A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes includ ....A novel granular stress sensor for soil exploration. The project aims to develop a novel way to measure the state of soils and improve the perception of soft ground robots by combining advances in sensor development with granular physics. The project expects to produce new insights in geotechnical engineering by utilising innovative sensors compliant with the surrounding medium, thus improving measurements across broader deformation conditions than existing technologies. Expected outcomes include an increased ability to prevent soil failures by utilising these sensors to monitor stress levels underground. This should provide significant benefits for saving critical infrastructure from environmental and geotechnical failures, including landslides, tunnel collapses, and tailings dam damages.Read moreRead less
Mud pumping under rail tracks: from Micromechanics to Predictions. Mud pumping under rail tracks is identified as the most frequent issue causing the degradation of rail tracks and increasing their ongoing maintenance cost across Australia and worldwide. This project aims to further the understanding of mud pumping mechanisms across different scales. A novel combined experiment-computational approach will be developed to observe, analyse and link different material properties and external condit ....Mud pumping under rail tracks: from Micromechanics to Predictions. Mud pumping under rail tracks is identified as the most frequent issue causing the degradation of rail tracks and increasing their ongoing maintenance cost across Australia and worldwide. This project aims to further the understanding of mud pumping mechanisms across different scales. A novel combined experiment-computational approach will be developed to observe, analyse and link different material properties and external conditions governing the mud pumping process. It will lead to better criteria for mud pumping and numerical tools for field scale failure analysis and risk assessments. The expected outcomes include the enhanced capability to assess the integrity and stability of rail tracks and better design criteria against mud pumping.Read moreRead less
Stress Evaluation with Non-Linear Guided Waves. This project plans to investigate a novel approach for in situ measurement of stress in structures based on an internal resonance phenomenon for nonlinear guided waves. Monitoring the stress level of critical structural components is important to ensure structural safety. The project plans to derive the requirements for this internal resonance and its dependence on stress analytically and verify them experimentally for both simple waveguides and mo ....Stress Evaluation with Non-Linear Guided Waves. This project plans to investigate a novel approach for in situ measurement of stress in structures based on an internal resonance phenomenon for nonlinear guided waves. Monitoring the stress level of critical structural components is important to ensure structural safety. The project plans to derive the requirements for this internal resonance and its dependence on stress analytically and verify them experimentally for both simple waveguides and more realistic structures. The expected outcome is the demonstration of the feasibility of a new inexpensive method for continuous monitoring of applied or thermally-induced stresses, which is of great importance in several engineering contexts, such as modern railway track rails, pipelines or pre-stressed strands in concrete structures.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100222
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$440,000.00
Summary
Time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry facility. The experimental information gained from measurements provided by this infrastructure will lead to significant advances in understanding turbulent flows and the dynamics of solid structures, which will impact a broad range of engineering and geophysical fields. Some specific examples include the development of efficient turbulence control strategies for the reduction of skin-friction drag and improved combustion processes, resulting ....Time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry facility. The experimental information gained from measurements provided by this infrastructure will lead to significant advances in understanding turbulent flows and the dynamics of solid structures, which will impact a broad range of engineering and geophysical fields. Some specific examples include the development of efficient turbulence control strategies for the reduction of skin-friction drag and improved combustion processes, resulting in not only better fuel efficiency for vehicles but also reduced CO2 and pollutant emissions. Significant advances can also be made in understanding the dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere, wind turbine design and the development of lighter and stronger intelligent materials with improved fatigue life.Read moreRead less
Effect Of Testosterone Treatment Combined With Dietary Restriction On Body Fat Mass And Muscle Function In Obese Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$140,949.00
Summary
Obesity, an increasing health and economic burden, is associated with lowered testosterone levels in men. While both dietary restriction and testosterone treatment reduce body fat, whether a combination of these two approaches achieves a more pronounced fat mass reduction is unknown. We will conduct a rigorous 12 month clinical trial of testosterone treatment in 150 obese men with a low testosterone level. All men will receive dietary intervention to induce and maintain weight loss
Does Increased Non-Linear Behavior Caused By Dynamic Variables Increase Ventilatory-Induced Lung Injury (VILI)?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$109,625.00
Summary
Acute lung injury (ALI) is precipitated by a variety of different insults, either directly to the lung or elsewhere to the body. Approximately 50% of the patients die. ALI is characterized by an increase in the leakiness of the barrier that normally separates the blood from the airspaces. The fluid which consequently floods the airspaces not only makes it difficult for patients to adequately obtain oxygen, but also dramatically increases the work of breathing by changing the surface forces withi ....Acute lung injury (ALI) is precipitated by a variety of different insults, either directly to the lung or elsewhere to the body. Approximately 50% of the patients die. ALI is characterized by an increase in the leakiness of the barrier that normally separates the blood from the airspaces. The fluid which consequently floods the airspaces not only makes it difficult for patients to adequately obtain oxygen, but also dramatically increases the work of breathing by changing the surface forces within the lungs. As a result, the patients must be mechanically ventilated. However, the very act of using a positive pressure to inflate the lungs often creates further damage, either through repeated opening and closing of collapse tissue or through its over distension. Ventilatory-induced lung injury (VILI), in itself is estimated to contribute to ~30% of the mortality. The best way shown to minimize VILI is through the use of small programmed breaths so as not to overinflate the lungs while still allowing adequate gas exchanges, superimposed upon a background pressure, in order to pre-inflate the lungs and prevent them from repeatedly collapsing. A remaining problem is that just as a rubber band changes its elasticity as it is stretched, so too the lung changes its mechanical properties during distension. Moreover, the lung is considerably more complex since different regions have different elasticities, which change differentially as air flows in and out of them. Airflow in turn depends on regional differences in the location, size, and number of conducting airways. Indeed, we have recently shown for the first time that dynamic changes in lung mechanics may contribute to VILI in patients, despite the use of safe ventilation modalities. This application proposes to examine the extent to which dynamic changes in lung mechanic contribute to VILI in an animal model, as a prelude to more costly, large scale clinical trials aimed at improving mortality.Read moreRead less