Developing innovative concrete composites by upscaling material properties. This project aims to develop an upscaling process to correlate micro-nano properties of engineering materials to their comprehensive physicochemical properties based on systematic mechanical and statistical analysis approaches and nanoindentation technology. The process will enable assessing material mechanical and viscoelastic properties at a microscale level thus will generate a new knowledge in structural engineering ....Developing innovative concrete composites by upscaling material properties. This project aims to develop an upscaling process to correlate micro-nano properties of engineering materials to their comprehensive physicochemical properties based on systematic mechanical and statistical analysis approaches and nanoindentation technology. The process will enable assessing material mechanical and viscoelastic properties at a microscale level thus will generate a new knowledge in structural engineering discipline including health monitoring, assessment of existing structures, historical buildings, and strengthening and repairing materials in structures. The outcomes are a multiscale link model for upscaling material properties and a development of innovative reinforced concrete composites which are cost-effective and efficient.Read moreRead less
Design Optimisation and Advanced Manufacturing of Structural Connections. This project aims to establish a new approach to designing and fabricating complex connections in spatial structures by taking advantage of latest technologies in topological optimisation and additive manufacturing. The project intends to develop new optimisation algorithms considering special constraints of additive manufacturing and to determine a cost-effective process for fabricating large metal connections. Expected o ....Design Optimisation and Advanced Manufacturing of Structural Connections. This project aims to establish a new approach to designing and fabricating complex connections in spatial structures by taking advantage of latest technologies in topological optimisation and additive manufacturing. The project intends to develop new optimisation algorithms considering special constraints of additive manufacturing and to determine a cost-effective process for fabricating large metal connections. Expected outcomes of the project include a new methodology and an advanced digital design tool, validated by experiments, for designing and fabricating efficient structural components. This should provide significant benefits to the construction industry in terms of performance enhancement, weight reduction and waste minimisation.Read moreRead less
Performance based assessment of building cladding against hailstorms. Hailstorms cause billions of dollars of damage in Australia and hailstorm events are increasing in frequency with climate change. Robust cladding to resist extreme weather events is imperative for new and existing building stock. This project will develop technology to accurately assess the performance of aluminium cladding, glass facades and skylights under severe hailstorm events. The research outcomes will enable cost-effec ....Performance based assessment of building cladding against hailstorms. Hailstorms cause billions of dollars of damage in Australia and hailstorm events are increasing in frequency with climate change. Robust cladding to resist extreme weather events is imperative for new and existing building stock. This project will develop technology to accurately assess the performance of aluminium cladding, glass facades and skylights under severe hailstorm events. The research outcomes will enable cost-effective design of robust cladding solutions and the evaluation of the performance of existing cladding. This will benefit asset managers, homeowners, the insurance industry and the building and construction industry, and help save billions of dollars of economic loss.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100217
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$408,000.00
Summary
Facade fire failures in buildings: a robust nanocomposite solution. This project aims to develop an innovative fire resistant composite façade system which is also strong, lightweight, thermally efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The project expects to develop new knowledge in areas of fire safety and advanced manufacturing of a nanocomposite facade utilising advanced computational fluid dynamics simulations to model the external flame spread. The outcomes will provide impro ....Facade fire failures in buildings: a robust nanocomposite solution. This project aims to develop an innovative fire resistant composite façade system which is also strong, lightweight, thermally efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The project expects to develop new knowledge in areas of fire safety and advanced manufacturing of a nanocomposite facade utilising advanced computational fluid dynamics simulations to model the external flame spread. The outcomes will provide improved insight into the mechanism of external fire spread and development of the façade system which is safe, resilient and fire resistant. This work will be useful for building owners, construction authorities and researchers to tackle the global issues of combustible façades and provide better fire design strategies to protect occupants.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100876
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,000.00
Summary
Smart Optimisation of Functionally Graded Porous Structures. This project aims to develop a novel smart optimisation method for shaping the porosity geometries of metal foams for design requirements. Although these functionally graded porous structures have superior engineering properties, efficient examination methods to understand the mechanical behaviour of irregular graded porosities are lacking. Expected outcomes of this project include the expansion of fundamental knowledge in porous media ....Smart Optimisation of Functionally Graded Porous Structures. This project aims to develop a novel smart optimisation method for shaping the porosity geometries of metal foams for design requirements. Although these functionally graded porous structures have superior engineering properties, efficient examination methods to understand the mechanical behaviour of irregular graded porosities are lacking. Expected outcomes of this project include the expansion of fundamental knowledge in porous media and new technologies to build stronger and lighter multifunctional structural components. The project will provide significant benefits, including enhanced manufacturing capacities of local industries to fabricate metal foam products, new job opportunities in a growing market, and less carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Offsite manufacture reimagined for high-performance adaptable housing. The project aims to address housing performance and affordability in Australia by deploying adaptable design for spatial reconfiguration and component reuse, to advance offsite timber manufacture towards energy efficient and healthy homes as mainstream practice. The intended outcome is the development, prototyping and monitoring of an offsite manufactured panelised lightweight timber system for high-performance homes, that is ....Offsite manufacture reimagined for high-performance adaptable housing. The project aims to address housing performance and affordability in Australia by deploying adaptable design for spatial reconfiguration and component reuse, to advance offsite timber manufacture towards energy efficient and healthy homes as mainstream practice. The intended outcome is the development, prototyping and monitoring of an offsite manufactured panelised lightweight timber system for high-performance homes, that is adaptable to all Australian climates and long-term household changes. This will contribute to the sustainable growth of the Australian housing market with significant benefits on housing affordability, adaptable design and long-lasting performance, while boosting the offsite manufactured timber construction sector.Read moreRead less
Multifunctional Structural Panels for Next-generation Infrastructure. This project aims to develop a multifunctional prefabricated structural panel for current and future infrastructure applications for both land and offshore environments. Prefabrication enables enhanced product control as well as the ability to rapidly construct whole structures or their components. The panels utilise an inner lightweight foam and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite core with strong outer panels made from ....Multifunctional Structural Panels for Next-generation Infrastructure. This project aims to develop a multifunctional prefabricated structural panel for current and future infrastructure applications for both land and offshore environments. Prefabrication enables enhanced product control as well as the ability to rapidly construct whole structures or their components. The panels utilise an inner lightweight foam and fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite core with strong outer panels made from FRP sheets and high-strength concrete. The expected outcomes include experimental and numerical validation of the system, that will give designers and asset owners the confidence to adopt this new panel. The panel system presents an upward step change in construction technology and built infrastructure performance.Read moreRead less
Structural Fuses for Safer and More Economical Bridge Construction. This project aims to develop a novel structural system leading to more economical concrete bridge construction by utilising a customised structural fuse. A significant margin of safety is required in structural design to account for accidental over-loading and to reduce the risk of structural collapse. Such a margin leads to more material usage. Incorporation of a fuse into the structure that is triggered upon over-loading will ....Structural Fuses for Safer and More Economical Bridge Construction. This project aims to develop a novel structural system leading to more economical concrete bridge construction by utilising a customised structural fuse. A significant margin of safety is required in structural design to account for accidental over-loading and to reduce the risk of structural collapse. Such a margin leads to more material usage. Incorporation of a fuse into the structure that is triggered upon over-loading will cause a safer failure mode and prohibit further increase of loading, both of which result in a reduced structure without undermining safety. The project is expected to advance structural theory, and also provide significant benefits to the construction industry via cost reduction and more eco-friendly constructions.Read moreRead less
Composite structures: a game changer for modular buildings. Modular construction can tackle Australia's housing affordability crisis on a large scale. This project aims to develop cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of modular buildings by embracing recent breakthroughs in construction materials, computational modelling methods and construction techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel composite modular unit, a smart joining technique, a robust computational framework and desig ....Composite structures: a game changer for modular buildings. Modular construction can tackle Australia's housing affordability crisis on a large scale. This project aims to develop cutting-edge technologies for the next generation of modular buildings by embracing recent breakthroughs in construction materials, computational modelling methods and construction techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel composite modular unit, a smart joining technique, a robust computational framework and design guidelines that enable modular buildings to be built taller, safer, faster and thus cheaper than current practices allow. This project will position Australia at the forefront of modular construction technology, and make the local construction industry more competitive globally.Read moreRead less
Innovative coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame systems. This project aims to develop an innovative coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame system that revolutionises and improves the economical design and construction of multi-storey buildings. The proposed system uses novel cost-effective composite structural components that can be prefabricated and easily assembled on-site using innovative blind bolting techniques to speed up construction. The project will offer ....Innovative coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame systems. This project aims to develop an innovative coupled composite steel-concrete shear wall and frame system that revolutionises and improves the economical design and construction of multi-storey buildings. The proposed system uses novel cost-effective composite structural components that can be prefabricated and easily assembled on-site using innovative blind bolting techniques to speed up construction. The project will offer a promising opportunity to promote prefabricated and modular construction which is believed will have a major benefit in shaping the future construction industry. This will provide significant benefits to Australian structural engineers and the construction industry in advancing their knowledge in composite construction.Read moreRead less