ABSTRACT
Long-term predictions by science and technology and examination of the adaptation measures based on predictions are beginning to play a more important role than ever. To predict the behavior of the living environment, it is essential to improve the prediction technology of complicated structures that comprise various materials, including soil, water, concrete, and steel. At present, examinations are being performed on the basis of various ideas because a system that considers the prediction of such complicated structures in a unified manner has not yet been established. Typical examples include model experiments and numerical calculations. Although research of the complex phenomenon of waves and ground has just started, future challenges seem to have come into view by organizing the laws of similarity, etc. to present the current condition of experimental methods and computation methods. In short, we believe that the challenges for the next ten years are to elucidate the mechanisms while skillfully utilizing experiments, etc. that use a centrifuge modeling and to promote the sophistication of numerical calculations to establish a general-purpose law of similarity, which can consider the deformation process, hysteretic characteristics, etc. The sophistication of experimental techniques can be expected by examining what kind of experiment data shall be acquired through considerations via backcasting based on the future aspects of a computer. We truly hope that the number of engineers who grapple with such research will increase further by reading this book.
