An energetic approach to characterise fracture of soft matter by cutting. Cutting of soft materials is a common daily life experience (e.g. slicing of meat and cheese) and an essential operation in many industries, healthcare (e.g. surgery) and manufacturing (e.g. paint removal) among them. By measuring the cutting forces of the tool and examining the deformation mechanisms of the work-piece, this project aims to put the cutting process on a strong scientific and technological footing. It provid ....An energetic approach to characterise fracture of soft matter by cutting. Cutting of soft materials is a common daily life experience (e.g. slicing of meat and cheese) and an essential operation in many industries, healthcare (e.g. surgery) and manufacturing (e.g. paint removal) among them. By measuring the cutting forces of the tool and examining the deformation mechanisms of the work-piece, this project aims to put the cutting process on a strong scientific and technological footing. It provides an ingenious method to measure the fracture energy, i.e. specific resistance to cracking, of plastics, bulk and thin film polymer nanocomposites at different cut-depths. New knowledge gained from the project is expected to improve tool design and optimise cutting conditions to increase the cutting process efficiency.Read moreRead less
Aligning and Chaining Carbon Nanofillers in Fibre Composites: Synergistically Improving Damage Tolerance and Diagnosis. Recent studies reveal that alternating electric or magnetic fields can rotate conductive nanofillers in polymers. This project aims to advance a new concept of aligning nano-scale reinforcements (for example, graphene nano-sheets and carbon nanofibres) along the thickness direction of composite materials. The alignment of nano-sized reinforcement will address the perennial prob ....Aligning and Chaining Carbon Nanofillers in Fibre Composites: Synergistically Improving Damage Tolerance and Diagnosis. Recent studies reveal that alternating electric or magnetic fields can rotate conductive nanofillers in polymers. This project aims to advance a new concept of aligning nano-scale reinforcements (for example, graphene nano-sheets and carbon nanofibres) along the thickness direction of composite materials. The alignment of nano-sized reinforcement will address the perennial problem of through-thickness weaknesses of fibre-reinforced composites and, at the same time, improve the electrical conductivity of composites. The synergistic improvements in the mechanical and electrical properties will improve damage tolerance and diagnosis of composites, thus expanding their applications in transport and civil construction to help reduce carbon dioxide emission.Read moreRead less
Topology optimisation? An engineering approach to design of metamaterials. Metamaterials offer unusual physical properties and have significant potential to many technological innovations in precision instrument, medical, telecommunication, space and defence industries in the future. This project aims to develop a computational method for metamaterials so that they can be designed in an effective way.
Development of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre composites. Development of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre composites. This project aims to develop a new generation of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre reinforced composites, using a novel synthesis method that grafts carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto glass fibre and glass fabric. These hierarchical nano- and micro-fibre composites will have improved in-plane mechanical properties, enhanced fracture toughness and higher electri ....Development of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre composites. Development of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre composites. This project aims to develop a new generation of hierarchical carbon nanotube-glass fibre reinforced composites, using a novel synthesis method that grafts carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto glass fibre and glass fabric. These hierarchical nano- and micro-fibre composites will have improved in-plane mechanical properties, enhanced fracture toughness and higher electric conductivity. This project will use a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study to develop design tools for producing this new generation of composites. The anticipated outcome is lighter and stronger glass fibre composite structures, such as wind turbines in the renewable wind energy industry and boats in the marine industry.Read moreRead less
Optimised flush repairs for dissimilar composite material systems. The outcome of this research project will overcome a major technological challenge when designing repairs for dissimilar composite material systems, which are being utilised at an increasing pace in a multitude of industries. This new technological capability will help to improve the competitiveness of the Australian aerospace industry.
Towards autonomous structural safety prognostics: integrating in-situ imaging and predictive modelling. This project aims to advance a scientific basis for autonomous safety prognostics by developing predictive models and in-situ damage imaging principles. Development of this new health prognostic approach will overcome the significant challenge of safety assurance of composite structures in the presence of in-service damage, which is largely hidden.
Toughening thermosets by highly ordered nanostructures. This research will develop a new technology to manufacture a class of novel ordered nanostructured thermosets. The outcome of this project will enable many existing and new engineering applications in the transportation, construction and microelectronics industries in Australia.
Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline- ....Baseline-free Methods for Early Damage Diagnosis using Nonlinear Ultrasound. To address the significant limitation of existing non-destructive evaluation techniques in detecting and characterising early damage, this project aims to discover the physical nature of self-generated nonlinear waves by structural damage and to explore its potential for an entirely new class of non-destructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques. Major applications are expected to include a baseline-free structural health monitoring technique capable of detecting and quantifying barely-visible impact damage in advanced composite materials, non-destructive evaluation of structures made by additive manufacturing, and detection of hard-to-inspect locations in unitised structures.Read moreRead less
Improving affordability of composite materials to meet sustainability challenges. The project will develop new technologies to improve the affordability of carbon fibre composites for non-aerospace applications. The outcome of this project will greatly accelerate the insertion of light-weight composites in clean-energy products, such as carbon fibre composite wheels, to drastically reduce CO2 emissions of road transport.