Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and par ....Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and parameters to enhance the wear and fatigue performance of a series of high strength rail steels used in heavy haul railway lines. The outcomes of this project intend to be applied directly to the rail industry track producers and operators of high axle load rail systems to develop and improve their rail maintenance strategies.Read moreRead less
Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser claddin ....Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser cladding technology. Expected outcomes of this project are crucial for manufacturers and operators of railway networks to develop and improve their railway maintenance strategies. This should provide significant benefits, such as extending lives of rails and special track components, and reducing wheel squeal and flanging noise.Read moreRead less
Modelling and control of electromagnetically propelled arcs in joining processes. Magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) joining is a non-traditional manufacturing process for tubular steel components. Parameter selection and tuning have to date been experimentally determined via exhaustive trial-and-error techniques. Therefore the full capabilities of the process have not yet been realised. The project aims to model and optimise the complex process and thus facilitate the development of new a ....Modelling and control of electromagnetically propelled arcs in joining processes. Magnetically impelled arc butt (MIAB) joining is a non-traditional manufacturing process for tubular steel components. Parameter selection and tuning have to date been experimentally determined via exhaustive trial-and-error techniques. Therefore the full capabilities of the process have not yet been realised. The project aims to model and optimise the complex process and thus facilitate the development of new and effective control strategies. It is expected that novel power source designs will emerge as an outcome of the research proposed.Read moreRead less
Reducing the environmental impact of passenger vehicles by the design of lightweight alloy components. There are approximately a billion passenger vehicles in the world and the number is growing each year. The reduction in vehicle weight is therefore critical as it is one of the major contributors to both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. A major challenge for the automotive industry is to address this problem by replacing high density materials with lighter weight materials with co ....Reducing the environmental impact of passenger vehicles by the design of lightweight alloy components. There are approximately a billion passenger vehicles in the world and the number is growing each year. The reduction in vehicle weight is therefore critical as it is one of the major contributors to both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. A major challenge for the automotive industry is to address this problem by replacing high density materials with lighter weight materials with comparable properties. The aim is to design new lightweight aluminium alloys with the desired properties to replace existing high density steel fasteners in vehicles. It is expected that the new components aim to reduce the total weight of a standard car by at least 20kg; this would be a significant achievement in the eyes of automotive manufacturers.Read moreRead less
Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Tra ....Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Travel (AT). There is an opportunity to promote AT as part of an integrated transport strategy, and to develop tools for the robust evaluation of AT impacts to inform future investment strategies. This proposal will provide our partner organisation Transport for New South Wales (with the knowledge required to achieve this.
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High performance cast magnesium alloys. Reducing the weight of cars, particularly their engines, enables substantial reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. A new generation of magnesium alloys will be developed by this project for the manufacture of considerably lighter components with improved mechanical performance for powertrain and structural applications.
Design of Cost-effective Compositionally Complex Alloys. This project aims to develop low-cost and corrosion resistant compositionally complex alloys and associated processes to concurrently achieve high strength and high toughness using an innovative design strategy. The project expects to overcome the major limitations of this new type of alloys, enabling their practical applications in industry, creating new knowledge of materials science. Expected outcomes include commercialisation ready ne ....Design of Cost-effective Compositionally Complex Alloys. This project aims to develop low-cost and corrosion resistant compositionally complex alloys and associated processes to concurrently achieve high strength and high toughness using an innovative design strategy. The project expects to overcome the major limitations of this new type of alloys, enabling their practical applications in industry, creating new knowledge of materials science. Expected outcomes include commercialisation ready new alloys, breakthrough fundamental understanding of the mechanisms and long-term institutional collaboration. This should provide significant benefits, such as enhancement of Australia’s capacity of alloy development and manufacturing and strengthening the country’s world leading position in this area.Read moreRead less
Integrating Attribute Decision Heuristics into Travel Choice Models that accommodate Risk Attitude and Perceptual Conditioning. This proposal has the specific objective of integrating two disconnected literatures that are having a major influence on the behavioural and statistical performance of discrete choice models in travel choice modelling. These fields are attribute processing strategies and the conditioning of the marginal utility of attributes by risk attitude and perceptual conditioning ....Integrating Attribute Decision Heuristics into Travel Choice Models that accommodate Risk Attitude and Perceptual Conditioning. This proposal has the specific objective of integrating two disconnected literatures that are having a major influence on the behavioural and statistical performance of discrete choice models in travel choice modelling. These fields are attribute processing strategies and the conditioning of the marginal utility of attributes by risk attitude and perceptual conditioning. These two major developments have not been jointly integrated into a behaviourally richer representation of choice making. Given the encouraging evidence from both literatures, the research will determine more precisely the benefits in terms of improved estimates of willingness to pay for specific attributes and also increased predictive power. Read moreRead less
Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, a ....Wave Climate in the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Sea surface roughness has a major influence on global climate modelling. This project will provide a better understanding of the variability of sea waves in coastal waters. New technology of HF ocean radar can map wave fields over coastal waters and thus fill a gap between the open ocean satellite measurements and the point measurements from wave buoys. In this project we will improve the analysis of the radar echoes to produce sea wave spectra, and evaluate focussing of waves by complex currents on the continental shelf to help improve wave forecasting in coastal waters. The HF radar will be used to experimentally test current theories of wind wave spreading.Read moreRead less
Shape adaptive structures with built-in compact smart material based actuators. Primary Australian aerospace manufacturers are sub-contractors and constantly compete in the global market. Their products are primarily control surfaces, e.g., Boeing 757 and 777 rudders, 737 Krueger flaps. In light of the development of the hingeless control surfaces (HCS) in the smart aircraft wing program in the USA, the economic benefits of this project are very high because (a) it will address the key technolo ....Shape adaptive structures with built-in compact smart material based actuators. Primary Australian aerospace manufacturers are sub-contractors and constantly compete in the global market. Their products are primarily control surfaces, e.g., Boeing 757 and 777 rudders, 737 Krueger flaps. In light of the development of the hingeless control surfaces (HCS) in the smart aircraft wing program in the USA, the economic benefits of this project are very high because (a) it will address the key technological issue identified in the HCS program; and (b) it will enhance Australian manufacturers¡¯ technological standing and input in the design and manufacturing of next generation HCS by providing highly trained people with world-leading niche technology.Read moreRead less