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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100138
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,000.00
Summary
National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility. National drop weight impact testing facility:
The national drop weight impact testing facility aims to enable dynamic tests on geo- and construction materials and systems. This facility aims to provide state-of-the-art technology to observe the real-time behaviour of elements and sub-assemblies under combined quasi-static and impact loading. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems ....National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility. National drop weight impact testing facility:
The national drop weight impact testing facility aims to enable dynamic tests on geo- and construction materials and systems. This facility aims to provide state-of-the-art technology to observe the real-time behaviour of elements and sub-assemblies under combined quasi-static and impact loading. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems. The facility may advance understanding of the fundamental behaviour of critical infrastructure exposed to impact loading and will foster innovations in design and construction. Applications may include improvement of the structural safety of infrastructure including railway networks, tunnels and bridges, and also the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly building and construction materials. Read moreRead less
Fire resistance of complex light gauge steel framed wall systems. This project aims to investigate the thermal and structural behaviour of high-strength Light gauge Steel Framed (LSF) wall systems when exposed to fire, and develop a generic model for predicting fire resistance levels of all LSF wall systems. Plasterboard-lined LSF walls are increasingly used as cost-effective load-bearing walls in low and mid-rise buildings worldwide. This has required new wall designs with complex steel stud wa ....Fire resistance of complex light gauge steel framed wall systems. This project aims to investigate the thermal and structural behaviour of high-strength Light gauge Steel Framed (LSF) wall systems when exposed to fire, and develop a generic model for predicting fire resistance levels of all LSF wall systems. Plasterboard-lined LSF walls are increasingly used as cost-effective load-bearing walls in low and mid-rise buildings worldwide. This has required new wall designs with complex steel stud wall configurations, but their fire resistance is not understood. This project will provide validated fire resistance data and fire design methods for a proposed national Fire Design Handbook and steel design codes, enabling more widespread, safer use of these walls. This will benefit the Australian steel industry, the construction industry and the community.
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Seismic performance of precast concrete buildings for lower seismic regions. This project aims to develop a displacement-based method of assessing precast concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity for risk of collapse and seismic performance. The project will investigate the system behaviour and vulnerability of buildings laterally supported by precast concrete geometric walls, which are currently poorly understood but dominate Australian construction. The modelling produced is expected ....Seismic performance of precast concrete buildings for lower seismic regions. This project aims to develop a displacement-based method of assessing precast concrete buildings in regions of lower seismicity for risk of collapse and seismic performance. The project will investigate the system behaviour and vulnerability of buildings laterally supported by precast concrete geometric walls, which are currently poorly understood but dominate Australian construction. The modelling produced is expected to allow such buildings to be simply checked for seismic compliance using displacement principles, rather than the more complex force based methods with direct benefits for building costs and community safety.Read moreRead less
Development of efficient, robust and architecturally-flexible structural systems using innovative blind-bolted connections. The aim of the proposed project is to develop structural systems that have sufficient stiffness, strength, and ductility to withstand code-specified loads and that will be competitive in the marketplace. The development of demonstrable cost-effective structural systems is essential if these types of systems are to be widely adopted in practice, thus allowing Australian manu ....Development of efficient, robust and architecturally-flexible structural systems using innovative blind-bolted connections. The aim of the proposed project is to develop structural systems that have sufficient stiffness, strength, and ductility to withstand code-specified loads and that will be competitive in the marketplace. The development of demonstrable cost-effective structural systems is essential if these types of systems are to be widely adopted in practice, thus allowing Australian manufacturers of blind bolts and steel tubes to achieve a greater market share.Read moreRead less
A bio-inspired lightweight composite system for blast and impact protection. This project aims to develop a lightweight armour system that protects structural elements from extreme loads. Every day around the world, accidental and deliberate loads cost billions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The project’s composite system can concentrate material into areas most needed under impact loads and absorb and mitigate energy under blast. The anticipated outcomes of this project should be direct ....A bio-inspired lightweight composite system for blast and impact protection. This project aims to develop a lightweight armour system that protects structural elements from extreme loads. Every day around the world, accidental and deliberate loads cost billions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The project’s composite system can concentrate material into areas most needed under impact loads and absorb and mitigate energy under blast. The anticipated outcomes of this project should be directly applicable to designing, assessing and strengthening structures, including civilian buildings, defence structures, bridges and offshore and industrial facilities.Read moreRead less
An experimental evaluation of the usefulness of computer-supported argumentation to improve occupational health and safety in construction design. The research investigates the potential for experts' occupational health and safety (OHS) reasoning to be reproduced in a knowledge-based system and used to: (i) augment the OHS decision-making of construction design professionals; and (ii) develop design OHS capability, especially in novices. The results will support the implementation of OHS policy ....An experimental evaluation of the usefulness of computer-supported argumentation to improve occupational health and safety in construction design. The research investigates the potential for experts' occupational health and safety (OHS) reasoning to be reproduced in a knowledge-based system and used to: (i) augment the OHS decision-making of construction design professionals; and (ii) develop design OHS capability, especially in novices. The results will support the implementation of OHS policy in the construction industry.Read moreRead less