Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating condition ....Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating conditions. A bearing degradation model will estimate the remaining useful life. Since rolling element bearings are among the most critical components in most machines, the results of this research will also provide massive benefits in other sectors such as mining, transportation, energy production and manufacturing.Read moreRead less
The Acoustic, Control and Aerodynamic Aspects of the Entecho Hoverpod. The development of small aerial vehicles, both manned and unmanned is a growing market in the aviation industry. This market sector has the potential to provide cheap, environmentally friendly transport solutions for the defence purposes, law enforcement agencies and emergency and recreational vehicles. This project serves to enhance Australia's position in this market by helping a local company develop its technology in a ....The Acoustic, Control and Aerodynamic Aspects of the Entecho Hoverpod. The development of small aerial vehicles, both manned and unmanned is a growing market in the aviation industry. This market sector has the potential to provide cheap, environmentally friendly transport solutions for the defence purposes, law enforcement agencies and emergency and recreational vehicles. This project serves to enhance Australia's position in this market by helping a local company develop its technology in a cost effective and timely manner. The progress made in the three research aspects will also advance areas of science and technology with practical applications other than aerial vehicles.Read moreRead less
A Novel Reconfigurable Unlimited Spherical Motion Generator. The main contribution of this research lies in the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. The main outcome is a strategy to produce unlimited spherical motion with high precision. It is an innovative solution that is applicable to many cutting edge research and industry problems. Immediate application is expected to produce a faithful motion simulation, for flight, astr ....A Novel Reconfigurable Unlimited Spherical Motion Generator. The main contribution of this research lies in the National Research Priority of Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries. The main outcome is a strategy to produce unlimited spherical motion with high precision. It is an innovative solution that is applicable to many cutting edge research and industry problems. Immediate application is expected to produce a faithful motion simulation, for flight, astronaut, and vehicle control training. It would potentially improve the quality of human resources and the quality of Australian industry, both civil and military. This project would also enhance the Australian competitive technological edge in developing advanced mechatronic systems.Read moreRead less
Diagnostics and Prognostics of Turbine Engine Bearings. Rolls Royce are a leading supplier of engines world-wide, but in particular (with respect to this application) to airlines operating in and from Australia, including Qantas, as well as to the Australian armed forces. The methods to be developed will give greater security to the flying public, and to the Defence Forces, allowing them to carry out their role more reliably. Collaboration with Rolls Royce will add prestige to this Australian de ....Diagnostics and Prognostics of Turbine Engine Bearings. Rolls Royce are a leading supplier of engines world-wide, but in particular (with respect to this application) to airlines operating in and from Australia, including Qantas, as well as to the Australian armed forces. The methods to be developed will give greater security to the flying public, and to the Defence Forces, allowing them to carry out their role more reliably. Collaboration with Rolls Royce will add prestige to this Australian developed technology, and increase the likelihood of it (and related technology) being used in the Joint Strike Fighter.Read moreRead less
Development of an active noise control system for sleeper seats on large commercial aircraft. Possible avenues will be investigated to actively reduce aircraft cabin noise experienced by passengers in sleeper seats, using localised active noise control (ANC). Previous work has focused on headsets and upright seat headrests which represent a different problem to the partially enclosed sleeper seats considered here. Efficiency and robustness problems that affect existing ANC systems will be addres ....Development of an active noise control system for sleeper seats on large commercial aircraft. Possible avenues will be investigated to actively reduce aircraft cabin noise experienced by passengers in sleeper seats, using localised active noise control (ANC). Previous work has focused on headsets and upright seat headrests which represent a different problem to the partially enclosed sleeper seats considered here. Efficiency and robustness problems that affect existing ANC systems will be addressed. A prototype system will be produced for a business class sleeper seat in a wide body aircraft. A second outcome is the establishment of a robust integrated system design procedure that can be used to quickly develop ANC systems for future designs.Read moreRead less
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
A Multi-Scale Approach To Reliability And Durability Of Engineering Structures And Sensors. The Longford explosion is an example where a major failure was due to a very small defect. It is estimated to have cost Australia in excess of $1.5 Billion. The acquisition costs of aircraft mean that keeping a fleet operational for a year can produce savings of ~$100,000,000.The automotive industry is designing lighter vehicles. GM Australia has realised that ensuring the durability of these new designs ....A Multi-Scale Approach To Reliability And Durability Of Engineering Structures And Sensors. The Longford explosion is an example where a major failure was due to a very small defect. It is estimated to have cost Australia in excess of $1.5 Billion. The acquisition costs of aircraft mean that keeping a fleet operational for a year can produce savings of ~$100,000,000.The automotive industry is designing lighter vehicles. GM Australia has realised that ensuring the durability of these new designs is essential. By our participation in the GM PACE program we ensure that the developments are available to the broader Australian Industry. Indeed, to design durable MEM's structures would give Australia a commercial edge.Read moreRead less
Surface roughness and its effects on wall-bounded turbulence. Examples in engineering where turbulence is important are: wind tunnel model testing, numerical prediction of turbulent skin friction drag over an aircraft wing, turbulent forces and acoustic field around a submarine or a road vehicle, and the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. Turbulence may also be beneficial, for example, in improving engine combustion and decreasing pollutant emissions. Hence this study will have national ....Surface roughness and its effects on wall-bounded turbulence. Examples in engineering where turbulence is important are: wind tunnel model testing, numerical prediction of turbulent skin friction drag over an aircraft wing, turbulent forces and acoustic field around a submarine or a road vehicle, and the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. Turbulence may also be beneficial, for example, in improving engine combustion and decreasing pollutant emissions. Hence this study will have national benefits in many scientific fields, for example, in fuel savings (economy and energy ), stability of road vehicles (safety and health), noise generation and acoustic signatures of submarines (transforming defence technology and safeguarding Australia).Read moreRead less
Wall Turbulence Drag: Physical Mechanisms and Practicable Control Strategies. The proposed research will build on Australia's well-established strengths in Fluid Mechanics, and aim to establish within Australia world-leading expertise in turbulence control and drag reduction technology. This will have direct benefits to the Australian economy through Tourism (among other industries) by reducing the adverse impact of rising fuel prices on long-distance air travel, on which Australia is disproport ....Wall Turbulence Drag: Physical Mechanisms and Practicable Control Strategies. The proposed research will build on Australia's well-established strengths in Fluid Mechanics, and aim to establish within Australia world-leading expertise in turbulence control and drag reduction technology. This will have direct benefits to the Australian economy through Tourism (among other industries) by reducing the adverse impact of rising fuel prices on long-distance air travel, on which Australia is disproportionately reliant due to its geographic isolation. Efficient turbulence control strategies will also lead to improved combustion processes, resulting in not only better fuel efficiency but also reduced CO2 and pollutant emissions.Read moreRead less
Prediction and control of fluid-structure interactions. Fluid-flows create a pressure that can deform the surface of a structure or cause it to vibrate; an extreme example is the fluttering of a flag. Flow-induced vibration of the external panels of vehicles causes damage, noise and can adversely affect performance. This project will develop a wholly new approach for the analysis of these interactions. The versatility and completeness of the approach permits a step-change in the design of panels ....Prediction and control of fluid-structure interactions. Fluid-flows create a pressure that can deform the surface of a structure or cause it to vibrate; an extreme example is the fluttering of a flag. Flow-induced vibration of the external panels of vehicles causes damage, noise and can adversely affect performance. This project will develop a wholly new approach for the analysis of these interactions. The versatility and completeness of the approach permits a step-change in the design of panels, reducing material and manufacturing costs without compromise to safety and performance - an immense benefit for the myriad engineered products or structures that feature flow over a deformable surface. Read moreRead less