Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354551
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
ARC Research Network for Renewable Energy. The proposed Research Network will integrate and coordinate the entire research field of renewable energy in Australia. This Network covers a diverse range of technologies, and includes all prominent researchers in the area of renewable energy in Australia. The Network is strengthened by the inclusion of key people from government agencies, industry, industry associations and international research organisations.
Australia is a leading player in the ....ARC Research Network for Renewable Energy. The proposed Research Network will integrate and coordinate the entire research field of renewable energy in Australia. This Network covers a diverse range of technologies, and includes all prominent researchers in the area of renewable energy in Australia. The Network is strengthened by the inclusion of key people from government agencies, industry, industry associations and international research organisations.
Australia is a leading player in the world's renewable energy industry. An effective structure for networking and for the exchange of people, information and research results will maintain and improve Australia's position in this rapidly growing industry.Read moreRead less
Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The propose ....Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The proposed program will investigate the role of critical impurities and additives, temperature and stress fluctuations in caustic cracking of mild steel and their weldments (known to be most susceptible). This project will also develop an intellectual and infrastructural base that will also be a vital resource for several Australian industries where such cracking is a major concern.Read moreRead less
Laser-based dynamic measurements, model identification and error compensation for multi-arm robotic pre-fabrication of structural components. The aim is to establish methodologies for laser-based dynamic measurements, accurate model identification and error correction in multi-arm cooperative robotic manipulation systems. The expected outcomes include development of enabling technologies and the world's first automated fabrication system for structural timber components. The novel methodologi ....Laser-based dynamic measurements, model identification and error compensation for multi-arm robotic pre-fabrication of structural components. The aim is to establish methodologies for laser-based dynamic measurements, accurate model identification and error correction in multi-arm cooperative robotic manipulation systems. The expected outcomes include development of enabling technologies and the world's first automated fabrication system for structural timber components. The novel methodologies established will increase safety, and improve and automate the fabrication of wall frames, roof trusses, and floor and ceiling panels for housing, industrial and commercial projects within Australia and overseas. Other application areas include multi-arm manufacturing and handling of large components, materials handling in hazardous environments, and robotic servicing tasks in remote places.Read moreRead less
Seeing the discrete in a continuum: an integrated numerical-rheological-experimental approach towards high resolution micromechanical continuum models of granular media. Processes involving granular materials are complex and rarely reach more than 60% of the design capacity, due to inadequate understanding of granular rheology. The short term benefits of the proposed project are: improved insights on the rheology of granular media; experimentally validated micromechanical constitutive models ....Seeing the discrete in a continuum: an integrated numerical-rheological-experimental approach towards high resolution micromechanical continuum models of granular media. Processes involving granular materials are complex and rarely reach more than 60% of the design capacity, due to inadequate understanding of granular rheology. The short term benefits of the proposed project are: improved insights on the rheology of granular media; experimentally validated micromechanical constitutive models with unmatched predictive capabilities; modelling techniques in the analysis of multiscale processes, germane to the Science of Complex Materials. The long term benefits are models of the required reliability for computer-aided design, production and management of particulate systems. These simulation tools will enhance Australia's competitive edge in the multi-billion dollar particulate and geotechnical industries.Read moreRead less
Modelling and simulation of emergent behaviour in particulate assemblies under terrestrial and microgravity conditions: a focus on force propagation. Systems and processes involving particulate matter are complex, and due to inadequate understanding and modelling capabilities, rarely reach more than 60% of the design capacity. Given the prominence of these materials in Australia's leading export industries, the potential economic and social impact of this research program is significant. For exa ....Modelling and simulation of emergent behaviour in particulate assemblies under terrestrial and microgravity conditions: a focus on force propagation. Systems and processes involving particulate matter are complex, and due to inadequate understanding and modelling capabilities, rarely reach more than 60% of the design capacity. Given the prominence of these materials in Australia's leading export industries, the potential economic and social impact of this research program is significant. For example, Australia holds the largest known resources of iron ore with annual exports exceeding $3.8 billion; annual wheat exports exceed $3.4 billion and 90% of Australia's sealed roads (granular paved) cost $1 billion per year to maintain. This research will advance knowledge of fundamental behaviour and deliver predictive tools to control and optimise processes involving particulate matter.Read moreRead less
DETERMINATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ENVIRONMENTALLY-ASSISTED CRACKING OF SMALL AND MICROSTRUCTURALLY VARIED REGIONS WHILE MAINTAINING FRACTURE MECHANICS VALIDITY. The proposed work seeks to develop an improved tool for more accurate design data and improved materials selection criteria for critical equipment and infrastructure maintenance in major Australian industries, where environmentally-assisted cracking is a serious concern (viz., marine, polymer/chemical processing, aeronautical, alumina m ....DETERMINATION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ENVIRONMENTALLY-ASSISTED CRACKING OF SMALL AND MICROSTRUCTURALLY VARIED REGIONS WHILE MAINTAINING FRACTURE MECHANICS VALIDITY. The proposed work seeks to develop an improved tool for more accurate design data and improved materials selection criteria for critical equipment and infrastructure maintenance in major Australian industries, where environmentally-assisted cracking is a serious concern (viz., marine, polymer/chemical processing, aeronautical, alumina mineral processing and pulp-and-paper). A successful validation of the novel testing approach (namely, Spiral Notch Torsion Test (SNTT)) for evaluating the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of materials of practical interest that are difficult or impossible to adequately characterize by conventional tests, is as much a fundamental research challenge as its accomplishment will be industrially attractive.Read moreRead less
High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint ....High Performance Twist Drill Design and Drilling Operations for Machining Mould Steel. In this project a high performance drill point design, based on low drilling forces and high drill-life criteria when machining mould steel will be developed together with a computer application software for drilling force predictions, based on the ¡®unified-generalised mechanics of cutting approach¡¯, and optimal drilling feed and speed selection for minimum cost and time per hole, based on a multi-constraint drilling optimization analysis. Particular attention will be given to the manufacture of the drill point geometry. It is anticipated that the application software will enable the drill design, manufacture, performance and drilling conditions to be integrated.Read moreRead less
Distributed Real-time Multiobjective Scheduling for Joinery Manufacturing Processes using Discrete Event Simulation. Australia's furniture manufacturing industry is a major contributor to the economic wealth of the Australian economy with an annual $9.5 billion turnover. The Australian Furnishing Industry Association (AFIA) estimates that there are 15,000 furniture design and manufacturing firms, employing 66,000 people. However, Australian manufacturers are experiencing high levels of fixed cos ....Distributed Real-time Multiobjective Scheduling for Joinery Manufacturing Processes using Discrete Event Simulation. Australia's furniture manufacturing industry is a major contributor to the economic wealth of the Australian economy with an annual $9.5 billion turnover. The Australian Furnishing Industry Association (AFIA) estimates that there are 15,000 furniture design and manufacturing firms, employing 66,000 people. However, Australian manufacturers are experiencing high levels of fixed cost (associated with plant and equipment) and low equipment-utilisation ratio and long delivery time. This research aims to enable Australian manufacturers to stay competitive in the dynamic global market, by providing a better strategy to allocate their constrained resources including workforces and facilities.Read moreRead less
Predictive Mechanics of Cutting Models for Forces and Torque in Machine Tapping Operations with Straight and Helical Flute Taps. This project is aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the cutting process as well as mechanics of cutting mathematical models and software for reliable predictions of all the force components, torque and power in machine tapping of both wrought and sintered metallic materials with straight and helical fluted taps. This investigation will provide useful fun ....Predictive Mechanics of Cutting Models for Forces and Torque in Machine Tapping Operations with Straight and Helical Flute Taps. This project is aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the cutting process as well as mechanics of cutting mathematical models and software for reliable predictions of all the force components, torque and power in machine tapping of both wrought and sintered metallic materials with straight and helical fluted taps. This investigation will provide useful fundamental and practical information and data on the tapping operations, renowned as 'some of the most neglected operations in machining research' and as 'bottleneck operations in practice'. This project heads towards satisfying the internationally recognised pressing need for quantitatively reliable machining performance data and equations.Read moreRead less
Improvement in Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance of Stainless Steels in Environments Conducive to Localized Pitting Damage. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) represents a serious threat to infrastructure exposed to chloride and caustic environments. The proposed project will characterize the chloride-SCC crack propagation parameters for a super duplex stainless steel, which is the material of construction for vessels for stripping vinyl chloride monomer in a PVC processing plant. Alarmingly hig ....Improvement in Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance of Stainless Steels in Environments Conducive to Localized Pitting Damage. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) represents a serious threat to infrastructure exposed to chloride and caustic environments. The proposed project will characterize the chloride-SCC crack propagation parameters for a super duplex stainless steel, which is the material of construction for vessels for stripping vinyl chloride monomer in a PVC processing plant. Alarmingly high numbers the welds (nearly 50%) in the vessel had suffered extensive pitting (which is a well-known SCC initiator) and SCC cracking. For the mitigation measures, the project will also investigate pitting and SCC susceptibility of weldments of alternative varieties of stainless steels, such as Zeron 100.Read moreRead less