FRACTURE OF STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE: MODES I & II. In 2000-2001 Australia spent 17.5 billon dollars on heavy engineering infrastructure development (3% of its gross domestic product). As this infrastructure ages costs of repairs and maintenance magnifies. Conventional structural concrete can significantly deteriorate with time requiring regular and often costly maintenance. This research goes to the development of a class of "super" concretes with very high strengths and with excellent d ....FRACTURE OF STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE: MODES I & II. In 2000-2001 Australia spent 17.5 billon dollars on heavy engineering infrastructure development (3% of its gross domestic product). As this infrastructure ages costs of repairs and maintenance magnifies. Conventional structural concrete can significantly deteriorate with time requiring regular and often costly maintenance. This research goes to the development of a class of "super" concretes with very high strengths and with excellent durability properties. With improved understanding of fracture and fracture processes with these materials, new models can be developed to represent the behaviour of structural elements fabricated with this "super" class of concretes and speed their implementation into Australian construction practice.Read moreRead less
DEBONDING FAILURE IN CFRP STRENGTHENED CONCRETE STRUCTURES. In 1999-2000 Australia spent $19 billion on civil engineering infrastructure renewal (3% of the country's GDP). The repair of damaged structures and strengthening of existing structures has become a research priority to maximise the life of aging infrastructure. A method that shows particular promise is the use of CFRP technology to retrofit structures. The repair technology, however, requires development and questions remain as to bond ....DEBONDING FAILURE IN CFRP STRENGTHENED CONCRETE STRUCTURES. In 1999-2000 Australia spent $19 billion on civil engineering infrastructure renewal (3% of the country's GDP). The repair of damaged structures and strengthening of existing structures has become a research priority to maximise the life of aging infrastructure. A method that shows particular promise is the use of CFRP technology to retrofit structures. The repair technology, however, requires development and questions remain as to bonding mechanics and debonding strength of the repair material from the structure. This research will provide high quality experimental data and will develop a rational analytical model for debonding between CFRP plates from the parent concrete.Read moreRead less
Retrofit of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Connections with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites. Effective retrofitting of structurally deficient reinforced concrete structures with fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) will improve the safety of Australian infrastructure resulting in both social and economic benefits. Avoidance of structure collapse by retrofitting will provide obvious social benefits and minimisation of infrastructure damage will provide economic benefits to both the public ....Retrofit of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Connections with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites. Effective retrofitting of structurally deficient reinforced concrete structures with fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) will improve the safety of Australian infrastructure resulting in both social and economic benefits. Avoidance of structure collapse by retrofitting will provide obvious social benefits and minimisation of infrastructure damage will provide economic benefits to both the public and private sector. Engineering confidence in designing FRP retrofitting measures will also be enhanced. Local engineering expert knowledge in retrofitting will be a valuable technology to export to our seismically vulnerable international neighbours thus creating revenue and establishing Australia as a world leader in the retrofitting field.Read moreRead less
High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators wi ....High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators will apply their extensive knowledge in thin-walled tubular structures to establish the most economical means of designing high strength bollards. This knowledge will be transferred into design standards and Australia's limited defence resources.Read moreRead less