JSCE Newsletter No.11, June 2003

Japan Society of Civil Engineers
International Activities Committee

NewsletterNo. 11 June 2003

Interview with President
MIKANAGIJSCE President Kiyoyasu MIKANAGI
During the past year, I have been involvedin JSCE activities as the incoming president.
Through this experience, I realized firsthand that
JSCE activities do not limit themselves to thepromotion of science and technology. On thecontrary, the Society is active in improving thequality of civil engineers through a variety ofefforts such as the amendment of the code of ethics
and establishment of a qualifying system for civilengineers. It is also active in promoting a two-way
communication with the public.
I feel that it is particularly important toaddress the issue of communication, especiallytowards society. The former President, Dr. Kishi
promoted the development of the JSCE website asa way of communication and it is an important step.
I would like to continue this process but thecommunication I envision is wider in scope. For
example, the swift dispatch of the JSCE
investigation team to the Touhoku region to study
the impact of the earthquake that hit the region on
May 26th was widely reported by the media. I
believe the Society was able to make an appeal of
its activities to the wider public. It was a wonderful
opportunity to communicate with society.

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I am also concerned of the state of mindof young civil engineers. I fear that the recent
negative media coverage of the civil engineering
profession is causing the loss of professional pridein young civil engineers. JSCE has already started
taking actions to deal with this situation. We havecarried out a survey on young civil engineers. Iintend to set up a special committee to deal withthis issue further.
New public works projects are declining
in quantity for young civil engineers. However,within Japan, there are increasing demands forinfrastructure maintenance and as for the
infrastructure development, there are still manyneeds abroad. Therefore, I believe that the newgeneration must focus on appropriate target setting
and efficiency. My message to young civilengineers is to pursue infrastructure developmentwith a strong sense of mission and pride.
Those who specialize in civilengineering tend to have wide-ranging interests
and talents. They are often capable of adapting tofields other than their specializations anddisplaying their abilities in a general field. I myself
have experienced wide-ranging responsibilities inmy career. I believe that these are importantqualities for young civil engineers. Therefore, I
would like the next generation of civil engineers todevelop their careers without limiting theirpotentials.
I believe that the Society must also work
towards realizing the mid-term goals that were set
in “JSCE2005” in a steady and sustainable way.
Profile:Mr. Kiyoyasu MIKANAGI was appointed as the91st JSCE President on May 30th 2003.
After specializing in the Ports and Harbors
Engineering at the Ministry of Transport, hehas held various positions such as the DirectorGeneral of the Ports and Harbours Bureau of
the Ministry of Transport and the Director ofWater Vitalization and Environment ResearchCenter, before his appointment to thePresidency of Kansai International Airport Co.,
Ltd. in 1996.

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JSCE Newsletter No.11, June 2003

TAIWAN High-Speed Rail Starts
Track WorkOn May 12th 2003, track work begins its
first welding for connecting 20 m each of singlerails into 200 m long rails ready for installation on
the slab truck at Panchiao Section located several
km south of Taipei City. This signifies theconstruction of the Project advancing one step
closer to the final completion, which is scheduled
to be by the end of October 2005. The track work
is divided into 5 lots for procurement, including
690 km of the high-speed main track of standard
gauge width (1435 mm), 31 high-speed crossovers,
133 high-speed turnouts, 102 km of depot track,and 126 depot turnouts.
Design speed of the track way is 350 km/h,
but actual operation speed is set at 300 km/h withsome speed margin reserved for future extension ordevelopment.
Installation of the main track way will be
73 % on viaducts or bridges, 18 % in the tunnels,
and 9 % on cuttings or embankments at grade. At
present, the civil works of the Project have reached75%, and the installation of the whole track work is
expected to be completed within one year and 3
months, starting from July this year until
September next year.
In parallel with the installation of thetrack work, the Electrical and Mechanical Core
System will also start their installation in order tokeep the Project progress as scheduled.
As the High-Speed Rail Project is one of
the most important infrastructure developments
being implemented in Taiwan, its activities andprogress milestones always draw a great deal ofattention from many Taiwanese. They are looking
eagerly for the early completion of the Project so as
to enjoy comfortable and convenient services of theHigh-Speed Rail available for travelling amongmajor cities in the west coast of the Island.
By Chi-Shou HSIEH(Taiwan Section, JSCE)

2003 JSCE Annual Meeting
During the three days from September
24th until 26th 2003, JSCE Annual Meeting will beheld in Tokushima University in Tokushima City,
Shikoku in the southern part of Japan. The program
includes Scientific Lecture, which is an occasion
for JSCE members to present their research as well
as Special Lecture, Special Panel Discussion, andBanquet Party among others.
As in previous years, we have invited
overseas organizations with which JSCE hassigned the Agreement of Cooperation. We areplanning events with international character suchas the Round Table Meeting with the attendance ofJSCE President, as well as Panel Discussion inEnglish, English Common Session and theWelcome Reception to which international students
attending this Meeting could participate. We truly
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look for your participation. Following is thetentative program of events:
1. Special Lecture by JSCE President (inJapanese), Sep. 25th (PM), Tokushima
Cultural Center
2. Special Panel Discussion (in Japanese), Sep.
25th (PM), Tokushima Cultural Center
3. Banquet Party, Sep. 25th (Evening), Hotel
Clement Tokushima
International Events
4. Round Table Meeting (Invited Guests Only)
Sep. 24th (PM), Tokushima Univ.
5. EnglishResearchPanelDiscussion:Development of ITS in Asian Region Sep.
24th (PM), Tokushima Univ.
6. Welcome Reception（For Invited Guests）
Sept. 24th (Evening), Venue TBA
7. English
CommonSession:
CodeHarmonization in the Asian RegionEnvironmental Consideration in International
Project”
Sep. 25th (Morning), Tokushima
Univ.
Please visit JSCE website (http://www.jsce.or.jp）
for more information.

Signing of the Agreement ofCooperation with Nepal Engineers’
Association

Er. Halwi (right) and Mr. Suganuma (left)
shaking hands

On April 26th 2003, delegates from JSCE
visited Nepal Engineer’s Association (NEA) andexchanged the documents of cooperation, thus
concluding the Agreement of Cooperation.
The President, Er. Narayan Govind
Halwai and the Secretary General, Er. Bharat Raj
Pahari and other members from NEA attended themeeting. From JSCE, Mr. Kazuo Suganuma,
Representative of Nippon Koei Katmandu Officeand Mr. Hideo Katagiri, Project Manager for
Sindhuli Road Project Office, Nippon Koei Co. Ltd.
participated.
In March 2003, Japanese Section of NEA
was established with Prof. Madan B. Karkee ofAkita Prefectural University as the Section
Manager. The Japanese Section is comprised ofapproximately 50 Nepalese engineering students
and engineers residing in Japan. We expect greater
cooperation with NEA in the future, including
exchanges right here in Japan.

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JSCE Newsletter No.11, June 2003

“Civil Engineering” Feb. 2003 Feature
Article: “Wind power generators andtheir future” (Summary)Wind Power Generation Technology
There still remain numerous issues
concerning wind turbines, such as the inertia force
load during high rotation velocity, aerodynamic
load during high tip speed, vibration problems,
control difficulties and optimisation of operation
during different wind velocities. Unsolved
problems concerning power generation systemsbased on wind energy include 1) cyclic variable
aerodynamic force due to wind shear, 2) missalignment and gyroscopic moment due to variablewind directions. Furthermore, the following
problems exist concerning rotors: 1) aerodynamic
performance problems, 2) material, structural andfatigue problems, 3) load and deflection problems,4) safety problems with aero elasticity, 5)
performance problems with tower and rotor.
Concerning the electrical issues, there are subjects
with control and braking system and energy
generation device, as well as with the electricity
system and the electricity quality and stability.
Environmental issues include sound problems,
aesthetic issues, electric wave problems and windenvironment problems. In addition, the safetycontrol, the controllability and the powertransmission technology are under question.
Finally, it is necessary to establish international
standards for wind power generation systems
through IEC (International ElectrotechnicalCommission.)International Trends in Wind Power
Generation
As of January 2002, the total capacity ofwind power generators in the world reached 26
million kW, mainly in countries such as Germany,USA, Spain, Denmark, Holland, England, Indiaand China.
In Japan, the total capacity of
300,000kW accounts for about 1% of the total
needs. The total capacity for 2010 in Europe andUSA is set at 40 million kW. A new field ofdevelopment based on wind energy is offshore
wind generation, for which research is being donein Europe.
Offshore wind power generation is an area
where we could expect considerable future
progress. Denmark, Holland, Sweden and Englandhave already carried out experiments and they are
currently in smooth operation.
In different European countries experiments arecarried out with large-scale wind turbines of morethan 1MW. The profitability of wind turbines isimproving year by year.
Wind Power Generation in Japan
In case the costs for wind turbines lowers,
the objective of 3 million kW is well possible in
the near future. The area to install equipment is set
at 197 km2, which is the maximum range based on

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wind predictions, but also from now on it isnecessary to carry out further evaluations, prepare
detailed wind maps, continue with infrastructure
preparations (electricity wires, roads etc.) andrenew the power cost maps. The objective of
300,000kW will mean 0.7% of the total 900 billion
kWh per year (1998, efficiency of 25%). In orderto achieve this objective, it is necessary to verify
all the conditions that influence the power
generation costs.
Furthermore, geographicalconditions, infrastructure, and building costs must
be researched and the information must be stored
in a database.

Structural Design of Wind Power GenerationSystems
The blades are shaped as long thin beams,
and require a surface with advanced aerodynamicproperties. In times of typhoons and strong winds,
large wind forces occur and at times of highrotation velocities, large inertia forces occur.
Therefore, a light construction with high bending
strength is necessary, meaning that it is necessaryto 1) clarify operational conditions, 2) clarify
accurately the loads under different conditions, 3)
analyse stress based on suitable safety levels.
Based on the results of these investigations, mostconstructions are lightweight and of low rigidity,
and it is necessary to consider 4) excitation, 5)
deformation, 6) fatigue. At each design stage it isnecessary to maintain stresses under the allowablelevels under all loads at the turbine, and toestablish design guidelines that enable avoidanceof breakdown of the turbine based on suitablesafety considerations.
Future of Wind Power Generation
Technical investigations about scaleenlargement (diameter of 60-100m or more),
performance improvement, electricity quality,system protection, system linking, local windconditions, construction methods, and cost
reduction methods are underway. Scaleenlargement is necessary for cost reduction basedonefficiency
improvement.
Furthermore,investigations are necessary in order to achieve
high performance, high longevity and low noise
performance. Also it is necessary to improve mass
production and further reduce the unit price ofpower generation and construction costs (windvelocity, equipment efficiency).
Concerning electricity quality, it isnecessary to develop a variable velocity operation
system, power alteration system, and power storage
technology and improve the wind prediction
technology. It is especially important to focus on
solving energy and environmental problems using
wind and solar power generation. By introducing
new wind turbine technology, improved
performance, reliability, economic feasibility, andenvironmental feasibility can be expected.
By Kazuichi SEKI
(Tokai University)

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JSCE Newsletter No.11, June 2003

Voice from the Students

Kongkeo PHAMAVANH

The first time that I knew about JSCE wasthe 3rd year of undergraduate school in Nagoya
University, Japan. I was recommended by theprofessor in the University to be a member of JSCE
because my main major is Civil Engineering. I did
not have much knowledge about this kind oforganization and was not sure if it would be usefulfor my study life in the near future. After I continue
my studying to graduate school, I started to join theresearch project of developing the numericalanalysis technique so-called, Lattice EquivalentContinuum model. It’s a simple analytical code,
which could apply to several kinds of reinforced
concrete structures and give accurate results in ashort time. In published papers, I could find a lot ofthesis and documents that are very useful to myresearch, and also have a chance to republish myresearch’s result to everyone. It helps me deeply
understand the function and the necessity of JSCE
for developing the technology of Civil Engineeringin Japan.
In developing countries like Laos, theinfrastructures are mostly incomplete. Up until now,
several projects are planned to improve theinfrastructure in Laos by the foreign country’s
ODA, especially from Japan. But in the long view,the developing technology, technique and also
educations of civil engineering in Laos arenecessary. As in Japan and the other developed
countries, I understand that the Society of Civil
Engineering in each country is the most importantfunction to develop the technology and also
education. So that, to develop the education andtechnology of Civil Engineering in Laos, this kindof organization is necessary. Although due to thelimitation of budget, a shortage of human resourceand experts in Laos, the organization has not been
available to be established so far, we have a strong
hope to establish in the near future and make aplace to exchange the information and technology
among Laos and the world.
By Kongkeo PHAMAVANH(Nagoya University)“JSCE Scientific Exchange Fund”
A Charitable TrustAs the project commemorating the 75th
anniversary of the foundation of JSCE, we haveestablished the JSCE Scientific Exchange Fund

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from a part of the Society’s funds and fromdonations given from the Society members. By thismeans, we contribute annually to the promotion ofinternational scientific exchange between civilengineers in Japan and abroad. For 2003, the aid
amounted to 3.75 million yen (Total of 27 cases).
Because of the decline in interest rates,
the fund is currently focused on the purposes ofsending engineers residing in Japan to international
conferences abroad and training foreign engineers
who are recommended by overseas scientificorganizations with the agreement of cooperation.
Every year in fall, we post the application
information for this fund on JSCE website and inJSCE monthly magazine. Some of the international
conferences to which the fund receivers haveapplied to are as follows: The 13th International
Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference &Exhibition -ISOP-2003 (USA), the 12th AsianRegional Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (Singapore) and sixteen
others.
Reports of the recipients of the Study
Tour Grant (Foreign Engineers Training Program)are on JSCE website at:(http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/iefund/top.htm)

New E-Friend Registration System
We have just launched the new e-friend
system, which is not limited to current JSCE
members but is open to those who are living abroad
and to international students studying in Japan.
This system allows us to send out useful and timely
information that does not limit itself to JSCE news.
Please find more details on our website at:(http://www.jsce.or.jp/english/)Publications
ARTICLES (From March to May 2003)
Structural Engineering / Earthquake Engineering
Vol.20, No.1, JSCE, April 2003, 103 pages, Price:
US$27.00-, ISSN 0289-8063
Journal of Hydroscience and HydraulicEngineering Vo.21, No.1, JSCE, March 2003, 85pages, Price: US$41.00-, ISSN 0912-2508
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International Activities Committee, JSCE

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