Studying Discretisation Behaviours in Variable Structure Control Systems. Variable structure control is a technology that helps build very simple and effective switching control devices for dealing with environmental uncertainties, which are widely used, for example, in industrial control systems/processes. The outcomes from this research will help the understanding of control performance deterioration due to discretisation and developing effective measures for protection from possible ill beha ....Studying Discretisation Behaviours in Variable Structure Control Systems. Variable structure control is a technology that helps build very simple and effective switching control devices for dealing with environmental uncertainties, which are widely used, for example, in industrial control systems/processes. The outcomes from this research will help the understanding of control performance deterioration due to discretisation and developing effective measures for protection from possible ill behaviours of these control devices. This research will place Australia in the forefront of the development of this new technology, resulting in enhanced reliability of control devices, improved productivity and cost saving for industries, and consequent improvement in quality of life.Read moreRead less
Characterising and suppressing vortex induced vibration. Vortex-Induced Vibration has become the design limiting factor in offshore design of elements such as the flexible pipelines that bring oil and gas to the surface. With rising oil and gas prices it is becoming more economic to explore such resources in deeper waters, which exacerbates the problem. Currently, high factors of safety must be used in the design of such pipelines because of our current lack of understanding of when the vibratio ....Characterising and suppressing vortex induced vibration. Vortex-Induced Vibration has become the design limiting factor in offshore design of elements such as the flexible pipelines that bring oil and gas to the surface. With rising oil and gas prices it is becoming more economic to explore such resources in deeper waters, which exacerbates the problem. Currently, high factors of safety must be used in the design of such pipelines because of our current lack of understanding of when the vibrations occur and their frequency and amplitude. This study will provide insight into the character of such vibrations and also look at means of suppressing them.Read moreRead less
Novel vibro-acoustic technologies for detecting bearing and wheel defects in rail vehicles. Research will be conducted to provide the basis for the development of a novel automatic system that detects bearing and wheel defects in under-way railway wagons, thus helping to prevent catastrophic derailments and minimise fuel consumption. It will also maintain Australian industry at the forefront of the global track-side monitoring industry.
Robust Control and System Identification of Highly Resonant Systems. The modelling and control of complex and highly resonant systems is of increasing engineering importance due to their occurence in a wide variety of emerging areas in aerospace, acoustics, robotics and ``smart'' structures. At the same time, effective tools tailored towards identifying the necessary models, and synthesising the necessary controllers for these systems are in their infancy. This arises from special difficulties ....Robust Control and System Identification of Highly Resonant Systems. The modelling and control of complex and highly resonant systems is of increasing engineering importance due to their occurence in a wide variety of emerging areas in aerospace, acoustics, robotics and ``smart'' structures. At the same time, effective tools tailored towards identifying the necessary models, and synthesising the necessary controllers for these systems are in their infancy. This arises from special difficulties encountered via the high dimensionality of the structures involved. This research project will employ new methods from the fields of robust control and multivariable system identification theory to lead to new and high performance solutions in this area.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668446
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$530,000.00
Summary
Nano-positioning facility for nano-scale measurement and manipulation. Nanotechnology is the science of understanding and control of matter at dimensions of 100 nanometers or less. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulation of matter at this level of precision. An important aspect of research in nanotechnology involves precision control and manipulation of devices and materials at a nanoscale, i.e. nanoposi ....Nano-positioning facility for nano-scale measurement and manipulation. Nanotechnology is the science of understanding and control of matter at dimensions of 100 nanometers or less. Encompassing nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulation of matter at this level of precision. An important aspect of research in nanotechnology involves precision control and manipulation of devices and materials at a nanoscale, i.e. nanopositioning. The primary goal of this proposal is the establishment of an experimental nanopositioning research facility to enable the development of a new generation of nanopositioners. Establishment of the facility will give Australia's nanotechnology researchers a unique enabling facility in this high-tech field.Read moreRead less
Supervised autonomy for AUVs using limited bandwidth communication channels. This project aims to improve the feedback link between robotic platforms and an operator, to increase the effectiveness of underwater survey operations. During surveys, some level of adaptation is required to allow underwater robots to respond to the data they are collecting. It is often difficult to reliably program an autonomous system to identify salient data, particularly when the mission involves searching for part ....Supervised autonomy for AUVs using limited bandwidth communication channels. This project aims to improve the feedback link between robotic platforms and an operator, to increase the effectiveness of underwater survey operations. During surveys, some level of adaptation is required to allow underwater robots to respond to the data they are collecting. It is often difficult to reliably program an autonomous system to identify salient data, particularly when the mission involves searching for particular features whose sensor signatures may be difficult to determine a priori. In contrast, humans are generally good at quickly identifying important data or determining when a mission is not achieving its goals. The project aims to develop novel acoustic communication schemes that will allow communication between the human operator and the underwater robot, exploiting developments in machine learning, network and communication theory.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100879
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Design, modelling and advanced control of high performance nanopositioners for atomic force microscopy. A high-speed nanopositioner with nanoscale manoeuvring accuracy is used extensively in nanotechnology applications such as biological cell studies and nanomanipulation. This project seeks to address fundamental problems associated with the design and control of nanopositioners, which will subsequently benefit Australian nanotechnology research.
Parallel-Link Mechanism Control using new Concept and Techniques. The new knowledge and techniques, as a result of this research project, will have direct relevance to many Australian industries. In particular, they provide opportunities to improve Australia's competitiveness through innovations for the manufacturing sector. For this sector, increasing global competition and tariff reductions pose serious challenges to its continuing international competitiveness. There is an urgent need to deve ....Parallel-Link Mechanism Control using new Concept and Techniques. The new knowledge and techniques, as a result of this research project, will have direct relevance to many Australian industries. In particular, they provide opportunities to improve Australia's competitiveness through innovations for the manufacturing sector. For this sector, increasing global competition and tariff reductions pose serious challenges to its continuing international competitiveness. There is an urgent need to develop cost effective innovative products. The outcomes of this research will produce a faster, more accurate, cheaper and optimally controlled parallel-link robot than currently available. Read moreRead less
Quantifying the impact of wind farm noise on rural communities. This project is directed at quantifying the level and character of wind farm noise experienced by rural communities, to gain an understanding of the likelihood of the emitted sound causing the medical symptoms experienced by these communities. The outcome will be an accurate prediction model that covers infrasound, the audio range and modulation.
Development of Robust Control Systems for Magneto-Rheological Fluid-Based Smart Structures. Possessing the ability to withstand such destructive dynamic loading as gusty winds, fierce waves, and earthquakes, the smart structures of the future will enjoy the unprecedented safety and comfort bringing to their occupants and contents. This will directly benefit Australians. The development of the smart structure technology will also give domestic consultants the ability to compete internationally ....Development of Robust Control Systems for Magneto-Rheological Fluid-Based Smart Structures. Possessing the ability to withstand such destructive dynamic loading as gusty winds, fierce waves, and earthquakes, the smart structures of the future will enjoy the unprecedented safety and comfort bringing to their occupants and contents. This will directly benefit Australians. The development of the smart structure technology will also give domestic consultants the ability to compete internationally, resulting in obvious economic dividends and advantages benefiting Australia. Moreover, a successful effort leading to a major breakthrough of the important area of seismic protection research will have a significant impact far beyond the border of this country.Read moreRead less