Erosion of embankment dams and dam spillways. In excess of $250M is spent annually to maintain, upgrade, improve safety and monitor performance of Australian dams. Improved methods for assessing both spillway and internal erosion, the cause of 50 per cent of embankment dam failures and incidents requiring repairs, will be developed, maximising dam safety and minimising maintenance expenditure.
Understanding mud pumping in heavy haul railroads. This project aims to examine the factors that cause mud pumping and evaluate the effectiveness of sub-surface drainage to prevent rail track instability. Fast heavy haul operations (such as loads used in mining and agriculture) impart repeated loads on the natural formation that can result in mud pumping. If the build-up of water pressure becomes excessive this can cause track failure. Through an experimental program and field study, the mechani ....Understanding mud pumping in heavy haul railroads. This project aims to examine the factors that cause mud pumping and evaluate the effectiveness of sub-surface drainage to prevent rail track instability. Fast heavy haul operations (such as loads used in mining and agriculture) impart repeated loads on the natural formation that can result in mud pumping. If the build-up of water pressure becomes excessive this can cause track failure. Through an experimental program and field study, the mechanisms of mud pumping, incorporating train loads and frequencies, will be studied, and the role of vertically installed drains will be quantified for improved practical design. The project aims to contribute to improved track longevity and reduced maintenance costs, with a corresponding boost in rail productivity.Read moreRead less
Mitigating the Severity of Level Crossing Accidents and Derailments. Ongoing increases in the number of level crossings and heavy road vehicles cause more frequent and severe level crossing accidents and derailments. Despite the use of active warning systems, each year, on average, 100 level crossing accidents occur in Australia. With a view to mitigating these crashes, this research aims to formulate theories for reduction in crash energy and effective wheel constraints to prevent derailment by ....Mitigating the Severity of Level Crossing Accidents and Derailments. Ongoing increases in the number of level crossings and heavy road vehicles cause more frequent and severe level crossing accidents and derailments. Despite the use of active warning systems, each year, on average, 100 level crossing accidents occur in Australia. With a view to mitigating these crashes, this research aims to formulate theories for reduction in crash energy and effective wheel constraints to prevent derailment by modifying the levels of road and rail crossings and providing guard rails in the recesses of these modified level crossings. The theories are intended be developed using nonlinear dynamic computational methods and laboratory experiments. The outcomes are expected to enable reduction in the severity of level crossing accidents and hence save lives and costs of derailment.Read moreRead less
Modelling and distributed control of large infrastructure networks. The main outcome of this project will be the capability to study systematically basic questions on the operation of large infrastructure systems. Methodologies for control of larger systems and security issues will be developed. Application of the techniques to several applications areas will include power grids and traffic networks.
SCANEM : A Scanning and Inspection Method for Urban Pipeline Systems. Water and sewage utilities are crucial factors limiting economic growth and urban amenity. However many of these facilities are subject to corrosion, fracture and collapse and new strategies are now required to provide a sound basis for systematic remediation and replacement. Suitable strategies involving a structural audit and statistical analysis have been proposed by CSIRO and Tyco Water. However new geophysical inspection ....SCANEM : A Scanning and Inspection Method for Urban Pipeline Systems. Water and sewage utilities are crucial factors limiting economic growth and urban amenity. However many of these facilities are subject to corrosion, fracture and collapse and new strategies are now required to provide a sound basis for systematic remediation and replacement. Suitable strategies involving a structural audit and statistical analysis have been proposed by CSIRO and Tyco Water. However new geophysical inspection methods are now required to provide the key physical parameters relating to pipeline condition. Hopefully the EM inspection tool resulting from this project will provide the industrial partners with a unique capacity to satisfy a major global market.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100116
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
100 Gbit to 1 Terabit per second optical communication test bed facility. This facility will develop and demonstrate novel optical technologies that will underpin the generation and transmission of a higher-speed Ethernet at 100 Gb/s to 1Terabit/s, and will lead to better broadband and more energy efficient internet. At the foundation of this research will be a test bed with multiple signal sources at data rates above 50 Gbaud.
Three-dimensional property ownership map base for smart urban land administration. Three-dimensional property ownership map base for smart urban land administration. This project aims to support smart urban land administration by upgrading a two-dimensional (2D) property ownership map base to a three-dimensional (3D) map base, using 3D digital data from regulatory subdivision processes. The map base coherently represents all land-based parcels, and provides valuable intelligence used to make lan ....Three-dimensional property ownership map base for smart urban land administration. Three-dimensional property ownership map base for smart urban land administration. This project aims to support smart urban land administration by upgrading a two-dimensional (2D) property ownership map base to a three-dimensional (3D) map base, using 3D digital data from regulatory subdivision processes. The map base coherently represents all land-based parcels, and provides valuable intelligence used to make land and property decisions. The 2D map base omits above and underground properties and infrastructure common in urban settings, forcing stakeholders to rely on fragmented data streams. The 3D map base will provide a connected, digital source of intelligence about urban property objects. This is expected to reduce social and economic risks and enable more intelligent city planning and management.Read moreRead less
Synthesis of Activated Carbon Supported Zero Valent Iron Nanoparticles and Application to Contaminant Degradation in Benthic Sediments. Sediment contamination is a major problem in harbours and estuaries around Australia. For example, in Sydney Harbour, a total fishing ban has been implemented as a result of excessive levels of dioxins and benzofurans in fish tissues. There is also concern at the possibility of large scale contamination of Botany Bay as a result of historic industrial activity a ....Synthesis of Activated Carbon Supported Zero Valent Iron Nanoparticles and Application to Contaminant Degradation in Benthic Sediments. Sediment contamination is a major problem in harbours and estuaries around Australia. For example, in Sydney Harbour, a total fishing ban has been implemented as a result of excessive levels of dioxins and benzofurans in fish tissues. There is also concern at the possibility of large scale contamination of Botany Bay as a result of historic industrial activity around the Bay. While dredging and on-land treatment of sediments is being adopted at the most severely contaminated sites, the cost of this approach is exorbitant. For sites where removal of contaminated sediments cannot be justified, the approach proposed in this study of a technology that entraps contaminants and enhances their in situ biodegradation is potentially a way forward.Read moreRead less
Transport properties from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Australia is embarking on the development of major gas fields offshore western Australia. These developments are very costly (~1Billion) and tools to manage the risk in development are well sought after. NMR response is the only tool offering a good correlation to permeability, one of the major factors whether oil/gas recovery is economical. The actual rocks studied will be selected to make the results of the study of immediate value to Austr ....Transport properties from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Australia is embarking on the development of major gas fields offshore western Australia. These developments are very costly (~1Billion) and tools to manage the risk in development are well sought after. NMR response is the only tool offering a good correlation to permeability, one of the major factors whether oil/gas recovery is economical. The actual rocks studied will be selected to make the results of the study of immediate value to Australian oil and gas producers.
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A silicon-compatible light source on a silicon-on-insulator platform. Silicon is emerging as an important photonic material owing to the cheap processing methods developed for electronics. This project aims to capture key technology for integrating photonic components onto silicon. It can bring social and commercial benefits to Australia such as high-level research as well as opportunities for commercialisation.