Discrete particle modelling and analysis of complex particle-fluid flows. Multiphase processes are widely used in both conventional and modern industries in Australia and worldwide, however rarely reach more than 60% of design capacity because of a poor understanding of their fundamental characteristics. This project aims to overcome this problem using an extensive combined fundamental and applied approach. The resulting theories, computer models and simulation techniques will be applied to imp ....Discrete particle modelling and analysis of complex particle-fluid flows. Multiphase processes are widely used in both conventional and modern industries in Australia and worldwide, however rarely reach more than 60% of design capacity because of a poor understanding of their fundamental characteristics. This project aims to overcome this problem using an extensive combined fundamental and applied approach. The resulting theories, computer models and simulation techniques will be applied to improve process design, control and optimisation. Consequentially, productivity and Australian competitiveness will be significantly enhanced in its most important industries such as minerals, metallurgical, chemical, energy, and materials.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to Advanced Steels via Cluster and Precipitate Strengthening. Formation of interphase nanoparticles and clusters is a new approach to increase strength in advanced high strength steels. Exceptionally high strength levels can be achieved in alloys that only have solute clusters by controlling the temperature-time history. However, the exact mechanism for the formation of clusters and precipitates and the cluster strengthening mechanism are not understood, nor do we know how to cont ....A New Approach to Advanced Steels via Cluster and Precipitate Strengthening. Formation of interphase nanoparticles and clusters is a new approach to increase strength in advanced high strength steels. Exceptionally high strength levels can be achieved in alloys that only have solute clusters by controlling the temperature-time history. However, the exact mechanism for the formation of clusters and precipitates and the cluster strengthening mechanism are not understood, nor do we know how to control cluster formation. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the formation of clusters and nanoprecipitates and determine their contribution to strengthening and other mechanical properties using advanced characterisation techniques such as atom probe tomography and electron microscopy.Read moreRead less
Advanced high strength steels produced by energy efficient direct strip casting. Over one billion tonnes of steel is produced every year and one method of reducing the environmental footprint of this production is through strip casting. This process reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by an astounding 90 per cent. This proposal aims to expand the application of this technology to new steel grades.
Unravelling the nature of secular global climatic change on the Precambrian Earth. Ancient sedimentary rocks record evidence of major climate change and variations in the composition of the atmosphere. By applying novel isotopic and geochemical techniques, this project aims to document when and how the Earths atmosphere and climate changed prior to the evolution of complex lifeforms. Curiously, such dramatic climate changes have controlled both the rate of evoutionary process and the formation o ....Unravelling the nature of secular global climatic change on the Precambrian Earth. Ancient sedimentary rocks record evidence of major climate change and variations in the composition of the atmosphere. By applying novel isotopic and geochemical techniques, this project aims to document when and how the Earths atmosphere and climate changed prior to the evolution of complex lifeforms. Curiously, such dramatic climate changes have controlled both the rate of evoutionary process and the formation of world class mineral deposits.Read moreRead less
Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to mak ....Tectonic Reconstruction of the Evolution of the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic Chain. This project will construct a computationally explicit model of movements in the solid Earth for the past 150 million years, to study the Earth as a complex system during the collision that produced the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is the youngest collisional mountain belt on Earth, and at times it stretched from Spain to New Zealand. Earth Scientists want to understand the processes that took place to make it, in particular the role of ribbon continents. As a result of this work ordinary Australians will be able to better perceive their interactions with their nearest neighbours.Read moreRead less
Cluster hardening of metastable steel alloys produced by thin strip casting. The goal of this project is to generate sufficient knowledge to apply strip casting to a wider range of steel grades and reduce the global energy cost of steel sheet production. Over 1 billion tonnes of steel is produced every year. Direct strip casting is an emerging green technology that reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by up to 90 per cent. This study plans to use advanced a ....Cluster hardening of metastable steel alloys produced by thin strip casting. The goal of this project is to generate sufficient knowledge to apply strip casting to a wider range of steel grades and reduce the global energy cost of steel sheet production. Over 1 billion tonnes of steel is produced every year. Direct strip casting is an emerging green technology that reduces the energy required to process liquid steel into thin sheet product by up to 90 per cent. This study plans to use advanced atomic-scale characterisation techniques such as atom probe tomography and high-resolution electron microscopy to understand the non-equilibrium microstructures that develop as a result of the extremely rapid cooling rates experienced during strip casting.Read moreRead less
Developing Intelligent Systems for Manufacturing Control. The primary aim of this project is to develop control systems that interactively learn from the environment to increase the capabilities and performance of manufacturing processes. To achieve this we propose to develop manufacturing control systems that can automatically adapt to the changes in the process under control. Since these systems are expected to operate with limited or no human intervention, they need to be intelligent enough t ....Developing Intelligent Systems for Manufacturing Control. The primary aim of this project is to develop control systems that interactively learn from the environment to increase the capabilities and performance of manufacturing processes. To achieve this we propose to develop manufacturing control systems that can automatically adapt to the changes in the process under control. Since these systems are expected to operate with limited or no human intervention, they need to be intelligent enough to be able to learn from a changing environment and adapt correspondingly in order to achieve and maintain performance objectives.
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The development of optimum microstructures in hot worked metals. Hot working is used to obtain the shape and properties of a wide range of metal products. At present our knowledge of how to control the forming process and properties of the final product is limited to laboratory conditions that do not apply in industry. This work will systematically study the deformation behaviour of a range of metals, including steel, titanium, aluminium, magnesium and copper from standard laboratory to real i ....The development of optimum microstructures in hot worked metals. Hot working is used to obtain the shape and properties of a wide range of metal products. At present our knowledge of how to control the forming process and properties of the final product is limited to laboratory conditions that do not apply in industry. This work will systematically study the deformation behaviour of a range of metals, including steel, titanium, aluminium, magnesium and copper from standard laboratory to real industrial conditions. We will develop advanced models to predict the properties of these metals for any hot working process and identify opportunities to develop new high strength products.Read moreRead less
Understanding Droplet Interactions in Solvent Extraction. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of how organic drops behave in a water phase. This would enable a new generation of more detailed mechanistic models to be used to optimise the performance of Australia’s large investment in solvent extraction technology. The solvent extraction industry is undergoing a transformation with the introduction of short-contact-time contactors to reduce solvent inventory and a change to mor ....Understanding Droplet Interactions in Solvent Extraction. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of how organic drops behave in a water phase. This would enable a new generation of more detailed mechanistic models to be used to optimise the performance of Australia’s large investment in solvent extraction technology. The solvent extraction industry is undergoing a transformation with the introduction of short-contact-time contactors to reduce solvent inventory and a change to more sustainable solvents. The project aims to develop efficient and innovative contactors for this industry and to develop confidence in the application of new contactor technology offering enhanced competitive performance to Australia's minerals industry.Read moreRead less
Micromechanic modelling and analysis of the dynamics of non-spherical particles coupled with fluid flow. This project aims to develop advanced theories and mathematical models to describe the packing and flow of non-spherical particles coupled with fluid flow. This will be achieved through a combined theoretical and experimental program, involving the use of advanced discrete particle simulation and detailed analysis of packing/flow structures, particle-particle and particle-fluid interactions a ....Micromechanic modelling and analysis of the dynamics of non-spherical particles coupled with fluid flow. This project aims to develop advanced theories and mathematical models to describe the packing and flow of non-spherical particles coupled with fluid flow. This will be achieved through a combined theoretical and experimental program, involving the use of advanced discrete particle simulation and detailed analysis of packing/flow structures, particle-particle and particle-fluid interactions at a particle scale. Research outcomes including theories, computer models and simulation techniques will be applied to representative industrial operations of importance to Australia's economic and technological future.Read moreRead less