This article was written by Yoshiro Hamada (Representative Director of Hamada Industry CO., Ltd.) for IACDS Yearbook 2020.
The objective of JCSDA is to establish safety and further improve advanced technology, primarily by spreading the use of cutting and drilling methods for concrete structures using diamond tools. The JCSDA is also a non-profit organization which makes contributions to society while promoting mutual friendship and information sharing among its members.
Details of Activities (1) Sharing of technical information. In our meetings held twice a year, our member companies give reports on construction sites, and presentations on new equipment and tools.
(2) Exchange of field information JCSDA divides Japan into seven regions, and at our meetings, the representatives of each region report on the actual situations of specific matters including bidding, and order receiving and placement.
(3) Safety education YouTube is used to provide educational training on topics such as machine operation for safe and secure construction in the field.
(4) Book and document publication. Our association’s in-house magazine is published twice a year and distributed to our members and within the industry. We also publish materials which accumulate data on 4 types of wet cutting and 3 types of dry cutting (revised annually). Additionally, we also publish construction work manuals.
Changes in construction using diamond tools in Japan
20% of the earthquakes that occur annually throughout the world happen in Japan. Therefore, buildings in Japan are always constructed to be earthquake-resistant using seismic isolation measures, and structures in Japan have an exceptionally high level of strength. In addition, because Japan is a small country with buildings concentrated mainly in urban areas, environmental measures are essential for routine work in building renovation and demolition. The standards for measures against noise, sludge, dust, and vibration are very high, so machines and diamond tools able to comply with those standards are continually being developed, and each member company in our association has made dedicated efforts to bring them into more common use.
Current state and future changes
The industrial waste treatment of cutting sludge water described in section 2 is not only for flat sawing, but is carried out in the same way for drilling, wall sawing, and wire sawing. Moreover, considerable labor is required for water curing (anti-scattering measures) during construction in addition to industrial waste treatment. Since such labor can be substantially reduced if cooling water is not used, our association’s member companies are working on the application of dry cutting in the above four construction types. However, there is a constant need to suppress thermal effects on the cutting edges and base metal of diamond tools, which prompts the question of “How can they be cooled when performing cutting work, without the use of cooling water?” This is particularly difficult to overcome when working with high-reinforcement, high-strength concrete in Japanese construction and civil engineering buildings, so we are proceeding forward to resolve issues such as tool life and construction time. Construction using diamond tools in Japan must continually evolve due to the distinctive environment of our country, and responding to this need is the reason and purpose of our association.