Cost Effective Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Paired Pressure Sensor Arrays. Water distribution networks represent society's most important infrastructure asset. They are buried pipes and are often old and deteriorating. Cost-effective methods to assess their physical condition are urgently needed. This research will develop a novel and advanced approach to determine the interior condition of pipes quickly and effectively using small water hammer pulses or waves. Paired pressure sensor arra ....Cost Effective Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Paired Pressure Sensor Arrays. Water distribution networks represent society's most important infrastructure asset. They are buried pipes and are often old and deteriorating. Cost-effective methods to assess their physical condition are urgently needed. This research will develop a novel and advanced approach to determine the interior condition of pipes quickly and effectively using small water hammer pulses or waves. Paired pressure sensor arrays will be used to measure reflections of the waves in pipes and these methods will enable finer resolution and identification of pipeline faults, such as wall thickness loss and leakage while at the same time allowing operational continuity. The outcome will be powerful tools to more cost effectively manage these crucial assets.Read moreRead less
Plasma-soft tissue interactions: advancing a new era of plasma technologies. This project aims to develop the prerequisite knowledge to underpin new plasma technologies. Specifically, the project plans to provide new insight into the interaction between ionised gas plasma jets and biological soft tissue. It plans to use advanced analytical techniques and modelling simulations to investigate the physics of the plasma jet and processes occurring at the jet–tissue interface. It also plans to use (b ....Plasma-soft tissue interactions: advancing a new era of plasma technologies. This project aims to develop the prerequisite knowledge to underpin new plasma technologies. Specifically, the project plans to provide new insight into the interaction between ionised gas plasma jets and biological soft tissue. It plans to use advanced analytical techniques and modelling simulations to investigate the physics of the plasma jet and processes occurring at the jet–tissue interface. It also plans to use (bio)engineered tissue targets, chemical, biological and cellular assays to probe the transport and effects of plasma reactive species deep within tissue. This new knowledge would enable the development of new plasma sources and protocols for applications in health, medicine, biotechnology and manufacturing.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100020
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$200,000.00
Summary
High bandwidth, high speed, terahertz optical sampling and analysis system. This project aims to promote scientific and technological research by providing access to a wide bandwidth, high speed, high resolution advanced terahertz spectrometer. Terahertz frequencies are the least-explored region of the electromagnetic spectrum and investment here is likely to yield scientific and technological reward. Expected outcomes are new commercial devices and products operating in the terahertz regime. Th ....High bandwidth, high speed, terahertz optical sampling and analysis system. This project aims to promote scientific and technological research by providing access to a wide bandwidth, high speed, high resolution advanced terahertz spectrometer. Terahertz frequencies are the least-explored region of the electromagnetic spectrum and investment here is likely to yield scientific and technological reward. Expected outcomes are new commercial devices and products operating in the terahertz regime. The project’s expected effects include new commercial terahertz products; better monitoring of explosives and toxins; research training and job creation; reduced risk in decision making, especially when monitoring water; and cultural benefits, through applying terahertz methods to artworks.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100121
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$720,000.00
Summary
Equipment for International Collaboration in Gravitational Wave Detection. Equipment for international collaboration in gravitational wave detection: This project will allow the Australian Consortium for Gravitational Astronomy to install optical equipment at its dedicated research facility, and to install data analysis pipelines on new iVEC Pawsey Centre GPU-enabled supercomputers. The equipment is required for research aimed at stabilising instabilities in the new international gravitational w ....Equipment for International Collaboration in Gravitational Wave Detection. Equipment for international collaboration in gravitational wave detection: This project will allow the Australian Consortium for Gravitational Astronomy to install optical equipment at its dedicated research facility, and to install data analysis pipelines on new iVEC Pawsey Centre GPU-enabled supercomputers. The equipment is required for research aimed at stabilising instabilities in the new international gravitational wave detectors currently being commissioned in the USA and Europe. Real time data from the new detectors will be analysed using innovative new techniques. Scientists across Australia will be able to rapidly localise potential gravitational wave sources to direct robotic telescope observations. This could enable the first detection of gravitational waves.Read moreRead less
Instrumentation for the era of gravitational wave science. This project aims to study noise sources that limit the low-frequency performance of gravitational wave antenna: thermal noise, quantum radiation pressure noise and Newtonian noise. Gravitational wave detection is a new way in which to observe our universe. Although detectors such as advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) should detect gravitational waves, further sensitivity improvement, particularly at low ....Instrumentation for the era of gravitational wave science. This project aims to study noise sources that limit the low-frequency performance of gravitational wave antenna: thermal noise, quantum radiation pressure noise and Newtonian noise. Gravitational wave detection is a new way in which to observe our universe. Although detectors such as advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) should detect gravitational waves, further sensitivity improvement, particularly at low frequencies, will be needed to provide event rates necessary for astronomy. Expected project outcomes will support the development of the first free mass interferometer to operate at 120K using silicon optics, a vital facility for the world community. Pushing the boundaries of measurement may also drive innovation in optical sensing with potential applications in defence, security and exploration.Read moreRead less
Stress Evaluation with Non-Linear Guided Waves. This project plans to investigate a novel approach for in situ measurement of stress in structures based on an internal resonance phenomenon for nonlinear guided waves. Monitoring the stress level of critical structural components is important to ensure structural safety. The project plans to derive the requirements for this internal resonance and its dependence on stress analytically and verify them experimentally for both simple waveguides and mo ....Stress Evaluation with Non-Linear Guided Waves. This project plans to investigate a novel approach for in situ measurement of stress in structures based on an internal resonance phenomenon for nonlinear guided waves. Monitoring the stress level of critical structural components is important to ensure structural safety. The project plans to derive the requirements for this internal resonance and its dependence on stress analytically and verify them experimentally for both simple waveguides and more realistic structures. The expected outcome is the demonstration of the feasibility of a new inexpensive method for continuous monitoring of applied or thermally-induced stresses, which is of great importance in several engineering contexts, such as modern railway track rails, pipelines or pre-stressed strands in concrete structures.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100133
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS). Recent terrorist attacks employing large quantities of high explosives have prompted the international demand for experimental investigation of civil infrastructure response to shock wave loadings. The National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS) is one of only a few in the world that are suitable for conducting experimental research via a physically generated blast approach.
Vapour phase detection of chemical warfare agents. This project aims to create luminescent plastic optoelectronic materials that can detect airborne chemical warfare agents, particularly nerve agents. Such agents are often odourless and invisible at lethal concentrations, so technology must detect and identify them before exposure. The intended outcomes are design rules for sensitive and selective materials that can be used in a handheld infield detector to sense chemical warfare agents based on ....Vapour phase detection of chemical warfare agents. This project aims to create luminescent plastic optoelectronic materials that can detect airborne chemical warfare agents, particularly nerve agents. Such agents are often odourless and invisible at lethal concentrations, so technology must detect and identify them before exposure. The intended outcomes are design rules for sensitive and selective materials that can be used in a handheld infield detector to sense chemical warfare agents based on the materials’ photophysical properties, and new analytical methods and sensing protocols. This research will be of interest to security agencies in Australia and internationally, and will better protect our military.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100032
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$990,000.00
Summary
Australian partnership in advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) - continuation. Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Obervatory (LIGO) will be the first gravitational wave observatory capable of frequent observation of known sources of gravitational waves leading to the birth of gravitational wave astronomy. By playing a key role in this facility, Australia will reap the scientific rewards of being part of the most exciting frontier of physics in the 2 ....Australian partnership in advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) - continuation. Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Obervatory (LIGO) will be the first gravitational wave observatory capable of frequent observation of known sources of gravitational waves leading to the birth of gravitational wave astronomy. By playing a key role in this facility, Australia will reap the scientific rewards of being part of the most exciting frontier of physics in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100217
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$850,000.00
Summary
Australian Partnership in Advanced LIGO+. This project aims to improve the sensitivity of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (aLIGO). aLIGO’s detection of gravitational waves proved general relativity in the strong field limit and the existence of black hole binary systems. The increased sensitivity will enable daily detections and new classes of events, opening the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Since telescopes can detect only 5% of the stuff in the univer ....Australian Partnership in Advanced LIGO+. This project aims to improve the sensitivity of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory (aLIGO). aLIGO’s detection of gravitational waves proved general relativity in the strong field limit and the existence of black hole binary systems. The increased sensitivity will enable daily detections and new classes of events, opening the field of gravitational wave astronomy. Since telescopes can detect only 5% of the stuff in the universe, this is expected to greatly improve understanding of the universe. This Australian partnership will put its physicists and astronomers at the vanguard of this field and inspire the next generation to study the physical sciences.Read moreRead less