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.
Gender Affirmation in Childhood: Protective Factors and Strategies . This interdisciplinary study aims to explore Australian Trans and Gender Diverse (TGD) children’s experiences of affirming their gender. It is innovative methodologically for inclusion of arts-based methods with children, and multiple perspectives from TGD children (5-16), peer allies, parents, healthcare professionals and educators. TGD young people are a rapidly growing population, disproportionately affected by intentional s ....Gender Affirmation in Childhood: Protective Factors and Strategies . This interdisciplinary study aims to explore Australian Trans and Gender Diverse (TGD) children’s experiences of affirming their gender. It is innovative methodologically for inclusion of arts-based methods with children, and multiple perspectives from TGD children (5-16), peer allies, parents, healthcare professionals and educators. TGD young people are a rapidly growing population, disproportionately affected by intentional self-harm and suicidality. The project expects to generate new understandings of gender, the lived experiences of TGD children and families, and protective factors in their lives. Significant benefits should be informing theory, policy, and early interventions and co-development of resources for key stakeholders. Read moreRead less
Country Girlhood: the meaning and experience of girlhood in rural and regional Australia. What meanings does Australian country life impose on or generate for girls, and how have these helped define both country life and girlhood in Australia? Looking at the experience of growing up in rural and regional (ie. non-metropolitan) Australia, and how governments and communities have sought to respond to and define it, this project considers how country girlhood has interacted with social policy and o ....Country Girlhood: the meaning and experience of girlhood in rural and regional Australia. What meanings does Australian country life impose on or generate for girls, and how have these helped define both country life and girlhood in Australia? Looking at the experience of growing up in rural and regional (ie. non-metropolitan) Australia, and how governments and communities have sought to respond to and define it, this project considers how country girlhood has interacted with social policy and other influences, and as a particular conjunction of age, gender, location, and community. Is there such a thing as Australian country girlhood, and how has it been shaped by or helped form Australian ways of life?Read moreRead less
Control of cracking caused by early-age contraction of concrete. An extensive program of laboratory testing will be undertaken to quantify the extent of cracking in concrete walls and slabs due to early-age cooling and shrinkage of concrete. Analytical models for quantifying restraint in walls and slabs will be developed, as will methods for the prediction and control of crack widths and crack spacings.
A multi-agent system for stakeholder management in off-site construction. This project aims to investigate a socio-technology model for stakeholders and informatics to improve off-site construction (OSC) productivity in infrastructure construction. A multi-agent system for OSC could drive down cost, but requires highly integrated collaboration among stakeholders. The project’s quantitative approaches include large-scale social network analysis, multi-agent consensus modelling and an optimisation ....A multi-agent system for stakeholder management in off-site construction. This project aims to investigate a socio-technology model for stakeholders and informatics to improve off-site construction (OSC) productivity in infrastructure construction. A multi-agent system for OSC could drive down cost, but requires highly integrated collaboration among stakeholders. The project’s quantitative approaches include large-scale social network analysis, multi-agent consensus modelling and an optimisation algorithm for collaborative planning. The project outcomes are expected to secure long-term economic benefits by enhancing performance in complex projects.Read moreRead less
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
Life-cycle cost and emission analyses of green-building implementation. In Australia, the annual average temperature has increased 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1910. Residential and commercial building sectors produce about 23 per cent of the national greenhouse-gas emissions. This project critically evaluates the cost effectiveness and greenhouse-gas emissions of green-building implementation in Australia. This will examine methods to lower cost and greenhouse-gas emissions from green-building imp ....Life-cycle cost and emission analyses of green-building implementation. In Australia, the annual average temperature has increased 0.9 degrees Celsius since 1910. Residential and commercial building sectors produce about 23 per cent of the national greenhouse-gas emissions. This project critically evaluates the cost effectiveness and greenhouse-gas emissions of green-building implementation in Australia. This will examine methods to lower cost and greenhouse-gas emissions from green-building implementation. A new high-tech scoring model is expected to be developed to identify cost-effective and low-greenhouse-gas-emissions methods to achieve specific green-star status for the Australian building and construction industries.Read moreRead less
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
Partner choice and sexual behaviour among gay and bisexual men. Current social and political debate about what constitutes legitimate relationships hinge on the status of same-sex relationships. Partner choice is key to understanding individuals' sexual behaviour and the relationships they develop in response. Yet gay and bisexual men's (GBM) sexual partner choices have not been researched. The project aims to describe types of partner choices among GBM and how these affect the specific sex prac ....Partner choice and sexual behaviour among gay and bisexual men. Current social and political debate about what constitutes legitimate relationships hinge on the status of same-sex relationships. Partner choice is key to understanding individuals' sexual behaviour and the relationships they develop in response. Yet gay and bisexual men's (GBM) sexual partner choices have not been researched. The project aims to describe types of partner choices among GBM and how these affect the specific sex practices, including risk behaviours, in which they engage and their style and pattern of relationships. It also aims to identify the contextual and individual factors associated with these choices. This evidence is expected to inform current debate and help improve health promotion and relationship support work among GBM.Read moreRead less