Collapse assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity. This research aims to develop a new displacement based (DB) method for regions of lower seismicity, using 'Displacement Controlled' phenomenon, to assess the risk of collapse and seismic performance of buildings. The project will investigate the system behaviour of buildings in Australia that are laterally supported by lightly reinforced concrete geometric walls, including both torsional and wall floor interacti ....Collapse assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity. This research aims to develop a new displacement based (DB) method for regions of lower seismicity, using 'Displacement Controlled' phenomenon, to assess the risk of collapse and seismic performance of buildings. The project will investigate the system behaviour of buildings in Australia that are laterally supported by lightly reinforced concrete geometric walls, including both torsional and wall floor interaction effects. The new DB method could allow buildings in regions of lower seismicity to be designed for robustness, gravity and wind loading and then checked using displacement principles for seismic compliance, which will dramatically simplify and improve the current seismic design process.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100130
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions. An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions: This project aims to develop Australia's most advanced earthquake shaking table. Earthquakes are a problem of great significance to Australia. Infrastructure in civil, transport, mining and energy sectors may be at an unacceptable risk of damage under earthquake loading as current design practices do not account for the interaction between infrastructure ....An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions. An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions: This project aims to develop Australia's most advanced earthquake shaking table. Earthquakes are a problem of great significance to Australia. Infrastructure in civil, transport, mining and energy sectors may be at an unacceptable risk of damage under earthquake loading as current design practices do not account for the interaction between infrastructure and the ground under such loading. The shaking table will simulate earthquakes and enable controlled testing of three-tonne models of foundation and soil-structure interaction systems typical of Australia's infrastructure. The discoveries made are expected to be integral to the modernisation of Australia's seismic design standards so that earthquake-induced damage and risk exposure can be minimised.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL180100196
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,253,312.00
Summary
Development of multi-hazard resilient and sustainable infrastructure. This project aims to develop next generation construction of multi-hazard resilient structures for the safety and wellbeing of the public, society and economy, as well as structural health monitoring techniques for effective engineering asset management. Sustainable infrastructure development involves the use of green materials to reduce greenhouse gas emission, and new technologies to reduce construction and life-cycle mainte ....Development of multi-hazard resilient and sustainable infrastructure. This project aims to develop next generation construction of multi-hazard resilient structures for the safety and wellbeing of the public, society and economy, as well as structural health monitoring techniques for effective engineering asset management. Sustainable infrastructure development involves the use of green materials to reduce greenhouse gas emission, and new technologies to reduce construction and life-cycle maintenance cost. The project will use new green materials and techniques to prefabricate structural components which can be easily assembled and dismantled to meet the requirement for adaptation to technology advancement, urban planning and climate change. The project will advance the construction practice for sustainable infrastructure development.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101593
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,446.00
Summary
Seismic evaluation of non-structural unreinforced masonry components. This project aims to reduce earthquake risk posed by unreinforced masonry buildings. The project will use integrated experimental and numerical research to understand the dynamic interaction between timber floors, roofs and walls. New knowledge about this interaction will enable economical and safe earthquake design methods to be used for unreinforced masonry buildings.
Retrofitted brick masonry buildings - are they reliable over the long term? The aim of this project is to investigate the long-term reliability of a new earthquake strengthening technique for brick buildings. The technique involves the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) strips as reinforcement for brick walls and has been shown to give substantial instantaneous strength increases. However, no research has been undertaken to ensure that the improved strength is sustained over the remaining lif ....Retrofitted brick masonry buildings - are they reliable over the long term? The aim of this project is to investigate the long-term reliability of a new earthquake strengthening technique for brick buildings. The technique involves the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) strips as reinforcement for brick walls and has been shown to give substantial instantaneous strength increases. However, no research has been undertaken to ensure that the improved strength is sustained over the remaining life of the building. The only related research involves reinforced concrete which suggests that a reduction of at least 33 per cent could be expected. Hence, this project will quantify the long-term strength of FRP reinforced brickwork to enable engineers to safely apply this new cost-effective retrofit technique.Read moreRead less
A complex systems approach to granular rheology: interconnecting topology, stability, dynamics and function. The response of granular materials (e.g. soil, rocks) to applied stresses and strains will be characterised in detail. Information mined from experimental and simulation tests will be used to develop robust predictive models of granular behaviour, crucial for effective earthquake mitigation as well as greener mining and construction technologies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100195
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Using Sandwich Pipe for Pipeline Vibration Control. Pipelines are important structures but are vulnerable to different types of damage. This damage is often associated with pipeline vibration. It is important to control adverse vibrations to reduce the risk of catastrophic damage. This project proposes using sandwich pipe to suppress different sources of vibrations that may be experienced during the lifetime of the pipeline. Analytical, numerical and experimental investigations will be carried o ....Using Sandwich Pipe for Pipeline Vibration Control. Pipelines are important structures but are vulnerable to different types of damage. This damage is often associated with pipeline vibration. It is important to control adverse vibrations to reduce the risk of catastrophic damage. This project proposes using sandwich pipe to suppress different sources of vibrations that may be experienced during the lifetime of the pipeline. Analytical, numerical and experimental investigations will be carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. The project aims to develop direct applications for designing pipelines to suppress different sources of vibration and to guarantee the safety of pipelines.Read moreRead less
Analysis and design of interlocking brick system against earthquake loading. This project aims to develop optimised interlocking bricks to resist static and earthquake loads. Using conventional bricks in masonry construction requires skilled labour to connect bricks with mortar. Development of interlocking bricks for mortarless connection has been attracting great interest because the easy alignment improves construction efficiency and quality. Interlocking also leads to better mechanical perfor ....Analysis and design of interlocking brick system against earthquake loading. This project aims to develop optimised interlocking bricks to resist static and earthquake loads. Using conventional bricks in masonry construction requires skilled labour to connect bricks with mortar. Development of interlocking bricks for mortarless connection has been attracting great interest because the easy alignment improves construction efficiency and quality. Interlocking also leads to better mechanical performance of the resulting structures. This project will have significant impact on construction technology and the Australian masonry industry, and greatly improve the competitiveness of the Australian construction industry in the international market.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100058
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$560,000.00
Summary
Three dimensionally compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar . 3D compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar: The 3D compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar allows determination of the dynamic mechanical properties and fracturing behaviour of materials under such confinement. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems as excavation, fragmentation, earthquake, blasting, and structure design. In geotechnical and structure projects, materi ....Three dimensionally compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar . 3D compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar: The 3D compressed and monitored Hopkinson bar allows determination of the dynamic mechanical properties and fracturing behaviour of materials under such confinement. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems as excavation, fragmentation, earthquake, blasting, and structure design. In geotechnical and structure projects, materials are often subjected to existing confining stresses. The full-field optical techniques, with an ultra-high speed and resolution camera in the system, aims to assist the quantitative measurement of deformation fields including small strain induced in brittle material's failure and identification of constitutive parameters.Read moreRead less
Adaptive Base Isolation using Innovative Magnetorheological Elastomers. Base isolation is of great importance for the safety of infrastructure, such as hospitals, bridges and nuclear power plants. Utilisation of a traditional passive base isolator makes the base isolation system vulnerable and susceptible to unexpected/extreme dynamic loadings, such as earthquakes. This project aims to address this critical issue through the development of a novel adaptive seismic isolator working with an innova ....Adaptive Base Isolation using Innovative Magnetorheological Elastomers. Base isolation is of great importance for the safety of infrastructure, such as hospitals, bridges and nuclear power plants. Utilisation of a traditional passive base isolator makes the base isolation system vulnerable and susceptible to unexpected/extreme dynamic loadings, such as earthquakes. This project aims to address this critical issue through the development of a novel adaptive seismic isolator working with an innovative stiffness softening magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). This research represents a fundamental step towards the understanding of MRE behaviour and is expected to be the breakthrough for the development of a future smart base isolation system.Read moreRead less