Nano-Rheology and Nano-Tribology: Atomistic Simulation of Boundary Lubrication. Manufacturing in atomic level is going to transform the efficiency level in many important applications. As molecular biology transformed medical and biological sciences,so molecular level material design and the techniques involved are going to significantly affect the engineering applications and manufacturing in coming decades. We have no doubt the benefits will flow from the project to many disciplines that are c ....Nano-Rheology and Nano-Tribology: Atomistic Simulation of Boundary Lubrication. Manufacturing in atomic level is going to transform the efficiency level in many important applications. As molecular biology transformed medical and biological sciences,so molecular level material design and the techniques involved are going to significantly affect the engineering applications and manufacturing in coming decades. We have no doubt the benefits will flow from the project to many disciplines that are critical in manufacturing and commercialisation of nano-devices. The results will position Australia in the forefront of one of the most important leading edge technologies in the world. This not only will improve Australia's research profile in the world but also will enable it to capitalize on any future commercial outcomesRead moreRead less
A hybrid multi-agent technique for shop floor control. 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. The project will enable the development of the state-of-the-art simulation software readily accessible to a larger section of industry, including small to medium sized manufacturers. T ....A hybrid multi-agent technique for shop floor control. 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. The project will enable the development of the state-of-the-art simulation software readily accessible to a larger section of industry, including small to medium sized manufacturers. The use of meta-modelling will improve control of processes on the shop floor. Combining process meta-models with hybrid discrete event-based agent optimisation will result in increased shop floor efficiency, assisting Australian industry to be competitive in the world market.Read moreRead less
Improved patient care and image resolution in magnetic resonance imaging. A better understanding of the vibration within MRIs would result in techniques to both improve the image resolution and lower the noise emissions. Direct improvement of health care for Australians will result. Both the patient and the working environment around these scanners will improve as well as image resolution. Presently imaging is possible at the cellular scale, but only through improved MRI stability will imaging r ....Improved patient care and image resolution in magnetic resonance imaging. A better understanding of the vibration within MRIs would result in techniques to both improve the image resolution and lower the noise emissions. Direct improvement of health care for Australians will result. Both the patient and the working environment around these scanners will improve as well as image resolution. Presently imaging is possible at the cellular scale, but only through improved MRI stability will imaging reach the molecular level. Medical research that is linked to MRI imaging can be expected to advance in step with improved image resolution. The resulting knowledge could also be used in other research and industrial areas, including micro- and nano-scale devices, where vibration is a critical performance limiting factor.Read moreRead less
High-Fidelity Modelling for Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Needle Insertion. This project will develop robotic-assisted needle insertion and greatly improve minimally invasive surgery. It will also enhance the establishment of intellectual property for Australian medicine and produce important benefits to the healthcare sector. The proposed symbiotic integration of the systems will advance modelling technologies, and further create new capabilities for a wide range of science and engineerin ....High-Fidelity Modelling for Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Needle Insertion. This project will develop robotic-assisted needle insertion and greatly improve minimally invasive surgery. It will also enhance the establishment of intellectual property for Australian medicine and produce important benefits to the healthcare sector. The proposed symbiotic integration of the systems will advance modelling technologies, and further create new capabilities for a wide range of science and engineering applications. The established methodologies and systems will also provide great potential benefits in many other areas, including microbiology, life sciences and bio/nano-technology. The project's outcomes will further consolidate Australia's position in innovative technologies and international research and development.Read moreRead less
Wet granule mechanics and their influence on agglomeration behaviour and granulation processes. Granulation is a widely-used particle size enlargement process performed by spraying a liquid binder onto an agitated powder mass. It is currently impossible to quantitatively predict granule growth behaviour in terms of the fundamental properties of the particles and binder. This project will measure and model the deformation of granules and the strength of bonds formed between them and use this info ....Wet granule mechanics and their influence on agglomeration behaviour and granulation processes. Granulation is a widely-used particle size enlargement process performed by spraying a liquid binder onto an agitated powder mass. It is currently impossible to quantitatively predict granule growth behaviour in terms of the fundamental properties of the particles and binder. This project will measure and model the deformation of granules and the strength of bonds formed between them and use this information to predict their growth behaviour. Special attention will be given to the effects of strain-rate and particle morphology in granulation mechanics. Improvements in granulation technology will be of great benefit to food, pharmaceutical, agricultural, explosives and mining industries and opens the way to 'designer granulation' for special purposes.Read moreRead less
Mass transport in high entropy alloys. This project aims to understand mass transport in high entropy alloys. Alloys of 5 to 13 components have technologically attractive mechanical properties. A knowledge of mass transport could control their stabilities and optimise their properties. This project will develop an atomistic theory and a phenomenological method for rapidly performing experiments, and experiment on two key high entropy alloys. The outcome of this research will be an in-depth under ....Mass transport in high entropy alloys. This project aims to understand mass transport in high entropy alloys. Alloys of 5 to 13 components have technologically attractive mechanical properties. A knowledge of mass transport could control their stabilities and optimise their properties. This project will develop an atomistic theory and a phenomenological method for rapidly performing experiments, and experiment on two key high entropy alloys. The outcome of this research will be an in-depth understanding of mass transport that is expected to fast-track these alloys to commercial uptake.Read moreRead less
Topological Design of Mechanical Meta-Structures. This project aims to establish a new computational design methodology to address current challenges facing creation of ultralight structures with ultra-high-performance characteristics. The latest technologies in structural topology optimization and its correlated numerical simulation and structural analysis methods will be unified towards an integrated design framework. Expected outcomes include an advanced generative design platform for discove ....Topological Design of Mechanical Meta-Structures. This project aims to establish a new computational design methodology to address current challenges facing creation of ultralight structures with ultra-high-performance characteristics. The latest technologies in structural topology optimization and its correlated numerical simulation and structural analysis methods will be unified towards an integrated design framework. Expected outcomes include an advanced generative design platform for discovering novel geometries to underpin new meta-structure architectures, validated by appropriate fabrication techniques considering their geometric complexity. Such capabilities will benefit defence, civil, aerospace, energy and transport industries that pursue competitive advantage through innovation.Read moreRead less
Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing prob ....Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing problem. The project aims to achieve this by applying an innovative combination of cutting-edge 3D printing technology, advanced computational modelling and design techniques to produce a next-generation bioceramic scaffold with optimised architecture. This approach aims also to enable the possibility of producing custom-made implants for individual requirements.Read moreRead less
Novel quantitative sizing of inaccessible and hard-to-inspect defects to address the challenges posed by innovations in airframe design. Modern unitised aircraft structures cannot be reliably inspected using traditional techniques. This project will develop new techniques to quantify defects required for this innovation in aircraft component design. This research will improve the through-life support of future metallic and composite aircraft structures and improve air safety.
Biotransport design for engineering microenvironment in scaffolds. Tissue engineering signifies an exciting opportunity to solve shortage of transplantable tissues. This project targets a critical issue in engineering thick tissue and aims to introduce computational structural optimisation to biotransport problems. The optimal scaffold is expected to create a more desirable microenvironment for better tissue growth.