Hybrid Pile-Drain System to Stabilise Railways Built on Soft Soils. Australian coastal soils often pose significant challenges in the design and construction of railways. The project aims to develop a novel hybrid system of pipe piles & prefabricated vertical drains installed to prevent soft foundation soil (subgrade) from excessive yielding under prolonged cyclic loading by heavy-haul trains. Using large-scale physical model simulations and field trials supported by numerical analysis of soil-p ....Hybrid Pile-Drain System to Stabilise Railways Built on Soft Soils. Australian coastal soils often pose significant challenges in the design and construction of railways. The project aims to develop a novel hybrid system of pipe piles & prefabricated vertical drains installed to prevent soft foundation soil (subgrade) from excessive yielding under prolonged cyclic loading by heavy-haul trains. Using large-scale physical model simulations and field trials supported by numerical analysis of soil-pile-drain interaction mechanisms, this innovative concept will be examined to establish a user-friendly design methodology. For rail operators, the outcomes will generate substantially reduced maintenance costs, while extending the longevity of track infrastructure to ensure faster and heavier trains of the future. Read moreRead less
A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes includ ....A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes include an increased ability to prevent soil failures by utilising these sensors to monitor stress levels underground. This should provide significant benefits for saving critical infrastructure from environmental and geotechnical failures, including landslides, tunnel collapses, and tailings dam damages.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,847.00
Summary
Experimental and numerical studies on internal erosion of granular soils. This research aims to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in internal erosion in soil that can trigger instabilities and damage in large scale infrastructures. Specifically, influences of morphology features, at both grain and structure scales, and applied stress on the initiation and evolution of internal erosion will be clarified, to predict where and when the catastrophic failure happens. The proposed p ....Experimental and numerical studies on internal erosion of granular soils. This research aims to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in internal erosion in soil that can trigger instabilities and damage in large scale infrastructures. Specifically, influences of morphology features, at both grain and structure scales, and applied stress on the initiation and evolution of internal erosion will be clarified, to predict where and when the catastrophic failure happens. The proposed proposal will not only surely benefit a broad range of science and engineering communities, but also directly address the second most urgent problems, 'soil and water', in Australia, by rephrasing the Australia standards or guidelines for construction, surveillance, and decommissioning of civil engineering structures.Read moreRead less