Efficient Strategies for Coordinating Autonomous Vehicles for Maximising Australia's Waterfront Productivity. This project will lift the productivity of container terminals by enabling the effective deployment of autonomous vehicles in large numbers. The project outcomes of practically deployable and scalable algorithms, realised as live software, will significantly enhance Patrick Stevedores Holdings' world leading technology and the potential of such automation systems to revolutionise materia ....Efficient Strategies for Coordinating Autonomous Vehicles for Maximising Australia's Waterfront Productivity. This project will lift the productivity of container terminals by enabling the effective deployment of autonomous vehicles in large numbers. The project outcomes of practically deployable and scalable algorithms, realised as live software, will significantly enhance Patrick Stevedores Holdings' world leading technology and the potential of such automation systems to revolutionise material handling around the globe. Beyond the benefits of technology commercialisation, the project will also benefit Australia economically through extending its leading role in developing autonomous systems for material handling, enhancing the frontier technologies for building Australian industries, and alleviating looming capacity constraints.Read moreRead less
Modelling and control of electromagnetically propelled arcs in joining processes. Magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) joining is a non-traditional manufacturing process for tubular steel components. Parameter selection and tuning have to date been experimentally determined via exhaustive trial-and-error techniques. Therefore the full capabilities of the process have not yet been realised. The project aims to model and optimise the complex process and thus facilitate the development of new a ....Modelling and control of electromagnetically propelled arcs in joining processes. Magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) joining is a non-traditional manufacturing process for tubular steel components. Parameter selection and tuning have to date been experimentally determined via exhaustive trial-and-error techniques. Therefore the full capabilities of the process have not yet been realised. The project aims to model and optimise the complex process and thus facilitate the development of new and effective control strategies. It is expected that novel power source designs will emerge as an outcome of the research proposed.Read moreRead less
Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and par ....Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and parameters to enhance the wear and fatigue performance of a series of high strength rail steels used in heavy haul railway lines. The outcomes of this project intend to be applied directly to the rail industry track producers and operators of high axle load rail systems to develop and improve their rail maintenance strategies.Read moreRead less
Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser claddin ....Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser cladding technology. Expected outcomes of this project are crucial for manufacturers and operators of railway networks to develop and improve their railway maintenance strategies. This should provide significant benefits, such as extending lives of rails and special track components, and reducing wheel squeal and flanging noise.Read moreRead less
An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies th ....An Intelligent Robotic System for Underwater Structure Maintenance. This project aims to build a theoretical and experimental foundation for developing robots for underwater structure maintenance in near surface and tidal environments where water current and wave action can be strong. A novel intelligent robotic system with multiple arms is planned to be developed. The project will address research challenges associated with perception, mapping, planning and control, and develop methodologies that enable the realisation of such robotic systems. The intended outcomes will contribute to marine robotics research and its industrial applications, and will improve productivity and occupational health and safety by replacing the humans needed to work in such hazardous environments.Read moreRead less
Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a hu ....Biologically inspired robotic system for steel bridge condition assessment. Australia has many thousands of steel bridges which form a key infrastructure supporting urban and rural communities. Periodic inspection is a vital undertaking that minimises risk of bridge failures and associated community impact. This project will develop a robotic inspection system capable of crawling over the structure, inspecting all areas, acquiring essential information and appropriately presenting these to a human operator to facilitate effective condition assessment. The project's outcomes will lay the foundation for the world-wide use of bio-inspired robots in civil infrastructure condition assessment, significantly increasing worker’ safety and greatly reducing the costs and improving the efficiency of the inspection process.Read moreRead less
High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint ....High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint drilling optimization analysis. Particular attention will be given to the manufacture of the drill point geometry. It is anticipated that the application software will enable the drill design, manufacture, performance and drilling conditions to be integrated.Read moreRead less
An innovative manufacturing technology enabling new generations of hip joint prostheses. The success of the present project will revolutionise the way we produce hip joint prostheses, resolve the critical issues caused by the wear of the hip joint bearing surfaces, and dramatically improve patients' life quality. The project will open an entirely new application field for the Australian made materials which have a very limited market so far. With the innovative technology and the new generations ....An innovative manufacturing technology enabling new generations of hip joint prostheses. The success of the present project will revolutionise the way we produce hip joint prostheses, resolve the critical issues caused by the wear of the hip joint bearing surfaces, and dramatically improve patients' life quality. The project will open an entirely new application field for the Australian made materials which have a very limited market so far. With the innovative technology and the new generations of hip joint prostheses, the international competitive edge of the Australian industry will be markedly sharpened. Patients, and the Australian economy, are expected to benefit greatly from successful developments in this project.Read moreRead less
Life-time Modelling of Industrial Products for Reuse. Product disposal responsibility has shifted from consumers to manufacturers. Re-use of components is the most efficient strategy for product recovery, which requires reliable methods for assessing the quality and remaining life of used components. The aim of this project is to develop a lifetime model to estimate the remaining life and quality of a used component. This will enable manufacturers to estimate the potential reusability of a compo ....Life-time Modelling of Industrial Products for Reuse. Product disposal responsibility has shifted from consumers to manufacturers. Re-use of components is the most efficient strategy for product recovery, which requires reliable methods for assessing the quality and remaining life of used components. The aim of this project is to develop a lifetime model to estimate the remaining life and quality of a used component. This will enable manufacturers to estimate the potential reusability of a component without going through costly and time consuming disassembly processes. In addition, the data from the lifetime monitoring process will provide information for improving the design and manufacture of environmentally friendly products.Read moreRead less
Mechanical Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes play important roles in the development of nanotechnology, a key technology in the twenty-first century. This project aims to establish the theories and techniques for characterizing the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. A novel method combining atomic analysis, predictive modeling and direct experimental quantification with atomic force microscopy will be used to achieve the objectives. The research will bring about new ....Mechanical Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes play important roles in the development of nanotechnology, a key technology in the twenty-first century. This project aims to establish the theories and techniques for characterizing the mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. A novel method combining atomic analysis, predictive modeling and direct experimental quantification with atomic force microscopy will be used to achieve the objectives. The research will bring about new nanomechanics theories, resolve the existing paradox in nanotube deformation and provide an effective measuring method under complex loading. The achievement will contribute to the knowledge of nanotechnology and help the industry for further technical development.Read moreRead less