Energy dissipation and vibration-assisted self-healing in structures with topological interlocking. High dissipation of impact and vibration energy, vibration-assisted self-healing, high tolerance to block failure and an ease of assembly/disassembly make topological interlocking structures ideal for safety barriers, protective shields and floating structures. The theory of these phenomena will open a way for more efficient protection of infrastructure against both natural and human perpetrated i ....Energy dissipation and vibration-assisted self-healing in structures with topological interlocking. High dissipation of impact and vibration energy, vibration-assisted self-healing, high tolerance to block failure and an ease of assembly/disassembly make topological interlocking structures ideal for safety barriers, protective shields and floating structures. The theory of these phenomena will open a way for more efficient protection of infrastructure against both natural and human perpetrated impacts and for developing new methodology in constructing mobile marine bases. This constitutes the main benefit of the project. Furthermore, understanding the resonance structure of travelling waves will improve methods of non-destructive monitoring by back analysing spectral signatures of the waves.Read moreRead less
BEACH FORMATION OF NON-SEGREGATING TAILINGS. Thickened tailings from mining operations discharged onto flat ground build into a low conical hill, forming a straight beach slope. This method of stacked tailings disposal is currently employed at nine Australian mine-sites. It is cost effective and environmentally friendly. Discharged thickened pastes can develop steeper slopes, thus requiring less area for the tailings stack. However, a tailing discharge system design must be based on an accurate ....BEACH FORMATION OF NON-SEGREGATING TAILINGS. Thickened tailings from mining operations discharged onto flat ground build into a low conical hill, forming a straight beach slope. This method of stacked tailings disposal is currently employed at nine Australian mine-sites. It is cost effective and environmentally friendly. Discharged thickened pastes can develop steeper slopes, thus requiring less area for the tailings stack. However, a tailing discharge system design must be based on an accurate prediction of the beach slope. The aim is to produce a method of predicting the beach slope angle from laboratory experiments involving particle mechanics, rheology, and process parameters like flowrate and concentration.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101347
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Characterising the hazard, structure and impacts of convective wind storms. This project aims to characterise probabilistically the severe convective wind storm risk (thunderstorm and tornado) to Australia under current and future climates. This will be achieved using a new coupled analysis-simulation based approach to wind hazard analysis. It will also characterise the complex wind structure within these wind storms by integrating three-dimensional data from novel high-resolution observation ne ....Characterising the hazard, structure and impacts of convective wind storms. This project aims to characterise probabilistically the severe convective wind storm risk (thunderstorm and tornado) to Australia under current and future climates. This will be achieved using a new coupled analysis-simulation based approach to wind hazard analysis. It will also characterise the complex wind structure within these wind storms by integrating three-dimensional data from novel high-resolution observation networks into a unifying wind field model. The project aims to generate the requisite information that allows convective wind storms to be explicitly accounted for in national and international wind-resistant design standards, thus acting to mitigate the devastating impacts of future events.Read moreRead less
Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemica ....Wireless microvalve for biomedical applications. This program will investigate and perform an in-laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration of a polymer microvalve that can operate by a remote control radio signal. This will be a wireless microvalve that does not require a battery power source. This advance in the technology and scientific knowledge will have important applications for humankind ranging from drug delivery devices to through to valves in chips that can perform microfluidic chemical analysis. A far reaching long-range vision is its use in electronically reversible male fertility control. The community benefit in terms of novel biomedical devices and the resulting large international commercial market is significant.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101098
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$315,000.00
Summary
Novel modelling of fluid-structure interactions in biological flows. The objective of this project is to develop a novel method to model fluid-structure interactions and turbulence in cardiovascular systems. The cardiovascular system is essential in providing nutrient and waste transport throughout the body. Because blood vessels and red blood cells are flexible, they are subjected to large deformations with significant effects on physiological functions such as blood distribution and oxygen rel ....Novel modelling of fluid-structure interactions in biological flows. The objective of this project is to develop a novel method to model fluid-structure interactions and turbulence in cardiovascular systems. The cardiovascular system is essential in providing nutrient and waste transport throughout the body. Because blood vessels and red blood cells are flexible, they are subjected to large deformations with significant effects on physiological functions such as blood distribution and oxygen release. Fluid-structure interactions are critical for understanding the intricacies of such systems but it is still a challenge to model these systems realistically using numerical methods. Expected outcomes of the project include better simulations of three-dimensional fluid-structure interactions and improved understanding of the behaviours of biological systems.Read moreRead less
Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this inv ....Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this investigation will allow considerable improvement in estimating green house gas emissions as a consequence of spontaneous combustion.Read moreRead less
Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in ....Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in the direction opposite to the flow of air, which defines the initial fire growth and is important in fire propagation. Results from this project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of approval standards for new materials, which are needed to support Australia's transition from prescriptive to performance based building codes.Read moreRead less
Negative Poisson's ratio and negative stiffness: rational approach to hybrid materials with internally engineered architecture. The project falls within Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. This generic work involves cutting-edge multidisciplinary research leading to better understanding of the fundamental principles governing the behaviour of hybrid materials. The proposed framework of internally engineered architecture will enrich the ....Negative Poisson's ratio and negative stiffness: rational approach to hybrid materials with internally engineered architecture. The project falls within Research Priority 3: Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. This generic work involves cutting-edge multidisciplinary research leading to better understanding of the fundamental principles governing the behaviour of hybrid materials. The proposed framework of internally engineered architecture will enrich the existing set of available methods of designing new materials, extend the knowledge base of the discipline and maintain Australia's leading position in the field. Australian Industry will benefit directly from unique engineering properties and functionalities that hybrids provide. This contributes to Priority Goals: Breakthrough Science and Advanced Materials.Read moreRead less
Non-destructive process for treatment of fluorinated greenhouse gases. This research pursues the development of an energy-efficient, non-destructive process for transforming fluorine-containing greenhouse gases (GHGs) into valuable and environmentally benign products. The process will benefit Australia, by reducing emission of GHGs and offers a new technology for treatment of the growing stockpiles of synthetic GHGs.
Beyond the diffraction limit: sub-diffraction T-ray biochip sensing using planar metamaterials. T-rays are able to detect small changes in molecular structure and different isomeric and intermolecular configurations. With a comparatively long wavelength (0.3 mm at 1 THz), diffraction limits its use for imaging small biosamples. A method for achieving sub-diffraction sensing, required for biochips, is to adopt near-field techniques. However, due to the small biosample masses, there is a critical ....Beyond the diffraction limit: sub-diffraction T-ray biochip sensing using planar metamaterials. T-rays are able to detect small changes in molecular structure and different isomeric and intermolecular configurations. With a comparatively long wavelength (0.3 mm at 1 THz), diffraction limits its use for imaging small biosamples. A method for achieving sub-diffraction sensing, required for biochips, is to adopt near-field techniques. However, due to the small biosample masses, there is a critical need to enhance the response. This project will investigate a planar metamaterial thin-film T-ray sensor, for a new leap in non-invasive biochip sensing. This outcome will build downstream IP for rapid screening of DNA and proteins for healthcare. The project will also elucidate the science of T-ray interaction with biomaterials at small scales.Read moreRead less