Development of large scale expansion tubes. The aim of this proposal is to develop a high Mach number scramjet simulation capability by modifying the X3 superorbital expansion tube at UQ for high suborbital operation at very high total pressures. This will enable Australia to do true Mach number simulation at higher speeds than is possible anywhere else, and mantain an international advantage in the development of scramjet flight propulsion. It will also put Australian researchers in a strong p ....Development of large scale expansion tubes. The aim of this proposal is to develop a high Mach number scramjet simulation capability by modifying the X3 superorbital expansion tube at UQ for high suborbital operation at very high total pressures. This will enable Australia to do true Mach number simulation at higher speeds than is possible anywhere else, and mantain an international advantage in the development of scramjet flight propulsion. It will also put Australian researchers in a strong position to participate in the next generation of US ground testing facilities, foreshadowed by the recent NASA purchase of a large shock tunnel driver. It will enable Australia to maintain a position of leadership in the development of new space travel concepts.Read moreRead less
Space development of the HDLT Australian Plasma Thruster. The collaboration between the ANU research group and ASTRIUM/EADS, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the for-runners of this new technology.
ANU will have direct access to ASTRIUM ....Space development of the HDLT Australian Plasma Thruster. The collaboration between the ANU research group and ASTRIUM/EADS, the largest European aerospace company, is a unique opportunity for Australia to capitalize on the new discovery of the Helicon Double Layer Thruster made at the ANU. This will allow the Australian space community to stay abreast of international developments in space propulsion and to be with the for-runners of this new technology.
ANU will have direct access to ASTRIUM/EADS via the relationships developed in this project putting Australia in the enviable position of being an insider in future space developments concerning plasma thrusters and space technology in general.Read moreRead less
Revival of silicon solar cells for space applications. Development of very thin silicon solar cells for space applications. These space cells will include many of the significant improvements in silicon cells of the last 20 years, which have allowed close to the maximum possible efficiencies and the order of magnitude decrease in cost of terrestrial solar cells. Space cells require good radiation resistance to give good end of life performance. This project will use photovoltaic architectures, p ....Revival of silicon solar cells for space applications. Development of very thin silicon solar cells for space applications. These space cells will include many of the significant improvements in silicon cells of the last 20 years, which have allowed close to the maximum possible efficiencies and the order of magnitude decrease in cost of terrestrial solar cells. Space cells require good radiation resistance to give good end of life performance. This project will use photovoltaic architectures, proven to give high performance for terrestrial cells, to develop ultrathin silicon cells with extreme light trapping and improved radiation tolerance to give high beginning and end of life efficiencies. These cells will be less than 5% of the cost of multijunction cells currently used in space.Read moreRead less
Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expecte ....Electron Transpiration Cooling of Hypersonic Vehicles. Future aircraft for flight at hypersonic speeds require sharp leading edges for the best aerodynamic performance. Sharp leading edges incur high heat loads and cannot be adequately cooled with current technologies. The project aim is to investigate novel surface materials that emit electrons when heated. This emission of electrons from the surface can significantly contribute to the cooling of the sharp leading edges. This project is expected to deliver new experimental data on novel surface materials exposed to a hypersonic flow environment and computer models that can simulate their cooling effect. This investigation will contribute towards enabling technologies for sustained hypersonic flight by overcoming critical head load limitations.Read moreRead less
Precise Atmospheric Density Correction Model Using Space Tracking Data for Accurate Debris Surveillance and Collision Warning. Our project will build new atmospheric density correction models (ADCMs) for accurate prediction of debris object and satellite orbits. This research will have tremendous impacts on realizing unaided debris laser ranging. An order of magnitude accuracy improvement to the ADCMs will lead to a significant breakthrough in space object tracking. The benefits of this research ....Precise Atmospheric Density Correction Model Using Space Tracking Data for Accurate Debris Surveillance and Collision Warning. Our project will build new atmospheric density correction models (ADCMs) for accurate prediction of debris object and satellite orbits. This research will have tremendous impacts on realizing unaided debris laser ranging. An order of magnitude accuracy improvement to the ADCMs will lead to a significant breakthrough in space object tracking. The benefits of this research are: it will put Australia in a leading position in the world on ADCM study; to maintain Australia's leading role in space surveillance and greatly enhanced operational capability & efficiency of Australian space tracking systems; and to contribute significantly to the space environment info management, e.g. accurate collision warning and space junk tracking.Read moreRead less
Wind Tunnel Testing of a Hypersonic Plasma Engine. This project intends to evaluate an electric engine that is capable of speeds in excess of 10000 km/hr, for access to space and responsive surveillance in our region. The expertise of Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Australia, the University of Qld and DST Group are to be combined to complete experimental and theoretical evaluations of an air-breathing plasma engine that is capable of out-performing rockets and scramjets. US Air Force Research ....Wind Tunnel Testing of a Hypersonic Plasma Engine. This project intends to evaluate an electric engine that is capable of speeds in excess of 10000 km/hr, for access to space and responsive surveillance in our region. The expertise of Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Australia, the University of Qld and DST Group are to be combined to complete experimental and theoretical evaluations of an air-breathing plasma engine that is capable of out-performing rockets and scramjets. US Air Force Research Laboratory results will also be compared and shared. This project provides opportunities for young Australian researchers to be participate and lead an exciting new field of propulsion. It is anticipated that the program will be the foundations to future flight demonstrations from Woomera, Australia.Read moreRead less
Behavioural responses to transport congestion: peak spreading and the more efficient usage of transport infrastructure. Transport networks in cities such as Sydney are at or near capacity. It is no longer socially, environmentally or financially sustainable to continue supplying additional transport infrastructure to meet increased demand. An alternative is to make better use of existing infrastructure by spreading demand more evenly across the day. This project will test behavioural responses t ....Behavioural responses to transport congestion: peak spreading and the more efficient usage of transport infrastructure. Transport networks in cities such as Sydney are at or near capacity. It is no longer socially, environmentally or financially sustainable to continue supplying additional transport infrastructure to meet increased demand. An alternative is to make better use of existing infrastructure by spreading demand more evenly across the day. This project will test behavioural responses to increased congestion and quantify the phenomenon of peak spreading. It will assess economic costs and benefits of using congestion as a signal to encourage more efficient network usage, and examine other tools (e.g. time-based transport pricing) to encourage more efficient use of transport infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Multidimensional evaluation of the overall benefits of voluntary travel behaviour change programs. Voluntary Travel Behaviour Programs (VTBC) offer considerable promise for the management of traffic congestion and reduction in greenhouse gas and air quality emissions from road transport. Research to date has identified two outstanding issues: (1) measurement and evaluation of actual behaviour change and (2) identification of the full benefits and impacts of VTBC. Empirical studies indicate that ....Multidimensional evaluation of the overall benefits of voluntary travel behaviour change programs. Voluntary Travel Behaviour Programs (VTBC) offer considerable promise for the management of traffic congestion and reduction in greenhouse gas and air quality emissions from road transport. Research to date has identified two outstanding issues: (1) measurement and evaluation of actual behaviour change and (2) identification of the full benefits and impacts of VTBC. Empirical studies indicate that many of the benefits fall outside the transport area, including a wide range of socio-economic benefits to individuals and the community. This project will develop a survey tool for assessing benefits and impacts of VTBC within a properly designed and tested evaluation framework.Read moreRead less
Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Tra ....Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Travel (AT). There is an opportunity to promote AT as part of an integrated transport strategy, and to develop tools for the robust evaluation of AT impacts to inform future investment strategies. This proposal will provide our partner organisation Transport for New South Wales (with the knowledge required to achieve this.
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Combining mathematical programming and constraint programming to solve large-scale integrated scheduling problems. This project will target major savings in the airline industry, with resulting benefits for others such as tourism. The efficient use of airline fuel, which will be directly addressed in the project, is very important for the environment. The algorithms developed can improve cost and quality of service for Australian transportation, manufacturing and other industries.
The solut ....Combining mathematical programming and constraint programming to solve large-scale integrated scheduling problems. This project will target major savings in the airline industry, with resulting benefits for others such as tourism. The efficient use of airline fuel, which will be directly addressed in the project, is very important for the environment. The algorithms developed can improve cost and quality of service for Australian transportation, manufacturing and other industries.
The solutions developed within the project will be sold by the industrial partner, CTI, into major companies worldwide, and the technology will be used to develop further products.
Finally the project will extend Australia's lead in constraint programming and expertise in optimisation. This creates a major opportunity for the Australian software industry.
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