The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Processing - Structure Relationships in Thermal Spray Coatings. Researchers in New Zealand have developed novel thermal spray processing treatments which can be used to enahnce the wear, oxidation and corrosion resisitance of materials. However, characterization of the coatings using electron microscopy is essential to understand the relationship between processing conditions and properties. The aim of this project is to draw together specialist expertise and equipment that allows integration ....Processing - Structure Relationships in Thermal Spray Coatings. Researchers in New Zealand have developed novel thermal spray processing treatments which can be used to enahnce the wear, oxidation and corrosion resisitance of materials. However, characterization of the coatings using electron microscopy is essential to understand the relationship between processing conditions and properties. The aim of this project is to draw together specialist expertise and equipment that allows integration of microscopy into the development of these films. Australian researchers will gain access to specialized preparation and testing facilities in New Zealand, whilst researchers from New Zealand will perform structural analysis of these films in Australia.Read moreRead less
CHARACTERISATION OF DIE CAST MAGNESIUM ALLOYS FOR AUTOMOTIVE POWER TRAIN COMPONENTS. A new group of magnesium die casting alloys has recently been developed for fabricating automotive power train components. While these alloys exhibit good tensile yield strength at both ambient and elevated (100-200°C) temperatures, they are prone to excessive creep deformation when exposed to moderate levels of loads at temperatures above 125°C. The aim of this project is to characterise microstructures of th ....CHARACTERISATION OF DIE CAST MAGNESIUM ALLOYS FOR AUTOMOTIVE POWER TRAIN COMPONENTS. A new group of magnesium die casting alloys has recently been developed for fabricating automotive power train components. While these alloys exhibit good tensile yield strength at both ambient and elevated (100-200°C) temperatures, they are prone to excessive creep deformation when exposed to moderate levels of loads at temperatures above 125°C. The aim of this project is to characterise microstructures of these alloys subjected to controlled levels of creep deformation in the temperature and stress regime of interests, with a view to identifying microstructural factors that are important in determining the creep resistance of die cast magnesium alloys. The outcome of this project will provide useful guidelines for further improvements in creep resistance of these alloys and development of new die cast alloys with higher creep resistance at elevated temperatures.Read moreRead less
A Novel Surface Alloying Technique to Improve the Corrosion and Wear Resistance of Magnesium Alloys. Surface mechanical attrition treatment will be used to generate nanometer-sized grains in the surface layer of engineering magnesium alloys, and therefore activate the surface of this material. Together with the use of efficient activators, the project will develop a novel low temperature surface alloying technique to significantly improve the wear and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys wi ....A Novel Surface Alloying Technique to Improve the Corrosion and Wear Resistance of Magnesium Alloys. Surface mechanical attrition treatment will be used to generate nanometer-sized grains in the surface layer of engineering magnesium alloys, and therefore activate the surface of this material. Together with the use of efficient activators, the project will develop a novel low temperature surface alloying technique to significantly improve the wear and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys without changing the substrate properties. Microstructural features and the wear and corrosion resistance of the ultrafine-grained surface layer will be examined. In addition, it may be possible to combine the surface alloying process with the conventional ageing process together in order to save energy.Read moreRead less
Ductile Bulk Metallic Glass Composites. Structural materials are the basic building blocks of modern society, even a small advancement can have a strong impact on our society. The properties of steel have been pushed close to the limit. The development of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offers the opportunity to revolutionize the field of structural materials with strengths 3 or 4 time that of steel. The proposed project, aims to overcome the major technical barrier for BMGs of insufficient ductili ....Ductile Bulk Metallic Glass Composites. Structural materials are the basic building blocks of modern society, even a small advancement can have a strong impact on our society. The properties of steel have been pushed close to the limit. The development of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offers the opportunity to revolutionize the field of structural materials with strengths 3 or 4 time that of steel. The proposed project, aims to overcome the major technical barrier for BMGs of insufficient ductility. The development of ductile and high strength BMGs, will position Australia and its researchers at the forefront of this exciting material innovation. The project will develop and strengthen Australia's international research linkages with overseas centres of excellence.Read moreRead less
Simulation and Modelling of Interactions between Dislocations and Precipitates in High Strength Light Alloys. Most light alloys are strengthened by highly dispersed nanoscale precipitates. The mechanical behaviour of these alloys is determined by the intimate coupling between precipitate microstructure (size, shape and spatial distribution) and dislocation activities (by-pass, shearing and adsorption at interfaces). By integrating state-of-the-art experimental characterization and computer simul ....Simulation and Modelling of Interactions between Dislocations and Precipitates in High Strength Light Alloys. Most light alloys are strengthened by highly dispersed nanoscale precipitates. The mechanical behaviour of these alloys is determined by the intimate coupling between precipitate microstructure (size, shape and spatial distribution) and dislocation activities (by-pass, shearing and adsorption at interfaces). By integrating state-of-the-art experimental characterization and computer simulation techniques, this project aims to reveal detailed and accurate deformation mechanisms in these alloys. The knowledge gained and models developed are expected to provide guidelines to the optimization of existing alloys and design of new alloys, which is expected to create substantial wealth for Australia.Read moreRead less
Bulk Metallic Glasses and Their Applications. Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMG) represent a significant breakthrough in amorphous metallic materials research and opens up an enormous potential for BMG as engineering materials. However, currently there is no effective way to select optimum composition. The project will bring Australia together with two leading international research groups to develop a computer model for BMG alloy design and to further optimise BMG production processes. BMG engineering ....Bulk Metallic Glasses and Their Applications. Bulk Metallic Glasses (BMG) represent a significant breakthrough in amorphous metallic materials research and opens up an enormous potential for BMG as engineering materials. However, currently there is no effective way to select optimum composition. The project will bring Australia together with two leading international research groups to develop a computer model for BMG alloy design and to further optimise BMG production processes. BMG engineering components will be produced. The project provides Australian researchers access to leading expertise and specialized facilities which will rapidly bring us to the highest level. It represents Australia's first involvement in this significant material innovation. Read moreRead less
Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Wear Behaviour of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy. Exploring high wear-resistant materials is always an active issue in tribology and material engineering in order to extend the life of the wide-ranged wearing components and devices. NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) demonstrates a superior wear resistance to stainless steel. This project aims to theoretically and experimentally exam the wear mechanism of NiTi SMA and quantify its wear rate. The expected out ....Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Wear Behaviour of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy. Exploring high wear-resistant materials is always an active issue in tribology and material engineering in order to extend the life of the wide-ranged wearing components and devices. NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) demonstrates a superior wear resistance to stainless steel. This project aims to theoretically and experimentally exam the wear mechanism of NiTi SMA and quantify its wear rate. The expected outcome will discover the contributions of phase transition and plasticity on the wear property of NiTi SMA, formulate a reliable wear model and stimulate the application of NiTi in tribology and modern micro-electric-mechanical systems.Read moreRead less
Development of Creep Resistant TiAl Alloys for High Temperature Structural Applications. TiAl based alloys are being developed as high temperature structural materials for aerospace and automotive applications and thus their creep resistance (long-term strength at elevated temperatures) is critical. This project aims at developing creep resistant TiAl alloys through a combination of addition of rare earth and severe plastic deformation. It is expected that a refined and stablised microstructure ....Development of Creep Resistant TiAl Alloys for High Temperature Structural Applications. TiAl based alloys are being developed as high temperature structural materials for aerospace and automotive applications and thus their creep resistance (long-term strength at elevated temperatures) is critical. This project aims at developing creep resistant TiAl alloys through a combination of addition of rare earth and severe plastic deformation. It is expected that a refined and stablised microstructure consisting of submicron lamellar grains and nanosized lamellae be obtained. This will result in a highly creep resistant prototype TiAl material and leads eventually to the development of commercial TiAl alloys.Read moreRead less
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE SHEET ALLOYS VIA CONTROL OF COMPOSITION, THERMAL PROCESSING AND NANOSTRUCTURE. This project involves characterisation using modern facilities of the form and identity of atomic-scale clusters of alloying elements in selected automotive sheet alloys that have been subjected to single and multiple ageing treatments and examination and modelling of deformation mechanisms and behaviour in such alloys. The aim is to establish the precise role of clusters of solute a ....ENHANCED PERFORMANCE OF AUTOMOTIVE SHEET ALLOYS VIA CONTROL OF COMPOSITION, THERMAL PROCESSING AND NANOSTRUCTURE. This project involves characterisation using modern facilities of the form and identity of atomic-scale clusters of alloying elements in selected automotive sheet alloys that have been subjected to single and multiple ageing treatments and examination and modelling of deformation mechanisms and behaviour in such alloys. The aim is to establish the precise role of clusters of solute atoms and vacancies in the formation of precipitate phases that control the final strength and deformation behaviour of the alloys, and to provide useful guidelines for further improvements in strength of these alloys via the control of alloy composition and of multiple ageing treatments.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach to Determine Permeability for Cost-Effective Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Matrix Composites. The permeability (resistance of a porous rigid body to a permeating fluid) is an essential parameter for predicting impregnation quality in processing of thermoplastic composite materials. No reliable method exists yet to estimate permeabilities without time-consuming and cost intensive experiments. The aim of the proposed research project is to obtain a basic knowledge in determining ....A Novel Approach to Determine Permeability for Cost-Effective Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Matrix Composites. The permeability (resistance of a porous rigid body to a permeating fluid) is an essential parameter for predicting impregnation quality in processing of thermoplastic composite materials. No reliable method exists yet to estimate permeabilities without time-consuming and cost intensive experiments. The aim of the proposed research project is to obtain a basic knowledge in determining permeabilities of fibre architectures by taking into account their stochastic properties. An innovative approach, based on characterisations of meso-structures of fibre network and simulation of computational fluid dynamics, will be developed to accurately determine permeabilities. The outcome will enable more cost-effective manufacturing of thermoplastic matrix composites.Read moreRead less