Erosion processes in soils across scales. This project aims to develop a monitoring tool for predicting the evolution of internal erosion in dams based on innovative electromagnetic observation methods. Internal erosion is an insidious process occurring in the obscurity of the soil’s pore system until its consequences become visible and threaten the stability of the dams. These water retaining structures are vital for the future water and energy supply for our society and their failure can be ca ....Erosion processes in soils across scales. This project aims to develop a monitoring tool for predicting the evolution of internal erosion in dams based on innovative electromagnetic observation methods. Internal erosion is an insidious process occurring in the obscurity of the soil’s pore system until its consequences become visible and threaten the stability of the dams. These water retaining structures are vital for the future water and energy supply for our society and their failure can be catastrophic. By establishing an improved understanding of internal erosion as a sequence of processes on various scales, from the onset of erosion until the failure of the structure, this project will place Australia at the forefront of dam safety assessment.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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100817
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$458,460.00
Summary
Predicting internal erosion in dams using real-time coupled experiments. Internal erosion causes nearly half of embankment dam failures globally. This project aims to develop a mechanics-based understanding of internal erosion to overcome the limitations of existing empirical approaches that do not capture the underlying physics. By innovatively coupling computational and physical experiments in real-time, this project expects to generate new insights that identify the factors leading to the ini ....Predicting internal erosion in dams using real-time coupled experiments. Internal erosion causes nearly half of embankment dam failures globally. This project aims to develop a mechanics-based understanding of internal erosion to overcome the limitations of existing empirical approaches that do not capture the underlying physics. By innovatively coupling computational and physical experiments in real-time, this project expects to generate new insights that identify the factors leading to the initiation and continuation of internal erosion. The expected outcome of this project is a probabilistic framework able to predict the internal erosion process. This should significantly enhance and inform the design of erosion control measures and provide a holistic risk assessment for embankment dams.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101116
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$378,616.00
Summary
Bringing granular mechanics to prevent fluid-driven soil erosion problems. This project aims to investigate the erosive behaviour of soils by exploring the interaction between evolving topography and overland water flow. It expects to generate new knowledge about the dominant granular mechanisms under different flow conditions using innovative high-speed X-ray imaging and detailed numerical simulations. Anticipated outcomes include a simple mathematical framework that takes these important facto ....Bringing granular mechanics to prevent fluid-driven soil erosion problems. This project aims to investigate the erosive behaviour of soils by exploring the interaction between evolving topography and overland water flow. It expects to generate new knowledge about the dominant granular mechanisms under different flow conditions using innovative high-speed X-ray imaging and detailed numerical simulations. Anticipated outcomes include a simple mathematical framework that takes these important factors into account, which will bridge geomechanics and fluid mechanics to provide valuable insight into long-term erosion and deposition rates. This should provide significant benefit by enhancing our ability to predict, and therefore prevent, intense soil loss or problematic build-up of sediment.Read moreRead less
New Silent Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in Calcareous Sand . Reliable wind energy sites are in deeper waters and require offshore floating structures to harness the wind energy. Such floating structures require a reliable anchoring system that is secure and environmentally friendly. Calcareous sands, rich in carbonate content, pose unique challenges with their behaviour difficult to predict. In this project, a novel silent anchoring system is investigated that can be installed wit ....New Silent Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines in Calcareous Sand . Reliable wind energy sites are in deeper waters and require offshore floating structures to harness the wind energy. Such floating structures require a reliable anchoring system that is secure and environmentally friendly. Calcareous sands, rich in carbonate content, pose unique challenges with their behaviour difficult to predict. In this project, a novel silent anchoring system is investigated that can be installed with minimum noise and vibration compared to more traditional counterparts. Through the state of the art development in numerical modelling and centrifuge modelling, this project will advance Australian Science and Practice in designing floating wind turbines in carbonate rich soils offshore and help energy transition.Read moreRead less
Microbiologically Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking in Underground Mines. Premature brittle failure of rock & cable bolts due to stress corrosion cracking can cause fatalities and serious damage, and has been reported in several mining operations across Australia and world-wide. The evidence suggests that microbial activity is a contributing factor. The project aims to implement experimental methodologies to determine the specific conditions responsible for bolt failure and develop novel prevent ....Microbiologically Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking in Underground Mines. Premature brittle failure of rock & cable bolts due to stress corrosion cracking can cause fatalities and serious damage, and has been reported in several mining operations across Australia and world-wide. The evidence suggests that microbial activity is a contributing factor. The project aims to implement experimental methodologies to determine the specific conditions responsible for bolt failure and develop novel prevention techniques applicable in underground mines. The benefits of this research will be improved understanding of the environment causing catastrophic failure of bolts and avoidance of potential hazards & economic loss in mining projects. This will lead to improved safety & increased productivity in mining operations.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100410
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$452,085.00
Summary
Bridging the gap between rockfall theory and engineering practice. Fragmentation is often observed post rockfall events and it is recognised as a critical aspect of adequate rockfall risk management. Yet, rockfall fragmentation is a complex phenomenon still poorly understood and not properly considered in engineering practice. This project aims at developing a theoretical and stochastic fragmentation framework, based on high-quality and comprehensive experimental data, in collaboration with lead ....Bridging the gap between rockfall theory and engineering practice. Fragmentation is often observed post rockfall events and it is recognised as a critical aspect of adequate rockfall risk management. Yet, rockfall fragmentation is a complex phenomenon still poorly understood and not properly considered in engineering practice. This project aims at developing a theoretical and stochastic fragmentation framework, based on high-quality and comprehensive experimental data, in collaboration with leading international industry partners that provide advanced geotechnical design tools to practitioners around the world. The outcomes of the project will bridge the gap between rockfall theory and engineering practice. It will allow for more cost-effective and safer design of rockfall protection structures.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100006
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,937,625.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure. The ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure aims to transform Australia’s rail construction and maintenance technologies through specialist training of industry-focused researchers. Generation of new knowledge and close collaboration with companies within the rail supply chain will result in enhanced rail capacity and supply chain efficiency across the rail network. This will include in ....ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure. The ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure aims to transform Australia’s rail construction and maintenance technologies through specialist training of industry-focused researchers. Generation of new knowledge and close collaboration with companies within the rail supply chain will result in enhanced rail capacity and supply chain efficiency across the rail network. This will include increased axle loads and higher speeds, greater safety margins, reduced construction and maintenance costs, and a body of competent railway professionals in the nation’s work force.Read moreRead less
Early Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IE230100571
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,874.00
Summary
Safeguarding dams and levees from internal erosion failure. This project aims to improve the reliability and robustness of quantifying the risk of internal erosion failure in dams and levees. Existing industry approaches are reliant on judgement and experience. Using an innovative approach that integrates a variety of data sources, this project expects to objectively quantify risk based on the underlying internal erosion mechanisms. Expected outcomes include the translation of new knowledge to u ....Safeguarding dams and levees from internal erosion failure. This project aims to improve the reliability and robustness of quantifying the risk of internal erosion failure in dams and levees. Existing industry approaches are reliant on judgement and experience. Using an innovative approach that integrates a variety of data sources, this project expects to objectively quantify risk based on the underlying internal erosion mechanisms. Expected outcomes include the translation of new knowledge to update current empirical understanding, the development of models to directly assess risk, and additional data to obtain the probability of failure. This should provide significant benefits by reducing subjectivity in assessing risk and improving industry confidence in identifying susceptible assets.Read moreRead less
A Novel Surrogate Framework for evaluating THM Properties of Bentonite. Compacted bentonite as favoured engineered barrier material is widely used in environmental geotechnics and its failure can incur huge societal, economic and environmental loss. The project aims to develop a novel surrogate model to identify the optimal controllable factors' value to increase barrier's integrity and reliability. It expects to advance the fundamental knowledge of bentonite thermo-hydro-mechanical properties t ....A Novel Surrogate Framework for evaluating THM Properties of Bentonite. Compacted bentonite as favoured engineered barrier material is widely used in environmental geotechnics and its failure can incur huge societal, economic and environmental loss. The project aims to develop a novel surrogate model to identify the optimal controllable factors' value to increase barrier's integrity and reliability. It expects to advance the fundamental knowledge of bentonite thermo-hydro-mechanical properties through advanced molecular dynamics modelling, statistic learning and machine learning. It will deliver revolution design approach for bentonite used in engineered barriers in Australia and internationally. In the long-time it will bring huge economic, societal and environmental benefits to our community.Read moreRead less