Mitigating the Severity of Level Crossing Accidents and Derailments. Ongoing increases in the number of level crossings and heavy road vehicles cause more frequent and severe level crossing accidents and derailments. Despite the use of active warning systems, each year, on average, 100 level crossing accidents occur in Australia. With a view to mitigating these crashes, this research aims to formulate theories for reduction in crash energy and effective wheel constraints to prevent derailment by ....Mitigating the Severity of Level Crossing Accidents and Derailments. Ongoing increases in the number of level crossings and heavy road vehicles cause more frequent and severe level crossing accidents and derailments. Despite the use of active warning systems, each year, on average, 100 level crossing accidents occur in Australia. With a view to mitigating these crashes, this research aims to formulate theories for reduction in crash energy and effective wheel constraints to prevent derailment by modifying the levels of road and rail crossings and providing guard rails in the recesses of these modified level crossings. The theories are intended be developed using nonlinear dynamic computational methods and laboratory experiments. The outcomes are expected to enable reduction in the severity of level crossing accidents and hence save lives and costs of derailment.Read moreRead less
New paradigms for urban public transport planning in Australia: assessing the capacity of institutions and infrastructure. Current urban transport policies cannot be sustained in the face of climate change, peak oil and economic instability: dramatic increases in public transport use will require new standards of service delivery. This project will use international experience to shape new approaches to planning public transport in our largest cities.
Hybrid methods with decomposition for large scale optimization. This project aims to develop advanced approaches for solving large scale real-world optimisation problems that are expensive to evaluate, and difficult to formulate, involving thousands of variables and constraints. The project will make novel contributions to improving state-of-the-art large scale optimisation algorithms in terms of scalability, effectiveness, and efficiency for real-world problem solving. The outcomes of this proj ....Hybrid methods with decomposition for large scale optimization. This project aims to develop advanced approaches for solving large scale real-world optimisation problems that are expensive to evaluate, and difficult to formulate, involving thousands of variables and constraints. The project will make novel contributions to improving state-of-the-art large scale optimisation algorithms in terms of scalability, effectiveness, and efficiency for real-world problem solving. The outcomes of this project will bring about greater understanding of real-world large scale optimisation, and deliver practical solutions to these problems.Read moreRead less
Evaluation of densification and degradation of ballast under cyclic train loading. Formulation of a comprehensive cyclic densification model as a pioneering fundamental approach will enable efficient operation of modern high speed trains. Insightful understanding of ballast densification mechanisms will lead to enhanced, cost-effective track design with improved safety and passenger comfort.
The behaviour and design of composite columns coupling the benefits of high strength steel and high strength concrete for large scale infrastructure. This project will involve the development of a novel structural column system which will be more efficient, robust and require less maintenance than current systems. The outcomes will involve improved design methodologies which will enable large scale infrastructure to be enhanced and will involve the use of materials which improve sustainability.
Containment and Reduction of Rework in Transport Mega Projects. Mega transport projects (>$1 billion) are poorly managed during their construction with significant cost and schedule overruns and benefit shortfalls regularly being experienced. Having to perform rework has been identified as a major factor that contributes to these unintended consequences. As there has been limited research that has empirically examined rework causation, an inability to develop effective rework containment and red ....Containment and Reduction of Rework in Transport Mega Projects. Mega transport projects (>$1 billion) are poorly managed during their construction with significant cost and schedule overruns and benefit shortfalls regularly being experienced. Having to perform rework has been identified as a major factor that contributes to these unintended consequences. As there has been limited research that has empirically examined rework causation, an inability to develop effective rework containment and reduction strategies prevails. This research aims to develop a theoretical model that can be used to develop robust containment and reduction strategies to mitigate the adverse economic, productivity and safety consequences that materialize from performing rework during the construction of mega transport projects.Read moreRead less
Synthetic energy absorbing composite for improved track performance. This project aims to study the performance of a novel synthetic energy absorbing composite (SEAC) placed beneath the railway ballast to minimise degradation. The use of coal wash and steel slag blended with shredded recycled rubber as SEAC constituents is environmentally beneficial. The role of SEAC with respect to impact and cyclic loads will be assessed through extensive geotechnical laboratory and numerical analysis. The res ....Synthetic energy absorbing composite for improved track performance. This project aims to study the performance of a novel synthetic energy absorbing composite (SEAC) placed beneath the railway ballast to minimise degradation. The use of coal wash and steel slag blended with shredded recycled rubber as SEAC constituents is environmentally beneficial. The role of SEAC with respect to impact and cyclic loads will be assessed through extensive geotechnical laboratory and numerical analysis. The research outcomes based on the proposed energy considerations will lead to improved track design and analysis in view of stability, safety and operational efficiency.Read moreRead less
The Role of Energy Absorbing Rubber Grid on Ballast Track Performance. Breakage and excessive displacement of ballast lead to instability and regular maintenance of railways. The project aims to study the fundamental mechanics of ballast aggregates interacting with the apertures of recycled-Rubber Energy Absorbing Grids (REAG). The role of REAG on enhanced track performance by damping the cyclic wheel loading and impact will be quantified via rigorous mathematical methods complementing a compute ....The Role of Energy Absorbing Rubber Grid on Ballast Track Performance. Breakage and excessive displacement of ballast lead to instability and regular maintenance of railways. The project aims to study the fundamental mechanics of ballast aggregates interacting with the apertures of recycled-Rubber Energy Absorbing Grids (REAG). The role of REAG on enhanced track performance by damping the cyclic wheel loading and impact will be quantified via rigorous mathematical methods complementing a computer-based numerical model and validated by laboratory & field data. When placed within the rail substructure REAG will enable reduced ballast movement and breakage while attenuating noise/vibration. The research outputs will facilitate improved rail track design enabling enhanced longevity and reduced cost of maintenance.Read moreRead less
Spatial network analysis for multimodal urban transport systems: a planning decision support tool. This research explores and assesses the development and use of accessibility tools for integrated land use and transport planning. It will establish international benchmarks for sustainable accessibility providing evidentiary support for government decision making and investment in sustainable urban development and public transport infrastructure.
Business location decisions. This project aims to develop a forecasting model system for economic planning that integrates business (re-) location and co-location choices. Improved transport infrastructure connects places and can influence the location of businesses. This project will use forecasting models to quantify the drivers of firm location decisions linked to an integrated strategic transport and land use modelling system. This project expects to provide guidance for transport investment ....Business location decisions. This project aims to develop a forecasting model system for economic planning that integrates business (re-) location and co-location choices. Improved transport infrastructure connects places and can influence the location of businesses. This project will use forecasting models to quantify the drivers of firm location decisions linked to an integrated strategic transport and land use modelling system. This project expects to provide guidance for transport investment that brings gains in productivity to industry and the economy and wellbeing to individuals and society.Read moreRead less