About this website
Learn about the database and the research activities behind it.
Read more →STC Information Services
Steel Sabo Structure Database
Information on steel sabo structures for sediment and driftwood control in Japan.
Contact: Ryuta Inoue, Head of Steel Structures Research
Sabo Technical Research Institute
Email: sabo-steel※stc.or.jp (replace ※ with @)
Search construction cases
Explore records of steel sabo structures across Japan by location, type, order year and height.
Search the database →Performance case studies
Examples of steel sabo structures capturing debris flows and driftwood.
View case studies (Japanese) →Structure classification
Browse the functional categories used in the steel sabo structure database.
Read more →About this website
The Steel Sabo Structure Database was developed and operated for many years by the Steel Sabo Structures Study Group (JFE Metal Products & Engineering Inc. and Nippon Steel Metal Products Co., Ltd.). The Sabo & Landslide Technical Center (STC) has taken over its operation.
In June 2024, STC assumed the Study Group's work on research and the dissemination of steel sabo structure technology. STC now provides the information previously published by the group.
Background of the Study Group
The group originated as a study group of eight steel manufacturers concerned with manufacturing and selling steel sabo structures. It was active from the Showa 40s (1965–1974), and was formally established in 1999. It devoted its efforts to research and the dissemination of steel sabo structure technology.
Steel sabo structures first came into use as temporary structures in the early Showa 40s. Established in July 1975, STC set up a committee on steel sabo structures and worked with the Study Group on their research, evaluation and dissemination. During sabo works to prevent secondary disasters following the 1977 eruption of Mount Usu, various steel sabo structures were installed as permanent structures, making use of the properties of steel.
In 1985, STC published the first design handbook for steel sabo structures to establish consistent approaches and standards for planning and design and to promote their effective use. The handbook was revised as research and technology advanced, with the fifth revision published as the 2021 edition. STC also published a collection of installation examples in May 1991, and the Study Group published a guidebook in November 2001.
Structures designed using the handbook have been evaluated for debris-flow and driftwood control. Their performance has informed technical design guidelines for these countermeasures.
Recent sediment disasters throughout Japan include sediment discharge from small streams that are normally dry, large quantities of sediment and gravel inundating downstream residential areas, and damage intensified by driftwood. STC will use the valuable materials and data inherited from the Study Group to improve and promote steel sabo structures that respond more effectively to these phenomena.
Source: the Japanese introduction by Yoko Tomita, Sabo Technical Research Institute. 日本語の原文
Structure classification
The database organizes structures into the following categories. The search screen provides the full hierarchy with English labels and the original Japanese names.
Sabo dams
- Closed type: screen, crib and cell structures without openings.
- Open type: slit, grid and cell structures with openings.
Other structures
- Bottom drainage screens.
- Driftwood control structures, including cantilever-type driftwood traps.
Browse types and search construction cases →
Search labels, prefectures and classifications are available in English. Structure names and original descriptions remain in Japanese. Both language versions use the same records and photographs.
Contact
Ryuta Inoue
Head of Steel Structures Research
Sabo Technical Research Institute
Sabo & Landslide Technical Center (STC)
Email: sabo-steel@stc.or.jp