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
Experimental and theoretical analysis of gas leakage rate through composite landfill covers due to geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that waste emissions contributed 3.1% of net national emissions in 2001 with methane emissions from landfills accounting for 92% of total methane emissions from the waste sector, despite an increase in methane recovered from solid waste. It pointed out that the recent changes in waste management practices did not have an impact on repo ....Experimental and theoretical analysis of gas leakage rate through composite landfill covers due to geomembrane defects. The Australian Greenhouse Office indicated that waste emissions contributed 3.1% of net national emissions in 2001 with methane emissions from landfills accounting for 92% of total methane emissions from the waste sector, despite an increase in methane recovered from solid waste. It pointed out that the recent changes in waste management practices did not have an impact on reported methane emission levels and there is need to undertake a range of activities to reduce emissions from waste management activities. This project will address specifically the above issue by providing a new method of analysis to predict gas leakage rate and allow engineers to propose solutions to mitigate gas escapes. Read moreRead less
Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical re ....Improved Landfill Barrier Design for Changing Climates. The proposed research project will develop advanced methods and guidelines for practising engineers for improved engineering and design of waste containment barrier systems, leading to improved protection of groundwater resources and the environment and sustainable development of the country. The project will contribute to the priority area of building an environmentally sustainable Australia with a specific focus on water as a critical resource.Read moreRead less
Evaluating potential static liquefaction of tailings to prevent failures. This project aims to reduce risk in the mining industry from failing mine tailings by producing a methodology for predicting the susceptibility of these tailings to static liquefaction. The impact of a mine tailing failure is catastrophic to the downstream community. The project brings together a number of industry partners committed to assisting with verification and adoption of characterisation and designed tools develop ....Evaluating potential static liquefaction of tailings to prevent failures. This project aims to reduce risk in the mining industry from failing mine tailings by producing a methodology for predicting the susceptibility of these tailings to static liquefaction. The impact of a mine tailing failure is catastrophic to the downstream community. The project brings together a number of industry partners committed to assisting with verification and adoption of characterisation and designed tools development in this project. This proposal will integrate results from laboratory element, centrifuge and calibration chamber tests with numerical modelling and in-situ tests to produce a methodology for predicting the susceptibility to static liquefaction.Read moreRead less
Preventing mining disasters: reducing the risk of tailings dam failure. This project aims to improve safety of tailings storage facilities (TSFs). Mineral processing produces waste called tailings, being mixtures of water and soil-sized particles. Tailings are stored on sites contained by embankments made from soil or a coarse component of tailings. Sections of the TSFs are partially saturated, have high concentrations of fine particles and physically change with age. Their resistance to earthqu ....Preventing mining disasters: reducing the risk of tailings dam failure. This project aims to improve safety of tailings storage facilities (TSFs). Mineral processing produces waste called tailings, being mixtures of water and soil-sized particles. Tailings are stored on sites contained by embankments made from soil or a coarse component of tailings. Sections of the TSFs are partially saturated, have high concentrations of fine particles and physically change with age. Their resistance to earthquake loading and liquefaction, and strength post-earthquake, arising from these properties are poorly understood and can not be quantified reliably so will be addressed here. Anticipated outcomes will be updated industry guidelines for the design and management of TSFs. Mines will benefit and failures will be prevented.Read moreRead less
Fatigue life and biodegradation of biomass waste composites in roads. This project aims to develop a new low-carbon pavement stabilisation technology by utilising biomass waste composites in road subgrades and bases. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of biomass composites in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected project outcomes include evaluating the long-term performance of this new road ....Fatigue life and biodegradation of biomass waste composites in roads. This project aims to develop a new low-carbon pavement stabilisation technology by utilising biomass waste composites in road subgrades and bases. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of biomass composites in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected project outcomes include evaluating the long-term performance of this new road construction material, developing predictive models and building enduring collaborations with industry. Benefits include: diversion of wastes from landfills, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for commercial applications of biomass waste composites in future roads.Read moreRead less
Harnessing renewable energy from low-carbon geothermal pavements. This project aims to investigate the extraction of renewable energy from new pavements constructed with low-carbon recycled demolition wastes. The proposed research will generate new knowledge on the thermo-geomechanical responses of pavements when harvesting heat energy under dynamic loads, using experimental and numerical approaches, including field trials. The outcomes and benefits will include strategic long-term collaboration ....Harnessing renewable energy from low-carbon geothermal pavements. This project aims to investigate the extraction of renewable energy from new pavements constructed with low-carbon recycled demolition wastes. The proposed research will generate new knowledge on the thermo-geomechanical responses of pavements when harvesting heat energy under dynamic loads, using experimental and numerical approaches, including field trials. The outcomes and benefits will include strategic long-term collaboration with industry to develop ‘Geothermal Pavements’, with potential for commercial applications. The translation of this research will contribute to meeting future energy needs, while significantly reducing carbon emissions and diverting demolition wastes from landfills.Read moreRead less
Biocementation of recycled sand and demolition wastes for pavements. This project aims to develop biocements with recycled sand and demolition wastes as road construction materials. The usage of these low-carbon waste materials in pavement projects can significantly reduce carbon emissions and costs. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of recycled wastes in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expect ....Biocementation of recycled sand and demolition wastes for pavements. This project aims to develop biocements with recycled sand and demolition wastes as road construction materials. The usage of these low-carbon waste materials in pavement projects can significantly reduce carbon emissions and costs. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of recycled wastes in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected outcomes include evaluating and modelling the performance of biocements and demolition materials in roads, and building enduring collaborations with industry. Benefits include: diversion of wastes from landfills, reduction in carbon emissions and the potential commercialisation of recycled wastes for road projects.Read moreRead less
Multi-scale modeling of transport through deformable porous materials. Understanding solute transport through porous materials is essential because it provides a technical basis for answering many important questions in society today-how can humans avoid 'brittle bones', how to design durable infrastructure, how to safely store wastes (e.g. hazardous and municipal). Solution of each of these problems requires innovation in model development, new method of analysis, and insightful interpretation ....Multi-scale modeling of transport through deformable porous materials. Understanding solute transport through porous materials is essential because it provides a technical basis for answering many important questions in society today-how can humans avoid 'brittle bones', how to design durable infrastructure, how to safely store wastes (e.g. hazardous and municipal). Solution of each of these problems requires innovation in model development, new method of analysis, and insightful interpretation of results. While theoretical developments of this project are general, in the sense that they are not restricted to particular engineering disciplines, the four chosen applications closely align with two major research priorities namely An Environmental Sustainable Australia and Promoting and Maintaining Good Health.Read moreRead less
The Role of Energy Absorbing Rubber Grid on Ballast Track Performance. Breakage and excessive displacement of ballast lead to instability and regular maintenance of railways. The project aims to study the fundamental mechanics of ballast aggregates interacting with the apertures of recycled-Rubber Energy Absorbing Grids (REAG). The role of REAG on enhanced track performance by damping the cyclic wheel loading and impact will be quantified via rigorous mathematical methods complementing a compute ....The Role of Energy Absorbing Rubber Grid on Ballast Track Performance. Breakage and excessive displacement of ballast lead to instability and regular maintenance of railways. The project aims to study the fundamental mechanics of ballast aggregates interacting with the apertures of recycled-Rubber Energy Absorbing Grids (REAG). The role of REAG on enhanced track performance by damping the cyclic wheel loading and impact will be quantified via rigorous mathematical methods complementing a computer-based numerical model and validated by laboratory & field data. When placed within the rail substructure REAG will enable reduced ballast movement and breakage while attenuating noise/vibration. The research outputs will facilitate improved rail track design enabling enhanced longevity and reduced cost of maintenance.Read moreRead less