Long term stabilisation of expansive soils by polymer addition. Expansive soils can cause serious damage to infrastructure. The project aims to study the feasibility of reducing the long term swelling potential of expansive soils by polymer addition. The project involves advanced experimental testing to identify suitable candidates amongst different polymers and to test their long term performance.
Thermal-induced unilateral plate buckling of concrete pavements: design and evaluation. The project addresses the upheaval buckling of concrete pavements, which is caused by increasingly frequent heat spells. It will consider both the vulnerability assessment of existing pavements, and the design of new pavements made from low-carbon geopolymer concretes (which are lighter than conventional pavements) against upheaval buckling.
Mechanics of partially saturated soils and Its applications. The project aims to study the fundamental behaviour of Australian natural soils under varying water contents and loading conditions. Some immediate applications include the design of foundations on reactive soils and the analysis of rainfall-induced landslides. In both cases, the aim is to improve the design method and hence reduce the damage cost.
FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pi ....FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pile foundation. Such a tool does not currently exist and will result in safer and cheaper geotechnical design. The methods developed in this project can also be extended to study human joints and joint replacements.Read moreRead less
Large-scale geotechnical analysis of new and aged pipeline infrastructure. This project aims to develop novel computational methods for predicting failure rates in geographically distributed pipeline networks affected by ground movements, one of the main triggers of bursts and leakages in buried pipe infrastructure. The project will be based on a blend of experimental work and development of simulation tools to quantify the coupled effects of pipe deterioration, poor backfilling and ground movem ....Large-scale geotechnical analysis of new and aged pipeline infrastructure. This project aims to develop novel computational methods for predicting failure rates in geographically distributed pipeline networks affected by ground movements, one of the main triggers of bursts and leakages in buried pipe infrastructure. The project will be based on a blend of experimental work and development of simulation tools to quantify the coupled effects of pipe deterioration, poor backfilling and ground movements in aged and new pipelines. The results will feed towards the formulation of a framework for the large-scale stress analysis of segmented and continuous pipes, capable of using as input high-resolution geospatial observations and predictions of ground movements.Read moreRead less
Quantitative risk assessment of unsaturated soil slopes. This project aims to develop a novel quantitative risk assessment tool for slope failures or landslides by integrating cutting-edge methods in statistics, unsaturated soil mechanics and large deformation mechanics. The project will quantify various uncertainties in risk analysis of a landslide, rationally estimate its consequences, and improve understanding of its failure mechanisms. Expected outcomes include a reduction of societal and ec ....Quantitative risk assessment of unsaturated soil slopes. This project aims to develop a novel quantitative risk assessment tool for slope failures or landslides by integrating cutting-edge methods in statistics, unsaturated soil mechanics and large deformation mechanics. The project will quantify various uncertainties in risk analysis of a landslide, rationally estimate its consequences, and improve understanding of its failure mechanisms. Expected outcomes include a reduction of societal and economic costs due to landslides, achieved through better engineering guidelines and government regulations for landslide risk management.Read moreRead less
Coupled service and ultimate behaviour of high strength composite columns. This project aims to improve the coupled service and strength load behaviour of high strength composite columns used in building and bridge infrastructure. Taller and longer buildings and bridges need efficient and safe material. Australian Standards for concrete and steel now allow higher strength materials of 100 and 690 MPa. This project will consider coupled service and strength load issues incorporating time-dependen ....Coupled service and ultimate behaviour of high strength composite columns. This project aims to improve the coupled service and strength load behaviour of high strength composite columns used in building and bridge infrastructure. Taller and longer buildings and bridges need efficient and safe material. Australian Standards for concrete and steel now allow higher strength materials of 100 and 690 MPa. This project will consider coupled service and strength load issues incorporating time-dependent effects and ductility, and extend the range of concrete and steel strengths to 150 and 960 MPa for world-class heavy infrastructure. This project is expected to improve the safety and economy of tall buildings, bridges and large infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Achieving structural morphing via functionalising nonlinear buckling. This project aims to develop a general framework to analyse and design functional components of buildings and structures, where they change shapes (morphing) by buckling. Australian buildings consume 20% of the nation’s total energy production on heating and cooling, and projected population increases are likely to increase energy demands. The shape changes are optimised, e.g. to reduce energy consumption by minimising solar r ....Achieving structural morphing via functionalising nonlinear buckling. This project aims to develop a general framework to analyse and design functional components of buildings and structures, where they change shapes (morphing) by buckling. Australian buildings consume 20% of the nation’s total energy production on heating and cooling, and projected population increases are likely to increase energy demands. The shape changes are optimised, e.g. to reduce energy consumption by minimising solar radiation loads or maximising natural air ventilation. The project expects to develop building technology solutions to reduce Australia's energy consumption, and provide domestic and global market opportunities in the high-tech manufacturing sector.Read moreRead less
The use of innovative anchors for the achievement of composite action for rehabilitating existing and deployment of demountable steel structures. This project will develop an innovative technology to connect steel and concrete elements in steel framed structures. This will allow new structures to be made demountable and will increase the remaining life of existing infrastructure. This will provide methodologies to increase the sustainability benefits of steel structures in construction.
Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result wil ....Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result will produce an efficient design tool for a structural system integrated with smart sensors/actuators for vibration control.Read moreRead less