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
The effect of tunelling on existing rock bolts. As more underground facilities such as rail, road, sewerage and service tunnels are constructed in our major cities, more and more frequently new tunnels have to cross over or run alongside existing tunnels. As the roofs of tunnels are generally supported by rock bolts and lined with shotcrete, the support system can be damaged by the rock movements caused by the excavation of the new tunnel. Little research has been carried out on this problem, an ....The effect of tunelling on existing rock bolts. As more underground facilities such as rail, road, sewerage and service tunnels are constructed in our major cities, more and more frequently new tunnels have to cross over or run alongside existing tunnels. As the roofs of tunnels are generally supported by rock bolts and lined with shotcrete, the support system can be damaged by the rock movements caused by the excavation of the new tunnel. Little research has been carried out on this problem, and so often expensive deviations have to be made to tunnels to avoid going near existing ones. The proposed research will provide numerical tools to allow prediction of loads induced into rock bolts by nearby tunnels, leading to more economical and safer tunnel design.
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Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can conside ....Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can considerably benefit from the findings of this project including safer structures, significant reduction in the future maintenance costs and enhancing the performance of bridges, buildings, roads, railways and dams with less cracks and differential settlement.Read moreRead less
Time-dependent dynamic, creep and shrinkage response of curved structural members. This project concerns curved structural members, such as bridge beams, that are subjected to dynamic excitation and to concrete shrinkage and creep. Hitherto, unified formulations for the structural behaviour of these members have not been properly developed. The proposal seeks to build on a previous ARC DP of the investigator that produces significant results for static loading, by developing a sophisticated meth ....Time-dependent dynamic, creep and shrinkage response of curved structural members. This project concerns curved structural members, such as bridge beams, that are subjected to dynamic excitation and to concrete shrinkage and creep. Hitherto, unified formulations for the structural behaviour of these members have not been properly developed. The proposal seeks to build on a previous ARC DP of the investigator that produces significant results for static loading, by developing a sophisticated methodology to handle non-static dynamic loading and for shrinkage and creep. It will develop advanced mathematical tools to enable the safe and efficient design of a multiplicity of structures that is of benefit to on and offshore Australian technology.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques. The proposed research will provide our local construction and mining industries with a much needed fast and low cost technology for geotechnical investigation of very large sites which is currently not available. The project will help steer Australia to the forefront of ambient noise research for geotechnical site investigation, in the characterisation of unsaturated compacted soil and in the determinati ....Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques. The proposed research will provide our local construction and mining industries with a much needed fast and low cost technology for geotechnical investigation of very large sites which is currently not available. The project will help steer Australia to the forefront of ambient noise research for geotechnical site investigation, in the characterisation of unsaturated compacted soil and in the determination of dynamic site characteristics which are required for seismic risk assessment. Two postgraduate students will benefit from this research by receiving research training at the highest level and it will also pave the way for exporting the technology developed overseas, particularly to our near neighbours in Asia and the Pacific. Read moreRead less
Behaviour of Tunnels in Sedimentary Rocks of the Sydney Basin. The aim of this project is to gain understanding of ground behaviour around tunnels in the Sydney region, how the ground interacts with fibre reinforced shotcrete tunnel linings, and how changes in material performance affect risk to users and the reliability of the tunnel structures. These aims will be met by a combination of field and laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling. The outcome will be a rational and reliable de ....Behaviour of Tunnels in Sedimentary Rocks of the Sydney Basin. The aim of this project is to gain understanding of ground behaviour around tunnels in the Sydney region, how the ground interacts with fibre reinforced shotcrete tunnel linings, and how changes in material performance affect risk to users and the reliability of the tunnel structures. These aims will be met by a combination of field and laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling. The outcome will be a rational and reliable design method for shotcrete lined tunnels in the Sydney basin.Read moreRead less
Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result wil ....Fuzzy finite element analysis of smart structures using concepts of optimization. The major aim of this research is to develop an innovative approach using fuzzy finite element method for the analysis and design of smart control systems for civil engineering structures subjected to vibrations due to earthquakes. The significance of this project is the proposal to combine, for the first time, techniques such as finite element, fuzzy logic and optimization in a unified manner. The final result will produce an efficient design tool for a structural system integrated with smart sensors/actuators for vibration control.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0228900
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,000.00
Summary
Testing facility for heavily loaded bridge and barrier systems. Government and industry are increasing truck masses from current single articulated 42.5 tonne trucks to 160 tonne multi-bogie trucks. This will provide Australia with over $1 billion of potential benefits and an efficient and competitive transport industry. To capture these benefits and further progress Australia's economy, considerable collaborative research on a number of fronts must be carried out investigating how bridges and b ....Testing facility for heavily loaded bridge and barrier systems. Government and industry are increasing truck masses from current single articulated 42.5 tonne trucks to 160 tonne multi-bogie trucks. This will provide Australia with over $1 billion of potential benefits and an efficient and competitive transport industry. To capture these benefits and further progress Australia's economy, considerable collaborative research on a number of fronts must be carried out investigating how bridges and barriers can perform safely when subjected to very heavy traffic and impact loads under laboratory and typical service conditions. This application seeks funds for establishing a unique hi-tech testing facility in Australia vital for advancing such infrastructure technology.Read moreRead less
High-strength formwork systems. The project will lead to new formwork systems which are safer, stronger and quicker to erect. The systems will rely on scientific investigations to minimise the risk of structural collapse and associated cost to community. The systems are innovative and combine advanced technology to produce a superior product with strong export potential and capacity to raise the level of efficiency in the national market. The project will also develop advanced analysis and desig ....High-strength formwork systems. The project will lead to new formwork systems which are safer, stronger and quicker to erect. The systems will rely on scientific investigations to minimise the risk of structural collapse and associated cost to community. The systems are innovative and combine advanced technology to produce a superior product with strong export potential and capacity to raise the level of efficiency in the national market. The project will also develop advanced analysis and design methods for formwork systems which can be applied more generally to advance Australian engineers' position as world leaders in innovative structural design.Read moreRead less
Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state ....Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state of the art models to be used as agents providing a dynamic risk evaluation and necessary information for actions to infrastructure owners and emergency responders as a threat develops. Both the developed scripted agent and the risk assessment technologies can be applied to other technologies and complex risks, such as waste disposal and biotechnology.Read moreRead less