A novel multiscale model to investigate mechanical properties of cartilage. This project aims to develop a new multiscale model to investigate anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical properties of cartilage. It has been found that the mechanical properties of cartilage highly depend on its microstructures and components. The new model is proposed based on a new constitutive relation in the macroscale and a novel algorithm to obtain local stress distributions in the microscale as well as through ....A novel multiscale model to investigate mechanical properties of cartilage. This project aims to develop a new multiscale model to investigate anisotropic and inhomogeneous mechanical properties of cartilage. It has been found that the mechanical properties of cartilage highly depend on its microstructures and components. The new model is proposed based on a new constitutive relation in the macroscale and a novel algorithm to obtain local stress distributions in the microscale as well as through rigorous experimental validations. This model will be a powerful tool to understand cartilage mechanical properties. It will accelerate the design of mechanically viable artificial cartilage biomaterial, which will provide significant economic benefits and place Australia in the forefront of modelling and biomaterials.Read moreRead less
A novel multiscale modelling technique to explore mechanical deformation of nanowires in high-performance devices. A novel multiscale modelling technique with a number of key innovations will be developed. This new model is capable of taking account of the surface effects which are important for nanowires and will enhance prediction accuracy and provide knowledge beyond current experimental measurements to underpin performance of new devices.
Dislocation motion and anelastic recovery in layered ceramic titanate. This project aims to research deformation and facture in brittle ceramic nanowire materials and anelastic behaviour in tensile deformation. Layered sodium titanate is used in energy storage and water treatment, but in-situ tensile tests have observed unconventional deformation behaviour, with significant dislocation motion and anelastic recovery. This project will study the deformation mechanism in layered sodium titanate nan ....Dislocation motion and anelastic recovery in layered ceramic titanate. This project aims to research deformation and facture in brittle ceramic nanowire materials and anelastic behaviour in tensile deformation. Layered sodium titanate is used in energy storage and water treatment, but in-situ tensile tests have observed unconventional deformation behaviour, with significant dislocation motion and anelastic recovery. This project will study the deformation mechanism in layered sodium titanate nanowires through molecular dynamics simulations, empirical interatomic potential, and in situ TEM experiments. Expected outcomes include knowledge of the deformation mechanism of this layered titanate which can be broadened to technologically important layered ceramic materials.Read moreRead less
Improved design and operational efficiency of small wind turbines in unsteady flows. The purpose of this research is to improve the design and performance of small wind turbines for energy generation. The expected outcomes are novel control strategies and mechanical designs that account for unsteady aerodynamics and its effects on structural loads and power quality. Recommendations to improve current design standards will be made.
A Novel Multilevel Modelling Framework to Design Diamond Nanothread Bundles. This project aims to develop a novel, computationally-based framework to optimally and efficiently design new fibre materials based on the diamond nanothreads synthesized by the PI in 2014. The CIs (and others) have demonstrated the tremendous promise these materials hold to replace common carbon fibres. The proposed framework will combine advanced computer modelling, statistical learning, genetic algorithm-based optima ....A Novel Multilevel Modelling Framework to Design Diamond Nanothread Bundles. This project aims to develop a novel, computationally-based framework to optimally and efficiently design new fibre materials based on the diamond nanothreads synthesized by the PI in 2014. The CIs (and others) have demonstrated the tremendous promise these materials hold to replace common carbon fibres. The proposed framework will combine advanced computer modelling, statistical learning, genetic algorithm-based optimal design and experimental validations. It will accelerate the design of these new carbon-based fibres as game-changing materials in a wide range of areas. Ultimately this project has the potential to deliver significant economic benefits and will place Australia at the forefront of the industrial revolution of the future.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear frequency mixing methods for materials and damage evaluation. This project aims to investigate new approaches for frequency mixing in nonlinear ultrasonics, and to demonstrate their potential for the non-destructive evaluation of material degradation and early damage detection. The anticipated outcomes will be increased detection sensitivity relative to current inspection techniques and an enhanced capability for quantifying the damage. This will provide the basis for more cost efficie ....Nonlinear frequency mixing methods for materials and damage evaluation. This project aims to investigate new approaches for frequency mixing in nonlinear ultrasonics, and to demonstrate their potential for the non-destructive evaluation of material degradation and early damage detection. The anticipated outcomes will be increased detection sensitivity relative to current inspection techniques and an enhanced capability for quantifying the damage. This will provide the basis for more cost efficient safety management of high-value assets and infrastructure, and for enhancing Australia’s competitiveness in advanced manufacturing.Read moreRead less
The study of wear debris using advanced technologies. A large portion of the operating cost of machinery is associated with wear due to the interaction between moving surfaces, which generates wear particles as by-products. The wear particles thus carry information regarding the wearing process, and can be used to assess the machine's condition and further facilitate failure prediction and minimise maintenance. This project will explore the mechanisms and possible influence of corrosion on the w ....The study of wear debris using advanced technologies. A large portion of the operating cost of machinery is associated with wear due to the interaction between moving surfaces, which generates wear particles as by-products. The wear particles thus carry information regarding the wearing process, and can be used to assess the machine's condition and further facilitate failure prediction and minimise maintenance. This project will explore the mechanisms and possible influence of corrosion on the wearing process. A new methodology will be developed to quantify the wearing process. This research will significantly advance our understanding with respect to wear and provide innovative means for identifying wear mechanisms/phases.Read moreRead less
Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Development of Advanced Wear Debris Analysis Techniques for Osteoarthritis Study. Wear and tear of joints is the common cause of osteoarthritis, costing $19.25 billion/year. With this cost on the increase, and no cure to date, comes a need to develop effective methods for its diagnosis. This study will provide new knowledge on osteoarthritis progression by allowing strategic use of national health resources. A fuzzy expert system, to be developed utilising the diagnostic/prognostic techniques of ....Development of Advanced Wear Debris Analysis Techniques for Osteoarthritis Study. Wear and tear of joints is the common cause of osteoarthritis, costing $19.25 billion/year. With this cost on the increase, and no cure to date, comes a need to develop effective methods for its diagnosis. This study will provide new knowledge on osteoarthritis progression by allowing strategic use of national health resources. A fuzzy expert system, to be developed utilising the diagnostic/prognostic techniques of this study will significantly reduce cost and time. The project will contribute to the National Strategy by helping older Australians; the major group of osteoarthritis sufferers, to retain their health, independence and productivity.Read moreRead less
Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline- ....Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline-free structural health monitoring technique capable of detecting and quantifying barely-visible impact damage in advanced composite materials, non-destructive evaluation of structures made by additive manufacturing, and detection of hard-to-inspect locations in unitised structures.Read moreRead less