The Department of Facilities and Geotechnical Engineering undertakes testing, investigations, and research and development related to the materials, structural systems, foundation ground conditions, design, construction, and maintenance management of agricultural facilities. The Department is composed of five specialized groups and works in close cooperation with other research institutions and private-sector organizations to implement a comprehensive research framework, covering activities from basic research through to the development of technologies applicable to on-site practice. In the 6th Term Plan, priority will be placed on the development of both structural (hardware) and non-structural (software) technologies aimed at minimizing functional disruptions of agricultural facilities. These disruptions arise from the increasing frequency of sudden accidents associated with infrastructure aging, as well as from the intensification of natural hazards such as earthquakes and heavy rainfall.
- Structural Engineering and Maintenance Group: Research and development aimed at advancing the scientific understanding of sudden failure mechanisms—such as seepage failure—in the foundation ground of headworks, and at developing advanced condition monitoring and diagnostic technologies.
- Soil Mechanics and Maintenance Group: Research and development of maintenance and preventive countermeasure technologies to prevent the failure of irrigation ponds caused by earthquakes and heavy rainfall.
- Underground Structures Design and Maintenance Group: Research and development of pipeline leakage risk assessment technologies, and elucidation of deterioration mechanisms of pipe materials.
- Facilities Maintenance and Management Group: Research and development of functional diagnostic technologies and life-extension technologies for concrete structures.
- Geohazard Mitigation Group: Research and development of evaluation methods for the behavior of ground-related disasters, such as landslides, during earthquakes, and of technologies to verify the effectiveness of countermeasure works.
