Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the ....Wave to Wire: Optimising Hydrodynamic Performance and Capture Efficiency of Next Generation Ocean Wave Energy Systems. Wave energy in the oceans of the world represents a vast renewable energy resource that has not been tapped. This project will play a crucial role in maximising the performance and economic viability of a unique Australian wave energy technology. We will develop a dynamically integrated theoretical model aimed at capturing the complex behaviour of ocean waves and optimising the energy capture efficiency of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy system. One of the most exciting aspects of the technology is its potential to provide on-site bulk desalination of seawater, whilst being driven entirely by renewable energy. It will also result in significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation.Read moreRead less
Understanding multi-scale reinforcement of carbon fibre composites. Addition of nano scale entities, such as nanotubes, on the surface of a carbon fibre forms a bottle-brush like architecture and strengthens fibre-matrix interface. This project will pioneer development of a systematic approach for analysis and design of such multi-scale reinforced composite materials for use in aerospace and civil industries.
Topological Design of Mechanical Meta-Structures. This project aims to establish a new computational design methodology to address current challenges facing creation of ultralight structures with ultra-high-performance characteristics. The latest technologies in structural topology optimization and its correlated numerical simulation and structural analysis methods will be unified towards an integrated design framework. Expected outcomes include an advanced generative design platform for discove ....Topological Design of Mechanical Meta-Structures. This project aims to establish a new computational design methodology to address current challenges facing creation of ultralight structures with ultra-high-performance characteristics. The latest technologies in structural topology optimization and its correlated numerical simulation and structural analysis methods will be unified towards an integrated design framework. Expected outcomes include an advanced generative design platform for discovering novel geometries to underpin new meta-structure architectures, validated by appropriate fabrication techniques considering their geometric complexity. Such capabilities will benefit defence, civil, aerospace, energy and transport industries that pursue competitive advantage through innovation.Read moreRead less
Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result ....Enhancing natural convection heat transfer using a single horizontal non-metallic fin. This project will develop the basis for a simple design to improve the energy efficiency of natural convection heat exchangers. Heat exchangers are widely adopted in many electronic devices and industrial processes as they require no external power input, additional space, and are quiet, reliable and economical. The research will exploit the interaction between two flows to trigger turbulence, and will result in an increase of the overall capacity and performance of engineering systems. This will contribute significantly to reductions in power consumption and improvements in productivity and work environment, leading ultimately to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and to economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations o ....Investigation of a Novel Fan. Fans are very widely used for cooling and heating, thrust and mass transport and are one of the most common fluid mechanical devices. An optimal fan design will maximise flow velocity and pressure rise for minimum energy requirements and noise production. De Rolfe has recently developed a new fan that shows considerable promise in comparison to conventional designs on single point tests.
In this project experimental and computional fluid dynamics investigations of the new fan will be carried out to determine the basic fluid mechanics and to obtain performance curves. Scaling laws will be obtained and, if possible, the fan will be further optimised.Read moreRead less
Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using ai ....Modelling the Transient Effects in Dense Phase Gas-Solids Flow in Pipelines. Almost every physical item we use in our daily lives at some point requires the transport and handling of powdered or granular materials during the manufacturing process. Be it food (sugar, flour), chemicals (soap powders, detergents), cosmetics (talc, face powder) or electricity generation (coal and ash); each of these industries uses the flexibility of pipeline systems to transport powders and granular solids using air as the motive force. However, the cost of poor design and the inaccurate prediction of system performance adversely affect the efficiency of many industries. Improvements to the accuracy of gas-solid flow modeling particularly for low velocity dense phase systems will have a direct impact on manufacturing efficiency.Read moreRead less
Mechanics of micro/nanoscale multilayers: theories and applications. The purpose of the project is to develop novel theoretical models, advanced numerical techniques and guidelines for the design and application of micro/nanoscale multilayers. The expected outcomes are fundamental contributions to the knowledge base of micro/nanoscale multilayered materials which are increasingly used in micro/nanotechnology.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101676
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,690.00
Summary
Machine learning-based design of triply periodic minimal surface structures. This project aims to develop a new approach to design of new lightweight, crashworthy and manufacturable structures by taking advantage of the latest technologies in computational optimisation, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. The study intends to develop a new machine learning-based multiscale design framework to seek optimal triply periodic minimal surface structures, considering fabrication-induced ....Machine learning-based design of triply periodic minimal surface structures. This project aims to develop a new approach to design of new lightweight, crashworthy and manufacturable structures by taking advantage of the latest technologies in computational optimisation, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. The study intends to develop a new machine learning-based multiscale design framework to seek optimal triply periodic minimal surface structures, considering fabrication-induced defects and uncertainty. The expected outcome of this project is new methodologies for generating eco-friendly structures with robust mechanical properties in crashing applications. This should provide significant benefits to transport industries by enhancing structural safety and energy saving for next generation vehicles.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101633
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Multiscale design of hierarchical structures for crashworthiness. This project intends to develop new hierarchical materials and structures for light weight and crashworthiness by mimicking impact-bearing biological materials. Environmental and road safety concerns mean that vehicles must try to compromise between light weight, to reduce fuel consumption, and crashworthiness. To some extent, design optimisation of conventional materials and structures has reached its limits. This project aims to ....Multiscale design of hierarchical structures for crashworthiness. This project intends to develop new hierarchical materials and structures for light weight and crashworthiness by mimicking impact-bearing biological materials. Environmental and road safety concerns mean that vehicles must try to compromise between light weight, to reduce fuel consumption, and crashworthiness. To some extent, design optimisation of conventional materials and structures has reached its limits. This project aims to develop new biomimetic multiscale design methods to generate novel hierarchical structures for automotive applications. The study is expected to provide the automotive industry with novel approaches and designs to improve both the weight and crashworthiness of vehicles.Read moreRead less
Design of nastic cellular structures with osmotic actuation. Shape changing structures play an imperative role in aerospace, automobile, energy and other industries. This project aims to develop novel concepts extracted from nastic motion in plants and relevant computational algorithms for the design of nastic cellular structures with osmotic actuation. The project is of significance as it offers a potential solution to the shape morphing challenge in aircraft and automobile from biomimetics vie ....Design of nastic cellular structures with osmotic actuation. Shape changing structures play an imperative role in aerospace, automobile, energy and other industries. This project aims to develop novel concepts extracted from nastic motion in plants and relevant computational algorithms for the design of nastic cellular structures with osmotic actuation. The project is of significance as it offers a potential solution to the shape morphing challenge in aircraft and automobile from biomimetics viewpoint - nastic actuation. The expected outcomes will be: a new numerical method for designing nastic cellular structures; and, validated algorithms with a novel topological geometry representation and multi objectives and constraints for applications in morphing structures with multiple target shapes.Read moreRead less