Computer simulation to study emergence of material texture in the Earth and Plate Tectonics. Plate tectonics has played a crucial role in the evolution and dynamics of the earth impacting on the diversity of life, mineralisation, and crustal dynamics. Despite its significance, how and under what conditions material texture and plate tectonics emerge from a proto-planet is not well understood. New computational methodologies to simulate the evolution of the plate-mantle system will be used to stu ....Computer simulation to study emergence of material texture in the Earth and Plate Tectonics. Plate tectonics has played a crucial role in the evolution and dynamics of the earth impacting on the diversity of life, mineralisation, and crustal dynamics. Despite its significance, how and under what conditions material texture and plate tectonics emerge from a proto-planet is not well understood. New computational methodologies to simulate the evolution of the plate-mantle system will be used to study how the upper mantle emerges as a thermo-mechanically distinct boundary layer, how this emergent structure relates to anisotropy in the upper mantle, and how it is affected by cross-scale effects controlling fault zone behaviour and crustal dynamics.Read moreRead less
A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental bene ....A New Approach to Air Traffic Management to Deliver Significantly Reduced Environmental Impact and System-wide Efficiencies. Aviation is often cited as a major contributor to harmful emissions in the upper atmosphere. The primary outcome of this project is the development of tools that will enable aviation industry stakeholders to optimise the deployment of 4-Dimensional User Preferred Trajectories across Australian airspace. It is expected that this will result in significant environmental benefit, through reductions in fuel burn for each flight, and increases in system effectiveness. The project will enable better analysis of Australian aviation environmental effect, whilst at the same time allowing the aviation industry to continue to contribute to Australia's sustainable economic growth. Read moreRead less
Thixotropic Structure Generation and Semisolid Casting of Aluminium and Magnesium Alloys. A range of aluminium and magnesium alloys will be prepared by controlled-pouring to produce structures suitable for semisolid forming. The conditions around grain nucleation and growth will be studied to ascertain the controlling factors in producing suitable microstructures. A computer model to simulate the thixotropic structure formation and define the processing parameters will be developed. Semisolid c ....Thixotropic Structure Generation and Semisolid Casting of Aluminium and Magnesium Alloys. A range of aluminium and magnesium alloys will be prepared by controlled-pouring to produce structures suitable for semisolid forming. The conditions around grain nucleation and growth will be studied to ascertain the controlling factors in producing suitable microstructures. A computer model to simulate the thixotropic structure formation and define the processing parameters will be developed. Semisolid casting using the produced feedstock will lead to extensive knowledge about the effect of different microstructures and alloys on semisolid castability. Outcomes from the project will significantly advance the scientific understanding of the thixotropic structure generation and accelerate the development of semisolid processing technology.Read moreRead less
A Novel Surface Alloying Technique to Improve the Corrosion and Wear Resistance of Magnesium Alloys. Surface mechanical attrition treatment will be used to generate nanometer-sized grains in the surface layer of engineering magnesium alloys, and therefore activate the surface of this material. Together with the use of efficient activators, the project will develop a novel low temperature surface alloying technique to significantly improve the wear and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys wi ....A Novel Surface Alloying Technique to Improve the Corrosion and Wear Resistance of Magnesium Alloys. Surface mechanical attrition treatment will be used to generate nanometer-sized grains in the surface layer of engineering magnesium alloys, and therefore activate the surface of this material. Together with the use of efficient activators, the project will develop a novel low temperature surface alloying technique to significantly improve the wear and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys without changing the substrate properties. Microstructural features and the wear and corrosion resistance of the ultrafine-grained surface layer will be examined. In addition, it may be possible to combine the surface alloying process with the conventional ageing process together in order to save energy.Read moreRead less
Surface Nanocrystallization and Surface Alloying of Nonferrous Alloys. The research will offer materials scientists a totally new way to undertake surface modification for nonferrous alloys. The low temperature surface alloying technique to be developed will considerably improve the surface durability, therefore increase the service life of components. Combination of the surface alloying treatment with the ageing process can save energy and lower the cost of product. This will enhance Austral ....Surface Nanocrystallization and Surface Alloying of Nonferrous Alloys. The research will offer materials scientists a totally new way to undertake surface modification for nonferrous alloys. The low temperature surface alloying technique to be developed will considerably improve the surface durability, therefore increase the service life of components. Combination of the surface alloying treatment with the ageing process can save energy and lower the cost of product. This will enhance Australia's competitive ability in international markets. The study of atomic diffusion in nanomaterials will significantly contribute to material science and increase Australian research reputation in the world. In addition, the project initiates the research on surface nanocrystallization in Australia. Read moreRead less
Airports of the Future. This project will enhance the capabilities of Australian airport operators to design and manage complex airport systems. Research outcomes will enable the identification of patterns of behaviour and will provide tools to manage airport effectiveness and balance conflicting security, economic and passenger-driven pressures. Outcomes will improve productivity, enhance capabilities for critical infrastructure protection, and lessen the cost of mandated security, estimated t ....Airports of the Future. This project will enhance the capabilities of Australian airport operators to design and manage complex airport systems. Research outcomes will enable the identification of patterns of behaviour and will provide tools to manage airport effectiveness and balance conflicting security, economic and passenger-driven pressures. Outcomes will improve productivity, enhance capabilities for critical infrastructure protection, and lessen the cost of mandated security, estimated to grow to $152M by 2010 for the five major Australian airports. The deliverables of this project will be transferable to other complex socio-technical systems providing the potential to transform a range of Australian critical infrastructure and transportation hubs.Read moreRead less
Assessing Oceanic and Tidal Forecast Data For Search and Rescue Purposes. Locating people lost and adrift at sea requires costly resources (aircraft, ships and rescuers) and accurate planning. Rescuers also require estimates of where currents will take them. Australian marine Search and Rescue (SAR) planning uses infrequent (typically once a week) satellite measurements of ocean currents to estimate drift patterns of people at sea. Recently developed ocean forecast models will potentially help ....Assessing Oceanic and Tidal Forecast Data For Search and Rescue Purposes. Locating people lost and adrift at sea requires costly resources (aircraft, ships and rescuers) and accurate planning. Rescuers also require estimates of where currents will take them. Australian marine Search and Rescue (SAR) planning uses infrequent (typically once a week) satellite measurements of ocean currents to estimate drift patterns of people at sea. Recently developed ocean forecast models will potentially help forecast currents between the satellite observations, but are unproven for SAR use at this time and do not include tidal influences. This research project will develop measures of reliability and accuracy of using Ocean Forecasts that include tide forecasts for improving SAR planning outcomes in Australian waters.Read moreRead less
A Virtual Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Lab Based on Advanced Computer Modeling and Simulation Techniques. The proposed project will provide a framework of electromagnetic compatibility computer modelling technologies for an electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference problem-solving environment. It will result in theoretical and practical contributions to the field of electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference and computational electromagnetics. The project ....A Virtual Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Lab Based on Advanced Computer Modeling and Simulation Techniques. The proposed project will provide a framework of electromagnetic compatibility computer modelling technologies for an electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference problem-solving environment. It will result in theoretical and practical contributions to the field of electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference and computational electromagnetics. The project will provide an innovative technology to industry and societies with following major benefits: a) increased productivity and minimized the product risk with low failure rate, b) quicker project management cycles through such cost-effective electromagnetic compatibility computer modelling and simulation techniques based virtual Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab. and c) improved electromagnetic compatibility/electromagnetic interference problem solving environment and techniques for scientific research and commercial applications.Read moreRead less