LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Kawabata Lab
Machine-translated · View original
This lab studies how the materials used in large structures break, and evaluates the safety of those structures.
AboutAbout the lab
Approaching the safety of large structures through their materials
The Kawabata Lab studies the mechanical safety assessment of materials used in large structures.
In addition to the strength to withstand their own weight and earthquakes, structures need the durability to keep their shape over a long time, and the property of not letting damage spread even when a part fails.
The lab mainly works with iron and steel materials, which are easy to process and whose properties change greatly with the addition of alloying elements and with heat treatment.
The lab takes a multifaceted approach to research, combining theory-based modeling, experiments and observation, and numerical analysis.
Key terms
- Fracture mechanics
- The study of evaluating the conditions under which a material containing a crack will fracture
- Fatigue
- A phenomenon in which cracks form and grow in a material under repeated loading, even when the force is small, eventually causing the material to fail
- Toughness
- A material's ability to resist fracture. The degree to which it resists cracking under force and holds up by deforming instead
NewsLab news
A master's student won an award at the ASME PVP 2026 Student Paper Competition
Paper published on hydrogen embrittlement of nickel-based weld metal
Paper published on cracking of aluminum alloy plates at cryogenic temperatures
Paper published on a model describing the deformation of stainless steel at cryogenic temperatures
Paper published on ductile fracture of aluminum alloys
ResearchResearch themes
The lab evaluates the safety of large structures, such as next-generation energy infrastructure for carbon neutrality, starting from their materials. Combining fracture mechanics, welding mechanics, and other fields, the lab investigates materials used in tanks for liquefied hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
*Illustrative imageStainless steel for use at cryogenic temperatures
For stainless steel, a candidate material for liquefied hydrogen tanks, the lab investigates how the microstructural changes that occur when it deforms at cryogenic temperatures affect the rate at which fatigue cracks grow.
*Illustrative imageMaterials for low-temperature CO₂ transport tanks
For tanks that carry carbon dioxide by ship at low temperature, the lab examines whether the heat treatment normally performed after welding carbon steel can be omitted, based on changes in toughness before and after the treatment.
*Illustrative imageAccurately measuring a material's resistance to cracking
In tests that measure the crack resistance of materials used at liquefied hydrogen temperatures, a phenomenon occurs in which the crack appears to become shorter. The lab investigates the mechanism behind this and is studying methods to correct for it.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Kawabata Lab consist of faculty, staff, visiting and collaborating researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTomoya KawabataPublications ↗
- Assistant Professor浦中 祥平
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Kawabata Lab
Abe LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Systems InnovationMaterials science, nuclear reactor materials, fusion reactor…
Takahashi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Systems InnovationNext-generation energy-saving transport technologies, includ…
Shibanuma LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Systems InnovationResearch on maintenance engineering, including fracture beha…
Murakami LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Systems InnovationSafety analysis of nuclear reactors based on multiscale phys…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Third tank LNG Terminal Swinoujscie 2022” Boevaya mashina / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Stainless steel for use at cryogenic temperatures: “LH2 Tank Construction Update (KSC-20211001-PH-GEB01 0004)” NASA Kennedy Space Center / NASA/Glenn Benson / Public domain (cropped)
- Materials for low-temperature CO₂ transport tanks: “LNG-säiliöt, MS Viking Grace, Pernon telakka, Turku, )” Markus Rantala (Makele-90) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Accurately measuring a material's resistance to cracking: “FRACTURE TOUGHNESS SPECIMENS - NARA - 17427350” Martin Brown / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Abe Lab): “Tokamak WEST” Christophe Roux / IRFM / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Takahashi Lab): “Carbon fibre weave” Christine Twigg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Shibanuma Lab): “Crankshaft fatigue” Peterlewis / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Murakami Lab): “Chooz Nuclear Power Plant-9362” Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.