Fundamental theoretical investigation of the chemomechanical properties of clays. Australia faces significant environmental challenges, one of the most important being soil degradation. The aim of this project is to develop new and state-of-the art mathematical models describing the behaviour of clays in soils. This proposal addresses five fundamental problems in clay soil behaviour that have so far remained unanswered. The primary outcomes of this project will be new theoretical insights into t ....Fundamental theoretical investigation of the chemomechanical properties of clays. Australia faces significant environmental challenges, one of the most important being soil degradation. The aim of this project is to develop new and state-of-the art mathematical models describing the behaviour of clays in soils. This proposal addresses five fundamental problems in clay soil behaviour that have so far remained unanswered. The primary outcomes of this project will be new theoretical insights into the chemomechanical properties of clay soils, so providing the understanding required to intelligently engineer and manage our natural and built environments.Read moreRead less
Economical Offshore Foundation for Deep Water - Suction Embedded Plate Anchor. The oil/gas industry's venture in finding large resources in deep water has lead to a number of important economic and technical challenges including, among others, new types of foundations. Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPA) has shown its potential of cost-saving against other types of foundations in deep waters. The aim of this project is to use the experties of investigators, on numerical and centrifuge modelling ....Economical Offshore Foundation for Deep Water - Suction Embedded Plate Anchor. The oil/gas industry's venture in finding large resources in deep water has lead to a number of important economic and technical challenges including, among others, new types of foundations. Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPA) has shown its potential of cost-saving against other types of foundations in deep waters. The aim of this project is to use the experties of investigators, on numerical and centrifuge modelling, to study the behaviour of SEPA in sub-marine deposit. Successful completing of the project will contribute to the very little existing data on this new type of foundation - SEPA.Read moreRead less
Design of Offshore Foundations with Large Penetration into Multilayered Soils. The outcomes of this research will allow safer and more efficient extraction of oil and gas in Australian waters. Offshore oil and gas development is a key Australian industry, annually contributing over A$21 billion to the economy, and underpinning much of our prosperity. The new numerical models and design guidelines will allow rigs and platforms to operate more safely and efficiently in our challenging seabed condi ....Design of Offshore Foundations with Large Penetration into Multilayered Soils. The outcomes of this research will allow safer and more efficient extraction of oil and gas in Australian waters. Offshore oil and gas development is a key Australian industry, annually contributing over A$21 billion to the economy, and underpinning much of our prosperity. The new numerical models and design guidelines will allow rigs and platforms to operate more safely and efficiently in our challenging seabed conditions, contributing to the future competitiveness of our oil and gas industry, and securing energy supplies for sustained growth of our economy. The project will advance Australia's leadership in the science of offshore geotechnical engineering and foster research training opportunities for future engineering leaders.Read moreRead less
Sustainable usage of dredged clay materials as land reclamation fills. Millions of cubic metres of dredged materials are removed from river and sea beds every year in dredging projects. It is common to dump a significant portion of the dredged spoils into the sea which can result in serious environmental problems such as deterioration of water quality, damage to aquatic habitats, disruption of ecosystems and dispersion of fine clay particles in seawater. The proposed use of dredged clays as land ....Sustainable usage of dredged clay materials as land reclamation fills. Millions of cubic metres of dredged materials are removed from river and sea beds every year in dredging projects. It is common to dump a significant portion of the dredged spoils into the sea which can result in serious environmental problems such as deterioration of water quality, damage to aquatic habitats, disruption of ecosystems and dispersion of fine clay particles in seawater. The proposed use of dredged clays as land reclamation fill will lead to a substantial reduction in or even eliminate the need for dumping dredged clays into offshore dumping locations. The stabilized dredged clays have great potential if their geotechnical characteristics are adequately understood.Read moreRead less
Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a po ....Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a potential new site-investigation procedure and develop an appropriate calculation method for predicting failures for sites where sand overlies clay. Results will be based on a series of innovative physical and numerical experiments, and assessed against field data and existing industry standards.Read moreRead less
Modelling of shrinkage crack development in porous media. Australia has interesting land formations comprising various reactive soils and rock. The formation of cracking patterns due to material shrinkage during either drying or cooling has a significant influence on their origin and subsequent behaviour. The shrinkage cracks significantly affect the performance of buildings, roads and buried pipelines. The possibility of their formation is important in many engineering designs, ranging from ....Modelling of shrinkage crack development in porous media. Australia has interesting land formations comprising various reactive soils and rock. The formation of cracking patterns due to material shrinkage during either drying or cooling has a significant influence on their origin and subsequent behaviour. The shrinkage cracks significantly affect the performance of buildings, roads and buried pipelines. The possibility of their formation is important in many engineering designs, ranging from few millimetres thick material film to hundreds of metres long clay barriers used in hazardous waste landfills. Despite their wide-spread significance, quantitative methods to predict the crack formation and interpretation are not yet available, and this project will provide a solution to this problem. Read moreRead less