Pile foundations in unsaturated soils: a mechanistic framework. This project will develop a mechanistic approach to pile foundation design in variably saturated soils through integrated expertise in the fields of unsaturated soil mechanics, material nonlinearity, numerical modelling, limit analysis and experimental investigation. It will achieve a rigorous understanding of pile behaviour in unsaturated
soils subjected to monotonic loading through a comprehensive program of scaled laboratory test ....Pile foundations in unsaturated soils: a mechanistic framework. This project will develop a mechanistic approach to pile foundation design in variably saturated soils through integrated expertise in the fields of unsaturated soil mechanics, material nonlinearity, numerical modelling, limit analysis and experimental investigation. It will achieve a rigorous understanding of pile behaviour in unsaturated
soils subjected to monotonic loading through a comprehensive program of scaled laboratory testing, numerical and theoretical analyses. The models, theories, mechanics and predictive tools arising from this research will have direct and immediate impact on the planning, design, construction and management of many types of infrastructure involving pile foundations in industrial and residential developments.Read moreRead less
Dynamic soil structure interaction. The aim of this project is to undertake a study of an important class of geotechnical problems in which systems composed of soil, structure and pore water are subjected to dynamic or impact loading. The outcomes will include safer and more efficient methods for designing geotechnical structures subjected to dynamic loading.
Multifunctional Structural Panels for Next-generation Infrastructure. This project aims to develop a multifunctional prefabricated structural panel for current and future infrastructure applications for both land and offshore environments. Prefabrication enables enhanced product control as well as the ability to rapidly construct whole structures or their components. The panels utilise an inner lightweight foam and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite core with strong outer panels made from ....Multifunctional Structural Panels for Next-generation Infrastructure. This project aims to develop a multifunctional prefabricated structural panel for current and future infrastructure applications for both land and offshore environments. Prefabrication enables enhanced product control as well as the ability to rapidly construct whole structures or their components. The panels utilise an inner lightweight foam and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite core with strong outer panels made from FRP sheets and high-strength concrete. The expected outcomes include experimental and numerical validation of the system, that will give designers and asset owners the confidence to adopt this new panel. The panel system presents an upward step change in construction technology and built infrastructure performance.Read moreRead less
Collapse assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity. This research aims to develop a new displacement based (DB) method for regions of lower seismicity, using 'Displacement Controlled' phenomenon, to assess the risk of collapse and seismic performance of buildings. The project will investigate the system behaviour of buildings in Australia that are laterally supported by lightly reinforced concrete geometric walls, including both torsional and wall floor interacti ....Collapse assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity. This research aims to develop a new displacement based (DB) method for regions of lower seismicity, using 'Displacement Controlled' phenomenon, to assess the risk of collapse and seismic performance of buildings. The project will investigate the system behaviour of buildings in Australia that are laterally supported by lightly reinforced concrete geometric walls, including both torsional and wall floor interaction effects. The new DB method could allow buildings in regions of lower seismicity to be designed for robustness, gravity and wind loading and then checked using displacement principles for seismic compliance, which will dramatically simplify and improve the current seismic design process.Read moreRead less
Behaviour of ultra-high strength double-skin composite tubular construction. Ultra-high strength (UHS) steel tubes are currently used mainly in the vehicle industry due to their high strength and light weight. This project aims to enable the building of more resilient and sustainable infrastructure by utilising these UHS steel tubes in double-skin composite tubular construction. To date there has been little work to understand the effects of fire, earthquake and impact related incidents on these ....Behaviour of ultra-high strength double-skin composite tubular construction. Ultra-high strength (UHS) steel tubes are currently used mainly in the vehicle industry due to their high strength and light weight. This project aims to enable the building of more resilient and sustainable infrastructure by utilising these UHS steel tubes in double-skin composite tubular construction. To date there has been little work to understand the effects of fire, earthquake and impact related incidents on these structures. This project aims to access unique testing facilities for full size impact and fire testing and the state-of-the-art hybrid testing simulation. It is expected to increase the competitiveness of the Australian manufacturing industry by overcoming the bottleneck in the manufacture of steel sections.Read moreRead less
Composite tubular construction subject to impact and blast loading. This project will advance the knowledge of composite tubular members and connections under impact and blast loading. It will provide confident design methodology against impact and blast loading for buildings designated as prominent targets or items of critical infrastructure, to save lives and reduce losses.
Developing innovative concrete composites by upscaling material properties. This project aims to develop an upscaling process to correlate micro-nano properties of engineering materials to their comprehensive physicochemical properties based on systematic mechanical and statistical analysis approaches and nanoindentation technology. The process will enable assessing material mechanical and viscoelastic properties at a microscale level thus will generate a new knowledge in structural engineering ....Developing innovative concrete composites by upscaling material properties. This project aims to develop an upscaling process to correlate micro-nano properties of engineering materials to their comprehensive physicochemical properties based on systematic mechanical and statistical analysis approaches and nanoindentation technology. The process will enable assessing material mechanical and viscoelastic properties at a microscale level thus will generate a new knowledge in structural engineering discipline including health monitoring, assessment of existing structures, historical buildings, and strengthening and repairing materials in structures. The outcomes are a multiscale link model for upscaling material properties and a development of innovative reinforced concrete composites which are cost-effective and efficient.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of Buildable Structures for 3D Concrete Printing. This project aims to establish a systematic approach to seamlessly integrate optimisation, characterisation, and 3D concrete printing (3DCP) manufacturing for the construction and building industry. New optimisation algorithms will first overcome the manufacturing limitations of 3DCP by considering the print path and early-age concrete properties, and directly create high-performance and innovative designs of buildable structures. Th ....Optimisation of Buildable Structures for 3D Concrete Printing. This project aims to establish a systematic approach to seamlessly integrate optimisation, characterisation, and 3D concrete printing (3DCP) manufacturing for the construction and building industry. New optimisation algorithms will first overcome the manufacturing limitations of 3DCP by considering the print path and early-age concrete properties, and directly create high-performance and innovative designs of buildable structures. The outcomes of this project include a powerful design tool that enables architects and engineers to optimally design and construct the next generation of cost-saving and aesthetically pleasing buildings and infrastructures through the adoption of modern 3DCP technology.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
Buckling of Functionally Graded Multilayer Graphene Nanocomposites. This project aims to contribute to the development of novel lightweight structural members made of graphene nanocomposites with greatly enhanced resistance to abrupt or progressive buckling failure. Abrupt or progressive buckling failure under excessive compressive loads is a common and often catastrophic problem in engineering structures. The project intends to develop a functionally graded multilayer graphene nanocomposite str ....Buckling of Functionally Graded Multilayer Graphene Nanocomposites. This project aims to contribute to the development of novel lightweight structural members made of graphene nanocomposites with greatly enhanced resistance to abrupt or progressive buckling failure. Abrupt or progressive buckling failure under excessive compressive loads is a common and often catastrophic problem in engineering structures. The project intends to develop a functionally graded multilayer graphene nanocomposite structure and to conduct a combined theoretical, numerical and experimental investigation into its buckling and postbuckling behaviours, taking into account the effect of initial imperfection. The project aims to advance the knowledge base of the mechanical behaviour of lightweight nanocomposite structures with improved structural reliability.Read moreRead less