![]() ![]() He goes on, telling us that there are now approximately 150,000 bridges in Japan that are more than 15 meters long. So says Kazuo Watabe, Chief Research Scientist of the Mechanical Systems Laboratory at Toshiba’s R&D Center. ![]() However, the conventional inspection methods have relied on direct visual checks and hammer tests, where a worker hits the bridge with a hammer and checks its condition by the sound it makes. This made it difficult to distinguish condition when there was above a certain level of deterioration, with no discernible changes in the surface and the sound.” ![]() “After the tunnel collapse, a law was tightened to have regular inspections of bridges every five years. Which is why, here at Toshiba, we have developed a system for structural health monitoring that, by using sensors to “visualize” the interior health of structures, allows for more efficient and comprehensive inspections.ĭetection internal damage which you can’t see One cause for concern, however, has been a shortage of the labor needed for this maintenance work, due to factors including a generally aging population in Japan. We are now entering an era where the maintenance and management of existing facilities and structures is gaining increasing importance. This was a catastrophic accident, one that embodied the dangers of structural degradation over time. The deterioration of this kind of social infrastructure may result in tragic accidents-most recently, approximately 130 meters worth of concrete panels on the roof of an expressway tunnel collapsed, causing multiple deaths in 2012. About 25% of bridges over 2 meters in length have passed the 50-year mark in 2018, with this number of the percentage going up to 63% by 2033. It will also come as no surprise that now, half a century later, the conditions of these structures in social infrastructure have deteriorated considerably, and will continue to deteriorate. As “miraculous” as this period was, it seems no wonder that much of the infrastructure in Japan-including roads, bridges and high-rise buildings-was constructed around this time. Some may know of what is referred to as the “economic miracle” in Japan, wherein Japan experienced a period of rapid economic growth after World War II. ![]()
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