Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical re ....Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical resource.Read moreRead less
Friction and contact in soil-structure-interaction. Frictional contact, which occurs at soil-structure interfaces, has a major influence on the behaviour of many civil engineering structures such as building foundations and soil anchor systems. To better understand this phenomenon, new theoretical models and solution algorithms are needed to simulate soil-structure interaction. This project aims to develop these models and algorithms. Its outcomes will lead to improved prediction methods and bet ....Friction and contact in soil-structure-interaction. Frictional contact, which occurs at soil-structure interfaces, has a major influence on the behaviour of many civil engineering structures such as building foundations and soil anchor systems. To better understand this phenomenon, new theoretical models and solution algorithms are needed to simulate soil-structure interaction. This project aims to develop these models and algorithms. Its outcomes will lead to improved prediction methods and better geotechnical design strategies.Read moreRead less
FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pi ....FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pile foundation. Such a tool does not currently exist and will result in safer and cheaper geotechnical design. The methods developed in this project can also be extended to study human joints and joint replacements.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354679
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
National Forum and Collaboration on the Investigation and Remediation of Problem Soils through Effective Ground Improvement Practices. The aim of this initiative is to develop a strategy for a high-quality research network on the Australian problematic soils and the appropriate remediation alternatives, including: lime treatment, use of geosynthetics, native vegetation and drainage. Another aim of this initiative is to bring together researchers and practitioners from all over Australia under a ....National Forum and Collaboration on the Investigation and Remediation of Problem Soils through Effective Ground Improvement Practices. The aim of this initiative is to develop a strategy for a high-quality research network on the Australian problematic soils and the appropriate remediation alternatives, including: lime treatment, use of geosynthetics, native vegetation and drainage. Another aim of this initiative is to bring together researchers and practitioners from all over Australia under a common forum in a workshop, to promote exchange of new ideas, disseminate research findings and innovative technologies, as well as to make an impact on practical issues facing the technologists today. An informative website will be created as a result of this initiative. A web-enabled report will also be produced to include peer-reviewed papers and relevant forum discussions.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical engineering solutions for deep-water oil and gas developments. Offshore extraction of oil and gas lies at the heart of Australia's prosperity, but faces escalating challenges in water depths already in excess of 1 km and approaching 3 km. Safe and economic design of seabed systems and pipelines requires novel techniques for assessing the engineering properties of seabed sediments, and for foundation and anchoring systems that must withstand extreme loading conditions. This project c ....Geotechnical engineering solutions for deep-water oil and gas developments. Offshore extraction of oil and gas lies at the heart of Australia's prosperity, but faces escalating challenges in water depths already in excess of 1 km and approaching 3 km. Safe and economic design of seabed systems and pipelines requires novel techniques for assessing the engineering properties of seabed sediments, and for foundation and anchoring systems that must withstand extreme loading conditions. This project contributes to future exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon reserves, by developing new technology and improved reliability in offshore geotechnical design, with consequential benefits to our economy and in minimising impact on the marine environment. Read moreRead less
Deep Penetrating Anchors - a cost effective anchoring solution for mooring oil and gas facilities in deep water. The offshore oil and gas industry is currently directing considerable research efforts towards the development of cost-effective anchoring solutions suitable for mooring floating installations in deep water. This project aims to enhance the limited understanding of the Deep Penetrating Anchor (DPA), which has been identified as having the most potential to meet industry demands as it ....Deep Penetrating Anchors - a cost effective anchoring solution for mooring oil and gas facilities in deep water. The offshore oil and gas industry is currently directing considerable research efforts towards the development of cost-effective anchoring solutions suitable for mooring floating installations in deep water. This project aims to enhance the limited understanding of the Deep Penetrating Anchor (DPA), which has been identified as having the most potential to meet industry demands as it extends the current water depth limit of 2000 metres. Successful completion of this project will result in a DPA experimental database that will not only form the basis for predicting anchor performance, but will also serve as a means of validating robust and versatile design tools that can be used in offshore engineering practice.Read moreRead less
Experimental and theoretical analysis of gas leakage rate through composite landfill covers due to geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that waste emissions contributed 3.1% of net national emissions in 2001 with methane emissions from landfills accounting for 92% of total methane emissions from the waste sector, despite an increase in methane recovered from solid waste. It pointed out that the recent changes in waste management practices did not have an impact on repo ....Experimental and theoretical analysis of gas leakage rate through composite landfill covers due to geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that waste emissions contributed 3.1% of net national emissions in 2001 with methane emissions from landfills accounting for 92% of total methane emissions from the waste sector, despite an increase in methane recovered from solid waste. It pointed out that the recent changes in waste management practices did not have an impact on reported methane emission levels and there is need to undertake a range of activities to reduce emissions from waste management activities. This project will address specifically the above issue by providing a new method of analysis to predict gas leakage rate and allow engineers to propose solutions to mitigate gas escapes. Read moreRead less
Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result wil ....Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result will produce an efficient design tool for a structural system integrated with smart sensors/actuators for vibration control.Read moreRead less
Numerical prediction of train and vehicle induced ground vibrations and their effects on structures. This project will develop an innovative new method based on coupled finite element and scaled boundary finite-element analysis for predicting the ground vibrations induced by road traffic and underground or surface trains. The method will have immediate application in transportation engineering to predict traffic-induced ground vibrations, in geotechnical engineering to design isolation trenches ....Numerical prediction of train and vehicle induced ground vibrations and their effects on structures. This project will develop an innovative new method based on coupled finite element and scaled boundary finite-element analysis for predicting the ground vibrations induced by road traffic and underground or surface trains. The method will have immediate application in transportation engineering to predict traffic-induced ground vibrations, in geotechnical engineering to design isolation trenches and wave barriers to dissipate wave propagation, and in structural engineering to estimate in-structure vibration level and design isolators for sensitive equipment housed within. The technique will involve fundamental advances in the scaled boundary finite-element method, as calculations will be performed in a moving reference frame.Read moreRead less
Influence of Spatial Variability on the Design and Performance of Pile Foundations. Currently, no model is available that incorporates the spatial variability of soil properties into the design and analysis of pile foundations. Furthermore, only basic rules-of-thumb are available to assist in determining the scope of appropriate site investigations for piles, and limited data are available for the LRFD of piles. The new and unique finite element model, site investigation guidelines and load re ....Influence of Spatial Variability on the Design and Performance of Pile Foundations. Currently, no model is available that incorporates the spatial variability of soil properties into the design and analysis of pile foundations. Furthermore, only basic rules-of-thumb are available to assist in determining the scope of appropriate site investigations for piles, and limited data are available for the LRFD of piles. The new and unique finite element model, site investigation guidelines and load resistance factors will reduce the over-design and uncertainty associated with pile design, which will lead to more reliable pile foundations and reduced construction cost overruns and delays. Conservatively, it is estimated that this research will result in savings in excess of $10 million per year, in Australia alone.Read moreRead less