Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a po ....Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a potential new site-investigation procedure and develop an appropriate calculation method for predicting failures for sites where sand overlies clay. Results will be based on a series of innovative physical and numerical experiments, and assessed against field data and existing industry standards.Read moreRead less
Barriers for cost - effective rock fall hazard mitigation. Rock fall barriers are used throughout Australia to protect its extensive road and rail networks. These networks are vital links in the nation's infrastructure and underpin its economic prosperity and development. There are thousands of cuttings on Australia' transport networks, many of which have the potential to be affected by rock falls. These events can take lives and severely disrupt the performance of our transport infrastructure. ....Barriers for cost - effective rock fall hazard mitigation. Rock fall barriers are used throughout Australia to protect its extensive road and rail networks. These networks are vital links in the nation's infrastructure and underpin its economic prosperity and development. There are thousands of cuttings on Australia' transport networks, many of which have the potential to be affected by rock falls. These events can take lives and severely disrupt the performance of our transport infrastructure. This project will develop new cost-effective methods for designing against rock fall events using a combination of advanced testing and computer modelling.Read moreRead less
Prediction and controlling of pipe failures in buried water and gas pipe systems. Australian Research Council has recognised water as a critical resource that must be protected from wastage. Along with water, the supply of gas to communities through extensive buried pipe networks is an essential service. As the pipe systems age, the pipe failures have increased. These failures lead to loss of valuable commodity and inconvenience and health hazard to public and workers. Effective asset manage ....Prediction and controlling of pipe failures in buried water and gas pipe systems. Australian Research Council has recognised water as a critical resource that must be protected from wastage. Along with water, the supply of gas to communities through extensive buried pipe networks is an essential service. As the pipe systems age, the pipe failures have increased. These failures lead to loss of valuable commodity and inconvenience and health hazard to public and workers. Effective asset management tools are urgently required in predicting and controlling pipe failures. A consortium of water and gas suppliers and a team of researchers from Monash University and CSIRO have joined forces to address this problem so that significant social and economic benefits to Australia can be realised. Read moreRead less
Geotechnical and soil-structure interaction properties of soils in Perth CBD. A new underground railway (City Project) will shortly begin construction in Perth CBD. This construction, and its associated high level of monitoring instrumentation, offers a unique opportunity for an extensive and thorough examination of the mechanical properties of Perths soils. The research results emanating from the proposed combination of field monitoring, laboratory investigation and numerical analysis, will gre ....Geotechnical and soil-structure interaction properties of soils in Perth CBD. A new underground railway (City Project) will shortly begin construction in Perth CBD. This construction, and its associated high level of monitoring instrumentation, offers a unique opportunity for an extensive and thorough examination of the mechanical properties of Perths soils. The research results emanating from the proposed combination of field monitoring, laboratory investigation and numerical analysis, will greatly improve the reliability (and hence cost) of future foundation and basement designs in Perth and elsewhere.Read moreRead less
Performance, Evaluation, and Enhancement of Hydrated Cement Treated Crushed Rock Base (HCTCRB) as a Road Base Material for Western Australian Roads. The development of knowledge of HCTCRB, an advanced material in the pavement engineering discipline, will underpin growth in the highway and road construction industry. The key outcomes of this study will enhance and change highway and road organisations, contractors, engineers and others interested in the use and design of pavement materials. This ....Performance, Evaluation, and Enhancement of Hydrated Cement Treated Crushed Rock Base (HCTCRB) as a Road Base Material for Western Australian Roads. The development of knowledge of HCTCRB, an advanced material in the pavement engineering discipline, will underpin growth in the highway and road construction industry. The key outcomes of this study will enhance and change highway and road organisations, contractors, engineers and others interested in the use and design of pavement materials. This is particularly so in light of the recent change to a new era of analytical approaches, rather than the empirical approach of the past. When the outcomes of this project are applied, they will result in an improvement in overall road and highway quality. Read moreRead less
IMPACTS OF TRANSIT LED DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW RAIL CORRIDOR. Impacts of transit-oriented development (TOD) in precincts adjoining the new Perth-Mandurah railway will be addressed by longitudinal survey. Results of a revealed preference questionnaire about actual trips will be combined with a stated choice questionnaire. Aims are to quantify the effects of TOD on rail and car use and on daily activities, new railway services on the travel behaviour of households near new station precincts, differin ....IMPACTS OF TRANSIT LED DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW RAIL CORRIDOR. Impacts of transit-oriented development (TOD) in precincts adjoining the new Perth-Mandurah railway will be addressed by longitudinal survey. Results of a revealed preference questionnaire about actual trips will be combined with a stated choice questionnaire. Aims are to quantify the effects of TOD on rail and car use and on daily activities, new railway services on the travel behaviour of households near new station precincts, differing accessibility of station precincts on household travel patterns, improved accessibility on economic activity and employment. Replacement of car-trips by walking and cycling, changes in shopping & leisure activities & the effect of trip-chaining on number of trips are of particular interest.Read moreRead less