Asset Intelligence: Maximising Operational Effectiveness for Digital Era . The primary aim of this project is to develop an innovative lifecycle semantic–based decision making approach through asset intelligence so as to maximize the operational effectiveness maintenance, repair and rehabilitation planning of infrastructure assets, such as concrete pavement. The research intends to address an important gap by providing logical formalisms and real-time capability to life-cycle asset information t ....Asset Intelligence: Maximising Operational Effectiveness for Digital Era . The primary aim of this project is to develop an innovative lifecycle semantic–based decision making approach through asset intelligence so as to maximize the operational effectiveness maintenance, repair and rehabilitation planning of infrastructure assets, such as concrete pavement. The research intends to address an important gap by providing logical formalisms and real-time capability to life-cycle asset information through computational intelligence. The expected outcome will be an intelligent asset management platform that provides structured and semantically enriched lifecycle asset information for optimised solutions to help reduce the cost, time and effort in asset information storage and retrieval, and decision-making. Read moreRead less
Seismic behaviour of drive-in steel storage racks. The purpose of this project is to study the behaviour, analysis and design of drive-in steel storage racks in an earthquake event. The main research outcome is the development of scientifically-based guidelines for the safe design of drive-in racks in seismic regions.
Understanding the performance of cold-formed steel frame wall systems in fires to design for superior fire resistance. This project will develop new light gauge steel frame (LSF) wall systems with superior fire resistance rating and associated design rules to enable innovative and safe applications of these wall systems in various building applications. This will enable expansion of the worldwide market for LSF wall systems by the industry partner.
Development of Fibre Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products. The construction industry is one of the world's largest consumers of raw materials and it is widely accepted that current material usage trends are unsustainable. Development of new more efficient construction materials is paramount to overcoming this. This novel research will use advanced high strength glass and carbon fibres and polymer resins to improve the structural behaviour, versatility and economic viability of a natio ....Development of Fibre Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete Products. The construction industry is one of the world's largest consumers of raw materials and it is widely accepted that current material usage trends are unsustainable. Development of new more efficient construction materials is paramount to overcoming this. This novel research will use advanced high strength glass and carbon fibres and polymer resins to improve the structural behaviour, versatility and economic viability of a nationally significant construction material known as Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. The material technologies developed by this research will lead to more efficient material use, a more sustainable materials solution and the potential to export the technology worldwide.Read moreRead less
Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities fo ....Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities for frequent, low-cost track monitoring; 3) novel inspection and maintenance optimisation methods to efficiently allocate resources. The knowledge generated by this project is expected to decrease maintenance costs, safety risk, and track closures and therefore enhance the affordability and reliability of rail travel.Read moreRead less
Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical ....Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical processes. Time-dependent clogging will be evaluated through geotechnical laboratory & field testing. Expected outcomes are enhanced PRB design methods and sound geotechnical field monitoring to provide significant industry benefits, such as mine-site rehabilitation, increased productivity and infrastructure longevity.Read moreRead less
Optimal Source Control in Urban Water Cycle Management. Major opportunities exist to improve the management of the urban water cycle by better use of source control technology such as the use of rainwater tanks and water-sensitive design. This program will optimise the use of this technology at three scales, allotment, subdivision and regional, using genetic algorithms, parallel computing and shadow pricing. The aim is to minimise community lifecycle costs subject to sustainable use of ecosystem ....Optimal Source Control in Urban Water Cycle Management. Major opportunities exist to improve the management of the urban water cycle by better use of source control technology such as the use of rainwater tanks and water-sensitive design. This program will optimise the use of this technology at three scales, allotment, subdivision and regional, using genetic algorithms, parallel computing and shadow pricing. The aim is to minimise community lifecycle costs subject to sustainable use of ecosystems and maintenance of public health standards. The benefits include national savings of the order of $2 billion and significantly reduced demand on water supply and stormwater infrastructure and its supporting ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. This project aims to develop and validate a new, robust and cost-effective method for geotechnical hazard assessment of rock slopes. Each year in Australia, millions of dollars are spent on stabilising unstable slopes and mitigation measures to control the associated risk and avoid severe financial impacts. The proposed framework will combine a new qualitative approach for geotechnical hazar ....Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. This project aims to develop and validate a new, robust and cost-effective method for geotechnical hazard assessment of rock slopes. Each year in Australia, millions of dollars are spent on stabilising unstable slopes and mitigation measures to control the associated risk and avoid severe financial impacts. The proposed framework will combine a new qualitative approach for geotechnical hazard assessment with accurate, efficient geo-structural surveys achieved with emerging surveying technologies. Stochastic components of slope geostructural description should minimise the surveying operations. This project is expected to reduce the cost and time of surveying geostructural features of slopes and designing mitigation measures.Read moreRead less
High Strength Concrete Beam-Columns with High-Strength Steel Reinforcement. The aim of this project is to develop the fundamental understanding needed to design and construct high-strength concrete columns with high-strength steel reinforcement, with the intended outcome of providing design rules for adoption by engineers and Standards bodies. With significant innovations in Australian steel bar technology, strengths grades of 750 megapascals, and higher, are becoming available. These high-stren ....High Strength Concrete Beam-Columns with High-Strength Steel Reinforcement. The aim of this project is to develop the fundamental understanding needed to design and construct high-strength concrete columns with high-strength steel reinforcement, with the intended outcome of providing design rules for adoption by engineers and Standards bodies. With significant innovations in Australian steel bar technology, strengths grades of 750 megapascals, and higher, are becoming available. These high-strength steels can be used in reinforced concrete building construction and would increase the competitiveness of Australia's manufacturing industry and enable the export of high-value-added technologies. Significant efficiencies in construction costs and in carbon emissions are possible.Read moreRead less
Development of next generation fire-resistant composite columns. This project aims to develop a new generation of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns free from reinforcement by using fly ash-based fire-resistant concrete. In Australia, existing CFST columns use a large amount of internal reinforcement to maintain the structural integrity under fire attack. Through the generation of CFST columns with superior fire resistance rating and associated design rules to enable innovative and saf ....Development of next generation fire-resistant composite columns. This project aims to develop a new generation of concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns free from reinforcement by using fly ash-based fire-resistant concrete. In Australia, existing CFST columns use a large amount of internal reinforcement to maintain the structural integrity under fire attack. Through the generation of CFST columns with superior fire resistance rating and associated design rules to enable innovative and safe applications of these columns in the construction of resilient and sustainable infrastructure, the project will enable expansion of the domestic and worldwide market for Australian producers of geo-polymer concrete and fly ash aggregates.Read moreRead less