Development of advanced deterioration model for the design of stabilised pavement bases. The Australian road network is a lifeline infrastructure that underpins the nation's living standards and economy. Much of these roads have deteriorated and require rehabilitation to get a new lease of life. This project intends to develop advanced methods to extend the lives of these pavements using in-situ recycling of old pavement materials.
Braced batter micropile group: New design theory and performance framework. Braced batter micropile group: New design theory and performance framework. This project aims to research the design and performance of innovative biomimetic braced battered micropile group footings. This project will test Surefoot, the new concrete free footing, in the laboratory, in the field, and through numerical and analytical modelling. Surefoot’s mechanisms of action are poorly understood but clearly more complex ....Braced batter micropile group: New design theory and performance framework. Braced batter micropile group: New design theory and performance framework. This project aims to research the design and performance of innovative biomimetic braced battered micropile group footings. This project will test Surefoot, the new concrete free footing, in the laboratory, in the field, and through numerical and analytical modelling. Surefoot’s mechanisms of action are poorly understood but clearly more complex than current micropile theory; this project will research the mechanism of load transfer from micropiles to the soil and soil response.Read moreRead less
Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical ....Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical processes. Time-dependent clogging will be evaluated through geotechnical laboratory & field testing. Expected outcomes are enhanced PRB design methods and sound geotechnical field monitoring to provide significant industry benefits, such as mine-site rehabilitation, increased productivity and infrastructure longevity.Read moreRead less
Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. This project aims to develop and validate a new, robust and cost-effective method for geotechnical hazard assessment of rock slopes. Each year in Australia, millions of dollars are spent on stabilising unstable slopes and mitigation measures to control the associated risk and avoid severe financial impacts. The proposed framework will combine a new qualitative approach for geotechnical hazar ....Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. Framework for a cost-effective geohazard assessment. This project aims to develop and validate a new, robust and cost-effective method for geotechnical hazard assessment of rock slopes. Each year in Australia, millions of dollars are spent on stabilising unstable slopes and mitigation measures to control the associated risk and avoid severe financial impacts. The proposed framework will combine a new qualitative approach for geotechnical hazard assessment with accurate, efficient geo-structural surveys achieved with emerging surveying technologies. Stochastic components of slope geostructural description should minimise the surveying operations. This project is expected to reduce the cost and time of surveying geostructural features of slopes and designing mitigation measures.Read moreRead less
Understanding mud pumping in heavy haul railroads. This project aims to examine the factors that cause mud pumping and evaluate the effectiveness of sub-surface drainage to prevent rail track instability. Fast heavy haul operations (such as loads used in mining and agriculture) impart repeated loads on the natural formation that can result in mud pumping. If the build-up of water pressure becomes excessive this can cause track failure. Through an experimental program and field study, the mechani ....Understanding mud pumping in heavy haul railroads. This project aims to examine the factors that cause mud pumping and evaluate the effectiveness of sub-surface drainage to prevent rail track instability. Fast heavy haul operations (such as loads used in mining and agriculture) impart repeated loads on the natural formation that can result in mud pumping. If the build-up of water pressure becomes excessive this can cause track failure. Through an experimental program and field study, the mechanisms of mud pumping, incorporating train loads and frequencies, will be studied, and the role of vertically installed drains will be quantified for improved practical design. The project aims to contribute to improved track longevity and reduced maintenance costs, with a corresponding boost in rail productivity.Read moreRead less
Field Data based Predictive Maintenance and Enhanced Track Design Procedure. Providing improved railroad design and maintenance solutions with accurate and timely assessment of track performance is vital to reduce the disruption of services, excessive maintenance costs and degradation over time. This project aims to develop a predictive maintenance model based on extensive wayside measurements to monitor and predict the nature of track instability. This will also be supplemented by mathematical ....Field Data based Predictive Maintenance and Enhanced Track Design Procedure. Providing improved railroad design and maintenance solutions with accurate and timely assessment of track performance is vital to reduce the disruption of services, excessive maintenance costs and degradation over time. This project aims to develop a predictive maintenance model based on extensive wayside measurements to monitor and predict the nature of track instability. This will also be supplemented by mathematical modelling to corroborate large-scale laboratory observations with past and real-time field monitoring records. This project will deliver tangible strategies and tools to increase track longevity and assist decision-makers in planning and prioritising corrective maintenance to ensure improved safety and passenger comfort.Read moreRead less
A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include deve ....A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include development of a long-term durable treatment with reduced carbon footprint and use of waste materials. This should provide significant benefits commercially and critical insights to overcome expansive soils which cover approximately one-fifth of Australia’s surface area and six out of eight of its largest cities.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical properties and compaction characteristics of granular wastes as potential port reclamation fill. In moving towards sustainable waste management, the Australian mining and steel industry is proactively seeking large scale recycling schemes for coal wash and slag. If the construction potential of these wastes is favourable for reclamation, then the environmental and socio-economic benefits will be substantial due to less quarrying of fresh rock and reduced volume of waste tips on oth ....Geotechnical properties and compaction characteristics of granular wastes as potential port reclamation fill. In moving towards sustainable waste management, the Australian mining and steel industry is proactively seeking large scale recycling schemes for coal wash and slag. If the construction potential of these wastes is favourable for reclamation, then the environmental and socio-economic benefits will be substantial due to less quarrying of fresh rock and reduced volume of waste tips on otherwise usable land. The research outcomes will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, raising Australia's scientific profile in granular waste management. The geotechnical community will benefit through the rigorous training of professionals, while industry hosted seminars will promote the dissemination of knowledge gained to practitioners.Read moreRead less
Waste Containment Lining Systems for Antarctica: Ensuring their Performance Under Extreme Conditions. The Australian Antarctic Territory, and elsewhere on the continent, has a legacy of diesel fuel spills. This project aims to better protect the Antarctic environment through a combination of innovative on-site containment and remediation, with state-of-art laboratory-based experimentation to underpin improved design of engineered geosynthetic composite containments. Currently Australia leads ot ....Waste Containment Lining Systems for Antarctica: Ensuring their Performance Under Extreme Conditions. The Australian Antarctic Territory, and elsewhere on the continent, has a legacy of diesel fuel spills. This project aims to better protect the Antarctic environment through a combination of innovative on-site containment and remediation, with state-of-art laboratory-based experimentation to underpin improved design of engineered geosynthetic composite containments. Currently Australia leads other Antarctic countries in the clean-up of contaminated sites and this project seeks to extend this leadership by developing a set of guidelines for containment of contaminated soils to safeguard this unique environment.Read moreRead less
Accelerating Consolidation and Closure of Mine Tailings Storage Facilities. All mining operations involve the production of waste. Many regard such waste (tailings) and their environmentally acceptable storage as constituting the largest waste problem on Earth because of the enormous damage and loss-of-life that have resulted from failures of tailings storage facilities. This project focuses on a dewatering technology, electro-osmosis (EO), which has yet to be fully operationalised, for improvin ....Accelerating Consolidation and Closure of Mine Tailings Storage Facilities. All mining operations involve the production of waste. Many regard such waste (tailings) and their environmentally acceptable storage as constituting the largest waste problem on Earth because of the enormous damage and loss-of-life that have resulted from failures of tailings storage facilities. This project focuses on a dewatering technology, electro-osmosis (EO), which has yet to be fully operationalised, for improving the strength, stability and settlement characteristics of the tailings. Sophisticated testing will be undertaken at three scales (lab, meso and, most importantly, field), as well as the development of generic numerical models, to create practical guidelines to facilitate the implementation of EO in mines around the world.Read moreRead less