Current Situation and Issues Concerning the Maintenance and Management of Underground Lifeline Structures in Japan - Evolving toward the Introduction of Information Technology, Automation and Robotization -

Abstract

The enormous stock of underground lifeline structures constructed in Japan during the high economic growth period is aging with each passing year. In addition, the need for efficient execution of inspection, diagnosis and repair work is also increasing, as is the severity of the issues involved, including burgeoning repair and renewal costs; social impacts such as the traffic restrictions; and a shortage of specialized engineers, partly due to retirement of aging engineers. This paper introduces effective inspection and diagnosis technology and renewal technology used to maintain and manage domestic underground lifeline structures. In addition, inspection, diagnosis and repair technology for maintenance used to resolve the above-mentioned issues are addressed by classifying the element and systemization technologies. A broad survey is made of future directions are discussed for maintenance and management standards aimed at introducing common information technology, automation and robotization by operators possessing underground lifeline structures.