Research
Examples of research topics
Estimation of Seismic Induced Damage to Expressway Network
Expressways serve as vital trunk lines of transportation and are important for the restoration of damage-stricken areas. Therefore, earthquake-induced damage to expressway structures should be estimated as soon as possible. To achieve the objective, the fragility curves of expressway components in Japan are constructed based on the damage datasets compiled for recent earthquakes.
Simulation of Moving Vehicle during Earthquake and under Strong Crosswind
After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, the expressway structures in Japan have been retrofitted and they will not be seriously damaged under a certain level of strong earthquake motion. However, the stability of a moving vehicle has not been investigated yet. The moving stability is evaluated through numerical simulation and driving simulator experiments. The effects of strong crosswind on the moving vehicle is also investigated based on numerical analyses and driving simulator experiments.
Estimation of Traffic Flow after the Tokyo Metropolitan Scenario Earthquake
In order to evaluate functional loss of road network in Tokyo Metropolitan area, the taffic flow simulation after the Tokyo Metropolitan Scenario Earthquake is performed. Assuming the seismically induced damage to road network and distribution of traffic volume in Tokyo Metropolitan area, the effects on rapid disaster response are evaluated in view of transportation network.
Evaluation of Seismically Induced Damage using Aerial Photogrammetry
The collapsed buildings because of the earthquake are detected based on aerial photogrammetry using digital aerial images. The digital surface models in the area where severe damage incidents were observed after the earthquake are constructed using digital aerial camera images. The pre- and post-event aerial images are employed to obtain the digital surface models. The differences of building heights between pre- and post-event models are considered to detect collapsed buildings.
