Investigation on Highway Damages Caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake: Geological Disasters

Starting with introduction to the geologic environment, this book elaborates the theory, cause, and current situation about the highway damages in the Wenchuan Earthquake Stricken Area in simple language on the basis of a great deal of full and accurate investigation data about the Wenchuan Earthquake and post-earthquake geological disasters. These results provide valuable technical support for the reconstruction of post-earthquake highways and prevention of post-earthquake geological disasters. This book, the pictures and their accompanying text are both excellent. This book is divided into fourteen chapters, covering geological disaster review, surface rupture zone and liquefaction, collapses and landslide and post-earthquake secondary debris flow, as well as a large number of precious affected highway examples.

Since the “11th Five-Year Plan”, the communication and transportation industry has thoroughly implemented the scientific outlook on development, sped up transforming the development mode and vigorously promoted this industry to realize sound and rapid development. by the end of 2010, the total mileage of national highways had exceeded 4 million kilometers, ranking from seventh place at the beginning of reform and opening up to second place in the world. Among them, the mileage of expressways had reached 74,000 km, ranking second place; the highway freight volume had rocketed from sixth place to first place; and the length of navigable inland waterways, port cargo throughput and container throughput had remained in the first place. The rapid development of the communication and transportation industry not only played an important role in fighting against the international financial crisis and keeping the economy to develop stably and fast but also made positive contributions to improving livelihood and promoting social harmony.

For a long time, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Party Leading Group has always put scientific and technological innovation as an important power for promoting the development of communication and transportation, oriented the science and technology work to the development of communication and transportation, increased investment in science and technology, strengthened the management of science and technology, advanced the industry-university-research cooperation and built up the capacity of major technical research and development and innovation. As a result, it has made remarkable achievements. Through unremitting efforts made by the scientific and technical workers, significant breakthroughs and innovations have been made in the domains of highway construction in the ever-frozen ground and desert, extra-long span bridge construction, very long tunnel construction and deep-water channel improvement. Thus, a range of major scientific and technological achievements taking the lead in the world have been made, so as to significantly enhance the capability of independent innovation in the industry, vigorously support the construction of major projects, cultivate, and temper a large number of high-quality scientific and technological talents and lay a solid foundation for developing the modern communication and transportation industry. in addition, MOT has actively explored the new methods for promoting scientific and technological achievements; by means of science and technology demonstration engineering, special action program for material saving and recycling and release of scientific and technological achievements popularization catalogue, it has promoted more scientific and technological achievements to transform to practical productive forces faster and created a good atmosphere where communication and transportation actively depend on scientific and technological innovation and scientific and technological innovation more facilitates the development of communication and transportation.

Publishing Communication and Transportation Construction Technology Series is another important measure to thoroughly implement the strategy of vitalizing MOT with science and technology and strengthen popularization and application of scientific and technological achievements. This series includes highway infrastructure construction and maintenance, waterway infrastructure construction and maintenance, safety and emergency security, transportation service and green transportation. It is an excellent work having high academic and application value on the basis of communication, transportation, and construction technology projects. Since this series is published and enriched year by year, it is helpful to collectively exhibit the major scientific and technological achievements in terms of communication, transportation, and construction, carry forward the scientific and technological innovation culture, reflect the wisdom of the scientific and technical personnel, promote technical exchange at a high level, scholarly communication and cultivation of professionals. Thus, this series will become an important carrier for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.

The “12th Five-Year Plan” period is a key period to accelerate transforming the mode of development and develop the modern communication and transportation industry.

Thoroughly implementing the strategy of vitalizing MOT with science and technology is a fundamental and leading project. We hope the scientific and technical workers engaged in communication and transportation to further strengthen their sense of responsibility and sense of urgency, unite as one, work together to solve problems, endeavor to open up a new situation in scientific and technological research and make more contributions to the all-round, harmonized, and sustainable development of this industry!