No.35
September, 1 2015

No.27

Introduction of the Activities ofEarthquake Engineering
Committee
Japan is prone to earthquakes. The past 20 years haveProf. Sumio Sawada,
Kyoto University
Chair of Earthquake
Engineering Committee

subcommittees: Seismic Design Standards Subcommittee

seen a number of major earthquakes that have caused

develops

significant damage, such as the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu

information about them overseas; Earthquake Disaster

Earthquake, the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu Earthquake,

Prevention Technology Dissemination Subcommittee plansthe 2007 Niigata-ken Chuetsu Oki Earthquake, the 2008

seminars, lectures, and other events; Earthquake Damage

Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake, and the 2011 Great East

Investigation Subcommittee investigates the damages

Japan Earthquake. Every one of these events has posed newcaused by major earthquakes and publishes the results;

challenges. Responding to the influences of earthquakes is

Earthquake Engineering Journal Editing Subcommittee

an inevitable task for civil engineers who live in thehosts JSCE Earthquake Engineering Symposium andJapanese archipelago. Faced with earthquakes that are still

publishes “JSCE Journal of Earthquake Engineering.” Theunknown phenomena, Earthquake Engineering Committee

JSCE Earthquake Engineering Symposium this year will be

conducts researches and studies and collects information

held at Institute of Industrial Science at the University oftaking various approaches with a view to mitigating

Tokyo on October 6 and 7. An international session isearthquake disasters.

organized in which presentations and question-and-answer

The predecessor of Earthquake Engineering Committee
was the Earthquake Resistant Engineering Committee thatJapanesedesigncodes

anddisseminatessessions will be conducted in English.
(http://committees.jsce.or.jp/eec2/node/64).

was organized in November 1955. The Hyogo-ken Nanbu

Additionally, with the aim compiling a certain amount ofEarthquake of January 1995, which caused 6,434 fatalities,

results in about a four-year time frame, ten subcommittees

shed light on various issues, such as seismic design policy

are working in FY2015. Their subjects include: stone

and non-structural measures for safety that had been
implemented before the earthquake. Dealing with theseissues required interdisciplinary discussions to cover all
fields of engineering and science. In April 1997, themasonry retaining walls, seismic design methods for bridgesand other structures, analysis of damage caused by theGreat East Japan Earthquake, evacuation guides, measurescommittee was reorganized and renamed Earthquake

to protect water circulation facilities, anti-tsunami design

Engineering Committee. Presently, the committee consists

methods for bridges, cyclic shear testing, technology forof specialists from a wide range of fields, structural andurban disaster reduction measures, the collection andnon-structural, from academic and governmental researchutilization of topographical data of earthquakes traces, andinstitutes

responsesandprivatecompanies,

suchasgeneralcontractors, consultants, etc. The committee has 117
members and 46 advisors.
TheCommittee

hasthefollowing

IAC News No.35,Sep. 1 2015

permanenttointernationalization.

Forexample,

theinternationalization subcommittee has established a website ofDisaster Fact Sheet (http://committees.jsce.or.jp/disaster/) The

findings of investigations on natural disasters that haveinformation to Japanese and overseas researchers. We will

occurred in Japan and overseas will be reported in English

make further efforts to compile information on paston this site. Papers are accepted at any time and will beearthquake damages and its lessons, improve earthquake

peer-reviewed for publication.

design standards, and encourage young researchers toThe committee will continuously provide a variety ofengage in cross-disciplinary activities.

Panels exhibited at 2014 JSCE Earthquake Engineering

Participants in the field survey trip after 2014 JSCE

Symposium

Earthquake Engineering Symposium

Tsubasa Bridge, a symbol of thefriendship between Japan andCambodia.
The Construction of Neak Loeung
BridgeNobuhiko Maruni
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd.

This project features a 640-m long, three-span, continuousa 3.2-km approach road (fill section) running east and west.

PC, cable-stayed bridge spanning the Mekong River at a

The total length of the constructed route is 5.4 km. The

point about 60 km southeast of Phnom Penh, the capital ofmain bridge is the first long cable-stayed bridge in

Kingdom of Cambodia. The main bridge is connected toCambodia. If built in Japan, it would have the country’s

approach bridges (PCI composite girder bridges) on the east

longest span for a concrete cable-stayed bridge.

and west banks that have a combined length of 1,575 m andPhoto 1. General view of main bridge

IAC News No.35,Sep. 1 2015

Photo 2. View at nightThe main girders of the main bridge were constructedinterval of the diagonal cables. For the concrete form

using cast-in-place cantilever erection and an underslung

shoring work, to simplify the setting, adjustment, andform

temporarily

stripping of the forms, the forms for the base plates andsuspended at the front using permanent stay cables. This

horizontal girders were fully integrated and lifted up andlessened the weight load of the travellers and made it

down using hydraulic jacks. Using this system, thepossible to extend the construction block length from theconcrete form shoring work was completed in the standard

initial 4 m to 8 m, which matched the arrangement

cycle of 10 days (daytime work).

traveller.

These

travellers

were

Photo 3. Balanced cantilever erection

Photo 4. Underslung form traveller

The main towers were constructed by integrating theresulted in less labor at the site and reduced theforms and scaffolds and hoisting them as a unit to the next

construction cycle (day and night work) for the standard

lift using a tower crane. The main rebars for each lift werelift to eight days.

assembled in the yard and then hung using a tower crane.
The use of jumping forms and prefabricated rebar-cages

Photo 5. Construction of main towers

The two main towers soar 121 m above the river andhave become landmarks in the region.

Photo 6. Erection of prefabricated rebar-cage

The “connection ceremony,” which was held on January(Cambodian for Tsubasa Bridge).” Around the same time,

14, 2015 to connect the bridge girders at the center of thenew 500-riel notes were issued featuring an image ofmain span, was attended by Prime Minister Hun Sen andTsubasa Bridge together with Kizuna Bridge (constructed

over 7,000 work personnel. At the event, the prime

with Japan ODA in 2001). Tsubasa Bridge opened on April

minister announced that the bridge, which had been called

6, 2015. We greatly hope that the bridge will be a symbol

Neak Loeung Bridge, had been renamed “Spien Tsubasaof the stronger friendship between Japan and Cambodia.

IAC News No.35,Sep. 1 2015

Tsubasa Bridge

Photo 8. New Cambodian 500-riel note

Photo 7. Opening ceremony for Tsubasa Bridge(Image of Tsubasa Bridge and Kizuna Bridge)

Approximately 150 engineers and researchers attended

JSCE – VCA Joint Seminar on
Lifecycle Management for Infrastructure- Utilization of Chemical and By-product
Admixtures for Concrete Structures April 16 & 17, 2015
Water Resources University, Hanoi,
Vietnamthisseminar.

TheVietnamese

deputyministerofconstruction and president of the VCA, Lê Quang Hùng,as well as the vice director of the Department of Scienceand Technology, the vice president of Vietnam Federationof Civil Engineering Associations and the vice president ofWater Resources University attended as guests.
The seminar opened with an address by Mr. Nguyern
The Hung (vice president of VCA). Dr. Etsuro Sakai(Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology) spoke on behalfTheSeminaronLifeCycle

Managementforof the Japanese speakers. Five Japanese speakers madeInfrastructure - Utilization of Chemical and By-productpresentations about basic characteristics, the latest

Admixtures for Concrete Structures, was held in Hanoi,

Japanese technology, application examples, and standard

Vietnam, on April 16 and 17, 2015. The seminar wasspecifications for concrete admixtures. Dr. Akira Ohta

organized by the Vietnam Concrete Association (VCA),(BASF Japan Co., Ltd.) spoke about chemical admixtures

Japan Concrete Committee (JSCE), and Cross-ministerialfor concrete. Mr. Yasukazu Ueki (Nippon Slag Association

Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP). The

and Nippon Steel Sumikin Blast furnace Cement Co., Ltd.)

seminar is the third joint seminar for JSCE and VCA. The

gave a presentation on blast furnace slag. Dr. Takeshi

first and second joint seminars were held in Hanoi in 2012

Yamamoto (Central Research Institute of Electric Powerand in Ho-Chi-Min City in 2013 respectively.

Industry) gave a presentation on fly ash. Prof. Etsuro

In Vietnam, the annual total amount of fly ash, anindustry

by-product,

isexpectedsoontoreach

Sakai gave a presentation on silica fume. Dr. Shingo
Asamoto(Associateapproximately 25 million tons. Therefore, the application

introduced

theof this by-product to concrete admixtures is becoming

admixtures.

professor,JSCE

SaitamastandardUniversity)

specification

forurgent. On the other hand, the maintenance of concrete

Three speakers from VCA made presentations. Mr. Kim

structures is also a topic of concern in Vietnam. BothJong Son (Silkroad Vietnam) introduced their admixture

by-product admixtures and high-performance chemical

product and the development technology behind it. Ms.

admixtures are expected to enhance the durability ofNaguyen Thi Thu Huong (Water Resource University)

concrete structures. The theme of this seminar reflects

gave a presentation on general knowledge regarding thethese situations in Vietnam.

applicability of admixtures for marine structures. Mr.

IAC News No.35,Sep. 1 2015

Nguyen Duc Phuong (Denki Kagaku Kogyo) talked abouthigh-strength concrete, the consideration of admixture

the application of expanding admixtures in Japan.

reactions when verifying thermal cracking, and so on.

During the discussion period, many topics of highIn the seminar, VCA stated its intentions to continue

concern for Vietnamese engineers regarding developing

holding joint seminars and enhancing technological

technologies were discussed. These topics included a new

exchanges in order to consolidate their standards. The

theoretical chemical admixture for use as an accelerator,

joint seminar ended in great success.

agendas for Vietnam to establish design codes on the【Reported by Concrete Committee】

durability of concrete structures built using admixtures,>>Seminar program downloadmix（http://www.jsce-int.org/node/370）

designandstrength

designspecificationsfor

JSCE-VCA Joint seminar opening

Group photo of the JSCE-VCA Joint Seminar Speakers

What’s Happening

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2015 JSCE Annual Meeting at Okayama University◆2015/9/16●International Roundtable Meeting “Leveraging Big Data for
Infrastructure Management and Sustainable Development”

The IAC News is one of the communication tools to share informationand ideas with the members. We would like to invite you, your friends
and colleagues to join the communication and to subscribe the IAC
News. Please register online: (http://www.jsce-int.org/node/150). We
look forward to meeting you.

（http://www.jsce.or.jp/event/active/information.asp）●International Workshop for Young Engineers “Why Did You Cometo Japan?” -expectation, reality and future●Special Discussion “Message to the Japanese Civil Engineering /Construction Industry from Former International Students who
Studied in Japan"◆2015/9/16-17●The 17th International Summer Symposium

Updates・The summary of feature articles in the JSCE Magazine is available on
the JSCE website.
http://www.jsce-int.org/pub/magazine
・Concrete Committee International Newsletter No. 42
http://www.jsce.or.jp/committee/concrete/e/newsletter/Newsletter.htm
・Journal of JSCE
The Journal of JSCE is the collection of research papers which canbe viewed on the JSCE website.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/journalofjsce

IAC News No.35,Sep. 1 2015

Editor’s postscript
I went to Izu in the summer vacation. I am caught in heavy traffic
congestion every year. Therefore, I made my trip plan to avoid traffic
congestion in reference to a traffic congestion prediction of NEXCO.
Fortunately, I was able to drive comfortably. I realized importance ofthe information.（H.U.）[Comments and Questions] JSCE IAC: iac-news@jsce.or.jp
Please send us your feedback and comments to help us improve theIAC news. We look forward to hearing from you.