High performance drying of plantation grown eucalypt timber. Forest industries generate $14 billion annually in Australia and employs 86,000 staff. Hardwood sawn timber is a value added product and microwave technology will increase returns due to more improved timber utilization and better profit margins due to more efficient processing and reduced drying degrade. At the forefront the development of clean, high-tech microwave drying technology and equipment, that is invented in Australia, will ....High performance drying of plantation grown eucalypt timber. Forest industries generate $14 billion annually in Australia and employs 86,000 staff. Hardwood sawn timber is a value added product and microwave technology will increase returns due to more improved timber utilization and better profit margins due to more efficient processing and reduced drying degrade. At the forefront the development of clean, high-tech microwave drying technology and equipment, that is invented in Australia, will allow Australian companies to be forefront in this industrial area, to sell licences, designs, project management and equipment on international markets. This initiative will value-add plantation forests, reduce oil consumption and sequester CO2 in high value products.Read moreRead less
Cellulosic and paper-based biosensors for blood analysis. Testing the blood compatibility of an Australian evacuated for surgery; measuring the iron content from India for anemia treatment; identifying the outbreak of malaria in Pakistan; measuring prostate specific antigen/blood screening in your home. These are novel applications for paper biosensors, which will improve health and create new jobs in Australia.
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs - Grant ID: IH130100016
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,633,554.00
Summary
ARC Research Hub for BioProcessing Advanced Manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for BioProcessing Advanced Manufacturing. The aim of the Research Hub is to develop functional materials to maximize the value of forest resources; and green chemistry and energy solutions for bioprocessing industries. Lignocellulosic streams will be converted into a complement of marketable materials, chemicals and energy products. Examples include new polymers and composites, smart packaging, chemical intermediates, fu ....ARC Research Hub for BioProcessing Advanced Manufacturing. ARC Research Hub for BioProcessing Advanced Manufacturing. The aim of the Research Hub is to develop functional materials to maximize the value of forest resources; and green chemistry and energy solutions for bioprocessing industries. Lignocellulosic streams will be converted into a complement of marketable materials, chemicals and energy products. Examples include new polymers and composites, smart packaging, chemical intermediates, fuel, green energy and nanocellulose and cellulosic fibre applications. These will drive advances in chemical engineering, materials and green chemistry for the full conversion of lignocellulosics. The Hub will complement research developments with short courses and a problem-based Masters in BioProcess Engineering to keep industry workers up to date with evolving science and technology.Read moreRead less
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
Final frontier in computational modelling of movement. This project aims to create the computational models and methods needed to advance current understanding of musculoskeletal function during movement. Humans must maintain their capacity to move in order to maintain quality-of-life. Predictive modelling is potentially the most powerful approach for understanding musculoskeletal function during movement. Current computational methods are too slow and unreliable to deliver predictive simulation ....Final frontier in computational modelling of movement. This project aims to create the computational models and methods needed to advance current understanding of musculoskeletal function during movement. Humans must maintain their capacity to move in order to maintain quality-of-life. Predictive modelling is potentially the most powerful approach for understanding musculoskeletal function during movement. Current computational methods are too slow and unreliable to deliver predictive simulations of movement using realistic models of muscle and joint anatomy. This project expects to create the next generation of methods and algorithms needed to enable predictive modelling of movement. Predictive simulations will provide new insights into how muscles stabilise and control movements of the spine, pelvis and lower limbs during daily activities such as walking.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
Accurate Prediction of Safe Life of Buried Pipelines. Failures of buried pipes are disastrous, causing severe consequences and disruptions. They often reoccur because the fundamental cause-effect relation for pipe failures has not been fully understood and hence the safe life of pipelines cannot be reliably predicted. The aim of this research is to develop a new theory to predict pipe failures, based on a fundamental analysis of pipe behaviour and failure mechanisms and a reliability approach. T ....Accurate Prediction of Safe Life of Buried Pipelines. Failures of buried pipes are disastrous, causing severe consequences and disruptions. They often reoccur because the fundamental cause-effect relation for pipe failures has not been fully understood and hence the safe life of pipelines cannot be reliably predicted. The aim of this research is to develop a new theory to predict pipe failures, based on a fundamental analysis of pipe behaviour and failure mechanisms and a reliability approach. The outcomes will be a suite of models and solutions that will advance knowledge in deterioration science and failure theory. They will provide a sustainable solution to the intelligent management of buried pipelines throughout the world.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0228900
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$603,000.00
Summary
Testing facility for heavily loaded bridge and barrier systems. Government and industry are increasing truck masses from current single articulated 42.5 tonne trucks to 160 tonne multi-bogie trucks. This will provide Australia with over $1 billion of potential benefits and an efficient and competitive transport industry. To capture these benefits and further progress Australia's economy, considerable collaborative research on a number of fronts must be carried out investigating how bridges and b ....Testing facility for heavily loaded bridge and barrier systems. Government and industry are increasing truck masses from current single articulated 42.5 tonne trucks to 160 tonne multi-bogie trucks. This will provide Australia with over $1 billion of potential benefits and an efficient and competitive transport industry. To capture these benefits and further progress Australia's economy, considerable collaborative research on a number of fronts must be carried out investigating how bridges and barriers can perform safely when subjected to very heavy traffic and impact loads under laboratory and typical service conditions. This application seeks funds for establishing a unique hi-tech testing facility in Australia vital for advancing such infrastructure technology.Read moreRead less