Development of advanced deterioration model for the design of stabilised pavement bases. The Australian road network is a lifeline infrastructure that underpins the nation's living standards and economy. Much of these roads have deteriorated and require rehabilitation to get a new lease of life. This project intends to develop advanced methods to extend the lives of these pavements using in-situ recycling of old pavement materials.
An innovative light weight composite panel system for high speed modular construction. This project aims to develop an innovative composite panel system using aerated geopolymer and a thin high strength steel casing. The new panel system aims to have a number of significant enhancements compared to traditional panels in terms of load resistance, much lower carbon footprint and life-cycle costs. It aims to offer desirable properties, such as being light-weight, easy to construct, economical, recy ....An innovative light weight composite panel system for high speed modular construction. This project aims to develop an innovative composite panel system using aerated geopolymer and a thin high strength steel casing. The new panel system aims to have a number of significant enhancements compared to traditional panels in terms of load resistance, much lower carbon footprint and life-cycle costs. It aims to offer desirable properties, such as being light-weight, easy to construct, economical, recyclable and reusable. A significant gap in knowledge exists in the material and system behaviour of the aerated geopolymer and its fire performance. It is intended that a comprehensive research program will be carried out to address those challenges and to provide design guidelines to rapidly progress these technologies in Australia and overseas.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.
Structural assembly for remote housing using fibre reinforced composites. This project aims to address construction challenges in remote housing by off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly using fibre reinforced composites and digital made-to-measure approach. Its goal is to generate interdisciplinary knowledge and practical technologies for reliable, affordable and durable housing in remote harsh environments. Intended results include innovative connections and systems with valuable understa ....Structural assembly for remote housing using fibre reinforced composites. This project aims to address construction challenges in remote housing by off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly using fibre reinforced composites and digital made-to-measure approach. Its goal is to generate interdisciplinary knowledge and practical technologies for reliable, affordable and durable housing in remote harsh environments. Intended results include innovative connections and systems with valuable understanding of their performances under various loading scenarios and accurate digital visualization for remote construction. The outcomes expect to unlock remote development, enhance our competitive strengths for manufacturing and construction industries, and further offer new solutions in post-disaster recovery applications.Read moreRead less
Control of cracking caused by early-age contraction of concrete. An extensive program of laboratory testing will be undertaken to quantify the extent of cracking in concrete walls and slabs due to early-age cooling and shrinkage of concrete. Analytical models for quantifying restraint in walls and slabs will be developed, as will methods for the prediction and control of crack widths and crack spacings.
Concrete Enriched with Carbon Nanotubes for Advanced Future Construction. This project aims to develop an advanced construction material based on enrichment of concrete with carbon nanotubes (CNT). Concrete, the most consumed construction material globally, is brittle and needs embedded steel reinforcement. Concrete enriched with CNT, one of the strongest known fibres, may partially replace conventional bulky and heavier steel reinforcement thereby creating economies (e.g. thinner section sizes) ....Concrete Enriched with Carbon Nanotubes for Advanced Future Construction. This project aims to develop an advanced construction material based on enrichment of concrete with carbon nanotubes (CNT). Concrete, the most consumed construction material globally, is brittle and needs embedded steel reinforcement. Concrete enriched with CNT, one of the strongest known fibres, may partially replace conventional bulky and heavier steel reinforcement thereby creating economies (e.g. thinner section sizes), and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by expending less steel and cement for construction. This project extends earlier research by the research team and aims to transform cement-CNT pastes into construction-scale concrete by resolving uncertainties associated with scaling.Read moreRead less
Lightweight, durable and self-sustainable modular composites buildings. This project aims to establish a modular composites building system that is lightweight, integrated with power supply system and is highly resistant to harsh environments. Buildings today are designed and constructed using conventional craft-based labour-intensive methods and materials. This results in high cost and consequences for quality, safety, resource and environmental impact. By developing the modular building system ....Lightweight, durable and self-sustainable modular composites buildings. This project aims to establish a modular composites building system that is lightweight, integrated with power supply system and is highly resistant to harsh environments. Buildings today are designed and constructed using conventional craft-based labour-intensive methods and materials. This results in high cost and consequences for quality, safety, resource and environmental impact. By developing the modular building system using lightweight and durable fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites and innovative connection methods for fast assembly, the project outcomes can largely lift productivity in construction industry and further provide self-sustainable civil infrastructure not only in urban and rural regions but also in remote areas.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100646
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Active rheology control of fresh concrete using responsive additives. This project aims to investigate innovative techniques for Active Rheology Control (ARC) of concretes using responsive additives interacting with externally applied electromagnetic or temperature signals. ARC is a new concept which will revolutionise concrete pumping by overcoming limitations such as frequent pipe blockages. ARC will also be useful to solve the major barrier faced by 3D concrete printing (3DCP) from becoming a ....Active rheology control of fresh concrete using responsive additives. This project aims to investigate innovative techniques for Active Rheology Control (ARC) of concretes using responsive additives interacting with externally applied electromagnetic or temperature signals. ARC is a new concept which will revolutionise concrete pumping by overcoming limitations such as frequent pipe blockages. ARC will also be useful to solve the major barrier faced by 3D concrete printing (3DCP) from becoming a practical way of construction. 3DCP is an emerging idea for construction but a major barrier is that concrete needs to flow during pumping and extrusion but become stiff soon after placement. This project will explore ARC for achieving the “flow-on-demand” desired by both concrete pumping and 3DCP applications.Read moreRead less
Shrinkage, cracking, self-healing and corrosion in blended cement concrete. This project aims to investigate the effects of binder quantity and composition on early-age cracking in Australian concretes caused by restrained shrinkage, the subsequent self-healing capability of the cracks, and the possibility of detrimental early chloride induced steel reinforcement corrosion, particularly in marine locations. This project will focus on concrete mix designs and the blends of cement, fly-ash and bla ....Shrinkage, cracking, self-healing and corrosion in blended cement concrete. This project aims to investigate the effects of binder quantity and composition on early-age cracking in Australian concretes caused by restrained shrinkage, the subsequent self-healing capability of the cracks, and the possibility of detrimental early chloride induced steel reinforcement corrosion, particularly in marine locations. This project will focus on concrete mix designs and the blends of cement, fly-ash and blast furnace slag that are prescribed in the revised version of the concrete bridge standard for the most severe exposure. This project will lead to a significant improvement in the serviceability and durability of concrete structures in severe environments.Read moreRead less
Investigating the Pumpability and Extrudability of Concrete for 3D Printing. The project aims to develop a new rheological model for 3D printable concrete for construction. 3D concrete printing is an innovative and promising construction technique, but the main impediment to progress is lack of suitable material technology. In this study, a new stress and time dependent flow model will be formulated and implemented as a computational model. The model will facilitate the study of the effect of di ....Investigating the Pumpability and Extrudability of Concrete for 3D Printing. The project aims to develop a new rheological model for 3D printable concrete for construction. 3D concrete printing is an innovative and promising construction technique, but the main impediment to progress is lack of suitable material technology. In this study, a new stress and time dependent flow model will be formulated and implemented as a computational model. The model will facilitate the study of the effect of different concrete formulations, pumping and printer parameters on the primary printing properties, namely, pumpability, extrudability and buildability. The new model will also enable active control and modification of rheological parameters on-the-fly during large-scale printing, which is not currently possible.Read moreRead less