Bayesian back analysis for settlement prediction of soft soils. The settlement of road embankments built on soft soils can take many years which has created additional challenges for road design and construction. Despite many years of experience with the Pacific Highway Upgrade, industry partners have seen many examples where embankments have settled more than expected during construction and after road opening. This causes potential delay delivering projects, ponding, potential aquaplaning and ....Bayesian back analysis for settlement prediction of soft soils. The settlement of road embankments built on soft soils can take many years which has created additional challenges for road design and construction. Despite many years of experience with the Pacific Highway Upgrade, industry partners have seen many examples where embankments have settled more than expected during construction and after road opening. This causes potential delay delivering projects, ponding, potential aquaplaning and unexpected maintenance. This project aims at developing useful tools for industry to better predict the settlement of embankment built on soft soils. The intended outcomes can help to increase the safety level of road transportation system of Australia, reduce construction and maintenance costs.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of shallow geothermal systems for Australian schools. This project aims to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by optimising shallow geothermal systems in Australian schools. Shallow geothermal systems use the ground as a heat source and sink for heating and cooling. Their application to schools has the potential to harness energy from untapped resources such as sport grounds, reduce energy consumption by up to 75% and increase comfort and productivity of ....Optimisation of shallow geothermal systems for Australian schools. This project aims to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by optimising shallow geothermal systems in Australian schools. Shallow geothermal systems use the ground as a heat source and sink for heating and cooling. Their application to schools has the potential to harness energy from untapped resources such as sport grounds, reduce energy consumption by up to 75% and increase comfort and productivity of our children at school. An expected outcome of this project is to create a full scale physical model along advanced optimisation models which will allow better understanding of energy efficiency gains, and lead towards improving geothermal design techniques tailored to educational buildings.Read moreRead less
Performance based assessment of building cladding against hailstorms. Hailstorms cause billions of dollars of damage in Australia and hailstorm events are increasing in frequency with climate change. Robust cladding to resist extreme weather events is imperative for new and existing building stock. This project will develop technology to accurately assess the performance of aluminium cladding, glass facades and skylights under severe hailstorm events. The research outcomes will enable cost-effec ....Performance based assessment of building cladding against hailstorms. Hailstorms cause billions of dollars of damage in Australia and hailstorm events are increasing in frequency with climate change. Robust cladding to resist extreme weather events is imperative for new and existing building stock. This project will develop technology to accurately assess the performance of aluminium cladding, glass facades and skylights under severe hailstorm events. The research outcomes will enable cost-effective design of robust cladding solutions and the evaluation of the performance of existing cladding. This will benefit asset managers, homeowners, the insurance industry and the building and construction industry, and help save billions of dollars of economic loss.Read moreRead less
Designing the next generation of geosynthetic liner systems . The project aims to improve the effectiveness of geosynthetic liner systems to contain emerging contaminants such as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for better protection of Australian groundwater resources. The project expects to experimentally validate theory to improve predictive models for performance of geosynthetic liner systems. Expected outcomes include new and updated design guidelines for effective environmental ....Designing the next generation of geosynthetic liner systems . The project aims to improve the effectiveness of geosynthetic liner systems to contain emerging contaminants such as per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) for better protection of Australian groundwater resources. The project expects to experimentally validate theory to improve predictive models for performance of geosynthetic liner systems. Expected outcomes include new and updated design guidelines for effective environmental protection against PFASs and establishment of new approaches for predicting functional containment lifetimes of liner systems. These outcomes are expected to benefit the waste and remediation industries by influencing next-generation design regulations to ensure long-term environmental protection from PFAS.Read moreRead less
A novel design approach for sustainable and resilient railway formations. The project aims to validate a novel design approach for more sustainable and resilient railway formations. The railway network underpins the Australian economy and its maintenance costs tens of millions of dollars every year. This cost will increase with the growing frequency and intensity of climatic events. The research will advance the knowledge on the effect of water on the performance of railway formations and will d ....A novel design approach for sustainable and resilient railway formations. The project aims to validate a novel design approach for more sustainable and resilient railway formations. The railway network underpins the Australian economy and its maintenance costs tens of millions of dollars every year. This cost will increase with the growing frequency and intensity of climatic events. The research will advance the knowledge on the effect of water on the performance of railway formations and will deliver a novel design tool for end-users that will allow engineers to recycle fouled ballast in formations . The project will yield significant financial benefits for Australia, will strengthen links between Academia and industry partners, and will address environmental and sustainability issues linked to fouled ballast.
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Design guideline for suction caissons supporting offshore wind turbines. This project aims to develop an industry guideline for suction caisson foundations, that are a new form of fixed platform anchor, for offshore wind turbines. The project expects to generate new knowledge of caisson response during installation and over millions of wind/wave load cycles, by integrating field experience with measurements from innovative experiments. The expected outcomes of this project include new methods to ....Design guideline for suction caissons supporting offshore wind turbines. This project aims to develop an industry guideline for suction caisson foundations, that are a new form of fixed platform anchor, for offshore wind turbines. The project expects to generate new knowledge of caisson response during installation and over millions of wind/wave load cycles, by integrating field experience with measurements from innovative experiments. The expected outcomes of this project include new methods to guide suction installation in difficult soil layering and predicting rotation and stiffness over a turbine’s operational life. The benefits of these scientific advances will contribute to the economic and reliable design of suction caisson foundations and a more rapid take-up of offshore wind energy.Read moreRead less
Advancing the Engineering of Minipile Systems to Frontier Applications. This project aims to develop new knowledge on the performance of battered minipile systems used in a wide range of applications from solar panels to traffic signs. Minipiles provide concrete-free foundation systems, yet their behaviour under more complex loading such as wind, is yet to be fully understood. This project will examine the loading conditions experienced during installation and throughout service life. This will ....Advancing the Engineering of Minipile Systems to Frontier Applications. This project aims to develop new knowledge on the performance of battered minipile systems used in a wide range of applications from solar panels to traffic signs. Minipiles provide concrete-free foundation systems, yet their behaviour under more complex loading such as wind, is yet to be fully understood. This project will examine the loading conditions experienced during installation and throughout service life. This will include complex full-scale laboratory tests and advanced computer modelling to verify the performance against expected cyclic loading. New design approaches will be developed for this emerging foundation system, enabling more widespread adoption of this technology in the building and construction industry.Read moreRead less
Fatigue life and biodegradation of biomass waste composites in roads. This project aims to develop a new low-carbon pavement stabilisation technology by utilising biomass waste composites in road subgrades and bases. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of biomass composites in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected project outcomes include evaluating the long-term performance of this new road ....Fatigue life and biodegradation of biomass waste composites in roads. This project aims to develop a new low-carbon pavement stabilisation technology by utilising biomass waste composites in road subgrades and bases. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of biomass composites in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected project outcomes include evaluating the long-term performance of this new road construction material, developing predictive models and building enduring collaborations with industry. Benefits include: diversion of wastes from landfills, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the potential for commercial applications of biomass waste composites in future roads.Read moreRead less
Biocementation of recycled sand and demolition wastes for pavements. This project aims to develop biocements with recycled sand and demolition wastes as road construction materials. The usage of these low-carbon waste materials in pavement projects can significantly reduce carbon emissions and costs. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of recycled wastes in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expect ....Biocementation of recycled sand and demolition wastes for pavements. This project aims to develop biocements with recycled sand and demolition wastes as road construction materials. The usage of these low-carbon waste materials in pavement projects can significantly reduce carbon emissions and costs. This research expects to generate new knowledge on the performance of recycled wastes in roads, when subjected to high traffic loads using experimental, numerical approaches and field trials. Expected outcomes include evaluating and modelling the performance of biocements and demolition materials in roads, and building enduring collaborations with industry. Benefits include: diversion of wastes from landfills, reduction in carbon emissions and the potential commercialisation of recycled wastes for road projects.Read moreRead less
Structural assembly for remote housing using fibre reinforced composites. This project aims to address construction challenges in remote housing by off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly using fibre reinforced composites and digital made-to-measure approach. Its goal is to generate interdisciplinary knowledge and practical technologies for reliable, affordable and durable housing in remote harsh environments. Intended results include innovative connections and systems with valuable understa ....Structural assembly for remote housing using fibre reinforced composites. This project aims to address construction challenges in remote housing by off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly using fibre reinforced composites and digital made-to-measure approach. Its goal is to generate interdisciplinary knowledge and practical technologies for reliable, affordable and durable housing in remote harsh environments. Intended results include innovative connections and systems with valuable understanding of their performances under various loading scenarios and accurate digital visualization for remote construction. The outcomes expect to unlock remote development, enhance our competitive strengths for manufacturing and construction industries, and further offer new solutions in post-disaster recovery applications.Read moreRead less