The role of location on the effectiveness of smoke alarms. Smoke alarms in buildings are required by the Building Code of Australia (BCA), but the current requirements are less than optimal. This project will provide the basis for optimisation of smoke alarms and the number, interconnection and positioning of smoke alarms in residential buildings. This is expected to lead to reductions in fire fatalities, injuries and property loss.
Energy-saving design: investigation of the thermal performance of rammed earth residential buildings. Housing people in Australian remote communities is energy intensive. This is particularly true in hot regions, where the house running costs are significant due to air-conditioning units functioning 24 hours a day, for most of the year. Rammed earth houses in dry-arid climate zones should not require any air-conditioning in summer. This project aims to investigate the optimal thermal performance ....Energy-saving design: investigation of the thermal performance of rammed earth residential buildings. Housing people in Australian remote communities is energy intensive. This is particularly true in hot regions, where the house running costs are significant due to air-conditioning units functioning 24 hours a day, for most of the year. Rammed earth houses in dry-arid climate zones should not require any air-conditioning in summer. This project aims to investigate the optimal thermal performance of two occupied houses using a novel sensor network. It aims to deliver new evidence on the thermal performance of rammed earth buildings to inform energy-efficiency decision frameworks and enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous communities in hot regions.Read moreRead less
The Identification and Development of Strategies for Increasing Engineering Enrolments. There is a continuing nation-wide decline in high school student enrolment in higher level mathematics and science. This is already leading to a reduction in the number of students undertaking university engineering programs in Australia and the situation is expected to worsen. This project is directed toward a better understanding of the reasons for the trend and the development of strategies to reverse it. ....The Identification and Development of Strategies for Increasing Engineering Enrolments. There is a continuing nation-wide decline in high school student enrolment in higher level mathematics and science. This is already leading to a reduction in the number of students undertaking university engineering programs in Australia and the situation is expected to worsen. This project is directed toward a better understanding of the reasons for the trend and the development of strategies to reverse it. It aims to 1. Evaluate the most effective strategies that increase student's interests and understanding of engineering and increase participation in engineering studies. 2. Develop an optimised national communication strategy for promoting engineering studies to secondary students.Read moreRead less
Fire Risk Evaluation of Commercial Buildings. An integrated systems risk-based model for fire safety has been developed for apartment buildings. A risk-based model must also be developed for commercial high-rise buildings taking into account the sub-models most relevant for these buildings. This requires a new approach and the development and integration of new submodels. Such a model does not currently exist but its development will allow for the cost-effective design of commercial buildings wh ....Fire Risk Evaluation of Commercial Buildings. An integrated systems risk-based model for fire safety has been developed for apartment buildings. A risk-based model must also be developed for commercial high-rise buildings taking into account the sub-models most relevant for these buildings. This requires a new approach and the development and integration of new submodels. Such a model does not currently exist but its development will allow for the cost-effective design of commercial buildings whilst still maintaining appropriate levels of fire safety.Read moreRead less
A new approach to structural design that incorporates the effect of non-structural components. The construction industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Each year billions of dollars are spent erecting new high rise buildings. Further, Australian engineering firms bid on major construction projects throughout the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The research described here promises to deliver economies to the Australian construction industry as well as e ....A new approach to structural design that incorporates the effect of non-structural components. The construction industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Each year billions of dollars are spent erecting new high rise buildings. Further, Australian engineering firms bid on major construction projects throughout the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The research described here promises to deliver economies to the Australian construction industry as well as equipping local firms involved in structural design to better compete for offshore work .
Community benefits will take the form of reduced construction costs and the capacity for a more complete and up to date knowledge of the structural performance and risk of aging assets, thereby increasing community confidence and safety.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Systems Analysis: Fire Growth and Severity in Enclosures. An integrated systems risk-based model for fire safety has been developed and has been internationally acclaimed. A new fire severity submodel urgently needs to be developed before ramifications of the World Trade Centre catastrophe impact on fire safety regulations. Current submodels seriously misrepresent the real fires. They were developed from 1970's experiments on 2-3 metre cube-like enclosures and predict that fires ....An Integrated Systems Analysis: Fire Growth and Severity in Enclosures. An integrated systems risk-based model for fire safety has been developed and has been internationally acclaimed. A new fire severity submodel urgently needs to be developed before ramifications of the World Trade Centre catastrophe impact on fire safety regulations. Current submodels seriously misrepresent the real fires. They were developed from 1970's experiments on 2-3 metre cube-like enclosures and predict that fires engulf enclosures. Recent preliminary experiments have revealed that real fires burn locally at windows and only appear to be all engulfing. The research will lead international collaboration involving extensive experiments and some modelling to be completed in twelve months.Read moreRead less