Time-dependent dynamic, creep and shrinkage response of curved structural members. This project concerns curved structural members, such as bridge beams, that are subjected to dynamic excitation and to concrete shrinkage and creep. Hitherto, unified formulations for the structural behaviour of these members have not been properly developed. The proposal seeks to build on a previous ARC DP of the investigator that produces significant results for static loading, by developing a sophisticated meth ....Time-dependent dynamic, creep and shrinkage response of curved structural members. This project concerns curved structural members, such as bridge beams, that are subjected to dynamic excitation and to concrete shrinkage and creep. Hitherto, unified formulations for the structural behaviour of these members have not been properly developed. The proposal seeks to build on a previous ARC DP of the investigator that produces significant results for static loading, by developing a sophisticated methodology to handle non-static dynamic loading and for shrinkage and creep. It will develop advanced mathematical tools to enable the safe and efficient design of a multiplicity of structures that is of benefit to on and offshore Australian technology.Read moreRead less
Development of a Local Spectral Method for the Computations of Thin-Walled Structures. This project will benefit Aust. society by providing a powerful tool for improving the safe and cost effective design of structures under extreme conditions (high frequency vibration, complicating supporting conditions). The method has the potential to be further developed to provide solutions to unsolved problems in acoustic wave transport, short electromagnetic wave propagation etc. The research training of ....Development of a Local Spectral Method for the Computations of Thin-Walled Structures. This project will benefit Aust. society by providing a powerful tool for improving the safe and cost effective design of structures under extreme conditions (high frequency vibration, complicating supporting conditions). The method has the potential to be further developed to provide solutions to unsolved problems in acoustic wave transport, short electromagnetic wave propagation etc. The research training of the project will help to keep Australia to be at the forefront in this research field and the published research findings will promote the reputation of Australian researchers in the field of computational engineering. The international collaboration will be strengthened between the Investigator's team and his colleagues in US. Read moreRead less
Material properties and mechanical behaviours of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite structures. Polymer nanocomposites and their applications in advanced structures represent one of the most significant developments of composite materials and structures in the past decade. This project aims to quantify the equivalent material properties of effective individual carbon nanotube in polymer matrix, predict the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites and optimise the ....Material properties and mechanical behaviours of carbon nanotube-reinforced composite structures. Polymer nanocomposites and their applications in advanced structures represent one of the most significant developments of composite materials and structures in the past decade. This project aims to quantify the equivalent material properties of effective individual carbon nanotube in polymer matrix, predict the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced polymer composites and optimise the mechanical behaviours of functionally graded carbon nanotube polymer composite structures through a multi-scale modelling and analytical approach. It will establish guidelines and strategies for design and development of high performance carbon nanotube-reinforced polymer composites and their functionally graded structures. Read moreRead less
Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities fo ....Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland’s Railways. Rail maintainers currently use time-based (scheduled) approaches to balance the costs and benefits of inspections and maintenance. Changing to condition-based maintenance has the potential to reduce costs and improve track condition. This project aims to enable this approach for rail by developing: 1) new track degradation prediction techniques combining Big Data and engineering knowledge; 2) new on-board sensing capabilities for frequent, low-cost track monitoring; 3) novel inspection and maintenance optimisation methods to efficiently allocate resources. The knowledge generated by this project is expected to decrease maintenance costs, safety risk, and track closures and therefore enhance the affordability and reliability of rail travel.Read moreRead less
A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural netw ....A novel physical-digital approach for the assessing a large critical asset. This project aims to deliver an artificial intelligence-enabled decision-making tool to maintain and manage the floating covers of vast lagoons that treat raw sewage. The cover harvests the biogas released from the anaerobic digestion of sewage for electric power generation that exceeds the plant’s requirement. The approach involves an innovative thermographic technique and exploits transfer learning to adapt neural networks trained on lab-scale and synthetic data to field implementation. The outcome is a machine learning framework to optimise biogas harvesting and renewable energy generation, and to avoid structural failure, that is capable of continuous improvement to take into account improved data and/or modelling capabilities.Read moreRead less
The effect of tunelling on existing rock bolts. As more underground facilities such as rail, road, sewerage and service tunnels are constructed in our major cities, more and more frequently new tunnels have to cross over or run alongside existing tunnels. As the roofs of tunnels are generally supported by rock bolts and lined with shotcrete, the support system can be damaged by the rock movements caused by the excavation of the new tunnel. Little research has been carried out on this problem, an ....The effect of tunelling on existing rock bolts. As more underground facilities such as rail, road, sewerage and service tunnels are constructed in our major cities, more and more frequently new tunnels have to cross over or run alongside existing tunnels. As the roofs of tunnels are generally supported by rock bolts and lined with shotcrete, the support system can be damaged by the rock movements caused by the excavation of the new tunnel. Little research has been carried out on this problem, and so often expensive deviations have to be made to tunnels to avoid going near existing ones. The proposed research will provide numerical tools to allow prediction of loads induced into rock bolts by nearby tunnels, leading to more economical and safer tunnel design.
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Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can conside ....Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can considerably benefit from the findings of this project including safer structures, significant reduction in the future maintenance costs and enhancing the performance of bridges, buildings, roads, railways and dams with less cracks and differential settlement.Read moreRead less
Computational fracture analysis of structures and materials. This project aims to develop a computer simulation technique to address the safety of engineering structures. A novel numerical framework based on the scaled boundary finite element method will be developed to model the fracture process critical to assessing structural integrity. The expected outcomes of this project include an innovative technology for numerical simulation and improved capabilities to generate high-fidelity predictio ....Computational fracture analysis of structures and materials. This project aims to develop a computer simulation technique to address the safety of engineering structures. A novel numerical framework based on the scaled boundary finite element method will be developed to model the fracture process critical to assessing structural integrity. The expected outcomes of this project include an innovative technology for numerical simulation and improved capabilities to generate high-fidelity predictions of structural safety at minimum human efforts. The fully automatic and robust numerical tool developed in this project will help engineers and government authorities to perform safe and cost-effective design and management of engineering structures that are vital to modern economies.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques. The proposed research will provide our local construction and mining industries with a much needed fast and low cost technology for geotechnical investigation of very large sites which is currently not available. The project will help steer Australia to the forefront of ambient noise research for geotechnical site investigation, in the characterisation of unsaturated compacted soil and in the determinati ....Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques. The proposed research will provide our local construction and mining industries with a much needed fast and low cost technology for geotechnical investigation of very large sites which is currently not available. The project will help steer Australia to the forefront of ambient noise research for geotechnical site investigation, in the characterisation of unsaturated compacted soil and in the determination of dynamic site characteristics which are required for seismic risk assessment. Two postgraduate students will benefit from this research by receiving research training at the highest level and it will also pave the way for exporting the technology developed overseas, particularly to our near neighbours in Asia and the Pacific. Read moreRead less
Unified nondeterministic dynamic safety assessment of softening structures. This project aims to develop a high-performance tool for the dynamic safety assessment of softening structures. The assessment of structures that exhibit softening, either at constitutive level or structural level, is essential for design and rehabilitation purposes, especially when the inevitable uncertainties in the system parameters need to be accounted for. This project aims to develop an advanced and unified framewo ....Unified nondeterministic dynamic safety assessment of softening structures. This project aims to develop a high-performance tool for the dynamic safety assessment of softening structures. The assessment of structures that exhibit softening, either at constitutive level or structural level, is essential for design and rehabilitation purposes, especially when the inevitable uncertainties in the system parameters need to be accounted for. This project aims to develop an advanced and unified framework that can model both stochastic and nonstochastic processes for these purposes. An advanced mixed finite element model underpins this framework, and both formulation and solution algorithms are based on mathematical programming formalism. The developed computational tool would be able to perform pure stochastic, pure nonstochastic, hybrid uncertain analyses and dynamic reliability assessment of structures.Read moreRead less