Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This p ....Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This project aims to develop a set of rational guidelines for the testing, analysis and design of recycled plastic material and structural components that will enable the continued expansion of this technology, significantly reducing waste plastic.Read moreRead less
Reinforced crumbed rubber concrete for residential construction. Reinforced crumbed rubber concrete for residential construction. This project aims to use crumb rubber from used tyres to replace natural sand aggregate in concrete used in housing construction. Globally, very few of the millions of tyres discarded annually are recycled, while natural sand used in concrete is being depleted. This project intends to provide the tyre industry with a viable market for end of life tyres, and the premix ....Reinforced crumbed rubber concrete for residential construction. Reinforced crumbed rubber concrete for residential construction. This project aims to use crumb rubber from used tyres to replace natural sand aggregate in concrete used in housing construction. Globally, very few of the millions of tyres discarded annually are recycled, while natural sand used in concrete is being depleted. This project intends to provide the tyre industry with a viable market for end of life tyres, and the premix concrete industry with a “green” product for the residential construction market. Expected benefits include the increased use of a waste resource (used tyres), reduced use of a scarce natural resource (sand), and the development of an economic but green alternative concrete option for residential builders and owners.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100168
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional concrete printing facility. This project aims to develop concrete types of construction materials and structural forms. Three-dimensional concrete printing is a process for construction automation, and adapting recent advances in Additive Manufacturing technologies makes rapid progress possible. However, unsuitable concrete and structural designs and a lack of underpinning material and structural research hamper development. The project will test material properties, fabricatio ....Three-dimensional concrete printing facility. This project aims to develop concrete types of construction materials and structural forms. Three-dimensional concrete printing is a process for construction automation, and adapting recent advances in Additive Manufacturing technologies makes rapid progress possible. However, unsuitable concrete and structural designs and a lack of underpinning material and structural research hamper development. The project will test material properties, fabrication technologies and structural design concepts; and build and test freeform concrete structures. Achieving construction automation is expected to reduce injury rates by eliminating dangerous jobs, create high-end technology-based jobs, and make concrete construction cheaper by eliminating formwork.Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional printing of structures using fibre reinforced geopolymer concrete. This project aims to investigate geopolymer binders for cement. Three-dimensional printing using concrete can eliminate expensive formwork but is hampered by a lack of underpinning theoretical material and structural research. Conventional Portland cement’s setting characteristics limit its use for three-dimensional (3D) printing. The project will develop a theoretical framework for the structural properties of ....Three-dimensional printing of structures using fibre reinforced geopolymer concrete. This project aims to investigate geopolymer binders for cement. Three-dimensional printing using concrete can eliminate expensive formwork but is hampered by a lack of underpinning theoretical material and structural research. Conventional Portland cement’s setting characteristics limit its use for three-dimensional (3D) printing. The project will develop a theoretical framework for the structural properties of the 3D printed concrete and flow of geopolymer binder through aggregate bed, and design a fibre reinforcement system. This project is expected to improve construction, reduce injury rates and create high-end technology-based jobs.Read moreRead less
Additive manufacturing of functionally graded geopolymers. This project aims to use contour crafting for three-dimensional printing of functionally graded geopolymer concrete. Contour crafting has been touted for producing uniform structural members made of conventional concrete mixtures. This project will develop the existing technique to produce microstructurally graded geopolymer structures and include functionally graded placement of fibre within a geopolymer matrix. It will investigate mech ....Additive manufacturing of functionally graded geopolymers. This project aims to use contour crafting for three-dimensional printing of functionally graded geopolymer concrete. Contour crafting has been touted for producing uniform structural members made of conventional concrete mixtures. This project will develop the existing technique to produce microstructurally graded geopolymer structures and include functionally graded placement of fibre within a geopolymer matrix. It will investigate mechanical, thermal and durability properties of printed composite structures. The outcome of this research could lead to cost-effective automated production of specialised structural components.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101587
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,446.00
Summary
Three-dimensional printable geo-polymer with orientable fibres for construction application. This project aims to develop a fibre-reinforced geo-polymer for three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP). 3DCP allows freeform construction without the use of expensive formwork, but is limited by the range of printable concretes and reinforcing methods. Geo-polymer is a sustainable material and has adjustable setting characteristics and better fibre-matrix interface properties than conventional cemen ....Three-dimensional printable geo-polymer with orientable fibres for construction application. This project aims to develop a fibre-reinforced geo-polymer for three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP). 3DCP allows freeform construction without the use of expensive formwork, but is limited by the range of printable concretes and reinforcing methods. Geo-polymer is a sustainable material and has adjustable setting characteristics and better fibre-matrix interface properties than conventional cement. This project is expected to improve construction safety and costs.Read moreRead less