Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,937,625.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure. The ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure aims to transform Australia’s rail construction and maintenance technologies through specialist training of industry-focused researchers. Generation of new knowledge and close collaboration with companies within the rail supply chain will result in enhanced rail capacity and supply chain efficiency across the rail network. This will include in ....ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure. The ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure aims to transform Australia’s rail construction and maintenance technologies through specialist training of industry-focused researchers. Generation of new knowledge and close collaboration with companies within the rail supply chain will result in enhanced rail capacity and supply chain efficiency across the rail network. This will include increased axle loads and higher speeds, greater safety margins, reduced construction and maintenance costs, and a body of competent railway professionals in the nation’s work force.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100646
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Active rheology control of fresh concrete using responsive additives. This project aims to investigate innovative techniques for Active Rheology Control (ARC) of concretes using responsive additives interacting with externally applied electromagnetic or temperature signals. ARC is a new concept which will revolutionise concrete pumping by overcoming limitations such as frequent pipe blockages. ARC will also be useful to solve the major barrier faced by 3D concrete printing (3DCP) from becoming a ....Active rheology control of fresh concrete using responsive additives. This project aims to investigate innovative techniques for Active Rheology Control (ARC) of concretes using responsive additives interacting with externally applied electromagnetic or temperature signals. ARC is a new concept which will revolutionise concrete pumping by overcoming limitations such as frequent pipe blockages. ARC will also be useful to solve the major barrier faced by 3D concrete printing (3DCP) from becoming a practical way of construction. 3DCP is an emerging idea for construction but a major barrier is that concrete needs to flow during pumping and extrusion but become stiff soon after placement. This project will explore ARC for achieving the “flow-on-demand” desired by both concrete pumping and 3DCP applications.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354805
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Research Network for Rehabilitation of Structures Using Advanced Materials and Frontier Technologies. There is an urgent need to rehabilitate existing structures that are considered inadequate in strength and serviceability. Frontier strengthening technologies (such as external post-tensioning and plate bonding) using conventional and advanced materials are being currently developed in Australia by different groups, but as yet not in a coordinated manner. The aim of this network is to bring tog ....Research Network for Rehabilitation of Structures Using Advanced Materials and Frontier Technologies. There is an urgent need to rehabilitate existing structures that are considered inadequate in strength and serviceability. Frontier strengthening technologies (such as external post-tensioning and plate bonding) using conventional and advanced materials are being currently developed in Australia by different groups, but as yet not in a coordinated manner. The aim of this network is to bring together a multi-disciplinary team with complementary strengths to provide an integrated solution for rehabilitation of structures. The core of the network focuses on design tools, linking the various technologies to provide appropriate rehabilitation and understanding of life cycle demands for major infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100657
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Improving mental health and safety in the construction industry. This project aims to quantify the interdependencies of the psychosocial risk factors the construction workforce is exposed to and contribute to developing strategies for improving the mental health and safety of the Australian construction industry. The suicide rate of Australian construction workers is 84 per cent higher than non-construction workers due to the high psychosocial risks involved. The quantification of these psychoso ....Improving mental health and safety in the construction industry. This project aims to quantify the interdependencies of the psychosocial risk factors the construction workforce is exposed to and contribute to developing strategies for improving the mental health and safety of the Australian construction industry. The suicide rate of Australian construction workers is 84 per cent higher than non-construction workers due to the high psychosocial risks involved. The quantification of these psychosocial risk factors and their interdependencies will enable effective strategies to be designed. The long-term impacts of this project include improving the mental health of the construction workforce, reducing suicide rates and mental health work compensation, enhancing employee productivity, and reducing accidents and injuries. This project will make Australia a global leader in mental health and safety of the construction industry.Read moreRead less
Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce ....Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce the financial burden placed on taxpayers for cost overruns experienced as well as improve the profitability of organisations. This will lead to greater investment, and contribution to gross domestic product.Read moreRead less
Failure Mechanisms of Roof Cladding under Fluctuating Wind Loads. Wind damage to low-rise buildings cause disruption to communities and result in economic losses. Improvements to the most vulnerable part (i.e. roof) will therefore have national benefits and associated economic benefits. Currently, roofing systems used in cyclonic areas are evaluated to DABM in the Northern Territory and to TR440 elsewhere, requiring the same product be tested under two different (and unsatisfactory) specificat ....Failure Mechanisms of Roof Cladding under Fluctuating Wind Loads. Wind damage to low-rise buildings cause disruption to communities and result in economic losses. Improvements to the most vulnerable part (i.e. roof) will therefore have national benefits and associated economic benefits. Currently, roofing systems used in cyclonic areas are evaluated to DABM in the Northern Territory and to TR440 elsewhere, requiring the same product be tested under two different (and unsatisfactory) specifications. This is due to the limited understanding of wind-induced fatigue of cladding. This project will provide the framework for understanding and minimizing cladding fatigue. A realistic single test will also reduce cost and result in better design systems.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100052
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$870,000.00
Summary
Hybrid testing facility for structures under extreme loads. This unique testing facility will provide a regional and national focus for large three dimensional static and dynamic testing of components, systems and infrastructure used in civil engineering, mining and railways as well as in the aerospace and automotive industries.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$800,000.00
Summary
National Rock, Concrete and Advanced Composite Testing Capability. National rock, concrete and advanced composite testing capability:
The aim of the project is to develop a national hybrid biaxial/true triaxial load testing facility to serve the needs of geotechnical, structural, mining and materials researchers and engineers for sophisticated testing. It would address the need for leading edge testing and analysis of the deformation and strength of rock, concrete, and thin plates comprising me ....National Rock, Concrete and Advanced Composite Testing Capability. National rock, concrete and advanced composite testing capability:
The aim of the project is to develop a national hybrid biaxial/true triaxial load testing facility to serve the needs of geotechnical, structural, mining and materials researchers and engineers for sophisticated testing. It would address the need for leading edge testing and analysis of the deformation and strength of rock, concrete, and thin plates comprising metals, composites and polymers, under a wide range of loading conditions. The facility would accommodate cubic specimens up to 300 millimetres and be able to apply 10 megapascals of stress in up to three orthogonal directions. State-of-the-art monitoring equipment is designed to assess the degree of damage caused by testing, simulating damage induced by blasting, cutting, static loading and/or impact.Read moreRead less
Life Cycle Measures of Cost Effectiveness for 4 D CAD in Design and Construct Projects across Industry Sectors. The effective and efficient delivery of complex construction projects will be transformed by the increased application of virtual design and construction technologies, including 4D CAD. By combining a 3D computer model of a design with the time dimension of the construction schedule, 4D CAD enables risks and opportunities to be better managed during the design phase and hence avoid co ....Life Cycle Measures of Cost Effectiveness for 4 D CAD in Design and Construct Projects across Industry Sectors. The effective and efficient delivery of complex construction projects will be transformed by the increased application of virtual design and construction technologies, including 4D CAD. By combining a 3D computer model of a design with the time dimension of the construction schedule, 4D CAD enables risks and opportunities to be better managed during the design phase and hence avoid costly issues during construction. However this requires addition design costs which currently represent a barrier to the uptake of this transforming technology. This project will overcome this by developing a flexible framework that allows the benefits gained across the life cycle of a project through using 4D CAD to be set against the additional costs and thus make this emerging technology more attractive to industry. Significantly this research will be based on comparative cases studies across different industry sectors including civil, building, and process engineering.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100168
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional concrete printing facility. This project aims to develop concrete types of construction materials and structural forms. Three-dimensional concrete printing is a process for construction automation, and adapting recent advances in Additive Manufacturing technologies makes rapid progress possible. However, unsuitable concrete and structural designs and a lack of underpinning material and structural research hamper development. The project will test material properties, fabricatio ....Three-dimensional concrete printing facility. This project aims to develop concrete types of construction materials and structural forms. Three-dimensional concrete printing is a process for construction automation, and adapting recent advances in Additive Manufacturing technologies makes rapid progress possible. However, unsuitable concrete and structural designs and a lack of underpinning material and structural research hamper development. The project will test material properties, fabrication technologies and structural design concepts; and build and test freeform concrete structures. Achieving construction automation is expected to reduce injury rates by eliminating dangerous jobs, create high-end technology-based jobs, and make concrete construction cheaper by eliminating formwork.Read moreRead less