Innovative and human-centred design in underground coalmining: a new concept vehicle for safe personnel transport. Australian coalminers commute daily on a system of underground roads to the ‘longwall’, the site where their work can begin, in vehicles that are primitive by aboveground standards. These current vehicles contribute to short- and long-term injuries amongst mining personnel. This project will develop benchmark standards for an innovative underground personnel carrier that promotes a ....Innovative and human-centred design in underground coalmining: a new concept vehicle for safe personnel transport. Australian coalminers commute daily on a system of underground roads to the ‘longwall’, the site where their work can begin, in vehicles that are primitive by aboveground standards. These current vehicles contribute to short- and long-term injuries amongst mining personnel. This project will develop benchmark standards for an innovative underground personnel carrier that promotes a safer and healthier working environment by contributing to reduced injury rates and ensuring the comfort of workers. This project contributes to the health and welfare of coalminers in regional Australia and in the international mining sector through innovative and ’human-centred’ design.Read moreRead less
Analysing Instabilities in Complex Combustion Models for Different Geometrical Configurations. Anyone who has gazed into a fire will appreciate the complexity of combustion. To date only the simplest of models have been comprehensively analysed. This project, which aims to analyse more complex combustion models, will address some of the fundamental issues of combustion theory. Results from this project will lead to a better understanding of combustion processes, with the potential to prevent exp ....Analysing Instabilities in Complex Combustion Models for Different Geometrical Configurations. Anyone who has gazed into a fire will appreciate the complexity of combustion. To date only the simplest of models have been comprehensively analysed. This project, which aims to analyse more complex combustion models, will address some of the fundamental issues of combustion theory. Results from this project will lead to a better understanding of combustion processes, with the potential to prevent explosions in reactors and storage tanks. Other potential applications range from bushfires to the manufacture of exotic materials. Furthermore, the novel mathematical techniques developed in this project can be easily adapted to other types of systems such as those used in biology (eg. epidemiology and tumour growth), economics, physics etc. Read moreRead less
Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this inv ....Self-heating of porous lignocellulosic and coal particles. This project develops models for spontaneous heating of materials, which have substantial value to Australian economy, and whose self-heating behaviour have led to loss of life and significant material losses in industries processing these materials. The results will be immediately applicable to evaluate risks of spontaneous ignition in process plants in a more rigorous manner than performed presently. Furthermore, findings of this investigation will allow considerable improvement in estimating green house gas emissions as a consequence of spontaneous combustion.Read moreRead less
Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in ....Fundamental Fire Properties From Extinction and Piloted Ignition Experiments of Solid Fuels. Current approval methods for determining fire properties of construction materials are often incorrect in yielding properties that can be used in situations removed from test conditions. The main aim of this project is to obtain fundamental fire properties by examining the ignition and extinction processes of diffusion flames near solid surfaces. The project undertakes detailed study of flame spread in the direction opposite to the flow of air, which defines the initial fire growth and is important in fire propagation. Results from this project will provide scientific underpinning for the development of approval standards for new materials, which are needed to support Australia's transition from prescriptive to performance based building codes.Read moreRead less
Development of Advanced Detection Systems for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. This project aims to expand significantly the range of isotopes available for accelerator mass spectrometry at the Australian National University to include the ability to detect manganese-53, nickel-59 and uranium-236 to ultra-sensitive concentrations. To achieve this, my extensive experience in fundamental nuclear physics will be exploited to develop a gas-filled magnet for the detection of mangnese-53 and nickel-59, ....Development of Advanced Detection Systems for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. This project aims to expand significantly the range of isotopes available for accelerator mass spectrometry at the Australian National University to include the ability to detect manganese-53, nickel-59 and uranium-236 to ultra-sensitive concentrations. To achieve this, my extensive experience in fundamental nuclear physics will be exploited to develop a gas-filled magnet for the detection of mangnese-53 and nickel-59, and a time-of-flight detector to detect uranium-236. This project has applications in the topical areas of climate change and nuclear safeguards, as well as applications in the earth sciences and the management of nuclear waste.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel desalination process. The process proposed in this submission provides a simple, flexible and cost effective platform for small-scale desalination applications. The proposed process can be an integral part of a more comprehensive approach to resolve the shortage of freshwater in arid to semi-arid regions of rural Australia. This will contribute to the Federal Government's National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the priority goal ....Development of a novel desalination process. The process proposed in this submission provides a simple, flexible and cost effective platform for small-scale desalination applications. The proposed process can be an integral part of a more comprehensive approach to resolve the shortage of freshwater in arid to semi-arid regions of rural Australia. This will contribute to the Federal Government's National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the priority goal 'Water - a Critical Resource'.Read moreRead less
Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment meth ....Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment methodology and a new methodology for analysing accidents. This will provide organisations and researchers with a powerful framework for enhanced accident analysis and prevention activities. This will provide significant benefits, associated with reductions in accidents, injuries and fatalities.Read moreRead less
Creating a Comprehensive International Law of Sustainable Energy: The Contribution of Law to Sustainable Development and Climate Change. This project provides a legal initiative that will contribute to the achievement of a sustainable energy future. Australia is already experiencing the impact of the failure to achieve this gaol through climate change, threats to energy security and increased destabilisation of international peace and security. All sections of the community must respond to thes ....Creating a Comprehensive International Law of Sustainable Energy: The Contribution of Law to Sustainable Development and Climate Change. This project provides a legal initiative that will contribute to the achievement of a sustainable energy future. Australia is already experiencing the impact of the failure to achieve this gaol through climate change, threats to energy security and increased destabilisation of international peace and security. All sections of the community must respond to these challenges and the project provides a contribution from the law. The realisation of the project may also lead to increased demand for energy efficiency and sustainable energy technologies and infrastructure that could result in the development of commercial opportunities for Australian companies.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100079
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
A haptic-based immersive motion platform for human performance evaluation. A haptic-based immersive motion platform for human performance evaluation: This project aims to establish a motion platform capable of combining continuous centrifugal rotation and large linear displacement with an additional five degrees of motion. The system will house a human subject at the end of a large serial robot similar to a human arm, which can rotate continuously about its base. The robot arm will be installed ....A haptic-based immersive motion platform for human performance evaluation. A haptic-based immersive motion platform for human performance evaluation: This project aims to establish a motion platform capable of combining continuous centrifugal rotation and large linear displacement with an additional five degrees of motion. The system will house a human subject at the end of a large serial robot similar to a human arm, which can rotate continuously about its base. The robot arm will be installed on a large linear axis enabling the simulation of movements and accelerations along a straight path as well as rotation provided by other axes of the robot. The motion platform will comprise audio and visual devices, and haptic-based control mechanisms, for example a steering wheel and pedals or a helicopter cyclic, to provide a number of human immersed scenarios for driving/flying training and human perception evaluation.Read moreRead less
Assessing the full impacts of high efficiency heavy vehicles in urban traffic networks using new analytical tools. Significant economic benefits result from new innovative heavy vehicles, which are able to carry up to twice the payload of standard semi-trailers. In addition, those vehicles have the potential to reduce overall accidents and evironmental degradation. Those benefits need to be traded-off against the impacts on other road users. This research will improve the operation of such ve ....Assessing the full impacts of high efficiency heavy vehicles in urban traffic networks using new analytical tools. Significant economic benefits result from new innovative heavy vehicles, which are able to carry up to twice the payload of standard semi-trailers. In addition, those vehicles have the potential to reduce overall accidents and evironmental degradation. Those benefits need to be traded-off against the impacts on other road users. This research will improve the operation of such vehicles in regional centres by producing: (1) an assessment methodology to deal with options for network efficiency gains which will capture the full impacts; and (2) a computer modelling tool based on fundamental research to quantify those impacts, in terms of delays and accident rates.Read moreRead less