Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354894
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Innovative risk analysis, assessment, rehabilitation and strengthening of aging critical civil infrastructure. Much essential civil engineering infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, dams, pipelines and pavements was commissioned many decades ago, and sustaining the integrity of this infrastructure in developed nations as it ages is now considered to be a major challenge to the engineering and scientific community. Australia is not spared by the ramifications of its aging civil assets, and ....Innovative risk analysis, assessment, rehabilitation and strengthening of aging critical civil infrastructure. Much essential civil engineering infrastructure such as bridges, buildings, dams, pipelines and pavements was commissioned many decades ago, and sustaining the integrity of this infrastructure in developed nations as it ages is now considered to be a major challenge to the engineering and scientific community. Australia is not spared by the ramifications of its aging civil assets, and identification and rectification procedures that are often ad-hoc now represent a sizeable proportion of the GDP. This Research Network draws together the leading Australian research groups in engineering and applied mechanics in a coordinated program to address this most important cost to the community.Read moreRead less
Variational multiscale modelling of granular materials. Granular materials play an important role in a wide-range of problems related to physical infrastructure. These include landslides and similar catastrophic events often leading to loss of life and property. This project will aim to develop new methods for adequate simulation of granular flows to allow formulation of efficient risk mitigation strategies.
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
High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators wi ....High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators will apply their extensive knowledge in thin-walled tubular structures to establish the most economical means of designing high strength bollards. This knowledge will be transferred into design standards and Australia's limited defence resources.Read moreRead less
Durability and debonding resistance of composite based strengthening techniques for deteriorated structures. Australia has many concrete structures exposed to aggressive environments that are deteriorating prior to their intended design life due to durability issues. Externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer composite applications are emerging as a method of structural rehabilitation. This project will provide safe and reliable strengthened structures.
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH200100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy. This project aims to create new knowledge to reduce waste going to landfills and transform reclaimed waste into new materials for use in construction and other manufacturing sectors. It integrates multisector input and multidisciplinary academic research to address ten challenging waste streams. Expected outcomes are smart materials, socio-technical change, accelerated t ....ARC Research Hub for Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy. This project aims to create new knowledge to reduce waste going to landfills and transform reclaimed waste into new materials for use in construction and other manufacturing sectors. It integrates multisector input and multidisciplinary academic research to address ten challenging waste streams. Expected outcomes are smart materials, socio-technical change, accelerated testing methods, predictive modeling, circular life cycle costing and a trusted evidence base. Outcomes will lead to commercial benefits as well as jobs and a significant contribution to addressing the pressing environmental impacts of waste production, management, and re-use.Read moreRead less
Innovative composite systems with enhanced resilience to extreme loads. The rapidly increasing global population (projected to be 9.8 billion by 2050) and global urbanisation have created a demand for the construction industry, thereby increasing the pressure on our planet’s limited resources for the construction industry. This high demand can yield detrimental effects to the environment due to the high carbon footprint of conventional construction materials, and is amplified by the threat of ac ....Innovative composite systems with enhanced resilience to extreme loads. The rapidly increasing global population (projected to be 9.8 billion by 2050) and global urbanisation have created a demand for the construction industry, thereby increasing the pressure on our planet’s limited resources for the construction industry. This high demand can yield detrimental effects to the environment due to the high carbon footprint of conventional construction materials, and is amplified by the threat of accidental or deliberate extreme loadings to buildings, which can trigger fatal progressive collapse events. The proposed project aims to develop an innovative structural system with that possesses superior structural resilience to extreme loads and progressive collapse using lightweight eco-friendly materials. Read moreRead less
Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large ....Finite Strain with large rotations: A new hybrid numerical/experimental approach. Deformation up to large strains and rotations is important in rocks, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Computational mechanics is a standard tool for modelling such deformations. However, in earth sciences, mechanical theories use small-strain formulations or large-strain approaches with classical stress rates. Classical stress rates can lead to incorrect stored energies. This project proposes to test a new large-strain theory tailored to rocks experimentally, and to apply it to a pivotal geological problem: shear zone formation. The project will advance our fundamental understanding of the mechanics and energetics of rock deformation and provide a novel tool for the modelling of large deformations.Read moreRead less
Novel test and design methods for base course reinforced flexible pavements. This project aims to develop the mechanics of geosynthetic-reinforced flexible pavements as an urgent need for the Australian pavement industry to build more sustainable and economical roads. Novel laboratory test apparatus and in-situ test programs, and mathematical models will be developed, for the first time, to capture the responses of reinforced base courses in a complete and optimised way to determine the paramete ....Novel test and design methods for base course reinforced flexible pavements. This project aims to develop the mechanics of geosynthetic-reinforced flexible pavements as an urgent need for the Australian pavement industry to build more sustainable and economical roads. Novel laboratory test apparatus and in-situ test programs, and mathematical models will be developed, for the first time, to capture the responses of reinforced base courses in a complete and optimised way to determine the parameters for pavement design and performance evaluation. The outcomes will enable reliable prediction of reinforced pavement behaviour, leading to better-performing geosynthetic products and more resilient pavements, reduced material usage and damage in pavements, and less environmental impact and maintenance cost.Read moreRead less
Unsaturated Soil Dynamics. The main aim of this ambitious project is to address a highly significant and timely class of problems in civil engineering, and in particular in soil mechanics. The outcomes are expected to result in improvements in the design and construction of civil infrastructure. The problems considered are routinely confronted in daily engineering practice whenever a construction site contains weak soil and the ground requires improvement before construction. This project is exp ....Unsaturated Soil Dynamics. The main aim of this ambitious project is to address a highly significant and timely class of problems in civil engineering, and in particular in soil mechanics. The outcomes are expected to result in improvements in the design and construction of civil infrastructure. The problems considered are routinely confronted in daily engineering practice whenever a construction site contains weak soil and the ground requires improvement before construction. This project is expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of soil behaviour in this class of problems, leading to robust techniques and advanced computational tools for more cost-effective and safer engineering designs.Read moreRead less