The behaviour and design of composite columns coupling the benefits of high strength steel and high strength concrete for large scale infrastructure. This project will involve the development of a novel structural column system which will be more efficient, robust and require less maintenance than current systems. The outcomes will involve improved design methodologies which will enable large scale infrastructure to be enhanced and will involve the use of materials which improve sustainability.
Adaptive Base Isolation using Innovative Magnetorheological Elastomers. Base isolation is of great importance for the safety of infrastructure, such as hospitals, bridges and nuclear power plants. Utilisation of a traditional passive base isolator makes the base isolation system vulnerable and susceptible to unexpected/extreme dynamic loadings, such as earthquakes. This project aims to address this critical issue through the development of a novel adaptive seismic isolator working with an innova ....Adaptive Base Isolation using Innovative Magnetorheological Elastomers. Base isolation is of great importance for the safety of infrastructure, such as hospitals, bridges and nuclear power plants. Utilisation of a traditional passive base isolator makes the base isolation system vulnerable and susceptible to unexpected/extreme dynamic loadings, such as earthquakes. This project aims to address this critical issue through the development of a novel adaptive seismic isolator working with an innovative stiffness softening magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). This research represents a fundamental step towards the understanding of MRE behaviour and is expected to be the breakthrough for the development of a future smart base isolation system.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100289
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Structural design and distributed fabrication of folded sandwich structures. This project intends to develop a new type of modular structural form that retains the streamlined construction of existing prefabricated systems, but can be rapidly fabricated in non-specialist and low-cost manufacturing plants. ‘Folded sandwich structures’ are part of the emerging field of origami-inspired engineering design. This project intends to conduct numerical, experimental and theoretical structural analysis a ....Structural design and distributed fabrication of folded sandwich structures. This project intends to develop a new type of modular structural form that retains the streamlined construction of existing prefabricated systems, but can be rapidly fabricated in non-specialist and low-cost manufacturing plants. ‘Folded sandwich structures’ are part of the emerging field of origami-inspired engineering design. This project intends to conduct numerical, experimental and theoretical structural analysis and optimisation on plate and shell building components. Such a system would enable the establishment of a distributed local manufacturing network, for example to provide the short-term infrastructure needs of regions affected by natural disaster.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100101
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$744,697.00
Summary
New generation facility for impact testing. This project aims to develop a new generation, national-impact testing facility to study the impact response of civil and mechanical structures and components. This project expects to seek simultaneous, realistic impact scenarios with very high velocities, which were previously impossible. This will enhance the capability for innovative research on real-time behaviour of components/systems under high amplitude impacts to augment their protection throug ....New generation facility for impact testing. This project aims to develop a new generation, national-impact testing facility to study the impact response of civil and mechanical structures and components. This project expects to seek simultaneous, realistic impact scenarios with very high velocities, which were previously impossible. This will enhance the capability for innovative research on real-time behaviour of components/systems under high amplitude impacts to augment their protection through advanced materials. This project is essential for research on rational design philosophies and effective retrofitting of high-risk buildings, infrastructure and armoured vehicles. Benefits include the saving of lives and property through new knowledge from credible impact testing.Read moreRead less
Development of thin bed concrete masonry structural walls. Masonry is one of the most well regarded construction systems for low and medium rise buildings, but requires skilled labour. The current skills shortage incurs project delays, leading to direct and indirect costs to the Australian community. Thin bed technology for concrete masonry will utilise special blocks and binders for easy adoption by unskilled labour, without compromising personal safety or structural integrity. As thin bed wal ....Development of thin bed concrete masonry structural walls. Masonry is one of the most well regarded construction systems for low and medium rise buildings, but requires skilled labour. The current skills shortage incurs project delays, leading to direct and indirect costs to the Australian community. Thin bed technology for concrete masonry will utilise special blocks and binders for easy adoption by unskilled labour, without compromising personal safety or structural integrity. As thin bed walls require less volume of cement reduced binders, the technology will also lead to reduced carbon emission. Thus, this project addresses two of Australia's greatest challenges: environmental degradation and our critical skills shortage.Read moreRead less
An innovative light weight composite panel system for high speed modular construction. This project aims to develop an innovative composite panel system using aerated geopolymer and a thin high strength steel casing. The new panel system aims to have a number of significant enhancements compared to traditional panels in terms of load resistance, much lower carbon footprint and life-cycle costs. It aims to offer desirable properties, such as being light-weight, easy to construct, economical, recy ....An innovative light weight composite panel system for high speed modular construction. This project aims to develop an innovative composite panel system using aerated geopolymer and a thin high strength steel casing. The new panel system aims to have a number of significant enhancements compared to traditional panels in terms of load resistance, much lower carbon footprint and life-cycle costs. It aims to offer desirable properties, such as being light-weight, easy to construct, economical, recyclable and reusable. A significant gap in knowledge exists in the material and system behaviour of the aerated geopolymer and its fire performance. It is intended that a comprehensive research program will be carried out to address those challenges and to provide design guidelines to rapidly progress these technologies in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101913
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Free-forming and function-integrated composite structures for future green building construction. The free expression of structure in space is a constant pursuit for architects while being a complex task for engineers. Fibre-reinforced polymer sandwiches provide an ideal way to address this challenge. This project aims to develop a novel free-forming system using such elements and explore their thermal-energy-light multifunctional integration.
Concrete Enriched with Carbon Nanotubes for Advanced Future Construction. This project aims to develop an advanced construction material based on enrichment of concrete with carbon nanotubes (CNT). Concrete, the most consumed construction material globally, is brittle and needs embedded steel reinforcement. Concrete enriched with CNT, one of the strongest known fibres, may partially replace conventional bulky and heavier steel reinforcement thereby creating economies (e.g. thinner section sizes) ....Concrete Enriched with Carbon Nanotubes for Advanced Future Construction. This project aims to develop an advanced construction material based on enrichment of concrete with carbon nanotubes (CNT). Concrete, the most consumed construction material globally, is brittle and needs embedded steel reinforcement. Concrete enriched with CNT, one of the strongest known fibres, may partially replace conventional bulky and heavier steel reinforcement thereby creating economies (e.g. thinner section sizes), and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by expending less steel and cement for construction. This project extends earlier research by the research team and aims to transform cement-CNT pastes into construction-scale concrete by resolving uncertainties associated with scaling.Read moreRead less
Fibre-Reinforced Timber for Novel Hybrid Folded Thin-Walled Structures. This project proposes novel manufacture and analysis methods for fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) hybrid sections. FRP composites have gained wide acceptance within the civil engineering community. All-FRP systems typically use thin-walled profiles based on steel sections, but existing manufacturing technologies are unable to optimise material usage. Hybrid systems combine FRP with traditional materials for optimum structural ....Fibre-Reinforced Timber for Novel Hybrid Folded Thin-Walled Structures. This project proposes novel manufacture and analysis methods for fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) hybrid sections. FRP composites have gained wide acceptance within the civil engineering community. All-FRP systems typically use thin-walled profiles based on steel sections, but existing manufacturing technologies are unable to optimise material usage. Hybrid systems combine FRP with traditional materials for optimum structural performance and so are often more economical than all-FRP systems. This project aims to develop an effective way to analyse, manufacture, and design FRP-based hybrid thin-walled structural members and optimise performance against buckling failure modes. The technology developed in this project would support the development of advanced low-cost FRP structural systems.Read moreRead less
Rotation Capacity of Joints in SFRC Moment Resisting Beams and Frames. In January 2014 the draft Australian Standard for the design of concrete bridges was released; this is the first standard in Australia, and one of the first in the world, to include design procedures for steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) in a comprehensive way. While rules have been introduced for flexure and shear, strict limitations are placed on application where large plastic rotations are expected. This study invest ....Rotation Capacity of Joints in SFRC Moment Resisting Beams and Frames. In January 2014 the draft Australian Standard for the design of concrete bridges was released; this is the first standard in Australia, and one of the first in the world, to include design procedures for steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) in a comprehensive way. While rules have been introduced for flexure and shear, strict limitations are placed on application where large plastic rotations are expected. This study investigates the moment-rotation performance of SFRC beam-column connections containing economical fibre dosages. The study is expected to provide data on the post-ultimate behaviour and robustness of SFRC moment hinges and determine moment-rotation relations for adoption by engineers and Standards bodies.Read moreRead less