Survey/research on concrete, which constitutes a core aspect of the activities of the Japan Concrete Institute (ICI), is carried out by technical committees for specific topics organized under the Research Committee administered by the Science Committee. The subjects of research are publicly collected from JCI members and selected by the Research Committee. About five subjects are adopted every year to be studied basically for two years. About ten technical committees are therefore active ever year. In the 2009 fiscal year that began in April, ten technical committees are in operation in their respective spheres.
A wide spectrum of topics engaging researchers' interest is studied by technical committees, including problems arising in concrete engineering and subjects offering new technical perspectives. The achievement of each committee is summarized in a report to be published, with training sessions and symposiums being held based on such a report. Some of the study results may be proposed as standards and recommendations. International conferences and symposia have also been actively held based on the achievements of JCI's technical committees. Two of those symposia were held last year, and one, this year. Summarized study results are also briefed in the institute's annual convention in July every year.
Five technical committees on the following subjects were concluded by March 2009:
(1) Design and utilization of precast concrete products (Chaired by Masahiro Yurugi)
(2) Seismic resistance of pilotis structures and rigid frame viaducts and the seismic design (soft-story design) (Chaired by Kazoo Suzuki)
(3) Utilization of prestressing techniques (Chaired by Minehiro Nishiyama)
(4) Quality control testing method to assess the certainty of construction (Chaired by Toshiki Ayano)
(5) Autogenous-healing in cementitious materials (Chaired by Shin-ichi Igarashi)
The Japan Concrete Institute strives to enlarge its field to the world, deepening exchanges with interna.onal institutions including ACI. Since the above-mentioned topics are timely and of international interest, the achievements of the committees should not be enclosed within the boundaries of Japan. It is JCI's responsibility to the international community to make them available to the world for the promotion of concrete studies. As it is currently difficult to translate all of the reports into English, it was decided to translate a digest edition to be delivered worldwide. Technical Committee Report 2007 - Digest Edition was published in 2007 as the first issue of this kind, followed by Technical Committee Report 2008 - Digest Edition published last year as issue No.2. Now we are pleased to introduce Technical Committee Report 2009 - Digest Edition as issue No.3.
We truly hope that this digest report will contribute to the promotion of studies on concrete worldwide and serve as a tool for international research cooperation.
August 2009
Kenji Sakata
President,
Japan Concrete Institute