Built-up cold-formed steel structures. The building industry is seeing a rapid uptake of joining two or more cold-formed steel sections to form large built-up sections with high carrying capacities. The joining consists of screws, or similar fasteners, placed intermittently along the member. The ease of joining encourages innovation in forming versatile new built-up section shapes in expanding areas of application. The project will provide guidelines and numerical tools for the efficient structu ....Built-up cold-formed steel structures. The building industry is seeing a rapid uptake of joining two or more cold-formed steel sections to form large built-up sections with high carrying capacities. The joining consists of screws, or similar fasteners, placed intermittently along the member. The ease of joining encourages innovation in forming versatile new built-up section shapes in expanding areas of application. The project will provide guidelines and numerical tools for the efficient structural design of built-up sections through experimental and theoretical research, studying the new failure modes pertaining to built-up sections, the increase in strength achievable from composite action and the optimum arrangement of fasteners. Read moreRead less
Behaviour of ultra-high strength double-skin composite tubular construction. Ultra-high strength (UHS) steel tubes are currently used mainly in the vehicle industry due to their high strength and light weight. This project aims to enable the building of more resilient and sustainable infrastructure by utilising these UHS steel tubes in double-skin composite tubular construction. To date there has been little work to understand the effects of fire, earthquake and impact related incidents on these ....Behaviour of ultra-high strength double-skin composite tubular construction. Ultra-high strength (UHS) steel tubes are currently used mainly in the vehicle industry due to their high strength and light weight. This project aims to enable the building of more resilient and sustainable infrastructure by utilising these UHS steel tubes in double-skin composite tubular construction. To date there has been little work to understand the effects of fire, earthquake and impact related incidents on these structures. This project aims to access unique testing facilities for full size impact and fire testing and the state-of-the-art hybrid testing simulation. It is expected to increase the competitiveness of the Australian manufacturing industry by overcoming the bottleneck in the manufacture of steel sections.Read moreRead less
Composite tubular construction subject to impact and blast loading. This project will advance the knowledge of composite tubular members and connections under impact and blast loading. It will provide confident design methodology against impact and blast loading for buildings designated as prominent targets or items of critical infrastructure, to save lives and reduce losses.
Shallow foundations in unsaturated soils: mechanistic design through numerical modelling, analysis and experimental investigation. This project will close the knowledge gap of how shallow foundations perform in variably saturated soils. It will integrate expertise in unsaturated soil mechanics, theory of elasto-plasticity, numerical modelling, limit analysis and experimental investigation. It will achieve a rigorous understanding of footings founded on unsaturated soils subjected to monotonic lo ....Shallow foundations in unsaturated soils: mechanistic design through numerical modelling, analysis and experimental investigation. This project will close the knowledge gap of how shallow foundations perform in variably saturated soils. It will integrate expertise in unsaturated soil mechanics, theory of elasto-plasticity, numerical modelling, limit analysis and experimental investigation. It will achieve a rigorous understanding of footings founded on unsaturated soils subjected to monotonic loading using a recently developed experimental testing facility, and analyses using finite elements, the method of characteristics and zero extension line theory. Impact and adoption in industry will be direct through world first design tools which incorporate the influence of suction on bearing capacity, settlement and safety.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100130
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions. An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions: This project aims to develop Australia's most advanced earthquake shaking table. Earthquakes are a problem of great significance to Australia. Infrastructure in civil, transport, mining and energy sectors may be at an unacceptable risk of damage under earthquake loading as current design practices do not account for the interaction between infrastructure ....An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions. An earthquake shaking table to investigate soil-structure interactions: This project aims to develop Australia's most advanced earthquake shaking table. Earthquakes are a problem of great significance to Australia. Infrastructure in civil, transport, mining and energy sectors may be at an unacceptable risk of damage under earthquake loading as current design practices do not account for the interaction between infrastructure and the ground under such loading. The shaking table will simulate earthquakes and enable controlled testing of three-tonne models of foundation and soil-structure interaction systems typical of Australia's infrastructure. The discoveries made are expected to be integral to the modernisation of Australia's seismic design standards so that earthquake-induced damage and risk exposure can be minimised.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100138
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$235,000.00
Summary
National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility. National drop weight impact testing facility:
The national drop weight impact testing facility aims to enable dynamic tests on geo- and construction materials and systems. This facility aims to provide state-of-the-art technology to observe the real-time behaviour of elements and sub-assemblies under combined quasi-static and impact loading. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems ....National Drop Weight Impact Testing Facility. National drop weight impact testing facility:
The national drop weight impact testing facility aims to enable dynamic tests on geo- and construction materials and systems. This facility aims to provide state-of-the-art technology to observe the real-time behaviour of elements and sub-assemblies under combined quasi-static and impact loading. Understanding material behaviour under dynamic loading is essential in dealing with many engineering problems. The facility may advance understanding of the fundamental behaviour of critical infrastructure exposed to impact loading and will foster innovations in design and construction. Applications may include improvement of the structural safety of infrastructure including railway networks, tunnels and bridges, and also the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly building and construction materials. Read moreRead less
Optimization of internal pressure for designing industrial buildings. The project seeks to understand the internal pressure in a building during windstorms, to improve safety and performance. The internal pressure in a building is dependent on its volume and flexibility and the sizes of openings in the building envelope, and is a critical loading parameter in building design. Windstorm damage investigations have shown that incorrect internal pressures are frequently used in building design, lead ....Optimization of internal pressure for designing industrial buildings. The project seeks to understand the internal pressure in a building during windstorms, to improve safety and performance. The internal pressure in a building is dependent on its volume and flexibility and the sizes of openings in the building envelope, and is a critical loading parameter in building design. Windstorm damage investigations have shown that incorrect internal pressures are frequently used in building design, leading to damage. This project aims to study the internal pressures generated in buildings with a range of volumes and openings in the envelope. A combination of model-scale and full-scale tests and theoretical analysis are planned to determine critical parameters for highly turbulent air-flow though openings. Results will inform the revision of design data in codes and of guidelines for consistent, optimal design of buildings.Read moreRead less
Understanding the performance of cold-formed steel frame wall systems in fires to design for superior fire resistance. This project will develop new light gauge steel frame (LSF) wall systems with superior fire resistance rating and associated design rules to enable innovative and safe applications of these wall systems in various building applications. This will enable expansion of the worldwide market for LSF wall systems by the industry partner.
Hybrid steel-framed structural systems for mid-rise buildings. The project aims to develop solutions for lightweight structural systems. Hybrid steel structures are those constructed from a mixture of conventional hot-rolled steel sections and tubes combined with lightweight cold-formed steel structural members. There is an increasing need to provide prefabricated structural systems that are highly constructible and modular in mid-rise (5–10 storeys) residential apartment and commercial building ....Hybrid steel-framed structural systems for mid-rise buildings. The project aims to develop solutions for lightweight structural systems. Hybrid steel structures are those constructed from a mixture of conventional hot-rolled steel sections and tubes combined with lightweight cold-formed steel structural members. There is an increasing need to provide prefabricated structural systems that are highly constructible and modular in mid-rise (5–10 storeys) residential apartment and commercial buildings. The major problem in producing efficient hybrid systems is the connections between the hot-rolled framing members and the lightweight cold-formed members. The main aim of the project is to carry out experimental and theoretical research into the hybrid connections. The expected outcomes of the research are more efficient and standardised structural connections and systems.Read moreRead less
A bio-inspired lightweight composite system for blast and impact protection. This project aims to develop a lightweight armour system that protects structural elements from extreme loads. Every day around the world, accidental and deliberate loads cost billions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The project’s composite system can concentrate material into areas most needed under impact loads and absorb and mitigate energy under blast. The anticipated outcomes of this project should be direct ....A bio-inspired lightweight composite system for blast and impact protection. This project aims to develop a lightweight armour system that protects structural elements from extreme loads. Every day around the world, accidental and deliberate loads cost billions of dollars in damage and loss of life. The project’s composite system can concentrate material into areas most needed under impact loads and absorb and mitigate energy under blast. The anticipated outcomes of this project should be directly applicable to designing, assessing and strengthening structures, including civilian buildings, defence structures, bridges and offshore and industrial facilities.Read moreRead less