Load-displacement and consolidation behaviour of soft soils stabilised by stone columns for transport infrastructure. The project outcomes will guarantee better understanding of the benefits of stone columns for stabilising soft soil foundations through numerical and experimental processes. The enhanced load-carrying capacity and mitigation of excessive soil movements will contribute to sustainable development of transport infrastructure.
Performance of granular matrix under heavy haul cyclic loading. Performance of granular matrix under heavy haul cyclic loading. This project aims to enhance the longevity of roads and tracks based on improved geotechnical design. The demand for safe and durable roads and railways to accommodate faster and heavier traffic has increased steadily in the past decade. This project will research the performance of compacted granular waste (coalwash & flyash) under cyclic loads, particularly relevant t ....Performance of granular matrix under heavy haul cyclic loading. Performance of granular matrix under heavy haul cyclic loading. This project aims to enhance the longevity of roads and tracks based on improved geotechnical design. The demand for safe and durable roads and railways to accommodate faster and heavier traffic has increased steadily in the past decade. This project will research the performance of compacted granular waste (coalwash & flyash) under cyclic loads, particularly relevant to heavy haul industry, from a geomechanics perspective. It will use geotechnical laboratory testing and field monitoring to develop a computational model, incorporating the relevant strength and deformation properties at varied load frequencies. The anticipated outcome is sustainable, more resilient transport infrastructure.Read moreRead less
An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies th ....An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies that enable the realisation of such robotic systems. The intended outcomes will contribute to marine robotics research and its industrial applications, and will improve productivity and occupational health and safety by replacing the humans needed to work in such hazardous environments.Read moreRead less
Cyclic behaviour of unstable soils stabilised by lignosulfonate with special reference to rapid transport infrastructure. The project will pioneer the use of the paper industry by-product, lignosulphonate, to stabilise unstable soils in rural and regional Australia. The prevention of unacceptable erosion, settlement and mass movement of these soils will enable efficient operation of high speed rail and busy highways that are vital for agriculture and mineral industries.
Funding on the line: public transport financing and property value capture. This project aims to develop property value capture schemes that would provide alternative funding for public transport infrastructure. It plans to model the timing and spatial patterns of property value uplift from recent investments in rail, busways and ferries in Queensland and New South Wales. It then intends to conduct a survey of Australian stakeholders and discrete choice modelling to determine willingness-to-pay. ....Funding on the line: public transport financing and property value capture. This project aims to develop property value capture schemes that would provide alternative funding for public transport infrastructure. It plans to model the timing and spatial patterns of property value uplift from recent investments in rail, busways and ferries in Queensland and New South Wales. It then intends to conduct a survey of Australian stakeholders and discrete choice modelling to determine willingness-to-pay. This data is then expected to be used to develop an institutionally, legally and politically feasible scheme for implementation in Australia, focused on cases including extension to the Gold Coast light rail network.Read moreRead less
Fatigue Strengthening of Metallic Bridges using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer System. A large number of metallic structures such as bridges, offshore platforms and large mining equipment are aging. Retrofitting such structures is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. Using an advanced material, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), to strengthen metallic structures is very promising. This project aims to develop reliable CFRP strengthening systems for aging metallic bridges. I ....Fatigue Strengthening of Metallic Bridges using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer System. A large number of metallic structures such as bridges, offshore platforms and large mining equipment are aging. Retrofitting such structures is becoming increasingly important in the 21st century. Using an advanced material, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), to strengthen metallic structures is very promising. This project aims to develop reliable CFRP strengthening systems for aging metallic bridges. It aims to make a breakthrough in understanding of the fatigue crack propagation in CFRP-metal composite system under combined loading. It intends also to produce practical guidelines for engineers to strengthen aging metallic bridges.Read moreRead less
Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a hu ....Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a human operator to facilitate effective condition assessment. The project's outcomes will lay the foundation for the world-wide use of bio-inspired robots in civil infrastructure condition assessment, significantly increasing worker’ safety and greatly reducing the costs and improving the efficiency of the inspection process.Read moreRead less