Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key para ....Stabilization of railway subgrade by lime-flyash slurry injection. The rail network in Australia provides a major transport route for commuters as well as transportation of goods. The subgrade of railway track should provide adequate support for the overlying ballast and capping layers. Hence, a poor subgrade always results in track problems associated with uneven track, fouled ballast, and misalignment of the track. This project will investigate in detail the fundamental mechanisms and key parameters involved in the improvement of subgrade soil by injecting lime-flyash slurry. This project will develop an improved design procedure for lime-flyash slurry injection in the field based on experimental and numerical modelling.Read moreRead less
Response of residential structures to blast vibration. This proposed project combines the expertise and disciplines of residential construction, structural dynamics and blasting technology. The ultimate aim of the project is to develop a rational methodology for assessing the damage potential of ground vibration resulting from blasting on typical Australian residential structures. The project involves field blast vibration measurements, static and dynamic laboratory tests on structural sub-assem ....Response of residential structures to blast vibration. This proposed project combines the expertise and disciplines of residential construction, structural dynamics and blasting technology. The ultimate aim of the project is to develop a rational methodology for assessing the damage potential of ground vibration resulting from blasting on typical Australian residential structures. The project involves field blast vibration measurements, static and dynamic laboratory tests on structural sub-assemblages in a controlled environment, and comprehensive analytical modelling of both loading and response. The outcomes from this research will have direct application to the mining, insurance, construction and defence industries.Read moreRead less
preventing reoccurrence of catastrophic failures of stormwater pipelines. This project aims to develop a technique to accurately predict the remaining safe life of deteriorated buried stormwater pipelines, thereby preventing their catastrophic failure. The research also aims to advance knowledge in deterioration science of reinforced concrete and failure theory of buried pipes. The outcomes are anticipated to be a suite of rational, practical and validated models for pipe deterioration as measur ....preventing reoccurrence of catastrophic failures of stormwater pipelines. This project aims to develop a technique to accurately predict the remaining safe life of deteriorated buried stormwater pipelines, thereby preventing their catastrophic failure. The research also aims to advance knowledge in deterioration science of reinforced concrete and failure theory of buried pipes. The outcomes are anticipated to be a suite of rational, practical and validated models for pipe deterioration as measured by crack growth and residual strength which are integrated in a time-dependent reliability method and coded as a computer program ready for take-up by end-users. Preventing catastrophic failures of buried pipes should deliver economic, environmental and social benefits.Read moreRead less
Improvement of the performance of water-sensitive geomaterials using hydrophobic additives. Geo-structures such as road and railway bases suffer from water induced damage because they readily interact with the atmosphere and shallow water tables. Under traffic loading, damage to geo-structures occurs as cracking, rutting and roughness, when the strength and stiffness of the geomaterials are compromised by on-going moisture variations. Substantial cost savings to the community can be made if ef ....Improvement of the performance of water-sensitive geomaterials using hydrophobic additives. Geo-structures such as road and railway bases suffer from water induced damage because they readily interact with the atmosphere and shallow water tables. Under traffic loading, damage to geo-structures occurs as cracking, rutting and roughness, when the strength and stiffness of the geomaterials are compromised by on-going moisture variations. Substantial cost savings to the community can be made if effective methods can be found to minimise such damage. This project proposes to study a novel technique, in which blends of hydrophobic polymer additives are used to increase the stability of geomaterials subjected to varying moisture levels and traffic loading.Read moreRead less
The cell biology of the albumin-FcRn receptor recycling system. The aim of this project is to define the cell biology of the albumin-FcRn (neonatal Fc receptor) recycling system. FcRn is a recycling membrane receptor that selectively protects serum proteins from intracellular degradation and prolongs their half-life. We will identify the key cell types involved in this recycling pathway, identify intracellular sites of ligand and FcRn interaction, assess the contribution of the haematopoietic sy ....The cell biology of the albumin-FcRn receptor recycling system. The aim of this project is to define the cell biology of the albumin-FcRn (neonatal Fc receptor) recycling system. FcRn is a recycling membrane receptor that selectively protects serum proteins from intracellular degradation and prolongs their half-life. We will identify the key cell types involved in this recycling pathway, identify intracellular sites of ligand and FcRn interaction, assess the contribution of the haematopoietic system and determine ligand half-life in mice. Findings generated will reveal the basic biology of an important physiological receptor, and enable the exploitation of FcRn-receptor interactions for design of recombinant albumin fusion-based therapies.Read moreRead less
Rational lateral-bracing design for steel-framed domestic structures. For the 150,000 new Australian houses built annually to remain safe, despite expected increases in structural loading due to climate change, rational design approaches are desperately needed. This project will provide the industry with the necessary tools to develop optimised and innovative solutions to brace houses for extreme events and yet maintain affordability.
Failure Mechanisms of Roof Cladding under Fluctuating Wind Loads. Wind damage to low-rise buildings cause disruption to communities and result in economic losses. Improvements to the most vulnerable part (i.e. roof) will therefore have national benefits and associated economic benefits. Currently, roofing systems used in cyclonic areas are evaluated to DABM in the Northern Territory and to TR440 elsewhere, requiring the same product be tested under two different (and unsatisfactory) specificat ....Failure Mechanisms of Roof Cladding under Fluctuating Wind Loads. Wind damage to low-rise buildings cause disruption to communities and result in economic losses. Improvements to the most vulnerable part (i.e. roof) will therefore have national benefits and associated economic benefits. Currently, roofing systems used in cyclonic areas are evaluated to DABM in the Northern Territory and to TR440 elsewhere, requiring the same product be tested under two different (and unsatisfactory) specifications. This is due to the limited understanding of wind-induced fatigue of cladding. This project will provide the framework for understanding and minimizing cladding fatigue. A realistic single test will also reduce cost and result in better design systems.Read moreRead less
Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. Thi ....Reducing wear on rotary coal pulverisers. The aim of this project is to develop an understanding of the small-scale flows and particle breakage required to permit optimised redesign of the attrition stage of the 36 coal pulverisers at Gladstone Power Station, which, because of erosive wear, currently have a maintenance budget of $4M per year. CFD-DEM simulation of the air and particle flows will be used to determine particle flow patterns, particle-particle and particle-wall impact energies. This information will be input to comminution and wear models to predict pulveriser performance and wear patterns. Simulation results will be validated using measurements from scale visualisation and working models.Read moreRead less
Fatigue Behaviour of Dragline Tubular Structures. Fatigue failure is a major concern for dragline tubular structures. Several catastrophic collapses of such structure occurred. The fatigue behaviour of such large tubular structures is unknown. Fatigue cracks were observed in many existing draglines. The latest international design codes are inadequate to address this issue. The project will develop reliable methodologies for design, inspection, strengthening and assessment of such structures. Th ....Fatigue Behaviour of Dragline Tubular Structures. Fatigue failure is a major concern for dragline tubular structures. Several catastrophic collapses of such structure occurred. The fatigue behaviour of such large tubular structures is unknown. Fatigue cracks were observed in many existing draglines. The latest international design codes are inadequate to address this issue. The project will develop reliable methodologies for design, inspection, strengthening and assessment of such structures. The outcome will be reduced manufacturing and operational costs and a reduced catastrophic failure risk. This will increase the international competitiveness of Australian mining industry. Several other industry sectors will be benefited from the technology developed in this project.Read moreRead less
Influence of electromagnetic emissions from mobile phones on nervous function in the human brain and heart. This research will investigate the influence of mobile phone electromagnetic exposures on the nervous function of the human brain and heart. Brain activity will be monitored by EEG recordings, and heart function will be measured by blood pressure and ECG. As far as possible the methodologies employed will be consistent with previous reported studies in order to allow comparisons, and use ....Influence of electromagnetic emissions from mobile phones on nervous function in the human brain and heart. This research will investigate the influence of mobile phone electromagnetic exposures on the nervous function of the human brain and heart. Brain activity will be monitored by EEG recordings, and heart function will be measured by blood pressure and ECG. As far as possible the methodologies employed will be consistent with previous reported studies in order to allow comparisons, and use standardised quantifiable metrics so that the biological significance of the data can be meaningfully interpreted. The outcomes of this project will address uncertainties in the present data which are of concern to national and international regulatory and health agencies.Read moreRead less