International Press-in Association

Volume 6, Issue 4

www.press-in.org

I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE
1. Messages (P1)
From the Director

Message

From the Director
Masayuki Koda

2. Special Contribution (P2)
Subsurface cavities androad cave-ins
3. Director’s research &Activities (P8)
4. Case-History (P12)
5. Reports (P15)
6. Young Members (P18)
7. Announcements (P20)
8. Event Diary (P22)
9. Corporate Members (P23)
10. Editorial remarks (P25)

EDITORIAL BOARD
Nor Azizi Bin Yusoff
Michael Doubrovsky
Ramin Motamed
Chun Fai Leung
Taro Uchimura
Pastsakorn Kitiyodom
Anh Tuan Vu
Adnan Anwar Malik
Hisanori Yaegashi
Hongjuan He

December 2021

Director of Railway Technical Research Institute
I am delighted to be able to post my message in the IPA
newsletter. I have been the Director of IPA for four years from2017 to today. This article introduces some technical issues on
railway structures in Japan, and explains an example of R&D
related to the Press-in Technology. Finally, I would like toconclude the end of article by my expectations for theInternational Press-in Association.
The Kumamoto Earthquake in April 2016, heavy rains in July 2018, heavy rains andstorms by Typhoon No.19 in 2019 caused great damage to railways and railway
structures in Japan, interfered with the railway operation. On the other hand, inurban areas, improvement work of subway stations for the purpose of improving
convenience and large-scale improvement work of railway terminal stations for the
purpose of anti-aging measures are increasing. In addition, the Shinkansen, a new
high-speed railway, is steadily going to extend to Sapporo in Hokkaido, Tsuruga in
Hokuriku, and Nagasaki in Kyushu. In this way, the technical issues on railway
structures in Japan range from the construction of new railway structures and theimprovement of existing structures to disaster countermeasures.
In the following, as an example of R&D of Railway Technical Research Institute related
to the Press-in Technology, I introduce "Sheet Pile Reinforcement Method for existing
railway structure foundations" that contributes to disaster countermeasures. Sheet
Pile Reinforcement Method is a seismic reinforcing technology for existing
foundations. Sheet Pile Reinforcement Method is a method in which steel sheet piles
are placed around the existing foundation, and steel sheet piles and the existingfooting are connected. The steel sheet pile does not necessarily have to reach abearing layer, and its embedded length is basically the same as the footing width.
Currently, it is used as a seismic reinforcing method for road structure foundations
and as a scouring countermeasure for railway river bridges. It is one of the research
results that are attracting attention these days when the safety of railway river
bridges during floods is required.
Press-in Technology is a technical field related to geotechnical engineering andmechanical engineering, and until about 10 years ago, has been a field that only someresearch institutes and universities that have been interested in so far have beenworking on. However, with the improvement of noise and vibration during Press-in andthe development of the Press-in Technology, the technical field has come to be widelydealt with. This field is a technical field with further development potential. I believethat the development of the International Press-in Association, as a place forgeotechnical researchers and engineers to collaborate with mechanical engineeringresearchers and engineers, will lead to the progress of Press-in Engineering.

◆ A brief CV of Dr. Masayuki Koda

He has worked on R&D for foundation engineering of railway structures, and forgeotechnical engineering. He is a code writer for the series of Design Standard forRailway Structures in Japan. He is also one of the developers of the newly foundation
with multiple sheet piles, ’Sheet Pile Foundation, and Sheet Pile Reinforced Structure
Method for existing foundations'.
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Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Special Contribution

Subsurface cavities and road cave-ins
Reiko Kuwano
Professor, Institute of Industrial Science
The University of Tokyo

1. Introduction
Sinkholes and ground cave-ins are usually initiated by the formation of cavities in the ground. When a cavity forms forsome reason, and grows/expands by the instability of the cavity ceiling, it may result in the surface collapse. In manyground cave-in cases, it looks as if the collapse occurs all of sudden. It is difficult to catch a sign of the collapse in advance.
But, of course, it takes some time for the process from the original cavity to the final surface collapse, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1. process of cavity expansion and ground cave-in
In the ground, countless cavities of various causes, sizes and depths exist. Some of them may be on the edge of collapse.
But without visible sign such as ground settlement, a cave-in would occur in a very short moment. This makes thecountermeasure for the ground cave-in more difficult.

2. Road cave-ins in urban area
The cause of underground cavities can be roughly categorised into two. One is naturally formed cavities such as a caveeroded in calcareous ground. The other major factor is old deteriorated buried infrastructure in urban cities. Especiallythere is a clear correlation between the aging of sewer pipes and the occurrence of road cave-in. The number of roadcave-in due to the failure of sewer pipes starts to increase when the age of sewer pipes exceeds 30 years, as indicated inFig. 2. However, it is not always easy to identify the cause of road cave-in. In fact, about one third of urban road cave-in
cases are due to unknown reasons, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 2. Relationship between age of sewer pipe and frequency of road cave-in (after Yokota et al, 2012)2

Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Most of causes are buried infrastructure.
About 1/3 are unknown causes.

Fig. 3. The number of road cave-ins in urban area and their causes in 2018 (from MILT website)
When the sewer pipe is damaged, the soil with groundwater above the broken point flows into the pipe and a cavity
forms in the ground. Fig. 4 schematically shows the process of cavity formation and expansion in the case of leakage of
unbound soil through a hole. Using the soil chamber having an opening in the base, this phenomenon was simulated ina series of model tests. Even though a hole is small, if the leakage of soil continues, a cavity can grow and expand. It isonly the last moment that the deformation on the ground surface is recognized. Change of water level, or high waterlevel are one of main factors for cavity expansion.

Fig. 4. Process of cavity formation/expansion
According to the survey conducted by Kuwano et al. (2010) in seven cities enquiring the relationship between the stateof sewer pipe and road cave-in situation, following facts were revealed.


Although the life time for sewer pipes is considered to be 50 years, the damage and failure of underground pipes
causing cave-in’s in the road distinctively increase after 30 years from the construction.
Even small gaps or cracks of pipes could lead to road cave-ins.
Rainfall appears to be one of the most important factors.

The size of subsurface cavities caused by damaged buried pipes is generally small and the location is shallow. The shallow
subsurface cavities of less than 1.5m deep from the surface can be detected using the ground penetrating radar (GPR)
technique. The road managers regularly carry out the GPR surveys as the road maintenance operation. The frequency ofthe subsurface cavities (the number of cavities found in the road of 1km) is shown in Table 1. The depth of cavity ceilingis typically just under the pavement, 0.3 to 0.6m deep. The thickness of cavity is less than 0.6m for the most cases.

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December 2021

Table 1. Frequency of cavity generation in roads
Administrative area
The number of subsurface cavities
in unit length of road（/km）
National, prefectural
0.59
Tokyo, designated city
2.06
Tokyo 23 ward
2.09
Other municipality
1.37
From the data Geo Search Co. investigated in 2014 and 2015
(road length: 10,091km, the number of cavities: 9984）
Factors of the cavity formation and expansion are shown in Fig. 5. The contribution of each parameter for pre-existing
factors was estimated from the actual data for the distribution of subsurface cavities in Fukuoka and Fujisawa cityrespectively. Then, cavity potential, the likeliness of cavity formation, was evaluated and presented as a cavity potential
map, as shown in Fig. 6. For both Fukuoka and Fujisawa cities, one of the most important factors in the cavity potential
was found to be the age of sewer pipes.
Pre-existing conditions・presence of buried structures
・unbounded soil or backfill
・geology・topography・ground water・history of excavationetc.
Switch-on events:
・ageing or failure or buried structure・rain・earthquakeetc.

The site condition has
strong erosion potential.

The transportation path forthe eroded (leaked) soil isestablished.

Cavity formation/expansion is accelerated
Fig. 5. Factors of cavity formation/expansion

Cavities due to buried pipes：

Other type cavities：

unit：
frequency(number/km)

High potential at city center (old High potential at reclaimed
ground along coast
sewer pipes)

Fujisawa city(a) Fukuoka city

4 major factors
・confluent type sewerage・connections of branch pipes
・sandy soil
・shallow ground water level
potential

Frequency ( /km）
Cave-in Cavity

factors

High+

More than 3

1.2

4.6

High

Sewerage・Sand

0.7

2.4

MiddleOther than above

0.4

0.4

Low

None

0.1

0.3

Fig. 6. Cavity potential map
4(b) Fujisawa cityVolume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

The number of cave-in
reported in the newspaper

The most important factor of the trigger for the cavity expansion is rainfall. In fact, the number of road cave-in reported
in the newspaper increased in June, July and August, when there are a lot of rain in Japan, as shown in Fig. 7. Earthquake
is another major factor for the cavity expansion. According to the survey analysis before and after Niigata-ken Chuetsu
earthquake (2007), Great east Japan earthquake (2011), and Kumamoto earthquake (2016), it is revealed that the numberof cavities increased at the locations where the seismic intensity exceeded 5 (Fig. 8).

Frequent cave-in

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

May June July

Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Seismic condition

Seismic Intensity

Fig. 7. The number of road cave-in in Japan reported in the newspaper (1988-2006)

Ordinary condition

Seismiccondition
When the seismic intensity exceeds 5, thefrequency of subsurface cavity increases

Fig. 8. Frequency of underground cavities according to seismic intensity due to Niigata-ken Chuetsu earthquake

3. Evaluation of collapsing risk
From the practical point of view, the risk evaluation of road cave-in is quite important. Fig. 9 shows the process of cavity
formation, expansion and surface collapse observed in the model test. Soil with water drained from the opening in thecenter of base plate in a soil chamber and the vertically elongated chimney-like cavity was initially formed. When thewater was supplied again, the soil below the water level flown out and the width of the cavity became larger. The soil
above the cavity was kept stable by the apparent cohesion in unsaturated sand and arching action while the depth/widthof cavity was large enough. When it becomes less than the threshold value (0.2-0.3), the soil above the cavity lost thestability and collapsed into the cavity. In Fig. 9, the plot of cavity depth versus cavity width moved rightward as the cavity
expand, and finally reached on the line that the inclination was -0.2 to -0.3 just before the collapse. It means that wet
uniform sand above a cavity collapses due to its self-weight, when the ratio of depth and cavity width becomes below 0.2
to 0.3.

5

Average
depth

Volume 6, Issue 4

width
Growth ofcavityJust before collapsing

Initial chimney-like cavity

collapsing

Width of cavity (cm)Depth from ground surface (cm)

December 2021

Chimney-like verticallyelongated initial cavity

Just before
collapse

Width of cavity under the
groundwater increase

Soil above the cavity collapses

Initial cavity

Fig. 9. Process of cavity formation, expansion and surface collapse
Using the data of subsurface cavities and road cave-ins in national road, the depths of cavities are plotted against thewidths of cavities in Fig. 10. Most collapsed cases are found to be the area that the depth/width is less than 0.2 to 0.3. It
can be stated that the phenomenon observed in a series of model tests can be extended to the practice. The thresholdvalue of collapse can be dependent on properties of pavement, ground condition, water level and so on. Further
investigation is needed on this issue.

Depth of the cavity ceiling （m）

Width of cavity（m）
Pavement

Inclination

0.2

High

0.3
Low

Potential risk of collapse
Cavities and cave-ins in National road（2003～2007, 703 cases in total）■ collapsed cavity （39）Fig. 10. Cases of real cavities and collapses in national roadIn practice, the growth rate of cavity, how fast the point moves from lower left to upper right in Fig. 10, is also important.
In the model tests, in the particular condition, the rate of cavity growth is observed to be very fast. In the monitoring
survey of subsurface cavities in Fujisawa city, there is the case that a deep small cavity due to the failure of the sewer
pipe moved up to shallow ground within a couple of months. On the other hand, most of the cavities in national roads
are reported to be stable in several years. The growth rate observed for the cavities in national roads are shown in Fig.11.
We should further collect this type of data from the monitoring practice to analyse the growth rate of cavities.
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December 2021

Depth of the cavity ceiling （m）

Width of cavity（m）
0

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

A

（risk：large）

0.5

B（risk：middle）

1

After growthpathGrowth rate(/year)C

1.5

Before growth（risk：small）

Fig. 11. Growth rate of 19 subsurface cavities monitored in national roads detected in 2012-2016

4. Repairment of subsurface cavity
The detected cavities by the ground penetrating radar technique should be appropriately repaired according to theirpotential risk of collapse. Generally, a cavity is filled by the open-cut method. Recently the injection of air mortar into a cavity
is also applied. If the potential risk of collapse is low, it is possible to keep monitoring the cavity. It is preferable to accumulate
and utilize the cavity data to update the knowledge and share the experience among infrastructure managers and engineers.

5. For road policy quality improvement
Current standard practice against a subsurface cavity is “finding a cavity and backfilling it by open excavation before its
collapse”. It works well and contributes to the mitigation of cave-in accidents. For more rational and effective measures,
following are considered important; appropriate survey planning considering regional trend and cavity formation
potential, the evaluation of collapsing risk for a cavity, and choice of repairing methods according to cavity properties.

References
Yokota,T. Fukatani,W. and Miyamoto,T. (2012), The present situation of the road cave in sinkholes caused by sewer systems(FY2006-FY2009), TECHNICAL NOTE of National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (in Japanese).
Kuwano,R., Horii,T., Yamauchi,K. and Kohashi,H. (2010), Formation of subsurface cavity and loosening due to defected oldsewer pipe, Japanese Geotechnical Journal, Vol.5, No.2 349-361 (in Japanese).
Website of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: https://www.mlit.go.jp/road/sisaku/ijikanri/pdf/h29r1kanbotu.pdf (2021.10/20)
Kuwano,R., Ohara,Y. and Sera,R. (2019), A study on the potential size of subsurface cavities in sandy soil, 16th AsianRegional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (16ARC), Oct. 2019, SA06-005, 2019.
Koike,Y. and Hamanari,K. (2017), Analysis of subsurface cavity generation, the 72nd JSCE annual conference, Fukuoka (inJapanese).
Hotta,M., Kuwano,R. and Sera,R. (2018), Development of subsurface cavity potential map in Fukuoka city based on GIS
analysis., the 53rd JGS annual conference, Takamatsu, 1625-1626 (in Japanese).
Kuwano,R., Kuwano,J.,Sera,R., Ihara,T. and Kozakai,N. (2021), The evaluation of collapse risk of subsurface cavities andthe development of their countermeasures , Report on Technical Research and Development for Road Policy Quality
Improvement, No.30-5.
◆

A brief CV of Prof. Reiko Kuwano
Reiko Kuwano is a professor of Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, Japan. She
graduated from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1988, with a Master degree in Civil Engineering.
After practical work experience as an engineer in Taisei Corporation for five years, she obtained
a PhD degree at Imperial College, London in 1999. Then she worked at Public Work ResearchInstitute as a senior researcher before she moved to the University of Tokyo in 2006. Her majorinterest includes laboratory soil testing, mechanical behaviour of soil, internal erosion,
subsurface cavity and ground cave-in, long-term behaviour of buried/earth structure, and so on.
7Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Director’s research and development activities

Peat Fire and Muar Living Laboratory Initiative
Nor Azizi Bin Yusoff
Senior Lecturer, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM)

Early this year, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia (UTHM) reached an agreement with The Muar District inmaterializing the concept of ‘UTHM@Muar Living Laboratory’. In general, a living laboratory is a research concept, definedas user-centered, operating in a territorial context, integrating concurrent research and innovation processes within apublic-private-people partnership. Several joint research and innovations had been successfully initiated. In addition, thecity had been awarded The ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard (ACTCS) (2018-2020). Incidences of peat fire at the Ayer
Hitam peatland is one of the prime concerns of the city causing significant carbon emissions and economic loss. This shortarticle will highlight some of our latest R&D efforts concerning this initiative.
The ‘peat initiative’ is the extension of Muar's clean city agenda to create awareness on environmental issues, reduce
emissions, and promote sustainable development. The Ayer Hitam, Muar peat land comprises more than 50 000 acres.
Apart from this area, the largest virgin peat area in Johore is located at the same place. The total area of this forest is3797 hectares and it is the last remaining peat swamp forest in the state of Johore. This peatland is a fragile yet uniqueecosystem that plays a crucial role in stabilizing the ecosystem, regulating water, soil formation, and most importantly as
carbon storage and sequestration. The Ayer Hitam peatland is also home to unique flora and fauna such as theendangered endemic Betta persephone. In response to the city's needs, UTHM established The Regional Peat Fire
Research Station for peat fire management.

(a) Peat area at the reserve forest andagricultural area(b) Forest-village boundary at Ayer Hitam,
Muar District(c) Peat fire issues(d) Structural integrity issues on peat

Fig. 1. Peatland at Ayer Hitam, Muar and related issues
Based on the engineering perspective, peatland normally triggered several engineering problems such as a peat fire,
structural crack, undulating road surface, interruption into a pipeline, high acidic water source, and many more (Fig. 1).
8Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Smoke from burning peat can reduce air quality, particularly within 1km of the fire, as the smoke contains fine particles,
water vapor, gases including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. It may also contain sulfur compounds
which are odorous. From an economic perspective, peat fire may disrupt the agricultural land, affecting the farmer’s
revenue, damaging the crops, and incurring additional management costs for the local authority. Several research clusters
had been initiated thru the initiatives as listed below.

1. Initial geotechnical and geological survey at Ayer Hitam Utara Reserve Forest, Muar, Johore (Fig. 2)

Our research team is working closely with Johore State Forestry Department, Muar Municipal Council, Muar District Office,and other local partners in protecting the forest. The research team is actively involved in several expeditions andactivities. Since 2019, relevant data were collected in order to understand the probability of peat fire at a certain
designated area (Maznan Ismon, 2021).

(a) A group of researchers at the peat
forest(b) Visual inspection of peat slope

Fig. 2. Initial geotechnical and geological survey at the peat forest

2. Structural assessment on a building (Fig. 3)

Peat, in its natural state, is considered unsuitable soil for supporting building foundations. It is mainly due to the presenceof high organic matter, high moisture content, high compressibility, and low shear strength. In addition, vibration may
cause damage or reduce the serviceability of a building (Tuan Norhayati et al., 2021). This study focuses on an existingbuilding in Muar District with the aim of assessing the vibration response of the building and whether the vibration iswithin the vibration limits as determined by the Department of Environment. A Finite Element Modelling is produced
to simulate the building’s displacement and deformation under natural frequency and a series of tests consisting ofwalking test and heel-drop test was performed on-site to obtain the vibration response of the building in terms ofacceleration, velocity and frequency (Nursyahirah (2021); Yeoh (2021).

(a) Ultrasonic sounding equipment(b) Structural health assessment on building

Fig. 3. Structural health assessment at Ayer Hitam, Muar
3. Geotechnical assessment on structure (Fig. 4)
Bridges are essential components of road networks and reflect an important investment in the resources of mostcountries around the world. This study is initiated in order to determine the condition rating of the bridge structure in
Malaysia where it focuses on the bridges in Ayer Hitam, Muar. The aim of this study is to assess the structural condition9

Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021of the bridge and describe defects observed in bridge members. The assessment was carried out based on the method
practiced by the Road Engineering Association of Malaysia (REAM). The bridge condition rating was presented inassessment form where both quantitative and qualitative methods visualized the performance of this study. The
quantitative approach is where bridge parameter data is obtained, while the qualitative method when the data isprocessed and rated all bridges. In general, the bridge approach was found as the most common defect in most bridges
compared to the other components (Ahmed Abdi, 2021).

(a) Bridge assessment at Ayer Hitam,(b) Assessment of a peat settlement
Muar
Fig. 4. Structural and visual assessment
4. Development of peat fire monitoring system (Fig. 5)
The prototype kit developed in this research project successfully works to detect smoke, motion, measure temperature,and humidity readings that meet the study's objective in detecting early peat forest fires using automation features
equipped in the system. The test results show the presence of smoke and objects under good supervision because it isproven that the prototype kit can send notification messages to the users through Telegram applications. At the sametime, data readings from the sensors can be displayed on the GUI in real-time. Moreover, the temperature and humidity
readings obtained are accurate, stable, and easy to read. Therefore, the developed system can be used as an early
detection tool for peat forest fires (Anuar Hamzah et al., 2021).

(a) Research presentation at the reserve
forest(b) Graphical user interface for the prototype kit
using Grafana software

Fig. 5. Peat fire monitoring system

5. Check dam design (Fig. 6)

The most fundamental need for the conservation of degraded peatlands is to restore their hydrological functions andrestore a hydrological system that is appropriate/optimal for the restoration of the ecosystem. Optimized (stabilized)
water levels are important for the regeneration of peatlands to ensure that the correct conditions are generated forpeatlands' ecological role and conservation of peatland biodiversity.
Usually, the use of natural peat will easily block narrower ditches with a depth of up to about 2 meters. Peat with a low
water column pressure can also be effectively used for damming large ditches. The peat must be well moisturized in sucha way that it is properly waterproof. However, peat dams in 2 m width ditches are likely to collapse on sloping land, andit might be appropriate to use other materials along with peat to block anything above 1 m width.
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Based on the requirement of Ayer Hitam peatland, two design options had been proposed for the check dam to suit withthe local situation. The first option of the check dam has one rectangular notch in the middle of the check dam while thesecond design option has two rectangular notches in the middle of the check dam. Both check dam options are made ofreinforced concrete. A portable wooden notch could be used to control the water catchment and water flow. It is
important to help the villages in the event of emergency and maintenance (Muhammad Faris, 2021).

(a) Check dam (Design 1)(b) Check dam (Design 2)

Fig. 6. Proposed check dam design for Ayer Hitam peatland (Muhammad Faris, 2021).

6. Further research and development work

Further research is in progress in studying the corrosion rate of buried steel piles at Ayer Hitam peatland. The objectivesof the research are to analyze the composition of Ayer Hitam Utara peat soil and unburied metal sheet pile using several
laboratories and in-situ testing. Later, the performance of metal sheet pile condition before and after embedded in Ayer
Hitam peat soil and feasible approach could be drawn to reduce the corrosion effect. In general, the corrosion rate below
the water table fluctuation zone decreased significantly as oxygen was depleted. The most critical zone for steel pile
corrosion was typically located within the groundwater fluctuation zone. The research may enhance the applicability ofsteel sheet piles on peat areas. Steel sheet piles may normally be considered in trenches/canals wider than 2 meters
where water flow would cease. Preliminary to the sheet piles' construction is important to ensure that the water does
not flood beneath the stable earth's piles. In addition, due to the presence of high organic matter, high moisture content,high compressibility, and low shear strength in peat, the Press-in technology could be adopted for future construction.
For example, by having a GRB System, Press-in machines utilize reaction force from installed piles integrated with the
Earth and carry out piling work while self-moving on top of installed piles. The process will eliminate the need for
temporary structure and minimize the biodiversity effect on the reserve forest. Lastly, thank you for the opportunity toshare some of my research activities and hopefully, I will be able to update the progress in the future publication.

REFERENCES
Ahmed Abdi Elmi Omar (2021). Visual Inspection of Bridge Condition Assessment. Master of Civil Engineering. Universiti
Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. MSc. Thesis.
Anuar Hamzah, S., Dalimin, M. N., Md Som, M., Talib, R., Utomo, W. M., Ramli, K. N., Abd Jamil, A., Zainal, M. S., Sanusi,
M. H., Mustapa, M. S., & Yusoff, N. A. (2021). Design and Built a Prototype Kit for Fire Detection in a Peat Swamp Forest:
A Preliminary Results. Journal of Sustainable Natural Resources, 2(1), 7-19.
Maznan Ismon (2021). Infrared Thermography Surveillance Monitoring of Peat Fire at Biotech Reserve Area, Muar.
Technical Report.
Muhammad Faris Danial bin Malikhazulkifli (2021). A Study on Check Dam Design at Peat Soil Area for Peat Fire
Management. Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. BSc. Thesis.
Nursyahirah Suhaimy (2021). Crack Assessment on A Residential Building due to Peat Soil Settlement at Ayer Hitam, Muar.
Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. BSc. Thesis.
Tuan Norhayati Tuan Chik, Cheng Sok Rou, Ahmad Fahmy Kamarudin, Seyed Jamalaldin Seyed Hakim, Nor Azizi Yusoff(2021). Vibration Criteria Assessment Due To Piling Works, International Journal of Integrated Engineering, 6, 46.
Yeoh Ying Jun (2021). Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) at Residential House due to Heavy Truck Vibration in Ayer
Hitam Muar. Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. BSc. Thesis.

11Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Case-History

Steel Sheet Pile Cofferdam in China (Hubei Province)
Yunxiang Wang
Shanghai Office, GIKEN LTD.

Hongjuan He
Secretariate, IPA
In China, since they had to rely on expensive imported steel sheet piles before, the scope of application of steel sheet
piles was limited to emergency projects such as disaster recoveries. In recent years, however, Chinese domestic
production and mass production of steel sheet piles have progressed, and the price of steel sheet piles has become
significantly lower than that of imported products, so the scope of application of constructions using steel sheet piles has
been expanding. Recently, with the increase in infrastructure development such as high-speed railways and expressways,
the number of steel sheet pile cofferdam has rapidly been increasing. Under such circumstances, cases of adopting thepress-in piling method are increasing, especially for projects overcoming high construction difficulties. In this article, acase of cofferdam for construction of expressway bridge piers over a river is introduced.

1. Construction Outline
1.1 Construction Location
The construction site is the highway bridge (official name: Hegu Han River Highway Bridge) over the Han River in
Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, China (Fig. 1). Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city located in the northwestern part of
Hubei Province, China, and is the second largest city in Hubei Province. As shown in Fig. 2, the cofferdam by the press-in
piling method was installed to construct the 23rd and 24th piers of this highway bridge.

19m

80m

Google Map

Hubei Province

No.22

Fig. 1. Project location

No.23

No.24

No.25

Fig. 2. Longitudinal section of the highway bridge

1.2 Background and objectives of the project
The name of this project is "G316 Hegu Han River Highway Bridge and Connection Project". G316 is an important highway in
Hubei Province, which runs through Xiangyang from east to west and plays an important role in the economic development of
the region. However, some sections of the G316 Highway are winding narrow routes with limited traffic capacity. To optimize
the local road transportation network, Xiangyang City authorities have decided to implement this project.
12Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Since the 23rd and 24th piers of this highway bridge were to be constructed in the river, construction of a cofferdam wasa premise. Initially, in consideration of hard ground conditions, pre-drilling with an earth drill plus steel sheet pile drivingby the vibratory hammer method was adopted. However, due to the fact that the ground was mixed with boulders andthe ground loosened by predrilling was reconsolidated when the steel sheet pile was driven by a vibratory hammer, theconstruction became difficult. As a result, the design was changed to the press-in piling method with an auger thatenables more reliable construction. The press-in work on the 23rd pier was carried out from December 2019 to April
2020, and the 24th pier from April to May 2020, and 182 cofferdam steel sheet piles were pressed in respectively.

2. Site condition and piling method
2.1 Site condition
At this site, there were two challenges that had to be overcome. The
first was the construction period. In this project, all work was
required to be completed within the dry season (DecemberFebruary). The Han River, which flows through the construction siteof Xiangyang City, is the largest tributary of the Yangtze River in China,
and there is a danger of flooding in summer. As mentioned in 1.2, thepredrilling plus vibrohammer method was initially adopted. Thismethod required two steps, predrilling and steel sheet pile driving,which might slow down the progress of the work. On the other hand,in the press-in piling method with an auger, augering and pile
installation could be performed in one process, therefore, morereliable and rapid construction was possible. The project was able tobe successfully completed within the planned construction period.
The second was the hard ground condition. The ground condition at
the site, as shown in the borehole log in Fig. 3, was hard groundformed of cobbles and weathered siltstones. At the actual site,boulders (200 mm to 300 mm) were found as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 3. Bore hole log

By using the press-in piling method with an auger, steel sheet piles were able to be installed without problems in spite ofsuch hard ground conditions. Unfortunately, due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection in January 2020, we werecompelled to close the site for two months, but in order to catch up on the construction period, we introduced two pressin piling machines, and we were able to make it (Fig. 5). Since the press-in piling machines were small and it was easy toconstruct with multiple units, the construction was able to be completed within the planned period, and this effect ofshortening the construction period was highly evaluated by the principal contractor.

Fig. 4. Boulders found at the site

Fig. 5. Shortening of the construction period
by using two press-in piling machines.
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2.2 Piling method
Fig. 6 shows the view of during the construction. At this site, thepress-in piling method with an auger was adopted, in which thepress-in resistance was reduced and the steel sheet piles werepressed in by excavating the ground using an auger as an auxiliary
construction method. As illustrated in the process of Fig. 7, theground at the tip of steel sheet pile being pressed in was
excavated by the auger to create a state where the core washollowed out in the ground, and the steel sheet pile was pressedin while pulling out the auger. In this construction, used steel
sheet piles were pressed in with the press-in piling machine F201C600. At construction sites in China, temporary steel sheet piles
are often reused, so damage or deformation of steel sheet piles
due to improper construction can be a problem. The press-in
Fig. 6. A view of during construction
piling method with an auger not only made it possible to press-in
the steel sheet piles with the minimum required press-inpressure, but also it was possible to install steel sheet piles with high accuracy, thus, we were able to minimize the wearof the steel sheet piles.

1. Start the operation

2. Augering at the pile toe

3. Press-in the pile while
extracting the auger.

4. Repeat 1 to 3.

Fig. 7. Press-in process (extracted from the Press-in Retaining Structures: A Handbook Second Edition, 2021)

3. Concluding Remarks
In this work, we faced various problems such as the unpredictable impact of the new coronavirus and harder groundconditions than expected. But we were able to complete the construction as planned. In the future, we will continue topromote the press-in piling method so that it may be adopted not only for temporary constructions but also forpermanent constructions of bridge piers. This case study was published as one of the activities of TC6 (TechnicalCommittee on Investigation and analysis of the development status of Press-in technology in China), which is a technicalcommittee newly established by the International Press-in Association. From now on we will continue to introduce you
construction cases in China.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Horizon Construction Development Ltd. for providing materials andphotographs for the construction of this work.

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Report from USA

Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering Societies andIndustry Associations in the United States (Part1)
Takefumi Takuma
GIKEN LTD., c/o Giken America Corporation
There are multiple geotechnical and foundation engineering societies/associations based in the United States. Giken
America Corp. and some of its employees, including the author, have joined these societies and have been participating
in some committee activities. As the first of the series articles on these societies, let us look at the Geo-Institute ofAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (G-I of ASCE) and Deep Foundations Institute (DFI).


Geo-Institute of American Society of Civil Engineers (G-I of ASCE)

According to its homepage, ASCE is the oldest engineering society in the United States, founded back in 1852. This nonprofit organization is headquartered at Reston, Virginia; a suburb of Washington, D.C. The current size of membership is
estimated at about 170,000 from more than 170 countries worldwide although the majority of them are in North America,
especially the United States.
One of its 9 Institutes (technical discipline-based groups of the members) is the Geo-Institute (G-I), which is “a specialty
membership organization focused on geo-professionals and the geo-industry”. The G-I was established in 1996 and iscelebrating its 25th anniversary with over 13,000 current members. (https://www.asce.org/communities/institutes-andtechnical-groups/geo-institute/about)
The G-I organizes and holds an annual GeoCongress Conference and other geotechnical engineering conferences, such as
the GeoExtreme Conference held in Savannah, Georgia in November 2021, where the author and his colleague exhibitedand presented a couple of papers. ASCE publishes the proceedings of these conferences in the name of G-I in addition topeer-reviewed the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering and the Journal of Geomechanics. They
are available online at the “ASCE Library” and also in a print format.
The bi-monthly “GeoStrata” magazine is edited and distributed by G-I for its members. See Fig. 1 for the cover of a recent
issue of “GeoStrata” along with “Civil Engineering”, an ASCE monthly magazine.
G-I has 20 technical committees on various aspects of foundation and geotechnical engineering such as computational
geotechnics, deep foundations, earth retaining, soil improvement, unsaturated soil, and so on.

Fig. 1. Covers of Civil Engineering and GeoStrata
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 Deep Foundations Institute (DFI)DFI was established in 1976 as a non-profit organization; representing as “bringing together contractors, specifications
writers, soils design and construction engineers, material suppliers, and equipment developers to provide a common
forum for all concerned with deep foundations” (https://dfi.org/about-dfi/history/).
Headquartered at Hawthorne, New Jersey, DFI has more than 4,000 members worldwide from a wide range of thegeotechnical/foundation engineering design and construction industry as originally envisioned. Geographically speaking,about two thirds of the members are in the U.S. with the balance from the rest of the world. In terms of the businesssector representation, contractors, consulting engineers, suppliers, and owners make up 26%, 23%, 18%, and 5% of themembership respectively, while students and professors constitute 28% (https://dfi.org/members/). There are three
types of memberships offered; corporate, student, and individual. Giken America Corp. is a corporate member.
The DFI Europe, DFI Middle East and DFI India chapters have been established and active as the chapters outside of the U.S.
DFI hosts an annual conference as well as theme-focused
conferences/seminars throughout each year at various locations in North
America. For example, the author and his colleagues exhibited and presented
papers at the SuperPile’21 Conference in Philadelphia in June and also at the2021 Annual Conference in Las Vegas in October.
Besides the conference proceedings and foundation engineering
guidance/manuals, DFI publishes the DFI Journal which is “an international
peer-reviewed publication that supports authors whose research and practicecovers a broad range of subjects on deep foundation engineering andconstruction” (https://dfi.org/publications/). They are available online at the“DFI Publication Store”. Also published is the bi-monthly “Deep Foundations”
magazine distributed to its members. Fig. 2 shows the cover of its recent issue.
Fig. 2. Cover of Deep Foundations
DFI currently has 28 technical committees. The author and his colleagues havejoined and are active in the following committees: Driven Pile, Marine Foundations, Manufacturers, Suppliers, and Service
Providers, and Women in Deep Foundations. DFI is governed by a board of trustees who are elected by DFI members andrun by a group of staff headed by an executive director. One of the author’s colleagues at Giken America Corp. has recently
been elected as a DFI trustee (Srilakshmi “Lucky” Nagarajan).
In the article in the next newsletter, the author plans to discuss the Pile Driving Contractors Association (PDCA) and theUnited States Society on Dams (USSD).
The author appreciates the assistance provided by Ian Vaz of Giken America Corp.

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Report

IPA Newsletter Editorial Board Meeting in 2021

The Editorial Board Committee has decided to start holding regular meetings this year in order to share information andexchange ideas among the committee members. Due to the Covid-19, we could not meet in person, so the meetings were
held online. It was difficult to adjust the meeting time because of the different time zones of each committee member,but thanks to the cooperation of the committee members, we were able to hold four meetings successfully, shown below.
1) At the first meeting on 18 May 2021, we shared the progress of June, September and December issue to be
published in 2021 and discussed the primary contents of IPA 15th anniversary special issue to be publishedin March 2022.
2) At the second meeting on 5 August 2021, each chief member in charge of editing September, December
and the next March issue, Prof. Acacio, Prof. Uchimura and Prof. Doubrovsky respectively, updated theprogress. The member in charge of the next June issue was also decided.
3) At the third meeting on 5 October, the discussion focused on the contents of IPA 15th Anniversary special
issue, adding some new contents related to “The Future Vision of Press-in Piling”. This special issue will beplanned to publish both in English and Japanese versions.
4) At the final meeting on 16 November. Mr. Yaegashi, Prof. Doubrovsky and Dr. Azizi updated the status ofDecember, March as well as June issue respectively. Dr. Wang and Mr. Nozaki were nominated to be a new
editorial board member and they will join the committee from January 2022.

We are currently formulating the special issue for IPA 15th Anniversary, and the June issue 2022 is being planned. We will
try our best to provide much more useful information for our readers, and we look forward to working with you next year.

Group photo of Editorial Board Meeting17Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Young Members Column
Fahim Mashroor Bhuiyan
Ph.D. Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Nevada Reno (USA)I am Fahim Mashroor Bhuiyan, a fourth-year Ph.D. Student at the University of
Nevada Reno (UNR) in the U.S., and I am from Bangladesh. At the start of myundergraduate journey at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology(BUET), I chose Civil Engineering as my major. In my final year at BUET, I did myundergraduate thesis on numerical analysis on the raft foundation using Plaxis. To
make scrupulous analysis for my thesis, I had to acquire a thorough knowledge ofsoil and foundation behavior; and concurrently found my passion for geotechnicalengineering. I soon realized that the mercurial, erratic, and unpredictablebehavior of soil makes this subject more challenging and more fun to learn andwork with.
After my graduation, I got a job in a geotechnical engineering firm in Bangladesh. During my brief work experience, I
learned to implement load cell technology in static pile load tests. I worked alongside field engineers and learned a lot
about implementing engineering knowledge in the geological context of my country. I started my journey at UNR in Fall2017 under the supervision of Dr. Ramin Motamed who is one of the International Press-in Association’s Directors. I
started as a master's student in my first semester and helped my colleague in performing shake table experiments tostudy shallow foundation response due to liquefaction. In Spring 2018, I switched to the Ph.D. program and started
working on my current research project. Apart from geotechnical engineering, I have got a keen interest in computer
programming and numerical analysis tools. Implementing and refining my programming skills in geotechnical applications
have added great flavors to the research project I'm currently working on.
The project I am working on is entitled "Lateral Analysis Guidelines for Drilled
Shafts in Nevada Based on LRFD Framework". The project, which is funded by
the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), aims at developing aunique, economic, accurate, and validated tool to define LRFD (Load andResistance Factor Design) based design guidelines for large diameter drilledshaft under lateral loading. Currently, I am trying to implement advanced
MATLAB programming to develop a finite-difference tool, NVShaft, toimprove the current methodology for numerical lateral load (p-y) analysis oflarge diameter drilled shafts. NVShaft can perform a more sophisticated,unified p-y analysis by considering additional side shear and tip resistancecomponents more relevant to large diameter drilled shaft. Measured datafrom several field and centrifuge load tests have been used to validate thenew program. Aside from unified p-y analysis, like other commercial
numerical tools, NVShaft can perform axial load (t-z) analysis, lateral stability
analysis, pushover analysis, and buckling analysis of shaft-column. As of date,a total of 20 lateral resistance (p-y) models have been added to the NVShaft
library. Several axial side shear (t-z), end bearing (q-z), tip shear (vb-yb), andtip moment (mb-θb) resistant models have also been included. Anotherimportant goal of our project is to provide a robust definition of shaft pointof-fixity, a parameter that is required for the structural design of bridge pier.
By providing the means to perform a more realistic numerical lateral load
analysis, the outcome of this research project will result in a more
18

Fig. 1 Numerical Winkler's springmodels of major lateral resistancecomponents in large-diameter drilledshaft.

Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

homogeneous design practice and acceptable lateral performance across the state. The project is expected to increase
the savings in drilled shafts construction cost as well as improved safety due to more refined analysis and design to be
used by foundation engineers.

Hoang Thi Lua
Lecturer, Thuyloi University (Vietnam)
I am Hoang Thi Lua from Vietnam. I am delighted to write this message for the IPA
Newsletter to share about myself and my main research areas. After receiving master's
degree in Geotechnical Engineering at Thuyloi University – Vietnam, in Sept. 2017, I went
to Japan to start my Ph.D. journey. Among many research areas on Geotechnicalengineering field, I decided to follow "pile foundation engineering" area because pilefoundation is always a reliable and preferred foundation for heavy structures on various
types of ground, but also a foundation type with many aspects to investigate. I started
doctoral course at Kanazawa University under the supervision of Prof. Matsumoto Tatsunori– one expert in the area of piled raft foundation as well as a Director of IPA. My Ph.D.
research topic, therefore, focuses on piled-raft foundations supported by displacement
piles - which will be one of the economical and promising foundation solutions for the
future construction industry.
In 2020, when I was the last year Ph.D student, Prof. Matsumoto introduced me about IPA. Searching from the internet,
I found helpful information related to the IPA and understood how important the Press-in technologies is in theconstruction industry. Since that time, I registered and became "a student member" of IPA. I also got information about
the ICPE 2021, and the topics of ICPE 2021 really attracted me. I decided to submit a paper to the ICPE 2021, and luckyme, my paper was accepted. Thanks to the ICPE 2021, I was kept up with new information on the area of foundations ingeneral and displacement piles in particular. Additionally, I was awarded "The Best research paper of ICPE 2021", thissuch a great honor for me.
Currently, I graduated Ph.D. course and am now a young lecture at Thuyloi university. I am very interested in researching
the application of Press-in technologies on the area of deep foundation in particular as well as in other areas ofgeotechnical engineering because I strongly believe on prospects of press-in piling in the future. IPA and ICPE are always
reliable addresses for me to expand my knowledge, and I think that IPA is the ideal destination for all those interested in
Press-in technologies.

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Announcement

Establishment of Technical Committee (TC6): Investigation
and analysis of the development status of Press-in technology
in China
Technical Committee 6 on “Investigation and analysis of the development status of Press-in technology in China” (TC6
hereafter) was approved by the General Assembly in June this year and has started its activities with three years term,
chaired by Prof. Xiaoduo Ou (Professor of Guangxi University), working with Prof. Chun Fai Leung, IPA President, as advisorand Mr. Guozhu Chen as Secretary. The objectives of TC6 and activity plan are as follows.

 Objectives
It has been 10 years since Press-in technology was introduced into China, and there are nearly 300 construction cases.
However, the collection and analysis of the construction cases are not systematic. Moreover, problems in theconstruction and the training of mechanical operators have become one of the major issues.
Therefore, by collecting the construction cases of Press-in technology and investigating the construction problems,
the problems in the development of Press-in technology in China are clarified and solutions are formulated.

 Activities Plan
Activities

Activity results (planned)

Case collection and analysis of
Press-in Technology in China

・Publishing a series of case studies in the Newsletter;
・Building the database of construction cases with Press-in technology;
・Updating "Chinese version of「Press-in retaining structures: a handbook」";
・Holding seminars in China

Investigation and solution ofproblems in constructions

Preparing the investigation report and the manual how to solve these
construction problems

Russian Version of “Press-in Retaining Structures: A Handbook”
was published
Press-in Retaining Structures: A Handbook (Second Edition, 2021) was translated into Russianand published in October 2021.
The International Press-in Association (IPA) is proceeding vigorously to translate the handbook
into multiple languages in order to make it available in as many language zones as possible. The
Russian version is part of this activity. The handbook is currently also being translated into
Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Thai, Vietnamese and Arabic. All over the world, theconstruction of infrastructures is a common activity to facilitate the development of countries
and regions. To meet the global challenges, the contents of the handbook are kept universal.
We had a great contribution from an IPA Board member, Professor Michael Doubrovsky ofOdessa National Maritime University (Ukraine) in the supervision and translation of the Russian version.
Details of Handbook and order: https://www.press-in.org/en/publication/index/120Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

The Next International Conference on Press-in Engineering(ICPE 2024)
The First International Press-in Engineering Conference (ICPE) was held face to face in September 2018 in Kochi, Japan.
Then the second conference was held on-line in June 2021. Both conferences were highly successful attracting over 400
participants worldwide. In November 2021 the Board of Directors of the IPA made decision that the Third International
Conference on Press-in Engineering (ICPE) would take place in Singapore in 2024.
Singapore is one of the active countries in adopting the press-in engineering technology for its infrastructuredevelopment projects. Its neighboring countries Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Philippines have started using thetechnology with further large numbers of potential applications. The densely populated Indonesia is also full of potential
for the press-in technology. In addition, Singapore is not far from China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and India which also
have potential expansions on the use of the technology.
The IPA hopes that the conferences reach people who are interested in the press-in technology worldwide with emphasison the promotion and further development of the technology in Southeast Asia and other Asian countries.
It is expected that the Organizing Committee of the third ICPE will be established in 2022. Early notice of the third ICPE
will be sent to interested people in later part of 2022 so that they are aware of the conference and dates (if fixed). Also,
the Conference Advisory Committee will be formed in 2022. Conference brochures with details will be prepared anddistributed by the end of 2022.

New Members
Members who joined IPA from June to October 2021.


New Individual Members (48)

Xiaoduo Ou

Takumu Matsuyama

Wei Lun Lin

Fumitaka Shinya

Taichi NaruseAzuki Masuda

Mikumo Nakata

So Inaba

Yoshio Obayashi

Sayaka Hamada

Maki Kato

Emiri MatsufujiMana Taniguchi

Eri Okamune

Yusei Horikawa

Kazuma Nishimoto

Junya Nishigawa

Asami Shogase

Kaito Suzuta

Ryuya Horikawa

Taisei Ichikawa

Naoya Tamaki

Kaho Sawada

Yujin Kakemizu

Mami Sawada

Yuto Sasaoka

Ryota Naito

Yukika Yamamura

Yoshitatsu Ike

Tomohiro Ikegawa

Taisei Tashima

Shu Okamura

Takumi Ichikawa

Yudai Hisakawa

Mizuki Akesaka

Mihiro Nagano

Rin Morita

Reiya Wada

Kokoro Yokogawa

Risa Ochi

Tomoyuki Yasuoka

Kazuki Matsubara

Yuya Nishio

Keito Oryu

Koya Hisatake

Hiyori Miyawaki

Yoshihiro Horii

Benjamin III Buensuceso



New Student Members (9)KU NURUL SYAMIMI KU BAHARIN

Emad Abdullah Musleh Albaadani

Hanisah Mustafa

Nur Fatin Amira Zianal

Nor Suhaila Ismail

Kasbi Basri

Siti Farhanah S.M Johan

Masafumi Oka

Yasutaka Honda



The number of Members (as of 30 November 2021)
Individual Members: 714

Student Members: 74

Corporate Members: 5321

Volume 6, Issue 4

December 2021

Date

Venue

Event Dairy
Title■ IPA Events

https://www.press-in.org/en/event

The Third International Conference on Press-in

TBD

Engineering (ICPE 2024)

Singapore

International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
http://www.issmge.org/events

Fourth African Regional Conference on Geosynthetics

February 21, 2022

Cairo, Egypt

The 60th Rankine Lecture: The Unusual and theUnexpected in Geotechnical Engineering:
Observation – Analogy – Experiment

March 16, 2022

London, United Kingdom

March 29 & 31, 2022

6th International Symposium on Tunnels and Shafts inSoils and Rocks

April 5 & 7, 2022

2nd International Conference on Energy Geotechnics

April 10, 2022

San Diego, USA

7th International Young Geotechnical Engineers
Conference

April 29, 2022

Sydney, Australia■ Deep Foundations Institute

Mexico City, Mexico

http://www.dfi.org/dfievents.asp

6th International Conference on Grouting & Deep
MixingFebruary 13-16, 2022

New Orleans, USA

DFI-PFSF Piling & Ground Improvement Conference

February 23-25, 2022

Sydney, Australia

DFI-SMIG-GI-ISSMGE 5th International Conference on
Deep Foundations

March 3-4, 2022

Mexico City, Mexico

HPW-DFI Helical Piles-Tiebacks-Anchors Tradeshow
and Educational Seminar

April 27-28, 2022

Bonner Springs (KS), USA

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Editorial Remarks
Welcome to the IPA Newsletter, Volume 6 Issue 4. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to work in theeditorial group for this issue. While working from home and hearing the news about the omicron variantof Covid-9, I hope this issue may offer you something for academic exploration.
As Message from the Director, Dr. Koda introduces an enlightening example of R&D "Sheet Pile
Reinforcement Method for existing railway structure foundations". The Special Contribution titled“Subsurface cavities and road cave-ins” was presented by Prof. Kuwano of the University of Tokyo. It isindeed a great honor of IPA to have her valuable knowledge in her expertise field. Dr. Azizi who is the vicepresident of IPA introduces “Peat Fire and Muar Living Laboratory Initiative”. We have a case history from
China as well as reports from USA and Newsletter Editorial Committee.
In the section of Announcements, it is reported that the first country-wise Technical Committee 6 on
“Investigation and analysis of the development status of Press-in technology in China” was approved by
the General Assembly. You also find the further multilingualization of the Press-in Handbook. Press-in
Retaining Structures: A Handbook (Second Edition, 2021) was translated into Russian and published in
October 2021. You may be excited to hear that the Board of Directors of the IPA made decision that theThird International Conference on Press-in Engineering (ICPE) would take place in Singapore in 2024.
Please enjoy your findings in this issue.
As last, the Editorial board wants to thank you for your kind support through this year and hopes that you
continue to pay attention to our Newsletter in the next year.
Hisanori Yaegashi
Secretary general, IPA

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