The geometry of impossible, or contradictory objects and its applications to computing and cognition. The principal aim is pure research, the increase of knowledge within the Theory of Inconsistency and particularly its mathematical aspects, to be available to the national and world community. Additionally, a new stock of hitherto-unseen images (still, moving and three-dimensional) will be constructed in a virtual reality environment. In addition to enhancing Australia's strong reputation in log ....The geometry of impossible, or contradictory objects and its applications to computing and cognition. The principal aim is pure research, the increase of knowledge within the Theory of Inconsistency and particularly its mathematical aspects, to be available to the national and world community. Additionally, a new stock of hitherto-unseen images (still, moving and three-dimensional) will be constructed in a virtual reality environment. In addition to enhancing Australia's strong reputation in logic, there are spin-offs for mathematics, cognitive science, computer studies, and the arts and entertainment industries.Read moreRead less
Development of Novel Metaconcrete to Resist Impulsive Loads. This project aims to develop innovative metaconcrete for structural protection by utilising the concept of phononic crystals and metamaterials which has been recently developed by physicists. Traditional construction materials are used in new structural forms to mitigate dynamic loading effects by exploiting the unique characteristics of the proposed metaconcrete. Theoretical, numerical and experimental methods will be used to derive t ....Development of Novel Metaconcrete to Resist Impulsive Loads. This project aims to develop innovative metaconcrete for structural protection by utilising the concept of phononic crystals and metamaterials which has been recently developed by physicists. Traditional construction materials are used in new structural forms to mitigate dynamic loading effects by exploiting the unique characteristics of the proposed metaconcrete. Theoretical, numerical and experimental methods will be used to derive the best performing metaconcrete and verify its static and dynamic load resistant capacities. The expected outcomes of the project will lead to innovative extreme-loading resistant designs and provide significant benefit to the Australian construction industry, general public and economy.Read moreRead less
Retrofitted brick masonry buildings - are they reliable over the long term? The aim of this project is to investigate the long-term reliability of a new earthquake strengthening technique for brick buildings. The technique involves the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) strips as reinforcement for brick walls and has been shown to give substantial instantaneous strength increases. However, no research has been undertaken to ensure that the improved strength is sustained over the remaining lif ....Retrofitted brick masonry buildings - are they reliable over the long term? The aim of this project is to investigate the long-term reliability of a new earthquake strengthening technique for brick buildings. The technique involves the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) strips as reinforcement for brick walls and has been shown to give substantial instantaneous strength increases. However, no research has been undertaken to ensure that the improved strength is sustained over the remaining life of the building. The only related research involves reinforced concrete which suggests that a reduction of at least 33 per cent could be expected. Hence, this project will quantify the long-term strength of FRP reinforced brickwork to enable engineers to safely apply this new cost-effective retrofit technique.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.
Ontology-based collaboration in design. The design process of a building project establishes function, form and performance for the final building. When multiple participants from varying professions are involved there is a serious problem in coordinating, communicating, and locating information around each design decision. Establishing an ontology for this process, and using this ontology to structure all participant communication, will allow the requisite information from all participants to b ....Ontology-based collaboration in design. The design process of a building project establishes function, form and performance for the final building. When multiple participants from varying professions are involved there is a serious problem in coordinating, communicating, and locating information around each design decision. Establishing an ontology for this process, and using this ontology to structure all participant communication, will allow the requisite information from all participants to be considered for each design decision. This will greatly reduce rework and poor design decisions based on missed information. It will also ensure that participants are aware of all related information for their particular design tasks.Read moreRead less
Graph isomorphism and quantisation of longest cycles by means of determinants and spectra. A characterisation of the difficulty of the Hamiltonian cycle problem and the graphs isomorphism problem will be a significant conceptual advancement with repercussions in a number of fields including combinatorial optimisation and theoretical computer science, in particular, the Google PageRank. Applications of tensor networks technique will lead to a design of a quantum computer that enumerates all Hamil ....Graph isomorphism and quantisation of longest cycles by means of determinants and spectra. A characterisation of the difficulty of the Hamiltonian cycle problem and the graphs isomorphism problem will be a significant conceptual advancement with repercussions in a number of fields including combinatorial optimisation and theoretical computer science, in particular, the Google PageRank. Applications of tensor networks technique will lead to a design of a quantum computer that enumerates all Hamiltonian cycles in a graph. Analysis of the determinant objective function in terms of the eigenvalues may lead to new spectral properties of stochastic matrices. Algorithmic advances exploiting such a characterisation will significantly contribute to existing technologies for solving problems in a wide range of applications.Read moreRead less
Improved seismic resilience against life-safety hazard of masonry buildings. This project aims to develop a cost-effective technique to mitigate the safety risk posed by the many unreinforced brick masonry parapets and walls which are vulnerable to seismic shock. Every Australian city has many streets lined with older unreinforced brick masonry buildings (now cafes, pubs, boutique shops) which feature parapets. The project will provide benefits to society by reducing the potential for parapet co ....Improved seismic resilience against life-safety hazard of masonry buildings. This project aims to develop a cost-effective technique to mitigate the safety risk posed by the many unreinforced brick masonry parapets and walls which are vulnerable to seismic shock. Every Australian city has many streets lined with older unreinforced brick masonry buildings (now cafes, pubs, boutique shops) which feature parapets. The project will provide benefits to society by reducing the potential for parapet collapse and therefore reduce the total number of fatalities in an earthquake. Building owners and engineers will be benefit from the design guidance provided by this project, which will lead to a suite of fully-tested and low-cost retrofit techniques.Read moreRead less
Computational Intelligence Methods for Financial Applications. Complex financial problems can be better addressed with software that can learn from available data and adapt to environmental changes. It is therefore essential to develop technologies that enable prediction and optimisation in constrained and dynamic environments. There are currently some limitations in existing business decision support systems despite their ubiquity providing an opportunity for Australia to be at the forefront as ....Computational Intelligence Methods for Financial Applications. Complex financial problems can be better addressed with software that can learn from available data and adapt to environmental changes. It is therefore essential to develop technologies that enable prediction and optimisation in constrained and dynamic environments. There are currently some limitations in existing business decision support systems despite their ubiquity providing an opportunity for Australia to be at the forefront as new standards in the field are developed. Furthermore, the fund management industry (particularly superannuation) is significant to the Australian economy and development of this technology has the potential to enhance its performance and reputation.Read moreRead less
Improved analysis techniques for seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with flexible floor/roof diaphragms. A major international collaboration between researchers in Australia, New Zealand and Italy is underway to develop a method for structural engineers to determine which masonry buildings post a significant hazard to the public in the event of an earthquake such as that which struck the city of Christchurch.
Early detection of component incompatibility in time-dependent computer architectures. Complex real-time systems are increasingly being built by integrating off-the-shelf components. There are obvious benefits to this approach, but the hidden costs associated with integration are still a major problem. Our proposed approach will enable early detection of integration problems, and thus provide potential for large cost savings. This brings with it clear benefits to industry. One industry that woul ....Early detection of component incompatibility in time-dependent computer architectures. Complex real-time systems are increasingly being built by integrating off-the-shelf components. There are obvious benefits to this approach, but the hidden costs associated with integration are still a major problem. Our proposed approach will enable early detection of integration problems, and thus provide potential for large cost savings. This brings with it clear benefits to industry. One industry that would benefit by such technology is the Australian Navy, which is increasingly being confronted with the challenge of integrating off-the-shelf components in large Naval Combat Systems. Read moreRead less