Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH200100009
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for Transforming Energy Infrastructure Through Digital Engineering. This Research Hub will harness the strengths of data-based and physics-based sciences to transform the operation of Australia’s offshore energy infrastructure. This essential research will create, use and embed observations of past and ongoing activity to engineer tools and approaches necessary to enhance our understanding of the offshore environment, optimise critical operations for existing facilities (includi ....ARC Research Hub for Transforming Energy Infrastructure Through Digital Engineering. This Research Hub will harness the strengths of data-based and physics-based sciences to transform the operation of Australia’s offshore energy infrastructure. This essential research will create, use and embed observations of past and ongoing activity to engineer tools and approaches necessary to enhance our understanding of the offshore environment, optimise critical operations for existing facilities (including installation and maintenance), and efficiently design future infrastructure. The integrated multidisciplinary approach will not only help Operators achieve high productivity through low downtime and optimised maintenance, but also demonstrate, in research and industry, the transformative potential of digital engineering.Read moreRead less
Managing the existing and emerging threats from coastal flow slides. This project aims to develop the first management strategies for coastal flow slides. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how flow slides are triggered, propagate inland and undermine structures. Expected outcomes include globally applicable novel models and management approaches developed by an interdisciplinary team of coastal and geotechnical engineers and coastal geomorphologist using innovative data. This is ....Managing the existing and emerging threats from coastal flow slides. This project aims to develop the first management strategies for coastal flow slides. This project expects to generate new knowledge on how flow slides are triggered, propagate inland and undermine structures. Expected outcomes include globally applicable novel models and management approaches developed by an interdisciplinary team of coastal and geotechnical engineers and coastal geomorphologist using innovative data. This is likely to provide significant benefits for planning and managing structures along coasts and bays against destructive flow slides. The project will enable the design and implementation of coastal works to protect existing structures against flow slides risks emerging with rising sea level.Read moreRead less
Non-differentiable Energy Minimisation For Modelling Fractured Porous Media. This project is aimed at advancing theoretical, computational and experimental bases for the fracturing of geomaterials, and providing scientists and engineers with much needed predictive tools for quantitative assessment of the responses. By incorporating previously neglected aspects such as energy minimisation, advanced constitutive modelling, and non-planar interacting fracture growth, confidence in the design and pl ....Non-differentiable Energy Minimisation For Modelling Fractured Porous Media. This project is aimed at advancing theoretical, computational and experimental bases for the fracturing of geomaterials, and providing scientists and engineers with much needed predictive tools for quantitative assessment of the responses. By incorporating previously neglected aspects such as energy minimisation, advanced constitutive modelling, and non-planar interacting fracture growth, confidence in the design and planning of engineering processes in fractured porous media will be increased to the point that costly over/under designs are avoided. Through the use of the tools developed, it will be possible to detect weaknesses in the design, assess the impact and implement effective measures to improve performance.Read moreRead less
Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will dev ....Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will develop tools, models and theories to detect weaknesses in the design of infrastructure and its foundations built on problematic reactive soils, assess the impact and implement effective remedial measures to improve performance. The project is expected to increase efficiency through improved design and reduced damage, and save infrastructure owners, government and private, tens of millions of dollars each year.Read moreRead less
Modelling creep and time-dependency in unsaturated soils. This project aims to present the most complete and rigorous modelling framework for creep and time-dependent behaviour of unsaturated soils in infrastructure. The project will address previously neglected aspects of soil behaviour, such as gradual changes in physical properties with time and strain-rate dependency. The project is expected to enable better predictions of infrastructure performance, improve confidence in design, and avoid u ....Modelling creep and time-dependency in unsaturated soils. This project aims to present the most complete and rigorous modelling framework for creep and time-dependent behaviour of unsaturated soils in infrastructure. The project will address previously neglected aspects of soil behaviour, such as gradual changes in physical properties with time and strain-rate dependency. The project is expected to enable better predictions of infrastructure performance, improve confidence in design, and avoid unwarranted over-design and the considerable cost this imposes. The project will provide a fully validated predictive computational modelling tool for quantitative assessment of long-term performance and stability of infrastructure such as dams, embankments, tunnels, slopes, buildings and foundations.Read moreRead less
Erosion processes in soils across scales. This project aims to develop a monitoring tool for predicting the evolution of internal erosion in dams based on innovative electromagnetic observation methods. Internal erosion is an insidious process occurring in the obscurity of the soil’s pore system until its consequences become visible and threaten the stability of the dams. These water retaining structures are vital for the future water and energy supply for our society and their failure can be ca ....Erosion processes in soils across scales. This project aims to develop a monitoring tool for predicting the evolution of internal erosion in dams based on innovative electromagnetic observation methods. Internal erosion is an insidious process occurring in the obscurity of the soil’s pore system until its consequences become visible and threaten the stability of the dams. These water retaining structures are vital for the future water and energy supply for our society and their failure can be catastrophic. By establishing an improved understanding of internal erosion as a sequence of processes on various scales, from the onset of erosion until the failure of the structure, this project will place Australia at the forefront of dam safety assessment.Read moreRead less
Heat transfer and fluid flow in geomaterials: Physics-inspired AI framework. Processes involving fluid flow or heat transfer are of critical importance in engineering applications (e.g., in dams, geothermal systems, oil & gas production). Though largely overlooked, microstructural features control these processes in geomaterials. This project aims to exploit advances in high-resolution 4D imaging to extract essential microstructural information to: 1) identify new parameters that better capture ....Heat transfer and fluid flow in geomaterials: Physics-inspired AI framework. Processes involving fluid flow or heat transfer are of critical importance in engineering applications (e.g., in dams, geothermal systems, oil & gas production). Though largely overlooked, microstructural features control these processes in geomaterials. This project aims to exploit advances in high-resolution 4D imaging to extract essential microstructural information to: 1) identify new parameters that better capture pore and particle properties, connectivities and pathways, and 2) develop advanced predictive analytics tools. This will improve fundamental understanding of the link between microstructure and fluid and heat flows at the engineering scale, and provide predictive tools to reduce risk and costs to industry.Read moreRead less
Understanding vibratory piles in sand: installation and lateral response. This project aims to address uncertainties in the design of vibro-driven piles. This promising alternative to impact-driven piles offers faster installation and requires no noise mitigation. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the effect of the installation process in sand on in-service pile response by integrating findings from innovative experiments and numerical modelling. This is particularly important for ....Understanding vibratory piles in sand: installation and lateral response. This project aims to address uncertainties in the design of vibro-driven piles. This promising alternative to impact-driven piles offers faster installation and requires no noise mitigation. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the effect of the installation process in sand on in-service pile response by integrating findings from innovative experiments and numerical modelling. This is particularly important for highly sensitive structures such as offshore wind turbines, which provide a rapidly increasing share of global energy supply. Expected outcomes include practical recommendations for vibro-piles in sand. This should provide sizeable benefits by unlocking vibro-piles as a viable method to reduce offshore wind farm costs.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100763
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,300.00
Summary
Multiscale modelling of fluid–particle transport in porous media. The aim is to use a multiscale approach to rigorously model fluid–particle transport in porous media – a fundamental process in many engineering problems. With advanced parallel-computing tools, a microscale model is developed to incorporate interacting grains, water, and particles. The model and innovative upscaling methods will transform our understanding of mechanisms, and allow development of predictive models for particle tra ....Multiscale modelling of fluid–particle transport in porous media. The aim is to use a multiscale approach to rigorously model fluid–particle transport in porous media – a fundamental process in many engineering problems. With advanced parallel-computing tools, a microscale model is developed to incorporate interacting grains, water, and particles. The model and innovative upscaling methods will transform our understanding of mechanisms, and allow development of predictive models for particle transport in both steady and unsteady porous flows. The fundamental knowledge and new-generation numerical models will support technological advances to directly benefit rail and road construction and their maintenance, fuel and renewable-energy extraction, coastal soil and water protection, and bushfire control.Read moreRead less