ANNUALREPORT
2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteForeword
Norimichi KUMAGAI
President
I took up my post as President of the Railway
Technical Research Institute (RTRI) on June 13,
2013. I am well aware that each railway operator is
now tackling various projects aimed at coping withlarge-scale natural disasters which could happen in
the future. I feel all the more apprehensive in starting
to bear this responsibility as the President of RTRI at atime when technical development is required in evengreater measure in order to enhance the performanceof railways even further. I am aiming at promoting
innovation in railway technologies while affirming theguidelines which former President Hisashi Tarumi
formulated in his quest to build up a “robust researchcompany” in RTRI.
The prospectus of RTRI clearly states that theInstitute should “challenge innovation in railway
technology, from fundamental to applied research.”Here, I will introduce our roles based on this rationale,with a focus on the following three points. The first one
is to promote research and development in a dynamic
way so as to contribute to the development of society
and to the improvement of railway operations byproviding service and support to railway operators.
“In a dynamic way” means being innovative while
following the changes of our times and especially
meeting the various needs of our society. We aregoing to tackle our research and development
by setting a higher goal. Second, as a neutral
organization responsible for railway technologies,
we will respond to the confidence that society placesin us. We shall do this by investigating the causesof accidents and disasters, by proposing measures
to prevent accidents happening, by supporting
the development of railway technology standards,
by providing consultancy services, by delivering
information, and by implementing other measures ina rigorous way. Our third role is to engage in activities
for enhancing railway technology on a worldwide scale
while taking advantage of collaborative research orother opportunities with research institutes in othercountries.

Annual Report 2012-2013

We have set the following priority subjects for our
research and development, and we are going to tackle
them in a strategic manner. First, we have to cope with“issues related to enhanced management of railway
safety.” Our goal is to bring about a railway system
which can better withstand large-scale earthquakes,
high winds, storms with heavy rainfall, and other natural
disasters without accidents happening. Second, we
have to cope with “issues related to energy savingof a railway system.” We shall direct our researchat further enhancing energy efficiency, including
development of a power transmission method which
utilizes superconducting technology and a railway
vehicle with batteries for energy storage. Thirdly, we
have to cope with “issues concerning cost reduction
in maintenance and replacement of facilities.” We aregoing to propose a method of achieving improvements
at low cost, targeting the reinforcement of groundfacilities and structures which show deterioration
because of their age so as to use them for a longer
period of time. Fourthly, we have to cope with the“challenge of increasing the speed of trains.” We aregoing to support a technical development project
aimed at running in commercial service at 360 km/h
on Shinkansen lines, while satisfying both the goals of
assuring safety and protecting the environment along
railway lines, including noise reduction.
In addressing these challenges, I want to emphasize
the basic key concepts for research activities at RTRI:“confidence” and “quality.” We will keep our mindset
tuned to provide highly reliable and high-quality
solutions in return for the confidence placed in us byclients who use our research results or who ask for our
consultancy services. Furthermore, taking advantage
of our collective strength, namely human resources,
test facilities, and accumulated data and knowhow,
all the executives and regular staff of RTRI are goingto spare no effort so as to present outcomes of study
that are intended to be helpful for the railway business.
Finally, I sincerely ask for advice and guidance fromall of you who take an interest in our research workin RTRI.

1

Overview

Contents

Organization

2 Overview
6

Medium and Long Term Master Plan
– RESEARCH 2010 –Board of Directors

Board of Trustees

Auditors

Results of Research and
10 Major
Development

30 Outline of Activities FY 2012
34
40
41

International Activities

Newly Introduced and Remodeled
Machines/Facilities

Appendix

Board Members
Position

Name

Chairman

Eisuke MASADA

President

Norimichi KUMAGAI

Vice President

Atsushi ICHIKAWA

Vice President

Kiyoshi SAWAI

Executive Director

Atsushi KAWAI

Executive Director

Hideyuki TAKAI

Executive Director

Fuminao OKUMURA

Executive Director

Makoto NOJIMA

Executive Director

Takashi SAWAMOTO

Executive Director

Yutaka OSADA

Executive Director

Norihiko YOSHIE

Executive Director

Tsuguhiro NISHIMAKI

Executive Director

Toshihiko AOYAGIExecutive Director

Toji HAYASE

Executive Director

Yoshihiro SUDA

Executive Director

Mami AOKIExecutive Director

Kazuaki KANASUGIAuditor

Mitsutoshi INAMI

AuditorHidenori FUJII

AuditorYataro KIGUCHI(As of June 13, 2013)2

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute

Vice
Presidents

ChairmanPlanning Division

Vehicle Structure
Technology Division

Compliance Division

Vehicle Control
Technology Division

President
Structures
Technology Division
Executive
Directors

Trustees
Name
Hirohiko KAKINUMA

Administration Division
Miyazaki Test
Center

Accounting Division

Track
Technology Division

Information
Management Division

Disaster Prevention
Technology Division

Health Insurance
Systems Center

Tetsuro TOMITA
Tsugio SEKIJI
Yoshiomi YAMADA
Tsutomu MORIMURA
Seiji MANABE
Akiyoshi YAMAMOTO
Masafumi IZUMIKoji KARAIKEInternational Affairs
Division
Research &Development
Promotion Division
Wind Tunnel
Technical Center

Shuji TAMURA
Sadao IWATA
Jun SAWADA

Marketing & Business
Development Division

Hisashi UMEZAKI
Gentaro YOSHINO
Masao MUKAIDONOPower Supply
Technology Division

Signalling &Transport Information
Technology Division
Materials
Technology Division

Railway Dynamics
Division

Environmental
Engineering Division

Railway Technology
Promotion Center

Human Science
Division

Railway International
Standards Center

Maglev Systems
Technology Division

Hiroki ISHIKAWA
Toshio KOBAYASHI
Masahiro KAKUMU
Toshikazu KENJU
Tsuneo ISHIWATA(As of June 13, 2013)

Annual Report 2012-2013

Yamanashi
Maglev
Test Center(As of June 13, 2013)3

Overview

Income and Expenditure in FY 2012

Repayment of debt
from Development
Bank of Japan
3.44

IncomeTotal
17.44
billion yen
Contribution from
JR companies
12.96

Human Resources
Number of employees

531

Number of PhD Degree holders

171(As of April 1, 2012)

Number of On-Going Projects
Numbers of Themes
R&D for the future railways

62

R&D for practical technologies

109

Basic research for railways

111

282
(As of April 1, 2012)

4

Expenditure
Total
17.24
billion yen

Other projects
1.4

Contract-based projects
2.24

Objectives and Mainstays of
R&D in Activities

Improvement of safety
Harmony with the environment

Standards and surveys
Total

R & D projects
7.88

Basic researches for railways

Contract-based
projects
2.61

Miscellaneous
2.25

Developmentof practical technologies

Miscellaneous
1.33

R&D for the future of railways

Government
subsidies
0.52

Cost reducon
Improvement of convenience

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteRelationship with Organizations in the Research Fields

R&D for the Future of Railways
Sustainability andDevelopment ofRailway Networks
Improvement off
convenience

Safety and Reliabilityof Railway System
IImprovementof safety

Construction ofRailway Simulators

Innovation of
Maintenance
Cost reduction

Annual Report 2012-2013

High-efficiency
Energy Utilization
Harmony withthe environment5Medium and Long Term
Master Plan – RESEARCH 2010 –The master plan, RESEARCH 2010 was
produced to describe research and development
required for five years beginning in FY 2010 toeffectively push ahead with activities to fulfill ourcommitment within various circles as a research
institute capable of integrating many railway
technologies. The plan is directed towards
the sustainable development of railways,
while considering progress in research anddevelopment in the past and changes in thecircumstances surrounding the railway industry
that have occurred in recent years.

1

Evaluation and measuresof car inside-comfort– RESEARC

Vertical camper
Body-end yaw damper

Tilting damper

Axle damper

Lateral damper● Techniques to improve vibration ride comfort● Techniques to reduce noise inside cars
● Techniques to evaluate comfort inside cars

Smoothing movement at traffic nodes

Sustainabili
Developme
Railway Net

 Basic Policies and Objectives

In preparing this plan, we adopted basic
policies on its content in view of the circumstances
surrounding RTRI and railways in Japan as a whole.
Regarding the management environment of JR
companies, changes in their financial contribution
and other movements outside the organization, we
set the term of the plan at five years from FY 2010 to2014, to account for the fact that it will take a certain
length of time to carry through the “research anddevelopment for the future of railways” as referred
to later, though it is difficult to correctly predict thetrend in long-term future needs.
For RTRI having responsibility to society asa public-interest corporation, it is importantto effectively perform its commitment to JRcompanies and other stakeholders throughpublicly disseminating research results to support
railway business in the future. To this end, we shallmake efforts to freshen up the targets of researchand development set in the past, such as the
improvement of safety and reliability, developmentof solutions to environmental problems on a global
scale, achievement of harmony with the waysideenvironment, decrease system costs and the6● Techniques to evalu
preventive measures● Noise/ground vibrati● Smoothing the movement at and around stations● Diversified techniques to evaluate train operation● Techniques to evaluate freight traffic
Establishment/evaluationof an environment for seamless movement

New technology to monitor andmaintain equipment conditions

Innovatio
Maintena● Technologies tomonitor/maintain equipment
conditions● Basic technologies tomonitor equipment conditions
Proposal ofequipment condition
monitoring systems

Innovation of the structure renewal technologies
Reinforcing anchor

Floor plate

Turbulea structu
complic

Deteriorated bridge
Technologies to renew deteriorated
bridges on revenue service lines
Renewal technologies for bridges, viaducts as well as
underground and ground level stations

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteImprovement of safety against
derailment/collision

ARCH2010 – Future-Oriented Challenges(Fiscal Years 2010 – 2014)

Evaluation/measures
to preserve waysideenvironment for highspeed operation

Safety and reliability withintelligent trains

Simulation to predictground vibrations

Slope disaster

Derailment-proof truck

Safety against meteorological disasters

Crossing

On board
car sensing

Safety of workers on the track

to evaluate aerodynamic noise/measuresnd vibration preventive materials

Construction of advanced,
independent train safety control
systems

ability andopment ofy Networks

Safety and Reliabilityof Railway System

vation oftenance

High-efficiency
Energy Utilization

Construction ofRailway Simulators

Analysis of car bodydeformation behavior● Simulation of local
meteorologicalconditions● Techniques toevaluate hazards● Technologies ofdisaster/hazard
mapping

Hazard map

Real-time hazard mapping

Safety against earthquakes● System to predictlarge-scale earthquakes● Evaluation of thesafety of rolling stockrunning during
earthquakes● Earthquake-proof
technologies/measures

Image of the predictionof earthquake movements

Position of fault

Reduction of car energy consumption

Design/developmentof a railway simulator core system

Rotor of induction motorCore Windingձ Car, track and train-set models
ղ Simulation of phenomena between
structure and wheel
ճ Prototype virtual railway test trackմ Integrated air flow and aerodynamic
noise simulator
յ Contact wire/pantograph simulator

Nano-technology
metallic material

Resin

Conductor

New structure

Low loss Rotator

Lightweight cars made of new materials
High-efficiency car components
Decreases in car aerodynamic resistance
Simulator to evaluate energy consumption

Virtual railway test track

New power supply system

Pantograph
Turbulence arounda structure ofcomplicated profile

Track model
Car model
Analysis of three-dimensional
dynamic interaction
Truck

Annual Report 2012-2013

Superconducting cable● Application of superconducting
technologies● Use of semiconducting elementsof low loss
● Utilization of natural energy
Simulator of power consumption in train operation
Evaluation of train operation diagrams reflecting
the constraint in power supply

7

Medium and Long Term Master Plan - RESEARCH 2010 -pursuit of comfort and convenience of passengers.
As a new research challenge, we shall also aim
at improving our simulation technology and try to
expand our core competencies. We shall also review
the organization for research and development
needs and capabilities at all times to respond to thechanges in the internal and external circumstancesand make efforts to enhance the efficiency of ouractivities based on financial situations.
As development needs in the future are quite
uncertain in different countries, we will review thisplan regularly to take into account changes insocial and economic conditions in the world.
As a guideline for carrying out research anddevelopment aimed at achieving safe and assured,

highly reliable railways, with low environmental
impacts and featuring low-costs and high-level
convenience for customers, we set forth thefollowing as the basic objectives of RTRI activities.
(1) Creation of new technologies aimed atsustainable development of railways(2) Quick and correct response to meet customer
needs(3) Timely transmission and dissemination ofresearch results(4) Continued pursuit of railway technologies andaccumulation of basic technological knowledge(5) Effective use of this knowledge within thecommunity of railway engineers2 Project Activities

2.1

Research and Development(1) Promotion of Research and Development(a) Targets of research and development
Amid the increasingly severe surroundings,
we set the following four items as the “targets ofresearch and development,” in consideration of theserious accidents/disasters and difficult economic
circumstances in recent years, based principallyon the targets of research and development in thepast.
We further aim at achieving:• Increased level of safety• Harmony with the environment• Low-cost railways• Improved convenience for customers(b) Poles of research and development
Recognizing that we have limited resources, toeffectively carry out research and development,
we set the following three items as the “cornerstones of research and development,” with efforts
concentrated in particular on the enhancement of
the simulation technology for all the three:8• Research and development for the future ofrailways• Development of practical technologies• Basic research for railways(2) Research and Development for the Futureof Railways
In the field of research and development for the
future of railways, we undertake basic research tobetter understand phenomena and to constructtools from which a “game-changing” breakthroughis expected for research and development. We
also carry out research oriented to technologicaldevelopment having a far-reaching effect after
commercialization.
(3) Development of Practical Technologies
We are pushing ahead with the development ofpractical technologies in the following areas:• Technological development specified by the seven
JR companies (six under-taking passenger transport
services and one devoted to freight transport)• Contract-based research and development• Development of practical technologies performed
based on our own initiatives

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute(4) Basic Research for Railways
We believe the basic research for railways willlead to practical technologies, which are essential
to solve various railway-related problems, and/or
will lead to further work which we might define as“analytical research projects“ and “those to explore
further research.”(5) Others(a) Transmission of information
We will positively collect, store and transmit
information on railway technologies in Japan andabroad and present the results of these research/development activities in a timely manner.
(b) International activities
We will positively participate in various
international conferences, make efforts to continue
to exchange information on railway technologies
with overseas researchers, and send staff abroad
to survey the status of the railways and technologies
in foreign countries. We will also push ahead with

Annual Report 2012-2013

joint research projects, exchange researchers,
strengthen the cooperative relations with overseas
universities and research institutes and enrich theinformation transmitted to other countries.
(c) Railway Technology Promotion Center
Having a bird’s eye view over the railway industry
as a whole, the Railway Technology Promotion
Center will assess the technological needs
common to all its member railway companies
and solve their problems so that they can correctly
respond to the expectation of society.
(d) Railway International Standards Center
The Railway International Standards Center
will integrate the discussions on wide-ranging
international standards on railways, thereby
contributing to railway companies as a whole,while positioning the discussions on the strategy
of international standardization, reviews ofinternational standards and collection/transmissionof the information received.

9

Major Results of
Research and Development
In FY 2012, we pushed ahead with research and development projects on 282 themes andcompleted 115 projects. Major results of the research and development are shown below.

IMPROVEMENT OF SAFETY
Estimation method for damage occurrence probability ofvehicle derailment on structures during seismicity• An analysis method was developed to effectively examine train-running safety on a structure group of
an entire railway line during seismicity.
• This method can be used to evaluate the influence of various parameters, such as vehicle speed,
structure characteristics and countermeasure technique on the damage occurrence probability.

Tunnel model

Embankment model

Pseudoboundary
Supercomputer

Finite element section1
PseudoboundaryCPU

Viaduct model

CPU

Pseudoboundary

Analysis section
Pseudoboundary

Finite element section2
CPU

CPU

CPU

Parallel processing throughmultiple CPUs
Statistical processing of result from parallel analytical processing

Damage occurrence
probability of derailment

XXOutline of analysis method

1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0

Over-road bridge
G3 groundG4 ground

0 1

G2 ground

Viadu
c

t
Tunne
2 3
l Viad4 5
uct Tu
6 7
nnel
Emban
8 9
kment
10 11
Viadu
12 13
ct
14 15
Distance (km)
16 17
18 19

Damageoccurrence
probability
0.9 - 1.0
0.8 - 0.9
0.7 - 0.8
0.6 - 0.7
0.5 - 0.6
0.4 - 0.5
0.3 - 0.4
0.2 - 0.3
0.1 - 0.2
0.0 - 0.1
4.42

0

2.21
Input peak baseacceleration (m/s2)

XXExample of analytical result for model section

10

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteMethod for evaluating structural safety considering residual
resistance during a major earthquake• An analysis method wasdeveloped which makes
it possible to evaluate thebehavior of major deformation
areas for structures as a whole
or individual components.
• A proposal was made for apractical safety assessment
method which could beapplied for both main shock
and aftershocks of a major
earthquake.

Meshingfrom section
coordinates

Peeling of cover concreteStressCore concrete

Sum total
or element
rigidity
attributed

Cover concrete
StrainPulling out of rebars

Buckling of rebars

StressStress Yield
Traction

Traction
StrainCompression

StrainCompression

Buckling

XXFiber model conceptImprovement of P-wave detection in earthquake early warning
system• Efficiency in detecting P-waves
recorded during the 2011 off thepacific coast of Tohoku earthquake
was raised from 26% to 44%.
• This allows faster estimation ofearthquake magnitude, which in turncontributes to the goal of cutting thetime before warnings are issued.
• Use of optimised parameters should
improve the overall functionality of theearthquake early warning system.

ձ

Tohoku off the pacific coast-seismic waves(2second data, within 250km of epicenter)P-wave detection rate
Seismic wave with instrumental seismic
intensity of over 3.5 (2second data)
P-wave detection rate

Traditional Proposedparameter parameter(αn=0.9998, (αn=0.9999,
αu=0.96)αu=0.98)

Noise wave (1second data) rejection rate

26%

44%

74%

80%

98%

95%

XXChanges in detection function after altering parameters

Amplitude level (amplitude short time period average)UD2(s)=(1−αu)×ud(s)+αu×UD2(s−1)

UD2:Amplitude level, ud:Vertical acceleration, s:Sample, αu:Smoothing coefficient

Trigger level (constant factor of noise level)ղDetecting level (constant factor of noise level)
Noise level (amplitude long time period average)
NL(s)=(1−αn)×ud(s)+αn×NL(s−1)

NL:Noise level, ud:Vertical acceleration, s:Sample, αn:Smoothing coefficientձ When the amplitude level exceeds the trigger level, P-wave detection processing begins
ղ The P-wave is measured atpoint 2 when the amplitude level falls below the detecting level, going back in time from point 1.
XXP-wave detection method

Annual Report 2012-201311

Major Results of Research and Development

Method for evaluating the danger of rainfall induced slope
failure using topographical data
20

Mountain stream
volume of flow

8

Period during which
there is high risk ofdebris flow
15
Slope failure
risk index
10

6
4

5

2
0

Volume of mountainstream flow (m3/min)

Sloped area generating runoff
Stream (object of calculation)

10

Percentage of slopes withhigh failure risk (%)• A method was developed for evaluating the dangerof rainfall induced landslides or embankment
collapse using 3-D topographical data.
• This evaluation can be applied to pinpoint
vulnerable slopes according to precipitation levels.

0

10

20

30

40

50

0
60

Analysed period (hours)
XXExample of failure risk of the slope adjoining the stream
and calculated stream volume of flow

Embankment (object of calculation)
XXMountain stream and embankment forming object of thecalculation

1.2

1.4

Stability

1.0

1.2
1.0

0.8

0.8

Period during which
there is a high risk 0.6
of failure of
0.4
the embankment

0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0

Runoff volume
10

20

30

40

50

0.2

Volume of flow toembankment (m3)track

Stability of embankment

Point at which
volume iscalculated

0.060

Analysed period (hours)
XXExample of calculated staibility level and runoff volume
onto embankment

Archives for ground and structural data and tool for automatic
analytical modeling• Archives for subsurface groundand railway structure information
were developed, whose data areassociated with their latitude/
longitude and railway kilometer
points.
• A tool was then developed which
can automatically produce analyticalmodels for simple earthquake
disaster simulation of a whole linewith limited data about ground/structures.
XXGeological profile of earth quality, through GIS interface

12

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteSimple method for estimating snowmelt runoff volume
beneath snow packSnowpack surface runoff volume
estimated value
Snowmelt runoff volume under
the snowpack estimated value
Snowmelt runoff volume under
the snowpack measured value

8

Time lag6
42

Snowmelt runoff volume under thesnowpack estimated value (mm/h)

Snowmelt runoff volume under
the snowpack (mm/h)• A simple method has been developed to determine the volume of melting snow on the snowpacksurface from commonly available meteorological data. This method is required for assessing risk of
total layer avalanches.
• By taking into account the infiltration process of water from melting snow into the snow layers, it wasdemonstrated that this method can reproduce runoff volume over time flowing beneath the snow pack.

8

4/16

4/17

4/18

4/19

Results withtime lagtaken into
account

6
4
2
0

0

4/15

Results without time
lag consideration

10

0

4/20

XXChanges over time in snowpack surface runoff volume, snowmelt
runoff volume under the snowpack (period observed: 15 - 19 April(5 days))

2

4

6

8

Snowmelt runoff volume under thesnowpack measured value (mm/h)

10

XXResults to validate the present method (hourly
units)

Exposed rebars

Structure locationand numerical
data from resultsof the analysis

CracksVisual of structural damage

Response ductivity
rate, etc. displayedon the line

Result of analysis

XXEarthquake and disaster simulation result of entire line, displayed on GIS interface

Annual Report 2012-201313

Major Results of Research and Development

Simple non-destructive test method for assessing surface
layer permeability of concrete structures• A simple non-destructive method has been developed for on-site assessment of the permeability ofconcrete surface layers which is a key influencing factor on overall resilience of steel reinforced concrete
structures.
• The method is highly efficient and user-friendly and allows a single inspector to complete each
assessment in a maximum of 20 minutes.
Repeated observation results of concretesurface layers with dense structure

Absorption
or runningof water off
surface

Saturation level of surface (%)

Process isrepeated.
Approximately
two minutes
Water is sprayed per cycle
onto the surface

100

Observation of
surface color
and runoff

START
Fixing of target area,
measurement of initial
surface color

90
80

60
50

Repeated observation results of concretesurface layers with coarse structure

40
30

XXOutline of the developed method

E.g. Quality can be determinedby comparing the number ofapplications required to obtainover 90% saturation(higher number = poorer quality)

70

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Number of applications (No. of times)

10

XXRelationship between surface saturation level andnumber of spray applications

Method for evaluating bogie rotational characteristics

Turntable(length:3.5m,
width:1.9m)

Potentiometerfor detecting
rotational angle

Wheel load /lateral force
measuring device

Load cell formeasuringrotational
resistanceElectric actuator

XXSet up for examining bogie rotational characteristics

14

Rotational resistance moment (kN•m)• A device was developed for testing bogie rotational characteristics.
• By measuring the resistance moment of a bogie, it is possible to obtain a more accurate evaluation of
its characteristics when running through a curve.
20

Conventional model
Proposed model
Measured results

15
10
5

Hysteresis

0
-5
-10
-15
-20

Non-linearity
-5

-2.5

0

2.5

5

Bogie angle (deg)XXProposed model for finding rotational resistance
moment of bogie

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstitutePractical application of a linear-motor-type rail brake

Braking force (kN)

• A contactless rail brake which can also be used during power outages was developed.
• A prototype of the brake was fitted to a commercial line vehicle bogie to verify that the target braking
force could be reached without a power supply.

6

Target value

4

Design value

20Operational range during
practical application

Measured value

20

40

60

80

100

Slip frequency (Hz)XXLinear-motor-type rail brake fitted to vehicle bogie

XXBrake force characteristics (for each side (left/right) of thebogie)

Method for reducing lateral force while running throughcurves due to very small wheel tread irregularity• Insight was gathered into the impact ofsmall wheel tread irregularity on creep force
characteristics• After reproducing corrugation on the outeredge of the wheel tread, a method was
proposed and verified for efficacy in field tests
on RTRI premises.

Wheel flange

Very small
irregularity

Very small
irregularity(serrated surface)

Contact
surface area

Inner rail

Rail
0.8
0.7

Derailment quotient-10 0 10 20 30 [mm]
6
4
2
0
[mm]

Curve radius: 160m
Wheel withadded verysmall irregularity

0.6

5 [mm]

Wheelset
displacement

0.5
0.4

0.2

0

0.2

0.4

Annual Report 2012-2013

8 [mm]

0.6

5 [mm]

Wheelset
displacement

6 [mm]

Sleeper
direction
Low contactpressure-10 0 10 20 30 [mm]
6
4
2
0
[mm]

Ratio of lateral force to wheel load on inner rail
XXTests on real vehicle to show effect on reducing
lateral force

7 [mm]High contactpressureEffect of very small irregularity reducing
creep force and lowering the derailment
coefficient.

0.1

Rail
direction

Ordinary wheel

Ordinary wheel

0.3

06 [mm]

Outer railRail
direction
7 [mm]

8 [mm]

Wheel with added verysmall irregularity

Sleeper
direction

XXRelationship between numerically calculated wheelset
displacement and shape of contact surface on inner rail

15

Major Results of Research and Development

HARMONIZATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENTHigh efficiency induction traction motor• A high efficiency induction traction motor was developed, with a view to improving the energy saving
performance of railway vehicles.
• 96% efficiency was achieved employing low loss material and a new rotor design.
• The new induction traction motor managed to cut electrical energy consumption by approximately 10%.

Apertures to reduce losses

XXThe prototype traction motor

XXThe new rotor designModel for predicting impact noise of vehicles running overrail joints• A model for predicting the impact noise ofvehicles running over rail joints was proposed;
the suitability of the developed model was thenverified.
• The prediction model was subsequently applied
to gain insight into the contribution of each soundsource to total impact noise.

Wheel

Wheel center
trajectory

Rail

Rail joint

Contact spring
Track pad
Sleeper
Ballast /roadbedXXImpact noise prediction model

16

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteProduction of superconducting cable for railways• A five meter long superconducting DC
1.5kV, 8kA cable was made to meetpractical specifications for use on railway
lines.
• The results from electric conductivity tests
verified that there were no transmission
losses and that electricity could flow atover 10 kA.

Thermal insulation
cladding
Superconducting(negative) layer

nt

Coola

Superconducting(positive) layer

nt

Coola

Foam

Insulating
Shield (insulator) layer
layerSuperconducting shield layer

Generated voltage (×10-6V/cm)

XXStructure of Superconducting Cable

Current lead

Superconducting
cable

XXThe new superconducting cable100

Measured values
90

Predicted value

70
10

Positive layer2
1.5

10.14kA

1

State ofsuperconductor

0.5
0

0

2

4

10.92kA
6

8

Current value (kA)

10

12

100

(a) Total noise

80

Negative layer

2.5

XXResults of electrical current tests

A-weighted sound pressure level (dB)A-weighted sound pressure level (dB)

110

3

30

Train speed (km/h)

60(b) 35km/h Comparison with resultsfrom running tests
Total noise90(measured)
Total noise(predicted)
80

Rail(predicted)

70

60

Wheel
(predicted)

5040Sleeper(predicted)
63

125

250

500

1000

2000

4000

OA

1/3 Octave band center frequency (Hz)XXResults of impact noise prediction method ( joint step-down height: 1.3 mm joint gap; play: 5.5 mm)

Annual Report 2012-201317

Major Results of Research and Development

Reducing noise of Shinkansen train disc brake application

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

0

Coefficient of friction (CoF)(a) Relationship between pad vibration and CoF

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

Coefficient of friction (CoF)(b) Relationship between disc vibration and CoF
Instrument for measuring
pad vibration
CoF • Pressing force • Thermometer

10 dB

Out-plane vibration speed on disc (dB)

Background noise level

5 dB

Sound pressure level (dB)

Coupled vibration considering
friction force

10 dB

In-plane vibration speed on pad (dB)

• Insight was gained into the squeal noise emitted by Shinkansen trains when applying their disc brakes.
• The source of squealing was determined using an evaluation method developed on a test bench.
• A number of possible means were identified to reduce braking noise.

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Coefficient of friction (CoF)1

Sound measuring
instrument(c) Relationship between sound pressure and CoF

Instrument for measuring
disc vibration(d) System for evaluation of brake noise

XXEvaluation of brake noise on bench test

Cementless geopolymer sleepers• A cementless, chemicallystable geopolymer concrete
sleeper was developed,
cutting CO2 emissions by 80%
compared with traditional fly
ash intensive manufacturing
processes.
• The newly developed
geopolymer concrete sleeper
satisfied all traditional sleeper
requirements.

18

Rail side
section
Proof Fracture
load
load

Sleeper middle
section
Proof Fracture
load
load

Pull - off
test
Proof Fracture
load
load

Standard valuePC
sleeper
Tested value

50.5

97.6

53.0

115.9

30.0

50.0

‫ۑ‬

140.0

‫ۑ‬

159.0

‫ۑ‬

149.0

Sleeper Standard value
block
Tested value

29.4

---

---

---

29.4

---

‫ۑ‬

45.0*

---

---

‫ۑ‬

79.0*

Type ofsleeperItem‫ ۑ‬: No cracking during proof load tests* : Load when cracks appeared--- : Standard value or no test value

XXResults of functional test on geopolymer sleeper (Units: kN)

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteSimulation of pressure variation caused by structural vibration• A method was developed to estimate pressure variation due to structural vibration.
• By comparing estimated and measured results, insight was gained into the rate of structural vibration
contribution to total pressure variation.

Movingexciting
force

10 -1

Simulation

10 -2
10 -3

[(m/s2)2/Hz]

Vehicle: Multibody
Track: 3D finite element
methodParameters• Vehicle parameters• Track parameters• Track displacement• Structural parameters• Evaluation point

Power Spectral Density

Vehicle/track
interaction analysis

10 -4
10 -5
10 -6
10 -7

Measurement

10 -8
10 -9

1

10

100

Frequency (Hz)Vibration
Structural response velocity Numerical acoustic
analysisanalysis
3D Finite element method
Boundary element method
Special features of the analysis method• It is possible to consider a wide range ofparameters for vehicles and structures• Structural noise up to 200 Hz can be predictedefficiently using the breakdown analysis
XXSimulation of pressure variation resulting fromstructural vibrations

Rate of structural vibration
contribution to pressure
variation (%)

XXResults of comparison between simulation output of floorslab vibration and actual measured results (train speed of
270 km/h)
Influence of shortwavelength trackirregularity longterm impact of
track variation

100
80
60
40

Influence of rail
surface roughness
Unsprung mass + rail
Influence of distance
between fastenings

Aerodynamic
element
Influence ofaxle distribution

20
0

5

10

20

30

Frequency (Hz)

50

100

XXRate of structural vibration contribution to pressure variation

XXGeopolymer PC sleeper

Annual Report 2012-2013

XXSteel fiber reinforced geopolymer sleeper block(no rebars)

19

Major Results of Research and Development

COST REDUCTION
Method employing track inspection data to evaluate theinternal condition of embankments

1.5

1Embankment alteration
Presence of alteration
No alteration
Progression(mm/100 days)

Embankment alteration
Presenceof alteration
No alteration
Progression value is
Not investigatedhighest in zones where
alteration has occurred

Capture rate of locations
where alteration has occurred
When either standard deviation islarge or maximum value is high:
91% (alteration exists)
When either standard deviation issmall and maximum value is low:
86% (no alteration)

0.5

0.4

0

0.15
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

5m chord longitudinal level irregularity standard
deviation and progression values (mm/100 days)
XXStandard deviation and highest progression value of 5m
chord longitudinal level irregularity and embankmentcondition

2Standard deviation of 5m chord
longitudinal level irregularity
Period during which alteration
1is thought to have occurred
06Progression(mm/100 days)

Highest progression value of 5m chord
longitudinal level irregularity (mm/100 days)• Using 5m chord longitudinal level irregularity progression was found to be an effective indicator forassessing the internal condition of embankments on structure boundary sections.
• This indicator should make it possible to locate weaknesses in embankments and provide insight into
when these weaknesses appeared.

Maximum progression value of 5m chord
longitudinal level irregularity
4
Period during which alterationis thought to have occurred
2
0

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

(Number of days)

XXShift over time of 5m chord longitudinal levelirregularity standard deviation and maximum
progression value

Combination of reinforced soil structure with jointless bridge
to form integrated bridges with reinforced embankments• An integral reinforced embankment bridge was developed by combining reinforced soil structures witha jointless bridge.
• Using a full size test bridge, girders were subjected to repeated horizontal loading tests, taking temperatureinduced contraction and expansion into consideration, and positive and negative alternating loading
tests for level two earthquake conditions, validated improved continuous stability.
14.75m

4.85m

XXFull scale mock up of reinforced embankment jointless bridge

20

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteUsing recycled ballast in work method for roadbed improvement• A roadbed improvement method was developed using grout injected recycled ballast.
• This work method reduces the impact on the environment and is more time and cost effective.
Soft clay roadbed without countermeasure

Roadbed improvement using recycled ballast● Significant track settlement● Mud pumping of ballast
Without
countermeasure● Small track settlement● No mud pumping
Road bed
improvement layer

Afterimprovement

XXOutline of the roadbed improvement method using discarded ballast
Component liquid A(mainly cement)

Settlement of sleeper (mm)

0

Pump

Sprinkling of water
After roadbed improvement(soft clay roadbed)

510Component liquid B(mainly curative agent)Groutinjection

Pump

Application of
two-component
hardening grout

25

0

20

40

60

80

Loading cycles (unit = 10k cycles)

Settlement
continues
100

XXVerification of results from repeated loading tests

Inclination of abutment
and backfill subsidence

Loss of bearing
performance

Without countermeasure(sand roadbed)
Without countermeasure(soft clay roadbed)

20

Recycled
ballastXXRoadbed improvement work

Bridge collapse due
to earthquake, Tsunami

After roadbed improvement(sand roadbed)

15

Settlement
is converged

Elimination of bearing seats
Cost reduction and preventionof bridge collapse due toearthquakes etc.

Approach for improved
cement block construction
Prevention of embankment
subsidence

Reinforced soil structure
and jointless bridge integration
Improved seismic resistance
Conventional bridge structure

Reinforced embankment jointless bridge

XXConventional bridge issues and features of the reinforced embankment jointless bridge.

Annual Report 2012-2013

21

Major Results of Research and Development

Development of iron-based sintered metal contact strip withextended service life, for use on Shinkansen trains• In order to extend the service life of iron-based sintered metal contact strips used on Shinkansen, a
new contact strip material was developed which can reduce the wear of trolley wire while maintaining
its lubricating property and wear resistance.
• Compared with existing material in use, the newly developed contact strip has approximately 5-7%
more resistance to wear.

Reduction of
approximately
40%

Wear rate on trolley wire
(μm/104Pass)

40

Specific wear rate of contact strip(×10-5mm3/Nm)

15

Reduction of
approximately
30-40%

10

30

20

10

0

XXComparison of wear rate on trolleywire according to type of iron powder

5

Reduction of
approximately
5-7%
2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

0

Free-cutting
manganese
sulfide iron powderType of iron powder

Pure ironpowder

2.5

Existing
contact strip
Developed
contact strip
Wear rate of contact strip in a field test
(mm/104km)

50

25

300

Existing
Developed
contact strip contact strip
Type of contact strip

Sliding speed (km/h)
XXComparison of specific wear rate ofcontact strip in a wear test

XXComparison of wear rate of contact
strip in a field test

Method for reinforcing or repairing deteriorated slabs on
viaducts• A bonding method using UFC (ultra highstrength fiber reinforced concrete) was
developed for improving the enduranceof deteriorated slabs on viaducts.
• A deck slab bonding method which
reduces noise as well as increasing
endurance was developed.
• Full scale tests demonstrated that bothmethods were practical and effective
for reinforcement and repairs.

22

Existing
slab

Post construction
anchor
Filling
mortarUFC board

UFC board
XXOutline of method for UFC Board bonding

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteMethod for improving the efficiency of integrated logic designof safety signalling equipment• A database was proposed for the integrated logic design of safety signalling equipment.
• Based on the proposed database, a method was put forward to make integrated logic design of levelcrossings and ATS systems more efficient.
• Insight was gained into how to create automatic schemas of level crossing circuit diagrams and aconnectivity simulation tool.
Level crossing line diagram

Interlocking track chart(Drawing support or
automatic making data)(Drawing support)

Simulated display basedon interlocking track chart

Integrated signal
logic database

Integrated signal
logic database(Interlocking mode)(Level crossing mode)

Making data ofinterlocking equipment

Making data oflevel crossing

Making dataof route paths

Automatic extraction of
warning routes

Making data ofinterlocking logic

Setting of
warning points

ATS-P track chart

Making data ofbasic train operation data

(Drawing support or
automatic making data)

Making data oflogic control

Integrated signal
logic database

Automatic making data

Automatic making data

(ATS-P mode)

Making dataof ground coils
Making dataof signal aspects
Interlocking circuit diagram

Data transmission
generation

Level crossing circuit diagram

XXStructure of proposed system and flow chart showing process

Deck plate

600

Load bearing
capacity increased
by a factor of 3.8

Load(kN)

Steel channel
Existing
slab

Filling
mortarPost construction
anchorDeck plate

Steel channel

XXOutline of method for affixing deck plates

Deck plate

400

UFC board

Rigidity
increased bya factor of 10

200

Load bearing
capacity increased
by a factor of 2.4

Existing slab
0

0

4

8

12

16

Displacement(mm)20

XXInvestigation into the effectiveness of thereinforcement work

Annual Report 2012-201323

Major Results of Research and Development

IMPROVEMENT OF CONVENIENCE
Using recorded data to analyse passenger flow when traffic
is disrupted• We have made a method to visualise passenger flow when traffic is disrupted, based on recordedtransport data
• We have built a method to quantitatively predict passenger flow before and after resumption of operations

Cross-sectional numberof people in each section

Comparison of resulting actual number people andforecast figure for the hour following resumption of services

18000
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0

Actual figure for day 1
Forecast for day 1

Actual figure for day 2
Forecast for day 2

Station
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Passengers transfer to parallel line
13

14

Red line:
train path with over
100% congestion●Dot mark:higher congestion
than on normal day
Parallel line
Target line withthe disturbance11

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

Line/section (numbered from the departure station)
XXResults of prediction model verification tests

14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27

Actual train diagramfor day in question

Extraordinary shuttle
service
Congestion over 100%
⇒Demonstration ofeffectiveness
Service down

XXVisualisation of actual traffic management andpassenger flow figures (example of metropolitan line
section with parallel running lines)* Case where just before services are resumed, forecast is
made for the hour following reopening of operations

Blocked section

Variation rate in number of passengers passing
from station A to B during cross-sectional hour
following reopening of operations,

Length of downtime

xx% reduction (target day / normal day)Time of occurrence(morning, middle of the day, evening)

Area for where
the forecast is
being madeLevel of service (number of trains)(target day / normal day)Example of variables used for forecasting
XXModel for predicting cross-sectional number of people around time when services are to resume24

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteSilicon buffer for freight vehicles• A silicon buffer was developed to improve thequality of freight transport by reducing movement
at the front and back of wagons.
• Yard tests demonstrated the effectiveness of thedevice in reducing acceleration at the front andback of wagons and that its basic functions were
working properly.
• Applicability and effectiveness of the device onlong freight trains was verified through simulation.

XXThe outside of the newly developed device

Base
plate

Piston Non-return Follower
valve
plate
rod

Rebounddirection

Activedirection

Silicon rubber
PistonBack
BufferBufferBuffer frame Front Shockfollower frame(coupling)follower absorbing frame(rear end)
(partition)
rubberXXStructure of device (left: assembly; right: shock absorber unit)
Wagon number 4
with conventional device

801Coupling force between
wagon numbers 3 and 4 (kN)

Acceleration at front andback of wagon (1m/s2/scale)Wagon
number2

Wagon equipped with developed device

40

3
4

5
6

Power
runningcommandsignal01020Time (s)

30

40

0

-40

Wagon number 3
with developed device
-4

0

4

Buffer displacement (mm)8XXEffect on lowering acceleration at front and back of wagon (power running 4 notches ON⇔OFF approximately every 3
seconds)

Annual Report 2012-201325

Major Results of Research and Development

Electro-hydraulic actuator with fail-safe function for steeringsystem• In order to decrease the lateral force in the transition curve, we developed an electro-hydraulic actuatorwith a fail-safe hydraulic circuit which can prevent the reverse steering.
• From the result of the running test on a test line, we confirmed that the new steering system was able
to reduce the lateral force approximately by 60% compared with an existing steering truck.
• From the result of a bench test, we verified the fail-safe function in case of a reverse steering command.

10

Reduction of
approximately 60%

50Without (control)
XXResults of running tests

Steering force
(kN)

60

Steering actuator control

Normalsteering

30-60

Shorten direction
060With (control)

5

10

Reversesteering (fail)30

Fail-safe
hydrauliccircuit

Actuator stroke
(mm)

-60

20

Shorten direction
0

5

0

5

10

15

20

10

15

20

15
10

Pump

XXElectro-hydraulic actuator with fail-safe function

15

Expand direction

0-30

CylinderMotor

Expand direction

0-30

Steering force(kN)

Outer lateral force
in the entry transition
curve (average) (kN)

15

5
0
5-

Time (sec)

XXFailsafe function test results

Pedagogical guidelines on information to be provided totravellers about resumption of train services, based on thepassenger point of view• To help staff overcome the difficultof understanding and realising
how to formulate passenger
announcements from the “user pointof view,” pedagogical material was
produced to encourage responsible
dissemination of information.
• Announcements improved with theteaching material; checks carried out
showed that the progress achieved
was still effective after 12 months

listening and watching
the teaching material

Step 1

Customer survey (evidence) basedstrongly convincing explanation

Knowledge system:
providing systematic knowledge
and reconstruction knowledge(use of RTRI own survey data)

Building a positiveand confident attitude
towards early
announcement

Intention of early
announcement
behavior

Step 2

Emotional system:
attitude change
Subjective norm

Deeper final
understanding
with better
conviction
Earlyannouncement
behavior
Step 3Behavioral system:
behavior change

XXFlow diagram of proposed method

26

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteMethod for estimating location specific ride comfort basedon compound vibration data

3

Subscreen

Subjective analysis peak

2
1

93
88
83

83

Lon.

Lat.

Curve

78
73
93

Vertical

88
83
78
73

kilometre
units

0

2

4

6

Ver.

Speed

Peak for each indicator
Lateral88

timeTunnelStructure

Ride comfort
level (dB)

Ride comfort
level (dB)

78
73
93

Switch in horizontal axis denomination(time or kilometre units)

Ride comfort Comprehensive
estimation value (dB)level (dB)Comprehensive
Subjective
estimation value
evaluation(dB)
PositiveяNegative• In order to predict change in ride comfort due to vibrations, a method was proposed for obtaining an
integrated estimate value, which is deemed to be a close representation of the physically perceived
ride sensation.
• A system was then devised which analyses and gives a holistic view of ride comfort related information.

8

10

12

14

16

kilometre units (km)18

kilometre units (km)Display settings (scroll function)
XXExample of comprehensive estimated value

XXScreenshot example of unified analytical system

Customer expectations for improvement:
1) Too much delay in providing forecasts forwhen trains are expected to resume service2) Forecast times are wrong3) Not enough information about connecting
routes4) Not enough information about possible
rdetour outes5) Not enough information about alternativetransport
6) Announcements are not frequent enough7) The volume of announcements is not right(too loud / not loud enough)8) Other

mail survey - 486
internet survey 222

The greatest customer expectation was forprompter announcements about forecast
times when trains would resume service.

XXScreen shot of teaching material - customer survey
based explanation

Annual Report 2012-2013

Selection rate of recommended
announcement (%)

100
Chapter 1: Understanding passenger needs for information
announcements in the case of suspended operations.

Type of road bed

Recommended announcement:
Early announcement of information
regarding forecast resumption of services

80

60

40

20

0

70

77

81

53
• Survey carried out four times.
• After only the first audiovisual session• All four surveys conducted with 186 station
staff and conductors participating in the training.
Beforeaudiovisualtraining

After
three
monthsAfter
sixmonths

After
one
year

XXChange recorded over one year of improvement inannouncements

27

Major Results of Research and Development

BASIC RESEARCH
Method for dynamic analysis of wheel/rail rolling contact• In order to assess the state of dynamic rolling contact between the rail and the wheel, the finite element
analysis program in a large scale parallel computing was developed.
• Dynamic rolling contact behavior for a single axle - single wheel model when running at high speed
was calculated with high precision
41

Rotational torque

–137
–315
–494

Rail head surface–672

Static load

–850
MPa
XXVertical direction stress distribution of contact surface
Slip

Adherence

Rail head surface

Direction of travel
Mesh renewal
XXCaterpillar mesh analysis model

XXAdherence and slip distribution areas

Three-dimensional dynamic simulator of pantograph/catenary
system

Support point

Support point

Contact force (N)Contact force (N)• This simulator can provide accurate three-dimensional static geometry of overhead contact lines.
• Dynamic analysis of the pantograph/catenary system can be performed considering geometric nonlinearity of droppers and steady arms.

300
200
100
0
100

150

200

Position (m)

250

300

300
200
100
0
100

(a) No wind

150

200

Position (m)

250

300

(b) With a cross wind of 25 m/s

XXExample of calculation of time history of contact forces at 300km/h

28Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research InstituteMethod for improving aluminium alloy properties throughnanostructure control• A thermomechanical processing method was proposed to produce a higher performing aluminium
alloy for use on Shinkansen train car bodies with nanostructure control of its metallic microstructure• Verification was made of improved strength and resistance to corrosion.

0.2% Yield stress (MPa)Blistering (corrosion)

General material

500
400
300
200

Corrosion

100

Nanostructure controlled material0As-castSolidsolution

Ageingg g after Nanostructure
Solid solution controlled(general(g(proposed
p ptreatument)
method)Material processing method

10mm
No corrosion
XXStress corrosion cracking resistance tests showing
comparative resistance to corrosion (Al-Zn-Mg AA
7075)

XXResulting increase of yield resistance to 0.2% after applying
the nanocontrol method (Al-Mg-Si: AA 6N01)

Messenger wire

Dropper

Support point

Steady arm
HangerContact wire
HangerAuxiliary messenger wire

Steady arm

Enlargedview

Contact wire Uplift due to horizontal
component of tension force

XXExample of 3D static structural calculation of compound catenary

Annual Report 2012-201329

Outline of Activities FY 2012 Public Interest Activities
Research and Development for
Activities Involving TechnicalInterest
1 Public
3 Standards

In FY 2012 we pushed ahead with 282 researchand development projects relating to the futureof railways, as well as practical technologies andbasic railway research. Among them, we finished
115 in 2012. 11 of them were sponsored by publiclyoffered outside funding. The funds for researchand development amounted to 2.58 billion yen,including 170 million yen of government subsidy
and 120 million yen of outside funds. In addition,
we implemented one contract-based R&D project,generating income of 120 million yen.
To improve the efficiency of research anddevelopment, we also launched 65 joint research
projects with universities and other research
institutes and 14 contracted research projects,
while positively seeking advice and evaluation by
10 experts from outside organizations through the
R&D review system.
We have disseminated the major results of ourresearch and development through periodical
publications, the RTRI Technology Forum andother seminars, and published booklets of theresults of the R&D projects completed in FY 2011.

2 Surveys and Investigation

We conducted surveys on social and economic
trends and on technical trends of railway technology
at home and abroad in order to reflect the findings
from our research and development plan. We also
conducted strategic surveys such as awarenessstudies on railway safety and energy saving, andpublicized the results through the RTRI lecture
and other activities. We seconded a researcher
to the International Union of Railways (UIC) inorder to collect information on European railway
technology and disseminated it through periodical
publications.

30

We conducted seven research and survey
projects relating to technical standards whichwere commissioned by the national government.
The income from this amounted to 100 million
yen. We also carried out eight projects including
development of design tools relating to technicalstandards.

4 Information Services

We collected information, publications andmaterials on railway technologies at home andabroad, and released them through the Internet
and document search services. The full texts of
RTRI’s periodicals are available on our website.
We continued digitalizing the materials stored
in the library to improve the convenience of thelibrary.

5 Publications and Lectures

We issued periodicals “RTRI Report,” “RRR,”“QR,” “Railway Technology Avalanche” and“Information on World-Wide Railway Technologies(WRT).” We also held an RTRI Lecture entitled“Towards Further Improvement of Energy
Efficiency” (452 participants), made 11 Monthly
Presentations (1,022 participants), and delivered
27 Railway Technical Lectures (1,553 participants).
We published a technical guidebook for Railway
Structure Design Standards which was revised
and released in 2012 by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and held
briefing sessions for the standards in Tokyo andOsaka (484 participants).

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute6

Diagnosis and Guidance Services

7

International Standardization
Activities

In response to requests from railway operators,
we provided consultancy services in 443 casesof rolling stock problems, power supply systems
problems, damage to structures caused by natural
disasters, as well as technical guidance in various
fields.

We promoted activities relating to railway
international standards in the IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission) and the ISO(International Standardization Organization)
based on policies or proposals which were put
forward by the Railway Technology Standardization
Committee. We made efforts to collect information
by exchanging opinions with related organizations
in Europe and Asia. We also promoted international
standardization work by arranging a meeting of
the Divisional Members Meeting Council andthe International Standardization Strategies andPlanning Committee according to members’ needs.
Regarding IEC/TC 9 (Electric Facilities andSystems of Railways), 11 international standards
were issued for which we acted as a secretariat
to the National Mirror Committee. Also, energy
storage system fitted to rolling stock was officiallyaccepted as a new working topic.
Regarding ISO/TC 269 (Railway Applications)which was established in April 2012, we undertook
the role of secretariat to the National Mirror
Committee and initiated some international
standardization work.

8

Qualification of Railway Design
Engineers

We conducted the examination for railway
design engineers in Tokyo and Osaka on October28, 2012. 744 applicants took the exam and 129
passed. Moreover, in FY 2012, the exemption
period for the successful first-stage test applicants
was extended from one year to three years in orderto make it easier for applicants to take the exam.

 Commercial Projects
The revenue from contract-based, commercial
activities in FY 2012 was 2.61 billion yen including
income from patents. We organized eight technicalseminars in order to disseminate research results
and promote contract-based business, and a
total of about 1,130 people from 330 companies
attended.

Commissioned Research andProject
1 Development
1.1 Public-Interest Projects
We implemented seven public-interest survey
projects commissioned by the national government
on topics that included “Design of Steel-Concrete
Composite Structures,” “Displacement of a Moving
Car Body on Its Suspension” and “Evaluation ofMagnetic Field in the Car Interior.” We also carried out

Annual Report 2012-2013

one research project entitled “Review of Evaluation
Standards of Slope Damage” commissioned by theJapan Nuclear Energy Society (JNES). The income
from these projects was 220 million yen.
1.2 Commercial Projects
We carried out contract-based, commercial
projects related to the construction of new Shinkansen
lines, the introduction of vehicle inspection systems,
and the introduction of earthquake early warning
systems. These were commissioned by public
corporations, publicly-operated railways, JR
companies, and other private companies.
Total income from commissioned projects for
public-interest and commercial purposes was 2.83
billion yen, while the targeted amount was 3.43
billion yen.

31

Outline of Activities FY 2012
►Table►1Classification of customers

CustomerNational government
Local governments
JR companies
Public corporations
Public /private railways
Private enterprises
Total

No. of projects
Amount of income (100 million yen)
8
(11)
0.15
(0.17)
20.06(3)(0.10)(9.60)
88 (111)7.74(42)(6.13)
38
7.63
80
1.27
(92)
(2.69)
312 (306)
9.28 (10.34)
528 (565)
26.15 (29.03)
The figures in brackets refer to the previous year.

Table 1 summarizes the number of customers andthe amount of income from commercial projects in
FY 2012. The income from JR companies, public andprivate railway companies and private enterprises
dropped in comparison with FY 2011, while theincome from public corporations increased.
Major contracted projects were a review ofstructure design and assessment standards ofslope damage commissioned by the government,
testing for a new Shinkansen project commissioned
by a public corporation, introduction of rollingstock inspection systems commissioned by public
railway companies, introduction of earthquake
early warning systems commissioned by JRcompanies and seismic assessment of railway
facilities commissioned by private enterprises.
1.3 Total Income
Total income from public-interest and commercial
projects was 2.83 billion yen in FY 2012, 82.5% of thetargeted amount of 3.43 billion yen.

2

Railway Technology Promotion
Center

We sought to properly assess the technical needs
common to member organizations and promoted
various projects in close co-operation with railway/
tramcar operators and local railway associations.
In the sphere of technical support, we dealt with
92 inquiries from members on technical subjects
and carried out eight field surveys. We held forums
entitled “Human Science Technology Supporting
Safe and Steady Railway Transportation” in Sapporo,
Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, and also gave lecturesat nine technical workshops organized by local
railway associations. Furthermore, we compiled
a textbook on rolling stock for leading engineers.
We promoted five survey projects in response
to members’ requests and completed two of themincluding “the Survey and Research on Durabilityof Tunnel Repair Material.” We simplified theregistration process so that the members canaccess the members-only page on the Center’s
website more easily. Regarding the database of32

railway safety, we continued to add information
about railway accidents and incidents.

Railway International Standards
3 Center

We carried out activities relating to international
railway standards of the International ElectrotechnicalCommission (IEC) and the International Organizationfor Standardization (ISO).
In July 2012, we undertook the role of secretariat
to the National Mirror Committee of ISO/TC
269 and actively participated in the selectionof the chairman in co-operation with overseasorganizations. As a result, a Japanese chairman
was elected. Furthermore, we held two humanresource development seminars and madeinformation available at home and abroad via thewebsite and General Members Meetings.

4 Other Activities

4.1 Development of Gauge-Changing EMUs
As a member of the FGT (Free-Gauge Train)
Association, we drew up plans for running tests
with a new trainset fitted with improved trucks andcarried out measurements during the running tests,
and further improved the truck.
Apart from the project of the FGT Association,
Japan Railway Construction, Transport andTechnology Agency (JRTT) has been developing a
new type of test train with a further reduction in weight,
as a project for FY 2012 subsidized by the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism.
JR Kyushu is in charge of design and manufactureof the vehicle. RTRI took part in the design meetingof the new test train and gave advice.
4.2 Industrial Property Rights
We made 208 patent and utility model applications(215 in FY 2011), and 241 were registered in FY 2012
(215 in FY 2011). As a result, the total number ofpatents and utility models owned by RTRI reached2,108 at the end of FY 2012.

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute Administrative Organization

1 Human Resources Development

We recruited 17 new graduates and two midcareer employees to avoid generation gaps in our
technology level and to maintain the R&D potential.
We also re-employed 10 retiring researchers as
so-called “silver workers,” to ensure the smoothtransfer of technical knowledge and skills fromveterans to young employees. As part of a training
program for young employees, groups of four
to five researchers who have two years of work
experience at RTRI conducted trend surveys ofadvanced technologies.
In order to promote personnel exchanges, we
seconded 63 researchers to other organizations,and accepted 106 in return. Among them, 32 weresent to JR companies and we accepted 59 from
JR. In addition, we sent researchers to the Ministryof Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism(MLIT), Japan Railway Construction, Transport andTechnology Agency (JRTT), the New Energy andIndustrial Technology Development Organization(NEDO) and the International Union of Railways(UIC), while accepting researchers from MLIT,
private railway companies and railway related
manufacturers. Furthermore, as a result of ourefforts to strengthen relationships with universities,
11 researchers took office as visiting professors
and 42 as part-time instructors. 171 of RTRI’s
researchers have doctoral degrees and 77 havebeen qualified as Professional Engineers.

2 Organization

Information and communications technology
has been developing at a remarkable pace inrecent years. To take account of this, we merged
the Signalling & Telecommunications Technology
Division and the Transport Information Technology

Annual Report 2012-2013

Division into the Signalling and Transportation
Information Technology Division in order toestablish a more efficient R&D system and to
speed up decision making in this field.
We also established the Computational
Mechanics Laboratory in the Railway Dynamics
Division. This is in charge of acquiring, maintaining
and developing advanced simulation technology
in order to accelerate research and developmentin the field of railway simulators which can evaluate
the safety, reliability, economy and convenience ofrailway systems.

of Corporation’s
3 Promotion
Ethical Policy

We made efforts to promote the corporation’s
ethical policy, including the improvement ofresearch ethics by providing information sessions
for employees of RTRI and associated companies.
We also offered education for employees throughthe RTRI version of the web learning system.
In addition, we audited compliance with thecorporation’s ethical policy.

4 Visitors

RTRI’s Kunitachi Head Office and the
Maibara Wind Tunnel Technical Center received
approximately 2,940 and 480 visitors respectively,
in FY 2012. About 1,500 participants attended the
RTRI Technical Forum held at the Kunitachi Head
Office on August 30 and 31, and 360 participants
attended the Osaka Forum on November 28
and 29. In addition, approximately 6,310 people
visited RTRI’s Kunitachi Head Office on the open
house day on October 13 and 5,000 people visited
Maibara Wind Tunnel Technical Center on its open
house days, October 6 and 7.

33

International Activities
 Joint Research with Overseas Research Organizations
We pushed ahead with joint research projects
in three framework programs with overseas
railway research organizations. Each divisionalso implemented joint research based on its
own interests with railways and universities inforeign countries. In FY 2012, we started a new
joint research program with Chalmers University ofTechnology in Sweden and the University of Bristol
in the UK.

1

Joint Research with CARS andKRRI

The tripartite joint research by Japan, China andKorea has been conducted by the three parties
since the two bilateral research programs (1)between RTRI and the China Academy of Railway
Sciences (CARS) and (2) between RTRI and the
Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) werecombined into a single scheme.
Aiming at sharing research results andexchanging information, joint seminars have been
held since 2001 by rotation. In November 2012, we
held the 11th Joint Research Seminar in Fukuoka
prefecture. The research themes promoted by RTRI
were “Investigation of Microorganisms in Railway
Systems,” “Study of Wheel/Rail Adhesion and a
Creep Test Method,” “Signal Processing of theRelationship between Track Irregularity and Vehicle
Response on High Speed Lines,” “Research on the
Influence of Railway Vibration on Buildings along
Railroad Lines,” “Study on Monitoring Technologies
for Catenary Systems” and “An Evaluation Method
to Determine the Renewal Timescale for Railway
Power Supply Facilities.

2 Joint Research with SNCF

RTRI and Société Nationale des Cheminsde fer Français (SNCF) have been carrying out
joint research since the two parties concluded
an agreement on joint research in November
1995. In September 2012, we held a collaborative

34

research seminar at RTRI’s Kunitachi Head
Office and at the Maison Franco-Japonaise. At
the Maison Franco-Japonaise, a Japan-France
Railway Technical Symposium was also held withco-sponsorship by RTRI, Japan-France Industrial
Technical Committee and the French Embassyin Tokyo on the afternoon of the collaborative
research seminar. The 6th joint research program
is now in progress in the fields of “Inspection andPreventive Maintenance of Overhead Contact
Wires for High-speed Railways,” “Ride Comfort forStanding Passengers,” “An Application of WirelessSensor Networks on Railways” and “Managementof Research and Development.”

3 Joint Research with RSSBRTRI concluded an agreement on joint researchwith the Railway Safety and Standards Board(RSSB), in the UK in October 2008, and started
joint research in December 2008. In November
2012, we had a meeting regarding the research
themes for the next phase, especially for starting
collaborative research regarding human sciences.

4

Joint Research with Other
Research Organizations

In FY 2012, RTRI started joint research with
Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden(Theme: Calculation Method of Air Flow / Fatigue
Caused by Wheel-Rail Contact) and with the
University of Bristol in the UK (Theme: High
Precision Thrust Control by Use of an Actuator).
We carried out joint research in the field of transport
information technology with the Swiss Federal
Railways from May 2011 to March 2013. We havealso implemented a joint research program with the
University of Cambridge in the UK (Theme: Status
Monitoring of Facilities) since September 2006, andwith Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the
USA (Theme: High-temperature Superconductivity)
since April 2004.

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute Support for WCRR
The World Congress on Railway Research(WCRR) stems from the RTRI-sponsored Tokyo
international seminar held in 1992 to which RTRI
invited a number of leading members in the fieldof research and development from major railway
operators and other organizations in different
countries across the world. WCRR has sincedeveloped into an international conference attended
by railway engineers from around the world whoplace particular emphasis on research as part oftheir technological development. In November

2013, WCRR 2013 will be held in Sydney, Australia.
To support its preparation, an RTRI executive anda director attended the Organizing Committee
meeting in September 2012 (Venue: Brandenburg,
Germany), and the Executive Committee meetingsin May 2012 (Venue: Colorado Springs, USA) andOctober 2012 (Venue: Florence, Italy), as regularmembers. Moreover, 650 abstracts of papers were
submitted for the oral and poster presentations at
WCRR2013.

 Co-operation with Government and Domestic Organizations
Responding to requests from the Ministry ofLand, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism anddomestic organizations which support international
activities, RTRI sent its researchers to various
countries overseas, and in return accepted visitors
and internship students from other countries. In
August and September 2012, RTRI’s researchers
gave lectures on rolling stock and power supply
systems in Thailand.

Also, RTRI received visits from foreign students
on the internship program of the Universityof Tokyo in July, from diplomats at the British
Embassy in Japan and from representatives of
Scottish Development International in November. In
February 2013, RTRI received the Minister of State
for Transport in the UK by request of the British
Embassy in Japan.

 Collection of Overseas Technical Information and Participationin International Conferences
We seconded staff to the International Union
of Railways (UIC, headquarters: Paris, France)
to collect information on technical research anddevelopment being undertaken by railways in
Europe. We participated in the UIC Asian Regional
Assembly held in Moscow, Russia, in November,in the UIC General Assembly and International
Railway Research Board (IRRB) meeting heldin Philadelphia in the USA in July and in Paris

Annual Report 2012-2013

in December. Also, we participated in the US
Transportation Research Board (TRB) meeting heldin Washington DC in January 2013. As information
disseminating activities, RTRI took an exhibition
stand at the UIC High Speed Rail event, which washeld together with the UIC General Assembly in
July and also at InnoTrans 2012, which was held
in Berlin, Germany in September.

35

International Activities

 Dissemination of Information by Publication
In FY 2012, we issued the Newsletter “Railway
Technology Avalanche” on a quarterly basis tointroduce our latest R&D activities and researchstaffs. Also, we issued our Annual Report 2011(English Version) using an edited version of theoriginal Japanese-language report. Furthermore,

we started providing information on QR (Quarterly
Reports of RTRI) and an English version of someparts of our brochure by using the SPARK (Sharing
Portal for Access to Rail Knowledge) system, which
has been run by RSSB in the UK since this year.

 Overseas Business Trips by RTRI’s Researchers and Visitors
to RTRI from Overseas
The following Tables show the number ofbusiness trips made by RTRI’s researchers andthe number of visitors to RTRI from overseas.
►Number►of business trips by RTRI’s researchers (by purpose)

Central andNorth
America South America

Asia

EuropeAfricaOceania

Others

Total

WCRR

0

5

1

0

0

0

0

6

Conference/meeting

28

111

13

2

0

0

0

154

Survey/Research

8

5

1

0

0

0

0

14

Joint research

0

8

1

0

0

0

0

9

Technical guidance

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Contract

28

8

4

0

0

0

0

40

Others

33

21

1

0

0

0

0

55

97

158

21

2

0

0

0

278

Total

(As of March 31, 2013)►Number►of visitors from overseas by country

Asia

EuropeNorth
America

Central andSouth America

AfricaOceania

Others

Total

130

76

14

2

12

2

53

289

(As of March 31, 2013)36

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute Railway International Standards Center
To facilitate the smooth operation of theRailway International Standards Center, Planningand Administration Council’s meetings, which
are attended by representatives of member
organizations, are held a few times a year. The
meetings are held to discuss important matters
including business plans, budgets, business andfinancial reports, admissions and withdrawals
of members, and other matters. To maintainclose communication with members, a General
Member Meeting is held a few times every year,
and information and views are constantly shared
among members.

1

Operation and Management

1.1 Planning and Administration Council
The business report for FY 2011 and the businessplan for FY 2013 were discussed at Planning and
Administration Council meetings held in May andNovember 2012 and in February 2013.
1.2 Settlement of Accounts in FY 2012
The total income for FY 2012 was approximately
222 million yen, including 88 million yen frommembership fees, 123 million yen from JR
contributions and 10 million yen of the balance
carried forward from FY 2011.
The total expenditure was 187 million yen,including 60 million yen for business activities, 22
million yen as travel expenses and 102 million yen
as personnel expenses.
1.3 Number of Members
There were 18 corporations and organizations
joining as new entrants in FY 2012, and, as of theend of FY 2012, the total number of members is124,
taking account of withdrawals and mergers.
1.4 General Member Meeting
General Member Meetings were held in August2012 and March 2013, and discussions at the
Planning and Administration Council were reported
and views were exchanged among members.

Annual Report 2012-2013

2 Review of IEC and ISO Standards

Railway International Standards Center,
RISC, has fulfilled the role as the National Mirror
Committee of IEC/TC 9 (Technical Committee of
the International Electrotechnical Commission forElectric Facilities and Systems of Railways), ISO/TC 17 (Technical Committee of the International
Standardization Organization for Steel), and ISO/SC
15 (Subcommittee of ISO for Rails and Auxiliaries).
Since July 2012, the Railway International Standards
Center has also been acting as the ISO/TC 269(Railway Applications) National Mirror Committee.
2.1 Role as Secretariat of ISO/TC 269 National
Mirror Committee
Following the authorization of the establishmentof ISO/TC 269 by the Japan Industrial Standards
Committee (JISC) in April 2012, RISC started
acting as the secretariat of the National Mirror
Committee of ISO/TC 269 in July 2012, while acandidate recommended by Japan was accepted
as chairman of ISO/TC 269, also in July 2012. RISC
has continued back-up activities so that Japan cansecure a position to exercise leadership in ISO/TC 269.
2.2 Activities of IEC/TC 9
Meetings of the IEC/TC 9 Mirror Committee were
held in August 2012 and in March 2013, and thestatus of standards development was reviewed
and reported. The 52nd General Assembly of IEC/
TC 9 was held in Oslo, Norway on October 2 to 5,
2012 and seven persons attended from Japan.
Regarding the discussions on standards, the Mirror
Working Group met more than 60 times and sent
115 members of RISC and other divisions of RTRI
to international conferences. Regarding IEC/TC 9,
11 standards which RISC reviewed as part of itsrole as secretariat of the National Mirror Committee
went into effect. In addition, a standard for onboard
energy storage systems proposed by Japan wasapproved officially.

37

International Activities

2.3 Activities of ISO/TC 269
In September 2012, a meeting of the 1st ISO/TC 269 Mirror Committee was held, at which there
were discussions about its program of activities,
its organization, and the stance to be adopted forparticipation in the General Assembly of ISO/TC
269. The 1st General Assembly of ISO/TC 269 washeld in Berlin, Germany, on October 30 and 31,
2012 and 11 persons attended from Japan. At theGeneral Assembly, the conference language andadministrative matters including the scope of work
were discussed. The establishment of two ad-hoc
groups, AHG02 and AHG03, was also approved
there. AHG02 will prepare Japan’s proposal for
Generic Standards, which are comprehensive
standards covering entire railway systems,
and AHG03 will prepare the proposal covering
HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning
equipment). RISC organized the 2nd ISO/TC 269
Mirror Committee meeting in December 2012,
and the results of the General Assembly meetingwere reported there, while future strategy was also
discussed.
2.4 Activities of ISO/TC 17/SC 15
The General Assembly of ISO/TC 17/SC 15 washeld on June 15, 2012 and that of ISO/TC 17/SC
15/WG1 was held on June 14 and 15, 2012, bothin Paris; four Japanese experts attended. RISC
organized meetings of the ISO/TC 17/SC 15 Mirror
Committee in June 2012, and the results of theGeneral Assembly meeting were reported andthe future stance required to deal with specificstandards was discussed. Furthermore, we sent
six experts of the RISC and RTRI’s other divisions
to international conferences.
2.5 Activities for Other ISO Railway Standards
Regarding the review activities for other ISO
railway standards which are not included in thescope of ISO/TC 269 and ISO/TC 17/SC 15,
such as noise measurement, ground vibration,
synthetic sleepers and fare-control systems, RISC
participated in the mirror committees and sent
experts to international conferences.

38

Standardization
Strategy for the Field of Railways
3 International

RISC has reviewed international standardization
strategies in order to address international
standardization in the field of railways.

3.1 Gathering Opinions on Strategies(a) Divisional Members’ Meeting Council
RISC’s divisional members’ meeting council
covers 10 sectors such as rolling stock, onboard electrical equipment, parts, power supply,
overhead wires, signalling, station facilities,
track, non-manufacturing suppliers and JR, andopinions were exchanged on the meetings about
the developments in Europe and about divisional
needs to introduce international standards.
(b) International Standardization Strategies andPlanning Meetings
RISC held International Standardization Strategies
and Planning meetings in August 2012 and January
2013, and the activities of ISO/TC 269 and RISC’s
medium- to long-term activity plan were reviewed.
3.2 Review of the Proposals by Japan
Based on the discussions at the Divisional
Members’ Meeting Council and International
Standardization Strategies and Planning meetings,
RISC proposed draft standards for wayside energy
storage systems at IEC/TC 9. RISC also proposed
at ISO/TC 269 that standardization work for Genericand HVAC equipment should be started.

Pr o p o s a l s fo r D o m e s t i c
4 Standardization

RISC reviewed the need to set domestic
standards corresponding to existing andprospective international standards, and supported
the work required to incorporate them in JapaneseIndustrial Standards (JIS).

Collection, Analysis andfor Information
5 Proposals

To collect information on standards developments
in Europe and other countries, we implemented thefollowing measures:

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute• A survey relating to features of each management
system standard and its application to railways• A survey of the analysis methods for the effectsof standardization in various railway fields• Translation of important overseas standards

Overseas Dissemination ofRailway Technical
6 Japanese
Information
In order to make information on Japanese
railway technology available overseas interms of international standardization, RISC
introduced Japan’s commitment to international
standardization on its website in English. We
also compiled an English brochure to explain theactivities of RISC to overseas organizations.

Awareness Enhancement forStandardization and
7 International
Human Resource Development
7.1 Seminars
We introduced recent developments ininternational standardization at RTRI’s Monthly
Lecture held in July 2012. Furthermore, we helda seminar in January 2013 to disseminate basic
knowledge and the latest developments concerninginternational standardization.

►►RTRI’s Monthly Lecture in July 2012

7.2 Secretariat Activities to Honour Contributors
to the Standardization of Railway Technology
Japan’s Railway Technology Standardization
Committee organized by the Ministry of Land,

Annual Report 2012-2013

Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism honours
those who have contributed to domestic andinternational standardization in the railway field. In
2012, RISC was commissioned by the Ministry toserve as the secretariat for the prize giving work. In
FY 2012, four persons won official commendations
and three were awarded encouragement prizes.

Promotion of Co-operation with
8 Overseas
Railway Experts

8.1 Co-operation with Railway Standards
Experts Personnel in Europe
An information exchange meeting of the JISCComité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) was heldin October 2012 in London, UK, and eight persons
including the chairman of CEN/TC 256 (Railway
Expert Committee) and four Japanese people
attended. Furthermore, the information exchange
meeting of the JISC-CENELEC’ (European
Committee for Electro Technical Standardization)
was held in Brussels, Belgium, in November
2012. Along with this meeting, a meeting of the
JISC-CENELEC Railway Working Group meeting
was held, and 11 European people including anorganizer of CENELEC/TC 9X (Electrical andElectronic Applications for Railways) and eight
Japanese attended, actively participating in thediscussions.
8.2 Co-operation with Railway Standards
Experts in Asia
In August 2012 RISC’s experts visited theMinistry of Transport and the Land Transport
Agency of Singapore to exchange opinions. Alsoin August 2012, we held an information exchange
meeting about Japan-Korea Railway Technology
Standardization with KRRI (Korea Railroad
Research Institute) in Japan. To co-operate with
South East Asian countries, we exchanged opinionswith Malaysian Railways Limited (KTMB) and State
Railway of Thailand concerning co-operation
procedures for international standardization
activities by visiting them in December 2012. Basedon the results of these activities, we will promote
co-operation with Asian countries.

39

Newly Introduced andRemodeled Machines/Facilities
We renewed three items of equipment including the high-voltage electricity facility, and replaced
five aging sets of apparatus including the telephone switchboard; we also implemented four safetymeasures. Regarding test equipment, we introduced an axle fatigue test machine using full-size
axles to evaluate the propagation of cracking and the fracture process. In total, we introduced,
improved, or renewed 18 test machines. Major items are summarized below.

 Full-size Axle Fatigue Test Machine
We introduced a new rotating and bending test
machine which is available for full-size axle fatigue
tests. This machine consists of bearing stands andholders to support the axles, an electric hydraulicactuator to apply loads and a rotational force to theaxles, and an induction motor. The actuator applies
loads onto the two bearing holders at the center, andthe bearing stands at both ends support the loads.
Bending moments can then be applied to the axle
due to the force through these four stress points,
as is the case on the axles of actual vehicles. The
actuator is capable of exerting a maximum staticload of 400 kN and a maximum dynamic load of
320 kN; the maximum speed of rotation is 1200rpm.
We can obtain highly reliable fatigue strength data
and damage evaluation of full-size axles.

Actuator

Induction
motor

Test axle

Bearing
support parts►Full-size►
axle fatigue test machine Torsional Shearing Test Machine for Hollow Materials
We introduced a torsional shearing test machine for hollow
cylindrical track bed materials. With this machine, single or repeatedtwisting motions are applied to the hollow cylindrical test material while
it is under vertical load. Compared with conventional triaxial tests,
this machine can accurately reproduce the stress and deformation
conditions of soil components in actual ground. Its loading mechanism
consists of a vertical loading and a torsional loading device which arecapable of low-speed and high-stress/torque loading. The test piecehas an inside diameter of 120 mm, an external diameter of 200 mm,
and a height of 300 mm. Larger-grain materials can also be tested.
In addition, we manufactured a PS logging device which canevaluate the hardness of the material as it changes with the loading.
This device measures the velocity of the earthquake’s P wave and S
wave as they propagate through the ground. We developed the test
machine, focusing on precisely evaluating the strength of the groundand its deformation characteristics. The machine can handle low strain
conditions such as those occurring during the construction of railway
facilities or when trains are running over the ground and higher strain
conditions such as those experienced during earthquakes.

40

VerticalloadingdeviceTorsional
loadingdeviceTest
piece

shearing test machine►Torsional►
for hollow cylindrical track bed
materials

Annual Report 2012-2013

Appendix
Publications
RTRI ReportVol. No.

TitlesSpecial Features: Structural Technology
REVIEW:Recent Research and Development on Maintenance Technology of Railway Structures
PAPERS:Deterioration Prediction of RC Handrails Considering the Variety of Damage Factor
PAPERS: Improvement of Deformation Performance of Reinforced Concrete Columns with Small Shear-span Ratio byUsing the Steel JacketingVol. 26 PAPERS:Development of Structural Improvement Composing with Concrete Slabs for Renewal of Existing Railway
Steel Bridges
No. 4(Apr. 2012) PAPERS:Stability Inspection of Existing Retaining Walls
PAPERS:Reinforcement of Old-type Bridges against Earthquake by Integrating Railway Steel Girder, Abutments andEmbankment
PAPERS:Estimation Method of Falling of Concrete Piece from Tunnel Lining
PAPERS:An Effect and a Design Method of Rock Bolts as Countermeasures for Roadbed Heaving of Mountain Tunnels
PAPERS:Health Monitoring System for Finishing Materials of Station Facilities
Special Features:Maglev Technology and Applicable Attempts on Conventional Railway System
REVIEW:R&D of Superconducting Maglev and Applications of its Technology to Conventional Railway System
PAPERS:Development of Models for Co-simulation of Mechanics and Electromagnetics for Dynamic Analysis ofSuperconducting Maglev Vehicles Moving with Large Displacements
PAPERS:A Novel Superconducting Coil Fabrication Method with YBCO Coated Conductor
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Development of Multiple Cryocooler with Pulse-tubes for High-temperature Superconducting Magnets
PAPERS:Development of Temperature Measurement Technique inside Cryogenic Equipment Using Optical Fiber
No. 5(May 2012) PAPERS:Construction-related Inspection of Cable Wiring of Ground Coil Type of PLG
PAPERS:Development of Ground Coils with Low Eddy Current Loss by Applying the Compression Molding Method
after the Coil Winding
PAPERS:Configuration of Non-contact Power Supply Coil for Railway
PAPERS:Performance of Room-temperature Magnetic Refrigerator Applying Ring Halbach-array Magnetic Circuit
RESEARCH REPORT:The Results of a Survey on the Regulation of a Electromagnetic Field in Railway System
Special Features:Power Supply Technology
REVIEW:Recent Topics on Power Supply Technology
PAPERS:Development of Deterioration Monitor for Surge Arresters of Shinkansen Feeding Circuit
PAPERS:Development of Surge Detection Type Fault Locating System for AC Feeding Circuits
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Undulating Wear of Rigid Conductor Lines and Its Restraint Methods
PAPERS:Mechanism of Formation of Undulating Wear on Overhead Rigid Conductor Line due to Dynamic Characteristics
No. 6
of a Pantograph(Jun. 2012)
PAPERS:Measures against Middle-level Earthquake for Overhead Contact Line
PAPERS:Influence of Arc Discharge on Mass and Surface Condition of Current-Collecting Materials
PAPERS:Improvement of Anti-fatigue Property of Contact Wire by Modifying Cross-section Shape
PAPERS:Development of Anti-corrosive Supporting Equipment of Overhead Contact Line for Narrow Section Tunnels
Special Features:Signalling and Telecommunications Technology
REVIEW:Recent Research and Development of Railway Signalling and Telecommunications Technologies
PAPERS:A Method to Verify Conceptual Design Specifications on Safety Requirements for Train Control Systems
PAPERS:The Lightning Risk Evaluation for Railway Signalling Systems based on Observation of Lightning Overvoltage
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Development of DS-ATC for Hokuriku-Shinkansen, Applicable to 50/60Hz Feeding
PAPERS:A Visibility Check Method for Obstruction Warning Signals by Cab-mounted Camera
No. 7
PAPERS:Obstacle Detection on Railway Track by Image Sensor(Jul. 2012) PAPERS:Development of Communication Network Simulator for Train Control System Using Radio Communication
PAPERS:A Method to Evaluate the Appropriateness of Introduction of High Speed Data Transmission System Using
Metallic Telecommunication Lines into Railways
PAPERS:Evaluation Method of Transmission Quality of Public High Speed Wireless Telecommunication Service for
Use in Railway Systems
Special Features:Railway Dynamics
REVIEW:Recent Research and Development on Railway Dynamics
PAPERS:Reduction of Aerodynamic Noise Generated by a Pantograph Head By using Speaker-driven Synthetic Jet
Actuators
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Three Dimensional Dynamic Simulation of Pantograph-Catenary System Based on Finite Element Method
PAPERS:Numerical Dynamics Simulation of Train Set Running on Ballasted Track after Derailment
No. 8
PAPERS:Running Safety Assessment for Flange Climbing at Low Speeds Related to Rail Grinding Profile(Aug. 2012) PAPERS:Assessment of Application of Lubricant to Wheel/Rail Interface in Curves
PAPERS:Feasibility Study on a Measuring Method of Rail Axial Stress Based on the Resonant Frequency of Standing
Wave Modes
PAPERS:Influence of High-speed Train Running on Fatigue Performance of Structure
PAPERS:A Study on the Quantitative Evaluation Method of Rockfall Risk by Remote Vibration Measurement
Special Features:Disaster Prevention Technology
REVIEW:Future Research and Development for Natural-hazard and Risk Mitigation
PAPERS:An Estimation Method of Epicentral Distance Based on Characteristics of P-wave Initial Envelope
PAPERS:Calculation Method of Time History Including Large-scale Earthquake and Its Aftershock
PAPERS:A Support System for an Early Resumption of Regular Train Operation by Applying a Public Earthquake Information
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Assessment of the Incidence of Landslides Using of Numerical Information
No. 9
PAPERS:An Evaluation of Vibration Properties of Scoured Bridge Piers by Using the Analytical Model of Vibration
Characteristics Considering the River-flow(Sep. 2012)
PAPERS:Seepage Analysis Model for the Drainage Pipe Applied to Embankment
PAPERS:Experimental Studies on the Applicability of Sprinkler Snow-melting Method to Shinkansen Lines in Cold andHeavy-snow Regions
PAPERS:An Estimation Method of the Probability that Gust Exceeding the Critical Wind Velocity of Overturning Occurs
in an Operating Section

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Appendix
Vol. No.

TitlesSpecial Features:Vehicle Technology
REVIEW:Recent Topics on Vehicle Technologies
PAPERS:Safety Evaluation of Railway Vehicle Against Crosswind Applying a Full-Vehicle Model
Vol. 26 PAPERS:Experiments and Simulations of 1 to 10 Scale Model Vehicle Being on Vibrating Track
PAPERS:Fault Detection of Vertical Dampers of Railway Vehicles Based on Phase Difference of Vibrations
No. 10
PAPERS:The Noise Reduction System with Use of Piezoelectric Materials Applied to the Railway Vehicles(Oct. 2012) PAPERS:Improvement of Fatigue Strength of Axle by Changing Shape of Fillet Part between Wheelseat and Axle Body
PAPERS:An Estimation Method of SOC of Lithium-ion Battery for Contact-wire and Battery Hybrid Electric Railway Vehicle
PAPERS:Detectable Method of Damage of Single Link Rubber that Connects Bogie with Carbody by Impact Test
RESEARCH REPORT:Trend of Modularity in Railway System
Special Features:Structural Technology
REVIEW:Recent Trends of Design Standards for Railway Structures
PAPERS:Effects of High Frequency Ground Motion on Seismic Design of Bridges and Viaducts
PAPERS:Soil Liquefaction Due to a Long Duration Earthquake with Low Acceleration and Its Evaluation
PAPERS:Evaluation of the Seismic Response by the Model of the Structure and the Power PoleVol. 26 PAPERS:Evaluation of Load-carrying Capacity of Steel Reinforced Concrete under Antisymmetric Moment Distribution
No. 11 PAPERS:The Influence of the Details of Reinforcement Arrangement on Deformation Performance of Reinforcement
Concrete Members(Nov. 2012)
PAPERS:Repair Method and Restorability Assessment Method of Damaged Concrete Filled Tubular Steel Members
OTHER REVIEWS:Seismic Design Procedure of Reinforced-soil Bridge Abutment and an Example of its Performance
Verification
OTHER REVIEWS:Seismic Design Procedure of Conventional Type Bridge Abutment and an Example of its Performance
Verification
Special Features:Materials Technology
REVIEW:Recent Trend of Research and Development on Materials for Railway
PAPERS:Effect of Physicochemical Properties of Aggregates on Dry Shrinkage of Concrete
PAPERS:Evaluation of Methods Suppressing the Chloride Attack to Reinforced Concrete Structures by Using Chloride
Ion Adsorption MaterialVol. 26 PAPERS:Mechanical Analysis of Soundproof Plate with Function of Wind Load Reduction and Experimental Verification
Using Prototype in Practical Scale
No. 12(Dec. 2012) PAPERS:Development of Detection Technique of Crack of Movable Nose Crossing Using a Conductive Paint
PAPERS:In Situ Analytical Method of Interfacial Substances between Wheel and Rail
PAPERS:Development of the Track-side Friction Moderating System to Low-rail of Sharp Curves
PAPERS:Brake performance of Cast Iron Composite Brake Blocks Containing Alumina Foams
PAPERS:Case Study of Superconducting Cables for Railway Systems
PAPERS:Improvement of Bonding of Friction Stir Welding of High Strength Aluminum Alloy
Special Features:Environmental Technology
REVIEW:Recent Studies on Wayside Noise, Ground Vibration and Micro-pressure Wave
PAPERS:Development of Experimental Technique on the Micro-pressure Wave Phenomenon Using a Train Model ofActual Shape
PAPERS:Development of a Deflector on the Top Edge of the Front End of a Bluff-Nose Train for Reducing the Compression
Wave Generated by the Train Entering a Tunnel
Vol. 27
PAPERS:Countermeasure for Reducing Micro-pressure Wave Emitted from Railway Tunnel by Installing Hood at the
No. 1
Exit of Tunnel(Jan. 2013) PAPERS:Contribution of Rolling Noise and Aerodynamic noise to the Total Noise Generated from the Lower Part of
Shinkansen Cars Running at High-speed
PAPERS:Improvement of Measurement Methods for Aeroacoustic Noise from Bogie Section in the Wind Tunnel Test
PAPERS:Vibration Characteristics of a Wheel of a Running Railway Vehicle
PAPERS:Estimation of Aerodynamic Drag Reduction and Energy Saving of Meter-gauged Railway Vehicles
RESEARCH REPORT:Results of Wind Tunnel Tests for Aerodynamic Coefficients of Railway Vehicles
Special Features:Transportation Planning and Information Technology
REVIEW:Application of Information and Communication Technologies to Railways and the Role of Simulation Technologies
PAPERS:A Quantitative Defining Method of Station’s Territories in the Competing Area of Multiple Railway Companies
PAPERS:An Algorithm for Crew Route Scheduling Focusing on Manpower Efficiency
Vol. 27 PAPERS:A Study on the Evaluation Method of the Shunting Operation Plan of a Freight Station with Consideration for
the Satisfaction of Express Companies
No. 2(Feb. 2013) PAPERS:An Algorithm for Scheduling of Freight Container Car Considering Equalization of Daily Work
PAPERS:A Prediction Method of Passenger Flow upon Resumption of Train Service
PAPERS:Application of Verification Methods to Specifications in Concern with Safety of Signalling Equipment
REVIEW:An Outline of IEC 62280 - International Standard for Safety Related Transmission Systems
RESEARCH REPORT:Utilization Possibility of the Mathematical Optimization Technologies in Railway System
Special Features:Human Science
REVIEW:Recent Topics on Human Scientific Approach to Railway Transport Fields
PAPERS:Analysis of a Subjective Evaluation Test by Semantic Differential Method on Impression of Noise Inside Railway
Vehicles
PAPERS:Measurement of the Right Hand’s Operable Area under a Simulated Driving Situation
Vol. 27 PAPERS:Practical System for Implementing Vocational Training Program for Improving Train Driver Abilities to Copewith Abnormal Situations
No. 3
PAPERS:Impression of Persons Who Caused Accidents Derived from Contents of Accident Articles(Mar. 2013) PAPERS:A Basic Study on the Detection of Electrical Fire in the Substation by Detection of Odor Substances
RESEARCH REPORT:Investigation of Eyesight Required for Recognizing High Speed Signals
RESEARCH REPORT:The Difference of Passenger’s Recognition on the Occurrence of Railway Accidents or Potential
Incidents
RESEARCH REPORT:Railway User’s Acceptable Degree of Service Shutdown Time Associated with the Implementationof Accident Prevention Measure

42

Annual Report 2012-2013

Quarterly Report (QR)
Vol. No.

Titles
Evaluation of Carbody Strength against Side Load
Change in Surface Condition of Turned Wheel and Effectiveness of Lubrication against Flange Climb Derailment
Development of Estimating Method of Low-frequency Return-current of DC Electric Railcar
Vol.53 Track Angular Rotation Assessment Method Using Seismic Wavelength Originationg from Surface Waves
No.2
Seismic Design of Retaining Wall Considering the Dynamic Response Characteristic(May 2012) Effect of Inertial and Kinematic Interaction on Seismic Behavior of Various Types of Structures
New Method for Estimating Earthquake Parameters for Earthquake Early Warning
A Method of Determining Priorities for Investment in Disaster Prevention for Rockfalls from Slopes
Evaluation of the Influence of Anemometer Position around Railway Structures on Wind Observation Data
Development of a Model Share Estimation Method Considering Latent Passanger Preference for Transportation Modes
Optimization Algorithm for Energy-efficient Wireless Sensor Network Design Problem
Provision of Forecast Train Information and Consequential Impact on Decision Making for Train-choiceVol.53 Proposal for Grease Replacement for Traction Motor Bearings
No.3
Development of a Compact Magnet System Based on High Tc Superconductors(Aug. 2012) Development of Alkali-silica-reaction Suppressing Material with Li-containing Zeolite
Experimental Method for Wind Tunnel Tests to Simulate Turbulent Flow on the Roof of High-speed Trains
Noise Reduction Effect of Low Barriers Installed Adjacent to Rails
Development of a Wind Load Reduction Soundproof System
Reduction of Reactor Weight by Using Electromagnetic Coupling
Fundamental Tests on a Rapid Prototype Bogie
Pneumatically Operated Floating Brake Caliper for Shinkansen Vehicles
Vol.53 A Study of the Effect of Track Irregularity Prevention Methods for the Transition Zone between Different Track Structures
No.4
Development of the Car Body Mounted Track Measuring Device with the Inertial Mid-chord Offset Method(Nov. 2012) Influential Factors on Adhesion between Wheel and Rail under Wet Conditions
Experience-based PC Learning System for Human Error Prevention by Point-and-Call Checks
Simulation of Passanger Behavior on Board a Commuter Train in the Event of a Level Crossing Acident
Evaluation and Promotion of Railways Employee Awareness about Observing Rules on Making Passanger Announcements
Method for Restoring and Reinforcing Deteriorated Steel Railway Bridges - Development of Integral Bridges with
Nail-Reinforced Soil Development of Composite Steel Girder and Concrete Slab Method for Renovation of Existing Steel Railway Bridges
Estimation Method of Falling Concrete Piece from Tunnel Lining
Vol.54
Formation Mechanism of Undulating Wear on Overhead Conductor Rails due to Dynamic Characteristics of Pantographs
No.1
Development of a Deterioration Diagnosis Device for Arresters on Shinkansen Feeding Circuits(Feb. 2013)
Improvement of Anti-fatigue Property of Contact Wire by Modifying Cross-section Shape
Configuration of Contactless Power Supply Coils for Railways
An Innovative Superconducting Coil Fabrication Method with YBCO Coated Conductors
Verification of Practical Applicability of Cable Wiring for PLG Ground Coils to Maglev Systems

Newsletter, “Railway Technology Avalanche”
No.

Titles• RTRI Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of its Foundation• A Commemorative Symposium The 25th Anniversary of the Foundation of RTRI
Preparing to Meet the Challenges of the Next 25 Years
No.39• Development of a New Railway Simulator(Jul. 2012)• Development of an Earthquake Disaster Simulator for Railways• A Study on Intelligent Trains to Improve Safety and Reliability of Operation• A Technology to Restore Deteriorated Steel Bridges-Development of Bridges Integrated with Nail-Reinforced Soils• Viewpoints on the New Railway Age - Promotion of Basic Research • High-Speed Rail Development for the Next Generation UIC Highspeed 2012 held in Philadelphia, USA in July 2012
No.40
• Diagnostic Technology to Improve the Upkeep and Maintenance of Railway Tunnels(Sep. 2012) • Development of a System to Support Energy Saving Train Operation• Evaluating Train Rescheduling Methods to Reflect Passenger Dissatisfaction• Factors that Influence the Adhesion Coefficient between Wheel and Rail• Recent Research and Development by RTRI
• RTRI Stand at InnoTrans2012• SNCF-RTRI Collaborative Research Seminar 2012
No.41
• Development of Automatic Irregularity-Correcting Sleepers(Dec. 2012)• A New Vertical Vibration Control System - Development and Commercialization • Reduction of Car Body Elastic Vibration Using High-Damping Elastic Supports for Under-Floor Equipment• Detection of Pantograph Failures Using Sensors Fixed to the Catenary System• ISO Institutes New Technical Committee ISO/TC 269 Railway Applications• What Can We Do to Develop Railway Technologies in Asia?- Railway Technical Discussion at RTRI on October 25, 2012
No.42
• Development of a Fault Point Locator for the Freight Train Command Line
(Mar. 2013) • Development of a Switch Rail with Improved Wear Resistance• A Technique to Detect Overheated Switchboards with a Gas Density Detector• Measurement of Wheel Flange/Rail Gauge Corner Contact Conditions

Annual Report 2012-201343

Appendix

Lectures
RTRI Lecture
Special address
Keynote address
General address

Japan’s energy vision and the latest technology
RTRI’s efforts for improving energy efficiency• Railways and energy• Optimization of energy use by modal shift• Optimization of energy use in the rolling stock field• Optimization of energy use in stations• Optimization of energy use in the power supply fieldMonthly Presentation
Theme
Recent research and development on rolling stock technologies
Recent research and development on disaster prevention technologies
Recent research and development on transportation planning and information technology
Trends in recent railway international standards
Recent research and development on power technologies
Recent research and development on track technologies
Recent research and development on earthquakes and structural engineering
Recent research and development on human sciences
Recent research and development on rolling stock technologies
Recent research and development on environmental engineering
Research and Development situation on railway simulators

Date
April 18, 2012
May 11, 2012
June 25, 2012
July 18, 2012
August 9, 2012
September 25, 2012
October 17, 2012
December 18, 2012
January 11, 2013
February 13, 2013
March 13, 2013

Statistics
Record of Recognition
Title
Commendation by Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports Science and Technology,
Japan

Name of awardee

Medal with Yellow Ribbon

Kimiaki Sasaki

Commendingorganizations

Ken Watanabe

Category of prize
Research into an evaluation method for
determining the progress of destruction of
concrete components
Idea of inventing semi-active vibration control
system for railway rolling stock

Date of reward
April 17, 2012
April 29, 2012

Category of prize• Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Academic Award• Japan Society for Safety Engineering, 2011 Encouragement Award• Japan Concrete Institute, 2012 Technology Award• Japan Ergonomics Society, 2012 Ergonomics Good Practice Award, First Prize• The Japanese Geotechnical Society, 2011 Paper Award• The Japanese Geotechnical Society, 2011 Paper Award• The Japanese Geotechnical Society, 2011 Research Encouragement Award• Japan Society of Civil Engineers, 2011 Yoshida Research Encouragement Award• Japan Society of Civil Engineers, 2011 Paper Award• Japan Society of Civil Engineers, 2011 Technology Award
Academic• Japan Concrete Institute, the 34th Concrete Engineering Annual Paper Encouragement Award for a Lecturesocieties• Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Paper Encouragement Award• The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Industry Application Division, Division Paper Award• The 2nd Asian Clay Conference Award for The Best Poster• The Clay Science Society of Japan, Technology Award• STEH’12 Best Paper Award• The Society of Materials Science, Japan, the 12th Symposium of Repair, Reinforcement, Upgrade of Concrete
Structures, Best Paper Award• 2012 IEEE RFID-TA Technology & Applications Best Paper Award• Japan Chapter of International Geosynthetics Society, 2012 Paper Encouragement Award• International Society for Rock Mechanics, the 13th Rock Mechanics Symposium, Best Paper Award• Japan Railway Electrical Engineering Association, Technology Award, Best Paper Award• Japan Railway Electrical Engineering Association, Association Journal Best Work Award
Associations • Congress of Japan Railway Cybernetics, Best Paper Award• Japan Railway Engineer’s Association, Sakata Memorial Prize, Best Paper Award• The Ceramic Society of Japan, Technology Award

44

Annual Report 2012-2013

Commendingorganizations

Category of prize• Award from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tourism and Transport, Contribution of Promotion for Computerization• An Administration Committee of Railway Freight Promotion Encouragement Award, Encouragement Award
Associations• The Promotion Foundation for Electrical Science and Engineering, Committee of the Promotion Foundation forElectrical Science and Engineering, Technology Encouragement Award
Reward for Outstanding Research and Development• Implementation of low-cost vibration control equipment which improves ride comfort• Evaluation of the stability of a slope during an earthquake by use of a large scale shaking table test and large
deformation• Development of a flexible structured composite brake block
Reward for Outstanding Service Achievement• Technical guidance relating to the improvement of running safety on freight vehicles• Introduction of an earthquake information monitoring system on the Shinkansen
Prize for Outstanding Research and Development• Development of a safety evaluation method for ballasted track in areas adjacent to structures during earthquakes• Development of a bridge with reinforced embankment• Implementation of MSK track circuit in low frequency situations• A method of producing high-quality panoramic pictures which is applicable to long and massive structures
RTRI• Development of small magnets which are made of high-temperature superconductive materials
Prize for Outstanding Service Achievement• Activities of support divisions in dealing with the Great East Japan Earthquake• Activities of a committee and conducting a survey on reviewing the standard of vision for drivers/confirmation
tests for signals• Working out and dissemination of standards for structural foundations and soil retaining structures• Revision of a section of Railway Research Review and change of editorial system
Prize for Encouragement of Research and Development• A high-precision forecasting method for tunnel sonic booms based on logical analysis of the compression wave
• A stochastic earthquake forecasting method considering the seismic center and position characteristics
Prize for Meritorious Service• Support of damage rehabilitation and survey of suffering caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake disaster

Patents in Possession
Regarding the patents applied for, we do notclaim examination of those with little operability
or for which improvements have been applied forregistration.
We also scrutinized the patents in possession
with respect to the necessity of holding or possibilityof abandonment. We positively disclaimed thepatents for which 10 years or over have passed
after registration and little operability is expected.
As of FY 2012, the results of the scrutiny are as
follows.
Newly registered patents, etc.
Patents, 239; Design patents, 2; Total, 241
Patents of which the rights have expired
Patents, 12
Abandoned patents, etc.
Patents, 151; Design patents, 0; Total, 151
Consequently, we have 2,127 registered industrial
property rights (including 19 trademarks).

industrial rights in possession►Domestic►
Independently
Jointly
Category
owned
owned
Registered
663
496
Applied for
568
354
Patent(Examination
(232)
(177)
applied for)
Subtotal
1231
850
Registered00
Utility
Applied for
0
0
model
Subtotal
00Registered
12
15
DesignApplied for00patentSubtotal
1215
Registered190Trademark Applied for00
Subtotal
190Registered
694
511
Total
Applied for
568
354
Subtotal
1262
865

Subtotal
1159
922
(409)
2081
0
0
0
27
0
27
19
0
19
1205
922
2127

(As of March 31, 2013)industrial rights in possession►Overseas►
Number of Number of the countries
Statusapplicationsof registration
Registered
26
71
29
Registered or Registered9
applied for Applied forApplied for
12
Total
47
100
(As of March 31, 2013)

Annual Report 2012-201345

Appendix

Press Release 2012-2013
April 2, 2012
April 2, 2012
April 18, 2012
April 29, 2012
June 14, 2012
July 20, 2012
August 2, 2012
August 7, 2012
August 7, 2012
August 10, 2012
August 30, 2012
October 3, 2012
October 3, 2012
October 4, 2012
October 4, 2012
October 12, 2012
October 18, 2012
November 2, 2012
November 5, 2012
November 9, 2012
November 9, 2012
November 29, 2012
December 5, 2012
December 17, 2012
December 25, 2012
March 8, 2013

Reorganization of Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI)
FY 2012 Initiation Ceremony
FY 2012 Commendation by Minister of Education, Culture, Sports Science and Technology
Medal with Yellow Ribbon - A research director awarded a decoration by Japanese Government
New executive members
Opening of “an earthquake and structure engineering exchange meeting - preparing for a local
earthquake in a metropolitan area -”Opening of “a signalling and telecommunications technology exchange meeting”
Opening of “a human science technology exchange meeting -toward railway safetyElection of chairman and undertaking of a role as secretariat of ISO/TC 269 National Mirror Committee
Opening of “a transportation technology exchange meeting”
Railway Technical Research Institute technology forum 2012 was held.
Opening of “a power supply technology exhange meeting - efforts for improvement of function andperformance of power supply facilities-”Award of a prize from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for FY 2012
computerization month
Opening of “Japan - France railway technology symposium 2012”
Opening of “Japan - France collaborative research seminar”
Opening of “a rolling stock technology exchange meeting - towards safe and comfortable rolling stock-”
Opening of “a training/education programme for railway structure diagnosis experts”
Opening of “a track technology exchange meeting - track technologies for supporting safe running ofrolling stock”
Opening of “a railway technical discussion at RTRI”
Opening of “1st General Assembly of ISO/TC 269”
Opening of the FY 2012 lecture by Railway Technology Promotion Center
Opening of “a disaster prevention technology exchange meeting - technology for prevention andlimitation of disaster damage by changing natural external forces-”
Opening of “a Railway Technical Research Institute technology forum 2012 (held in Osaka)”
The FY 2012 ceremony of the anniversary of the foundation
Opening of “a memorial lecture for the 50th anniversary of R&D on superconductive maglev for highspeed railways”
A visit to RTRI from the Minister of State for Transport from the UK(FY 2012: April 1, 2012 - March 31, 2013)
Copyright© 2013 by Railway Technical Research Institute. All rights reserved.
Published by Hideyuki TAKAI, Executive Director

Corresponding:International Affairs Division, Railway Technical Research Institute
Hikari-cho 2-8-38, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo 185-8540, Japan
URL: http://www.rtri.or.jp/

46

Annual Report 2012-2013

Railway Technical Research Institute
Hikari-cho 2-8-38, Kokubunji-shi,
Tokyo 185-8540, Japan
http://www.rtri.or.jp/