Minimisation of damage to residential structures due to ground movement. In Australia some 150,000 new houses are built every year with a total value of approximately $40 billion; making it one of the most significant industries affecting consumers and industries. With a quadrupling of the cost of building new houses in the last 20 years, an increase in the levels of expectations of owners, a high rate of reported damage in new and existing houses, and predications of worsening conditions under ....Minimisation of damage to residential structures due to ground movement. In Australia some 150,000 new houses are built every year with a total value of approximately $40 billion; making it one of the most significant industries affecting consumers and industries. With a quadrupling of the cost of building new houses in the last 20 years, an increase in the levels of expectations of owners, a high rate of reported damage in new and existing houses, and predications of worsening conditions under climate change scenarios; there is an urgent need to evaluate the causes of damage. The outcomes from this project will assist in minimising damage to houses from ground movement and in adopting new performance-based design methods for new homes to better match owner expectations. This will lead to cost effective and innovative solutions to meet adverse conditions.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100986
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$425,775.00
Summary
Blast Resistant Interlocking Brick Walls Using Engineered Waste Materials. This project aims to develop a next-generation building system integrated with robotic construction, using intelligent interlocking block units with hazard resistance, and sustainable engineered recycled plastic waste materials. It spans from discovery of using recycled waste materials to development of analysis and design methods for a new interlocking structure, as well as mitigation measures for blast resistance. The s ....Blast Resistant Interlocking Brick Walls Using Engineered Waste Materials. This project aims to develop a next-generation building system integrated with robotic construction, using intelligent interlocking block units with hazard resistance, and sustainable engineered recycled plastic waste materials. It spans from discovery of using recycled waste materials to development of analysis and design methods for a new interlocking structure, as well as mitigation measures for blast resistance. The successful implementation of this project will result in a technically, financially and environmentally sound structure form for the next-generation of robotic construction. This should lead to a revolution in construction that will substantially improve construction efficiency, quality and affordability.Read moreRead less
Performance Characteristics of an Innovative Structural System - Compound Curved Sandwich Shell Structure. An innovative structural system utilising sandwich panel technology and shell action has recently emerged. These aesthetically pleasing curved structures are durable and spacious with fast construction time. They have residential and commercial applications and have attracted considerable local and overseas interest. There are no definitive procedures for their analysis and design and thei ....Performance Characteristics of an Innovative Structural System - Compound Curved Sandwich Shell Structure. An innovative structural system utilising sandwich panel technology and shell action has recently emerged. These aesthetically pleasing curved structures are durable and spacious with fast construction time. They have residential and commercial applications and have attracted considerable local and overseas interest. There are no definitive procedures for their analysis and design and their behaviour is complex involving many variables such as sandwich layer interaction, shape, openings, structural action, etc. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on their behaviour over a range of properties and operating conditions and develop guidelines to ensure safe and economical design, bringing economic benefits to Australia.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.
Long-span cold-formed steel portal frames. Novel solutions will be developed for building portal frames in cold-formed steel at effectively twice the span currently available. Economies are derived from using cold-formed steel, which will benefit the end consumer and help the Australian steel industry to maintain its position as preeminent provider of innovative cold-formed steel solutions.
Analysis and design of midrise built-up cold-formed steel structures. The project will develop an analytical and computational basis for designing midrise buildings in cold-formed steel. It will enable solutions with high column capacities and high lateral load resistance to be realised by using built-up sections, thus overcoming the current barrier to constructing buildings up to 10 storeys from cold-formed steel and enabling green, fully recyclable and rapidly constructed buildings to be achie ....Analysis and design of midrise built-up cold-formed steel structures. The project will develop an analytical and computational basis for designing midrise buildings in cold-formed steel. It will enable solutions with high column capacities and high lateral load resistance to be realised by using built-up sections, thus overcoming the current barrier to constructing buildings up to 10 storeys from cold-formed steel and enabling green, fully recyclable and rapidly constructed buildings to be achieved. Experimental, analytical and computational studies will be undertaken and synthesised into efficient design guidelines for practising engineers, including structural reliability analyses at system level of midrise buildings featuring innovative built-up multi-section columns and integrated shear panels.Read moreRead less
Offsite manufacture reimagined for high-performance adaptable housing. The project aims to address housing performance and affordability in Australia by deploying adaptable design for spatial reconfiguration and component reuse, to advance offsite timber manufacture towards energy efficient and healthy homes as mainstream practice. The intended outcome is the development, prototyping and monitoring of an offsite manufactured panelised lightweight timber system for high-performance homes, that is ....Offsite manufacture reimagined for high-performance adaptable housing. The project aims to address housing performance and affordability in Australia by deploying adaptable design for spatial reconfiguration and component reuse, to advance offsite timber manufacture towards energy efficient and healthy homes as mainstream practice. The intended outcome is the development, prototyping and monitoring of an offsite manufactured panelised lightweight timber system for high-performance homes, that is adaptable to all Australian climates and long-term household changes. This will contribute to the sustainable growth of the Australian housing market with significant benefits on housing affordability, adaptable design and long-lasting performance, while boosting the offsite manufactured timber construction sector.Read moreRead less
Understanding the performance of cold-formed steel frame wall systems in fires to design for superior fire resistance. This project will develop new light gauge steel frame (LSF) wall systems with superior fire resistance rating and associated design rules to enable innovative and safe applications of these wall systems in various building applications. This will enable expansion of the worldwide market for LSF wall systems by the industry partner.
Fire resistance of complex light gauge steel framed wall systems. This project aims to investigate the thermal and structural behaviour of high-strength Light gauge Steel Framed (LSF) wall systems when exposed to fire, and develop a generic model for predicting fire resistance levels of all LSF wall systems. Plasterboard-lined LSF walls are increasingly used as cost-effective load-bearing walls in low and mid-rise buildings worldwide. This has required new wall designs with complex steel stud wa ....Fire resistance of complex light gauge steel framed wall systems. This project aims to investigate the thermal and structural behaviour of high-strength Light gauge Steel Framed (LSF) wall systems when exposed to fire, and develop a generic model for predicting fire resistance levels of all LSF wall systems. Plasterboard-lined LSF walls are increasingly used as cost-effective load-bearing walls in low and mid-rise buildings worldwide. This has required new wall designs with complex steel stud wall configurations, but their fire resistance is not understood. This project will provide validated fire resistance data and fire design methods for a proposed national Fire Design Handbook and steel design codes, enabling more widespread, safer use of these walls. This will benefit the Australian steel industry, the construction industry and the community.
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Light steel roof and wall systems under combined wind and bushfire actions. The project aims to investigate the complex behaviour of light cold-formed-steel roof and wall systems involving localized failures under the combined action of wind and bushfire using wind suction tests at elevated temperatures combined with advanced numerical modelling. It will generate new knowledge of the behaviour and strength of cold-formed-steel roof and wall systems under bushfire conditions. Expected outcomes in ....Light steel roof and wall systems under combined wind and bushfire actions. The project aims to investigate the complex behaviour of light cold-formed-steel roof and wall systems involving localized failures under the combined action of wind and bushfire using wind suction tests at elevated temperatures combined with advanced numerical modelling. It will generate new knowledge of the behaviour and strength of cold-formed-steel roof and wall systems under bushfire conditions. Expected outcomes include new design models for wind, bushfire and cold-formed-steel Standards. This will significantly improve the bushfire safety of buildings, since non-combustible steel roof and wall systems are used as building envelopes in bushfire prone areas, but are not designed to withstand recently discovered bushfire-enhanced winds.Read moreRead less