Failure Mechanism of Kamaishi Breakwaters Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami

Arikawa, Taro; Sato, Masaharu; Shimosako, Kenichiro; Hasegawa, Iwao; Yeom, Gyeong-Seon; Tomita, Takashi

doi:10.9753/icce.v33.structures.16

Cited by 46 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Bricker et al [2013a] showed that foundation-bearing capacity (punching) failure might also have contributed to the displacement of the caissons. However, the large-scale hydraulic laboratory experiments of Arikawa et al [2012] showed that sliding of the caissons atop their rubble mound was likely the major cause of failure. MLIT [2013a] agreed with this conclusion, and the Kamaishi breakwater is being rebuilt in nebaritsuyoi fashion, with a friction mat placed between caissons and the rubble mound, to reduce the likelihood of caisson sliding in the future [Japan Dredging and Reclamation Engineering Association, 2013].…”

Section: Breakwatersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of Tsunami Countermeasures Based on Lessons from The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami — Situation After Five Years

Suppasri

Latcharote

Bricker

et al. 2016

Coastal Engineering Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami exposed many hidden weaknesses in Japan's tsunami countermeasures. Since then, many improvements have been made in both structural measures (numerical simulations, coastal defense structures, building damage assessment and control forests) and nonstructural measures (warning/observation and evacuation). This review summarizes the lessons and improvements in the five-year time period after the 2011 event. After five years, most of the lessons from the 2011 tsunami have been applied, including more realistic tsunami simulations using very fine grids, methods to strengthen coastal defense structures, building evacuations and coastal forests, improved warning content and key points to improve evacuation measures. Nevertheless, large future challenges remain, such as an advanced simulation technique and system for real-time hazard and risk prediction, implementation of coastal defense structures/multilayer countermeasures and encouraging evacuation. In addition, among papers presented at the coastal engineering conference in Japan, the proportion of tsunami-related research in Japan increased from 15% to 35% because of the 2011 tsunami, and approximately 65-70% of tsunami-related studies involve numerical simulation, coastal structures and building damage. These results show the impact of the 2011 tsunami on coastal engineering related to academic institutions and consulting industries in Japan as well as the interest in each tsunami countermeasure.

show abstract

Section: Breakwatersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of Tsunami Countermeasures Based on Lessons from The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami — Situation After Five Years

Suppasri

Latcharote

Bricker

et al. 2016

Coastal Engineering Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…To wit, we are reminded of the Kamaishi breakwater, a pharaonic structure protecting Kamaishi, where no NPPs are located. Built at a cost of nearly US$1.5B, after more than three decades in construction, it was the largest and deepest breakwater in the world, and was located 215 km from Fukushima Dai-ichi (figure 1) and largely crumpled under the tsunami [27]. off-site AC power [12].…”

Section: Tsunami Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fukushima accident was preventable

Synolakis

Kânoğlu

2015

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The 11 March 2011 tsunami was probably the fourth largest in the past 100 years and killed over 15 000 people. The magnitude of the design tsunami triggering earthquake affecting this region of Japan had been grossly underestimated, and the tsunami hit the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant (NPP), causing the third most severe accident in an NPP ever. Interestingly, while the Onagawa NPP was also hit by a tsunami of approximately the same height as Dai-ichi, it survived the event ‘remarkably undamaged’. We explain what has been referred to as the cascade of engineering and regulatory failures that led to the Fukushima disaster. One, insufficient attention had been given to evidence of large tsunamis inundating the region earlier, to Japanese research suggestive that large earthquakes could occur anywhere along a subduction zone, and to new research on mega-thrusts since Boxing Day 2004. Two, there were unexplainably different design conditions for NPPs at close distances from each other. Three, the hazard analysis to calculate the maximum probable tsunami at Dai-ichi appeared to have had methodological mistakes, which almost nobody experienced in tsunami engineering would have made. Four, there were substantial inadequacies in the Japan nuclear regulatory structure. The Fukushima accident was preventable, if international best practices and standards had been followed, if there had been international reviews, and had common sense prevailed in the interpretation of pre-existing geological and hydrodynamic findings. Formal standards are needed for evaluating the tsunami vulnerability of NPPs, for specific training of engineers and scientists who perform tsunami computations for emergency preparedness or critical facilities, as well as for regulators who review safety studies.

show abstract

“…Widening work is considered one way to improve resilience. Arikawa et al (2013) clarified the effect of such widening work, allowing the measure to be implemented in many ports.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most of the damage was caused by tsunami overflows (Arikawa et al, 2012). Once protective facilities collapse, damage to the hinterland increases, so protective facilities should be designed to withstand tsunamis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consideration Concerning the Influence on a Breakwater in the Superposition of Earthquake and Tsunami

Okada¹,

Suzuki²,

Arikawa³

2017

Int. Conf. Coastal. Eng.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

When a major earthquake occurs, it can be followed by an incoming tsunami, both of which destroy many structures and cause serious damage. Although the destruction of structures caused by earthquakes and by tsunamis has been studied, the further damage caused by aftershocks after a major earthquake occurring at the time of a tsunami has not been sufficiently reported. In this study, we aimed to determine variations in the influence of different structural shapes when the effects of an earthquake and tsunami are superposed. A sloping structure was shown to reduce the hydrodynamic pressure; even when an earthquake and tsunami occur simultaneously.

show abstract

Failure Mechanism of Kamaishi Breakwaters Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami

Cited by 46 publications

References 0 publications

Improvement of Tsunami Countermeasures Based on Lessons from The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami — Situation After Five Years

Improvement of Tsunami Countermeasures Based on Lessons from The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami — Situation After Five Years

The Fukushima accident was preventable

Consideration Concerning the Influence on a Breakwater in the Superposition of Earthquake and Tsunami

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About