For 8 weeks this past summer 11 structural engineering U.S. graduate students visited Japan under US-Japan sponsored summer programs. Each student was hosted at a Japanese research laboratory where they were able to perform and observe cutting edge research alongside Japanese host engineers and researchers. Additionally, they were provided with language and cultural training. To maximize the benefit from this experience, the US Panel on Structural Control Research coordinated attendance of various symposiums, laboratory tours and site visits.

Japan Summer Programs

The National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, the Science and Technology Agency of Japan (STA) and the Japanese Ministry of
Education, Science, Sports, and Culture (Monbusho) organize a 2 month visit to Japan each summer for US graduate students under the STA Summer Institute in Japan and the Monbusho Summer Program. The Summer Institute in Japan was started in 1990 and the Monbusho Summer Program began in 1993. The students are hosted by university, government and corporatelaboratories throughout Japan, but mostly in the Tokyo and Tsukuba areas.This past summer 65 US science and engineering graduate students were supported through the Summer Institute and Monbusho Summer Programs.

Eleven of the students who participated in these programs are engineering students with focuses in earthquake engineering and structural control.
The students, representing a number of US universities, include: Greg Baker (University of Notre Dame), Daniel Batt (Duke University), Aaron
Brown (UC Santa Barbara), Richard Christenson (University of Notre Dame), Kenneth Farrow (University of Notre Dame), A'gota Fejes (Manhattan College), Scott Jones (Texas A&M University), Jerome Lynch (Stanford University), Eric Matsumoto (University of Texas at Austin), Clay Naito (UC Berkeley), and James Sims (University of Notre Dame). Traveling together around Japan, attending symposiums and visiting research facilities, we soon began to refer to ourselves as the "Structures Group" of the 1998 Japan Summer programs.

The Summer Institute and Monbusho programs have two distinct elements: language and cultural training and research at host institutions. The
language and cultural component was met with 1 to 2 weeks of intensive language and cultural training immediately upon our arrival. The remaining portion of the summer was devoted to performing and observing research activities at our respective host institutions. In addition to these two elements, the structures group was able to participate in further activities that substantially enhanced our educational experience. Through the help of Profs. G. Housner (Caltech), S. Masri (USC), B. Spencer (University of Notre Dame), Y. Fujino (University of Tokyo), H. Iemura (Kyoto University), A. Nishitani (Waseda University) and S. Otani (University of Tokyo), as well as the hospitality of numerous Japanese
researchers, the structures group was able to participate in young researchers symposiums, attend tours of research laboratories and go on various site visits.

Language and Cultural Training

Intensive language and cultural training are considered important aspects of the student's summer experience in Japan. From the beginning of the summer program, we attended lectures and heard various speakers describe the cultural differences between the US and Japan. Other activities, including Mochitsuki (Rice Pounding Ceremony), Ochakai (Tea Ceremony) and Kabuki (Japanese classical drama), provided enriching insight into traditional Japanese life. Immediately we began to appreciate the beauty and generosity of the Japanese culture and people.  Language training took place in small classes (4 to 6 students), focusing on basic communication skills and writing in hiragana and katakana, Japanese syllabaries similar to the English alphabet. Kanji, a more complex system using characters brought in from China, was left to the more advanced students.

The language and cultural training provided us with a base from which our experiences within Japan could be better appreciated.

Host Institutions

The 1 to 2 weeks of language and cultural training prepared us to join our host institution and perform research activities alongside Japanese researchers for the subsequent weeks. Hosts for students from the structures group included: the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Public Works Research Institute, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), Kajima Corporation and Nikken Sekkei Ltd.

The researching at our host institutions varied, but everyone enjoyed their experiences and valued the many professional and personal colleagues they met. Research activities ranged from seismic response of precast reinforced concrete structures to vibration isolation of rocket payloads, and we were able to perform and observe a wide range of activities.

This portion of the program allowed us to work side by side with Japanese researchers, and to see first hand the culture and operation of Japanese research laboratories.  The host institutions were always willing to allow us to take time away from their laboratories to attend symposiums, facility tours (in some cases tours of their competitors' laboratories) and site visits.

Symposiums

Young Researcher Symposiums were arranged as additional activities for the structures group. The symposiums allowed the US and Japanese students to present their research to each other.

The University of Tokyo hosted the first symposium, The US-Japan Structural Control Symposium by Young Researchers, held on July 9, 1998. This symposium included presentations from 7 US students as well as 14 Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo, Chiba University, Keio University, Nihon University, Saitama University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Waseda University, the Kajima Corporation, the Obayashi Corporation and the Shimizu Corporation.

The symposium was organized by Prof. Y. Fujino. Many distinguished "senior" researchers were on hand to chair the sessions and provide inspiration to the students including Prof. G. Housner and Prof. K. Kanai.

Waseda University hosted the second symposium, The US-Japan Young Researchers Symposium on Earthquake Engineering, held toward the end of our stay on August 7, 1998. This symposium was organized by Prof. A. Nishitani. Following a tour of the structural engineering facilities at Waseda University the symposium provided the opportunity for 10 US students to present their research from their time in Japan and 5 young Japanese researchers from Waseda University and the Nihon Women's University to present their recent work.

In addition to the symposiums arranged for presentations by the structures group, a symposium was coordinated by Prof. H. Iemura at Kyoto University for the group to attend. The symposium was preceded by a tour of the structural engineering facilities at Kyoto University. Presentations at the Kyoto symposium were given by professors and students from Kyoto University's Department of Civil Engineering Systems and Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as Prof. B. Spencer. Many of the students also received opportunities to present research at their host institutions and during individually planned professional visits.

The presentations gave us the opportunity to discuss our research with US and Japanese colleagues and to learn more about the research being conducted at other institutions in the US and Japan. The atmosphere at each symposium was very open and provided social interaction between the US and Japanese students and researchers.

Research Laboratory Tours

A significant portion of the earthquake engineering and structural control research in Japan is conducted at government and private research laboratories. These laboratories have state-of-the-art testing facilities. The structures group was able to attend 10 tours of research laboratories during the summer, including those at the Building Research Institute, the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), the Kajima Corporation, the Obayashi Corporation, the Shimizu Corporation, the Taisei Corporation, the Takenaka Corporation, the Toda Corporation and the University of Tsukuba.

The Building Research Institute tour was hosted by Dr. H. Kuramoto. The Institute has several shaking tables and a large scale testing facility. This facility houses one of the largest strong walls in Japan. During our visit, a full-scale 3-story precast structure was being prepared for testing under earthquake loading. A video presentation showed us previous full-scale earthquake tests done on frame systems using different types of passive damping devices.

A tour of the Disaster Prevention Research Institute at Kyoto University was hosted by Prof. Y. Suzuki. A talk was given outlining some of the current research activities at the Institute by Prof. T. Sato, and we were given a tour of the full-scale structural control experiments by Profs. T. Sato and A. Igarashi. This tour included a 5-story full-scale Active Mass Driver experiment where 3 different AMD systems were being tested. We were allowed to stand on the roof while the building was being excited at moderate displacement levels.

The IHI Research Institute tour was hosted by Dr. K. Tanida. We toured the ship model basin testing facilities at IHI, which include a seakeeping and maneuvering tank and a towing tank. Next we toured three wind tunnels, including an environmental wind tunnel, where temperature profiles can be created, and a high speed wind tunnel where the group was subjected to typhoon-speed winds. The tour concluded at the IHI 6-degree-of-freedom earthquake simulator.

At the Kajima Technical Research Institute (KATRI) tour the structures group was hosted by Dr. T. Tsugawa. Among the facilities were a segmented wave-maker for use in the design of offshore structures, a wind tunnel and an active variable stiffness system for seismic control of building structures.

The Obayashi Research Institute tour, provided by Mr. H. Katsumata, included an anechoic chamber for acoustics testing, a multipurpose wind tunnel and a structural engineering laboratory for property testing of various steel and concrete systems. We were also shown full-scale specimens used to test the fatigue of reinforced concrete elements. Dr. Y. Inada guided us around the Shimizu Research Institute and highlighted their interest in new and innovative ideas on construction techniques and performance. Examples of this include a three-stage method of building a super high-rise in the 300-600 meter (m) class and a structure manufacturing system that employs advanced robotics technology.

Dr. M. Hayakawa led the tour of Taisei's Technical Research Center in Yokohama. Within the general tour, facilities such as structural, material, geotechnical and hydraulics laboratories were visited. A unique environmental laboratory able to simulate extreme weather conditions was the highlight. Focused discussion on precast connections followed the tour.

Our trip to the Takenaka Corporation Research Institute was hosted by Dr. S. Sugano. Facilities included a wind tunnel, a large scale structure testing laboratory, and an active control structures laboratory. Particular emphasis on precast concrete connection research was provided during the tour of the Institute's facilities. The Toda Corporation visit involved an extensive tour of their acoustic engineering laboratory, structural testing facilities and a 6-story large-scale structure test of a bi-directional active-passive mass damper (APMD) system. This model included an exciter on the 5th floor to observe the control effects of the APMD. The tour was hosted by Dr. M. Watakabe.

In addition to the tours at Kyoto University and Waseda University, which were done in conjunction with their respective symposiums, the structures group also attended a tour of the University of Tsukuba. Prof. H. Imai led us on the tour of the University of Tsukuba's research facilities. The university has several structural testing facilities, including a large scale structure testing facility and several material testing laboratories. Prof. H. Imai along with one of his graduate students presented us with their current research projects, which concentrate on construction techniques in precast structures.

Site Visits

Along with the tour of research institutes in and around the Tokyo area, we were able to visit actual sites designed and built by these corporations. Among these site visits were trips to the Shinjuku Park Towers, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Kobe, the Herbis Osaka Building and a precast building under construction in the Chiba area. The Shinjuku Park Towers tour, hosted by Mr. M. Sakamoto of the Kajima Corporation, featured one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo (second only to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) and a group of three hybrid mass dampers to reduce vibration in wind and earthquake events. While in the Kobe area, site of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, we were able to view the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. This is the longest suspension bridge in the world with a total length of 3911 m and a center span of 1991 m. The immensity of the structure was overwhelming.

To learn more about the devastating effects of the Hanshin (Kobe) earthquake, we visited the Nojima Fault Preservation Museum where it was possible to see how much the ground shifted at the fault. A civil structure that sustained extensive damage in the earthquake was the Hanshin Expressway. We travelled along the route and viewed retrofits of the elevated expressway, ranging from reinforcement jackets providing additional strength to columns to total removal and replacement of extremely damaged columns. These activities were guided by Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation's Mr. H. Nakajima.

In Osaka, we visited the Herbis Osaka Building. This building, the tallest in Osaka at 190 m, boasts two large active mass dampers that utilize ice storage tanks for the mass. Each tank weighs 160 tonf and actuators in each unit can provide 5 tonf of force. Tuned mass dampers are applied in certain locations of the building to control vertical vibrations in floors with long spans. Mr. T. Katayama of the Takenaka Corporation provided us with the information on the building. Most of our visits were to sites where the structures were already completed, so it was a good change of pace to visit a building that was under construction. The Toda Corporation was gracious enough to walk us through a precast concrete building construction site in the Chiba prefecture. This 30-story structure was near completion at the time and featured state-of-the-art erection techniques for precast systems.

Final Reflections

NSF and the Japanese government have provided an outstanding opportunity to US graduate students in their STA Summer Institute and Monbusho Summer Programs in Japan. Students are introduced to the language and culture of Japan and get the opportunity to be part of a Japanese research laboratory.

The extra efforts of the US and Japanese professors to plan the numerous symposiums, tours and visits were most beneficial in providing additional activities during our stay in Japan. These activities insured that each of us grew as researchers during our summer visit to Japan. The Japanese experience, however, is more than wind tunnels and shaking tables. It is meeting Japanese people, visiting the historic areas and sites of Japan and eating the wonderfully different cuisine. Students visited the many temples, shrines and castles in cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Kamakura, Nara, Nikko and Hiroshima. We bathed in the hot springs of Nikko, rode the Tokyo subway and train systems during rush hour, climbed the steep trails of Mt. Fuji, ate sushi, sashimi, octopus and eel, wandered through "Electric City" (Akihabara) in Tokyo, sang karaoke late into the evening and pondered our existence (or just tried to count all 15 rocks) at the Ryoanji Temple Rock Garden in Kyoto. Some even had a chance to take in a baseball game, an intensely beloved Japanese pastime, and several students had the unique opportunity of staying overnight with families to peer even deeper into everyday Japanese life.  To this extent, we are all fortunate to say that this past summer we were able to experience Japan, to experience the cutting edge engineering research and to experience the wonderful culture.

Acknowledgments and Further Information

The authors would like to thank Dr. L. Weber, Dr. S. Liu, and Mr. M. Miyahara at NSF, Ms. I. Sugizaki at the Japan International Science and Technology Exchange Center (JISTEC), as well as Profs. G. Housner, S. Masri, B. Spencer, Y. Fujino, A. Nishitani, H. Iemura and S. Otani for arranging the many special structures group's tours and visits. Finally, we would like to thank our most generous hosts in Japan, Dr. K. Tanida, Prof. T. Kabeyasawa and Prof. K. Seto.

For more information regarding the Japan Summer programs please visit the web site: http://www.twics.com/~nsftokyo/spmenu.html This material is based on work supported by NSF, STA and Monbusho under the Summer Programs in Japan.

In order to speed the implementation of the general concept of Structural Control worldwide, and in response to the recommendations of the Second International Workshop on Structural Control (2IWSC) in 1996, and the Second World Conference on Structural Control (2WCSC) in 1998, IASC is planning the establishment of the following Task Groups: (1) Task Group on Benchmark Control Studies, (2) Task Group on Health Monitoring, and (3) Task Group on Codes for Structural Control.

Organization of IASC Task Groups:
Each Task Group is composed of three co-chairs plus chairs of the National Committees, as they are formed. Co-chair A represents Asian countries: Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea,...; Co-chair B represents American countries: U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chile...; and Co-chair C represents European countries: Italy, Germany, Russia, France... The Co-chairs are responsible for arranging National Committees in countries that wish to participate. At present, three U.S. National Committees have been established in collaboration between the U.S. Panel on Structural Control Research and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). It is expected that similar Task Groups will be formed in other countries.

Operational Requirements:
It is expected that each of the Groups will submit a formal report to the President of IASC on an annual basis summarizing the accomplishment of the Group and outlining future plans. Formal presentations and activities of the planned Groups will be presented at planned IASC International Workshops or World Conferences. The Secretary of IASC will coordinate the activities of the Task Groups. A synopsis of the goals of each of the three Task Groups is listed below:

1. Task Group on Benchmark Control Studies

The main goal of the working group on building control is to initiate the development of a series of representative benchmark problems that can help to focus structural control research for buildings. However, since it is impractical, both financially and logistically, for all researchers in structural control to conduct experimental tests, development of high-fidelity analytical benchmark problems is an important task. Simultaneously, experimental benchmark problems should be formulated, including both small and large scale structures. The chair of the U.S. National Committee is Prof Bill Spencer of the University of Notre Dame. He may be contacted at spencer@nd.edu .

2. Task Group on Health Monitoring

This working group is charged with the preparation of plans for a series of international benchmark studies of proposed methodologies for structural health monitoring using response data from full-scale structures in damaged and undamaged states. For the purpose of working towards this goal, the structural health monitoring system is defined as any non-destructive evaluation technology for damage detection, location and/or assessment using structural response data. The chair of the U.S. National Committee is Prof James Beck of the California Institute of Technology. He may be contacted at jimbeck@cco.caltech.edu .

3. Task Group on Codes for Structural Control

This Group is charged with the following tasks: i) survey and summarize existing codes and guidelines for base isolation and passive damping control systems, ii) develop a general philosophical basis for the use and design of structural control systems, and iii) recommend a draft outline of guidelines for the design of structural control systems. The chair of the U.S. National Committee is Prof Wilfred Iwan of the California Institute of Technology. He may be contacted at wdiwan@cco.caltech.edu .

The U.S. National Committees invite participation by all interested persons. Further details concerning the mission and goals of the respective Task Groups are summarized in the Proceedings of the 2IWSC and are available for viewing on the home page of the U.S. Panel on Structural Control Research at the following address: http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/civil_eng/structural/welcome . Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the indicated Task Group chairs.

It is with very deep sadness that the IASC Newsletter reports the death of Professor William N. Patten of the University of Oklahoma. Professor
Patten passed away on Monday, 23 November 1998, at the age of 52. Not only was he an outstanding researcher in the field of Structural Control, but he was also able to blend innovations with practical engineering applications in his illustrious research. As readers of the Newsletter
know (see Volume 2, Number 1), he was recognized for many impressive achievements for developing and implementing the first full scale active control of a civil infrastructure in the USA (a bridge near his home town of Norman, Oklahoma). This impressive achievement resulted in Engineering News Record bestowing on him the distinction of being one of the "Top 25 Newsmakers in 1996 cited for Achievements that Served the Industry".

The Newsletter extends to his family, friends and colleagues our heartfelt condolences.

The Iasc Workshops

The IASC (International Association for Structural Control) was de facto founded in Madrid in 1992, on the occasion of the 10th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, and all previous efforts for promoting structural control in Japan, USA and Europe are well documented in their respective Proceedings. The first act of the Association was to organize a restricted meeting, that was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1993 (Housner & Masri, 1993). In the foreword of the Proceedings of that workshop one reads: ... There is a consensus that structural control has the potential for improving the performance of structures, new or existing, if appropriate research and experiments are undertaken. It should be noted that "structural control" is not the same as "control theory" which has been developed in electrical engineering and applied mechanics, or the methods for control of space structures. The essence of "structural control" is the satisfactory management of the performance of relatively massive structures by physical means which require the application of large forces but do not require a high degree of accuracy.

In the 1993 Workshop, 9 countries were represented with a total of 55 contributed papers. One year later, the 1st World Conference on Structural Control was held in Los Angeles.

Four years after the Honolulu workshop, the 2nd International Workshop on Structural Control (Chen, 1996) added the sub-title Next Generation of Intelligent Structures and collected 53 papers. The participants gathered in Hong Kong in December 1996, with representation from 11 countries. Two years later, in July 1998, the 2nd World Conference on Structural Control was held in Kyoto (Kobori et al, 1998). On that occasion, the 3rd International Workshop was announced. In particular, two aspects were decided: the Workshop Steering Committee (which is composed of the authors of this article) and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee, in the person of Georges Magonette of the Joint Research Center of the European Union, located in Ispra, Italy. There is a consensus that if a sub-title must be selected it should be Designing Civil Engineering Structures by Performance.

Planning The Third Workshop

The 3rd International Workshop on Structural Control will be held in Paris from July 7 to July 9, 2000. The venue is the new building, located in Champs-sur-Marne (close to Paris and well linked to it by public transportation), of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees, the oldest School of Civil Engineering.

The same week, from July 3 to July 7, 2000, the same building will host the Second European Conference on Structural Control, under the chairmanship of F. Bourquin and J. Rodellar (for further information contact 2ecsc@lcpc.fr).

The sequence of the two meetings allows the Workshop organizers to plan a light program in terms of topical contributions (since they will be easily hosted in the program of the first part of the week), leaving suitable time for invited lectures to provide an in depth update of the progresses achieved in various regions of the world, in terms of theoretical developments, experimental validations and engineering implementations.

Suggestions will be welcome at eurpanel@dipmec2.unipv.it, while a web page will be available from January 1, 1999, at dipmec.unipv.it.

Building The Technical Program

The technical program will cover:

• structural control and monitoring for civil engineering buildings;
• structural control and monitoring for bridges;
• experimental validation;
• technology innovation (including material, devices and driving software);
• code design vs. performance design;
• international cooperation, Task Groups and IASC role.

Invitation And Important Dates

People who are interested in receiving further information on the workshop are required to send an e-mail message at their earliest convenience, but in any case no later than 30 April 1999. A meeting of the Steering Committee will be held in the summer of 1999, when the technical program will be prepared. Invitation letters will be delivered after this meeting.

References

Housner G.W. and Masri S.F. (1993), Proceedings of International Workshop on Structural Control, USC Publication CE-9311.

Chen J-C. (1996), Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Structural Control, HKUST.

Kobori T. et al. (eds.) (1998), Proceedings of the Second World Conference on Structural Control.

President - Professor Takuji Kobori
 Kyoto University
Vice President - Professor Fabio Casciati
University of Pavia
Executive Secretary - Professor Akira Nishitani
Waseda University
General Secretary/Treasurer - Professor Sami F. Masri
University of Southern California
Former President - Professor George W. Housner
California Institute of Technology

Professor Fabio Casciati
University of Pavia
Professor Jay Chen
Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
Professor George W. Housner
California Institute of Technology
Professor Hirokazu Iemura
Kyoto University
Professor Takuji Kobori
Kyoto University
Professor Sami F. Masri
University of Southern California
Professor Heki Shibata
Yokohama National University
Professor Tsu T. Soong
State University of New York at Buffalo
Professor Li-Li Xie
Institute of Engineering Mechanics

Newsletter Editor - Professor Andrew W. Smyth
Columbia University

The WWW Server for IASC is accessible at the following URL address:

http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/civil_eng/structural/welcome.html