple Airports Region
Based on the Supply-demand Equilibrium Model

Airport Planning Division● We provide you with research information.
・2013 Annual Report of NILIM
This web site introduces NILIM activities throughout the year, including research activities and achievements,
future initiatives, etc.
Go to this web site: * http://www.nilim.go.jp/english/annual/annual2013/ar2013e.html

National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Asahi 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0804, Japan(Tachihara) Tachihara 1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0802, Japan(Yokosuka) Nagase 3-1-1, Yokosuka, Kanagawa, 239-0826, Japan
Summer 2013
TEL:+81-29-864-2754 FAX:+81-29-864-4322
http://www.nilim.go.jp/english/eindex.htm
Edited and Published by National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management

No.45

国 総 研 ニ ューズ レ ター

NILIM News Letter