Brief Summary of Settlement

① Kansai International Airport is a project for providing improved

service of air transport by a challenging first time civil
engineering work − reclaiming land on the soft seabed in the
deep sea.

② The settlement has been monitored with utmost care and it was
re-
re-confirmed by a recent measurement to be within the estimate
except
exce pt a few areas and the settlement is stabilizing.

③ Measures are being taken by constructing diaphragm walls

around the areas where the settlement is exceeding the estimate
in order to protect facilities thereabouts against the underground
water level rising
ri sing caused by extremely high tide.

④ Operation of KIX has been and will be safely maintained by

timely and adequate measures.

As the differential settlement has been efficiently controlled by

unique jack-
jack-up systems equipped to each pillar of the passenger
passenger
terminal for example, the settlement will be carefully monitored
and a safe operation at KIX will be maintained properly.
Kansai International Airport is a project for providing improved
service of air transport by a challenging first time civil
civil engineering
work − reclaiming land on the soft seabed in the deep sea.

＊ To solve the severe noise problem of the former international airport in Kansai region,
Itami Airport located in a densely populated area, construction of a new noise-free and
24 hour operational airport was started in 1987, 5 km off the Senshu district
district, southern
part of Osaka Prefecture, see the map below, where the sea is 18 meters deep and the
seabed is extremely soft.

Geographical Location of Kansai and Itami Airports

Lake
Biwa
Nagoya
○
ITAMI Kyoto
AIRPORT ○
Kobe ●
○ ○ Osaka
○Nara

Awajishima KANSAI
Island ● AIRPORT

○ Wakayama

Shikoku
Island

Pacific Ocean

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＊ The formation under the sea of the airport consists of the very soft Holocene clay layer,
the Pleistocene clay layer and the Tertiary deposit, as illustrated below.

＊ Of these layers, the Holocene clay layer can be artificially improved to be solid enough
to support a heavy structure by the sand drain method,
method which is explained in the next
page.

＊ However, as to the Pleistocene

Pleistocene clay layer
layer, it is too far deep from the sea level to be
improved artificially.
artificially Furthermore, this is the first time ever to do construction in the
sea which could cause some influence on the Pleistocene clay layer because of its heavy
structure, a huge volume of sand and soil for reclamation and the various facilities.

＊ This is the reason why utmost attention was paid to make a correct estimate about the
settlement, especially about the Pleistocene layer, as precise as possible, and also the
settlement has been carefully monitored.

The Formation Under The Airport

direction to the mainland

2nd phase island 1st phase island sea

18 - 20m deep 16.5 - 19m deep level
(Average: 19.5m) (Average: 18m)
seabed
15 - 21m (Ave: 18m)
20 - 29m (Ave: 24m)
[the
the Holocene clay layer
layer] 100 - 160m (Ave: 140m)

140 - 210m (Ave: 180m)

[the
the Upper Pleistocene clay layer]
layer about 200m

300 - 500m
about 800m
[the
the Lower Pleistocene clay layer
layer]
more than 900m

[the
the Tertiary deposit]
deposit
[Granite
Granite]
Granite

４
 Sand Drain Method

① This method strengthens the seabed by draining water from the Holocene clay layer
and accelerates its settlement.
② After lying and spreading a thin sand blanket
blanket, sand piles are driven through to the
Holocene clay layer.
③ With the weight of spread soil, water contained in the Holocene clay layer is forced out
through the sand piles into the sea.

＜ Progress of Sand Drain Method＞

Method ＞

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

pull up

piling
sand sea level

Sand
blanket
. .
seabed
sand pile . .
left water water settled
[the Holocene clay layer] (solid)

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 The settlement has been monitored with utmost care and it was

re-
re-confirmed by a recent measurement to be within the estimate

except
excep t a few areas and the settlement is stabilizing.

＊ The recent measurement carried out at the end of 2000 reconfirmed that the
settlement of the KIX airport island is within the estimate except a few areas: 11.7
meters were measured on average, while about 12.0 meters had been estimated for
the total settlement from the beginning of reclamation.

＊ Of those 11.7 meters of settlement, 9.8 meters settled during the period of land
reclamation and facilities construction before opening. The settlement which
progressed after the opening is 1.9 meters, settling 3∼
3∼4 centimeters less every year.
year
Thus the progress of stabilization is on course, as shown below.

Stabilization of Settlement
Average settlement
(cm/y)
60
50
50 ① 43

40 ② 35 ①Line showing 4cm less every year

30 31

②Line showing 3cm less every year 27

20 25
22
10

0
'94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00
(KIX opened.)

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Measures are being taken by constructing diaphragm walls around

the areas where the settlement is exceeding the estimate in order to

protect facilities thereabouts against the underground water level

rising caused by extremely high tide.

＊ Level of grounds
grounds,
rounds except for a few areas, is high enough for a safe and normal airport
operation as shown below.

＊ A few areas which exceeded the estimate around the fuel storage tanks and the
passenger terminal are now to be protected by the diaphragm walls walls, see the
illustration of its mechanism on the next page, against extremely high tide which
might occur every 50 years so that the underground water within the walls could be
controlled artificially by being pumped out.

Height of Grounds above Sea Level

by Points
Po ints of Airport Island

Tank Area International

Cargo Area ( unit : meter )

2.1 3.8 Passenger Terminal 4.9

2.8 Area
3.2 3.7 4..9
4.2 Domestic
3.8 3.5 3.7 5.1 Cargo
Runway Area

< Reference >

Bold lines show diaphragm walls
to be constructed. Access
Bridge

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 Mechanism of Control of Underground Water
by Diaphragm Wall

Terminal
Facility

Sea level Pump Pump

at high Runway
tide

Level of underground
Water (controlled)
water water
permeable permeable
to water diaphragm wall to water

The Holocene Clay Layer

① In case of extremely high tide, which might occur every 50 years, as the seawall is
permeable to water
water, level of underground water comes up to the same level as that of
high tide.
② As this phenomenon may break basement structures of the facilities,
facilities the diaphragm
walls are to be constructed around such facilities as fuel storage tanks and the
passenger terminal facilities, so that the level of underground water within the walls
could be controlled by being pumped out. out

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Operation of KIX has been and
and will be safely maintained by timely

and adequate measures.

As the differential settlement has been efficiently controlled by

unique jack-
jack-up systems equipped to each pillar of the passenger

terminal for example, the settlement will be carefully monitored

monitored

and a safe operation at KIX will be maintained properly.