Assimilation of architectural and services design in early design modelling. How can buildings in a climate as varied as Australia's balance the best environmental comfort standards for their human occupants, cost and at the same time meet the urgent imperative of reduced energy consumption and associated carbon emissions? This practice-based research will develop tools to support more informed decision making in the earliest stage of an integral approach to services in the design of buildings. ....Assimilation of architectural and services design in early design modelling. How can buildings in a climate as varied as Australia's balance the best environmental comfort standards for their human occupants, cost and at the same time meet the urgent imperative of reduced energy consumption and associated carbon emissions? This practice-based research will develop tools to support more informed decision making in the earliest stage of an integral approach to services in the design of buildings. It will provide knowledge about designing architecture that is more environmentally responsive, can provide comfortable air in more optimised ways, that consume less energy and do this through promoting smarter use of information in practice.Read moreRead less
Innovative concrete panels for resisting severe impulsive loading. Responding to the threat of terrorist attacks around the world, structural engineers are seeking new methods of assessment and prevention of damage to high-risk facilities. This project seeks to develop an innovative technology to enhance the performance of concrete panels subjected to severe impulsive loading through a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study. Different protective technologies using advanced materials in ....Innovative concrete panels for resisting severe impulsive loading. Responding to the threat of terrorist attacks around the world, structural engineers are seeking new methods of assessment and prevention of damage to high-risk facilities. This project seeks to develop an innovative technology to enhance the performance of concrete panels subjected to severe impulsive loading through a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study. Different protective technologies using advanced materials including steel fibres, reactive-powder concrete (RPC), fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) and the use of light-weight cellular concrete (CC) as a sacrificial layer will be studied. The outcomes of this study will be applicable to both new and existing structures.Read moreRead less
A new approach to structural design that incorporates the effect of non-structural components. The construction industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Each year billions of dollars are spent erecting new high rise buildings. Further, Australian engineering firms bid on major construction projects throughout the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The research described here promises to deliver economies to the Australian construction industry as well as e ....A new approach to structural design that incorporates the effect of non-structural components. The construction industry is a significant contributor to the Australian economy. Each year billions of dollars are spent erecting new high rise buildings. Further, Australian engineering firms bid on major construction projects throughout the world, particularly in Asia and the Middle East. The research described here promises to deliver economies to the Australian construction industry as well as equipping local firms involved in structural design to better compete for offshore work .
Community benefits will take the form of reduced construction costs and the capacity for a more complete and up to date knowledge of the structural performance and risk of aging assets, thereby increasing community confidence and safety.Read moreRead less
Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key para ....Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key parameters involved in the improvement of subgrade soil by injecting lime-flyash slurry. This project will develop an improved design procedure for lime-flyash slurry injection in the field based on experimental and numerical modelling.Read moreRead less
Development of economical beam-column connections for robust composite steel-concrete structural frames. The proposed construction systems will offer a competitive and more robust alternative for developers, building owners and occupants. The successful development of the proposed construction systems will lead to an increased market for blind bolts, steel circular hollow sections, steel Universal Beams and metal decking. An added benefit of the proposed systems is an anticipated improvement in ....Development of economical beam-column connections for robust composite steel-concrete structural frames. The proposed construction systems will offer a competitive and more robust alternative for developers, building owners and occupants. The successful development of the proposed construction systems will lead to an increased market for blind bolts, steel circular hollow sections, steel Universal Beams and metal decking. An added benefit of the proposed systems is an anticipated improvement in performance, relative to existing systems, under low probability, high consequence events such as 2500-year return period level earthquakes (in the relevant region) or blast loading. These unique and innovative structural solutions should drive the competitive advantage of Australian engineers in international markets.Read moreRead less
Improvement of the performance of water-sensitive geomaterials using hydrophobic additives. Geo-structures such as road and railway bases suffer from water induced damage because they readily interact with the atmosphere and shallow water tables. Under traffic loading, damage to geo-structures occurs as cracking, rutting and roughness, when the strength and stiffness of the geomaterials are compromised by on-going moisture variations. Substantial cost savings to the community can be made if ef ....Improvement of the performance of water-sensitive geomaterials using hydrophobic additives. Geo-structures such as road and railway bases suffer from water induced damage because they readily interact with the atmosphere and shallow water tables. Under traffic loading, damage to geo-structures occurs as cracking, rutting and roughness, when the strength and stiffness of the geomaterials are compromised by on-going moisture variations. Substantial cost savings to the community can be made if effective methods can be found to minimise such damage. This project proposes to study a novel technique, in which blends of hydrophobic polymer additives are used to increase the stability of geomaterials subjected to varying moisture levels and traffic loading.Read moreRead less
Prediction of Time-dependent Deformations in Post-tensioned Concrete Suspended Slabs in Tall Buildings. The proposed project aims to develop an analytical model that can predict the time-dependent deformations in post-tensioned concrete slabs considering concrete shrinkage and creep, cracking, and bond-slip behaviour. Over the past several years, numerous cases have been reported in Australia and elsewhere, of flexural elements for which the calculated deflection is far less than the actual defl ....Prediction of Time-dependent Deformations in Post-tensioned Concrete Suspended Slabs in Tall Buildings. The proposed project aims to develop an analytical model that can predict the time-dependent deformations in post-tensioned concrete slabs considering concrete shrinkage and creep, cracking, and bond-slip behaviour. Over the past several years, numerous cases have been reported in Australia and elsewhere, of flexural elements for which the calculated deflection is far less than the actual deflection leading to serviceability problems. The significance of this investigation hence lies in its potential to provide a solution to more accurately predict service-life deflections in post-tensioned concrete suspended slabs and validate the model with real-life deflections monitored over time on a current building project.Read moreRead less
A special talent for technological innovation? Analysing the other public function of the Australian Parliament House. Major projects build lessons for the future and draw upon past lessons. Australia's New Parliament House represents a building of enormous scale and complexity, constructed within a tight time period, which provided unprecedented opportunities for Australia's construction industry to examine and transform its own practices. By producing a detailed history of the procurement proc ....A special talent for technological innovation? Analysing the other public function of the Australian Parliament House. Major projects build lessons for the future and draw upon past lessons. Australia's New Parliament House represents a building of enormous scale and complexity, constructed within a tight time period, which provided unprecedented opportunities for Australia's construction industry to examine and transform its own practices. By producing a detailed history of the procurement process of the building and a systematic assessment of its industrial influence over time, this research project will amplify the importance of intellectual investment made through technical innovation in public buildings. The project will also help Australia maximise its creative and technological capacity by understanding and accepting factors conducive to innovation.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
Design in Context: Augmented Reality Technology to Improve the Quality and Performance of Architecture. This project will develop tools and knowledge to assess and improve the environmental performance and visual impact of design proposals prior to construction. The design simulation technology proposed here will allow stakeholders to concurrently test socio-cultural and functional performance over time, will allow more informed decision making and make a significant contribution to the social, ....Design in Context: Augmented Reality Technology to Improve the Quality and Performance of Architecture. This project will develop tools and knowledge to assess and improve the environmental performance and visual impact of design proposals prior to construction. The design simulation technology proposed here will allow stakeholders to concurrently test socio-cultural and functional performance over time, will allow more informed decision making and make a significant contribution to the social, cultural and economic life of Australia. The augmented reality technology to be developed in this project also has significant potential for applications in other domains and industries such as landscape and parks management.Read moreRead less