Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing prob ....Using 3D printing technology to develop architecturally-controlled synthetic bone substitutes. With the ageing population, there is increasing demand for synthetic materials that can regenerate bone. However, purely synthetic bone-substitute biomaterials cannot regenerate large bone defects in weight-bearing conditions due to their fragility. This project aims to develop a customisable, biodegradable, biocompatible and mechanically strong and tough scaffold that overcomes this long-standing problem. The project aims to achieve this by applying an innovative combination of cutting-edge 3D printing technology, advanced computational modelling and design techniques to produce a next-generation bioceramic scaffold with optimised architecture. This approach aims also to enable the possibility of producing custom-made implants for individual requirements.Read moreRead less
Microstructural-Functional Effect of Silver Diammine Fluoride on Apatites. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding at the nanostructural level of the factors that contribute to the enhanced mineralisation and mechanical properties of dentine and enamel following the treatment with silver diammine fluoride (SDF). A variety of advanced nanomechanical, tomographic and microscopic techniques will be used to characterise sound, carious and SDF treated tissue. The new biomechanical ev ....Microstructural-Functional Effect of Silver Diammine Fluoride on Apatites. This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding at the nanostructural level of the factors that contribute to the enhanced mineralisation and mechanical properties of dentine and enamel following the treatment with silver diammine fluoride (SDF). A variety of advanced nanomechanical, tomographic and microscopic techniques will be used to characterise sound, carious and SDF treated tissue. The new biomechanical evidence on the underlying mechanisms, alternative protocols, delivery systems enable to optimise the treatment. The scientific insights into arresting/repairing damage processes will provide critical data for developing minimal intervention protocols for pediatric and geriatric populations.Read moreRead less
Tailoring composite propellers for reduced sound radiation. This project aims to explore the generation of noise by composite propellers and to use this understanding to tailor the composite properties to reduce underwater noise. Propellers are a harmful source of noise in the marine environment, disturbing animal behaviour, revealing the location of naval vessels and interfering with sonar operation. Adaptive composite propellers are potentially quieter than metal propellers, as well as offerin ....Tailoring composite propellers for reduced sound radiation. This project aims to explore the generation of noise by composite propellers and to use this understanding to tailor the composite properties to reduce underwater noise. Propellers are a harmful source of noise in the marine environment, disturbing animal behaviour, revealing the location of naval vessels and interfering with sonar operation. Adaptive composite propellers are potentially quieter than metal propellers, as well as offering improvements in efficiency and fuel consumption. The aims of this project are to understand the physical mechanisms associated with composite propeller noise generation. The outcomes are intended to provide advanced numerical capabilities that will support the development of quieter marine propeller designs to improve defence capability and the acoustic environment for marine mammals.Read moreRead less
Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such sy ....Development of Canonical Mist Filter Models. Over one million tonnes of oil (mist) is wasted every year – and emitted to the atmosphere through inefficient filtration. Over 50 per cent of energy usage in most process industries is for filtration and separation processes, yet mist filters and separators are largely designed by trial and error, resulting in sub-optimal, inefficient designs. Recent advances by the research team have, only now, made it possible to develop accurate models for such systems. This work intends to be the first to develop accurate, broadly applicable models for all processes in mist filters, thereby providing immense process efficiency benefits, together with improved worker and environmental protection, and less wastage of dwindling oil resources.Read moreRead less
Innovative metamaterial magnetorheological technology for mining machines. Hard-rock mining machines have been identified as the next generation mining technology, which will finally replace the traditional drill and blast method to increase productivity and mitigate dangerous working conditions. This project aims to develop innovative metamaterial magnetorheological elastomer joints for a typical hard-rock mining machine to improve the mining efficiency by reducing the vibration. The findings a ....Innovative metamaterial magnetorheological technology for mining machines. Hard-rock mining machines have been identified as the next generation mining technology, which will finally replace the traditional drill and blast method to increase productivity and mitigate dangerous working conditions. This project aims to develop innovative metamaterial magnetorheological elastomer joints for a typical hard-rock mining machine to improve the mining efficiency by reducing the vibration. The findings and outcomes of this research will advance the knowledge and practice of hard-rock mining machines in Australia. The success of this project will significantly increase mining productivity and reduce human injuryRead moreRead less
Optimal acoustic design of a composite marine propeller for signature management. Noise of maritime vessels affects passengers, crew and marine life. Composite marine propellers provide significant benefits over metallic propellers as they run more efficiently, thus consuming less fuel and run more smoothly, resulting in improved comfort for passengers and crew. From a military perspective, composite marine propellers provide reduced noise signature, resulting in vessels of greater stealth. Quie ....Optimal acoustic design of a composite marine propeller for signature management. Noise of maritime vessels affects passengers, crew and marine life. Composite marine propellers provide significant benefits over metallic propellers as they run more efficiently, thus consuming less fuel and run more smoothly, resulting in improved comfort for passengers and crew. From a military perspective, composite marine propellers provide reduced noise signature, resulting in vessels of greater stealth. Quieter propellers also significantly reduce the environmental impact of ships on marine life. This project will generate a new class of quiet composite propellers to be utilised by the maritime industry. The technologies developed by this project are applicable to rotors in other industries, such as aircraft, helicopters and wind turbines.Read moreRead less
Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition ....Multiscale engineering of durable absorber coatings for solar thermal power. This project aims to advance the long-term stability and efficiency of high-temperature absorber coatings for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Solar energy is a vast and largely untapped resource in Australia. The project will design superior light absorbers and scalable and low-cost approaches for their fabrication. Optimal absorber properties will be achieved by multi-scale engineering of the coating composition and micro-texturing via modelling of the light absorption and heat transport within these complex nanocomposite structures. The intended outcome of the project is a set of commercially competitive absorber coatings, with superior performance and durability, that support the development of CSP as a competitive technology for energy generation.Read moreRead less
Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating condition ....Vibration-based health monitoring of aero-engine bearings . This project will develop new vibration-based techniques to greatly improve the detection and diagnosis of faults in aero engine bearings from in-flight measurements. To achieve this goal, advances will be made on source separation algorithms to extract the weak bearing signals, and signal processing techniques to extract features for diagnosing bearing fault severity and lubrication conditions, under a wide range of operating conditions. A bearing degradation model will estimate the remaining useful life. Since rolling element bearings are among the most critical components in most machines, the results of this research will also provide massive benefits in other sectors such as mining, transportation, energy production and manufacturing.Read moreRead less
A new biomechanical model for understanding aging of stored Red Blood Cells. This project plans to develop a novel modelling framework to accurately represent the biomechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) over time under stored conditions. Stored RBCs suffer ageing-related deformability changes which impede RBC functions. The framework aims to integrate models for RBC membrane, inside haemoglobin and outside storage solution, and accounts for ageing effects by embedding time-dependent c ....A new biomechanical model for understanding aging of stored Red Blood Cells. This project plans to develop a novel modelling framework to accurately represent the biomechanical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) over time under stored conditions. Stored RBCs suffer ageing-related deformability changes which impede RBC functions. The framework aims to integrate models for RBC membrane, inside haemoglobin and outside storage solution, and accounts for ageing effects by embedding time-dependent correlations. It should provide new insights and understanding of the mechanisms of deformability changes of RBCs during stored lifespan. Therefore, it should significantly improve blood storage industry practices in terms of improving RBC storage protocols with preventative ageing strategies.Read moreRead less
A Novel Failure Approach for Multi-stage Aluminium Sheet Forming. This project aims to reduce waste in the production of aluminium cans. Over 200 billion aluminium beverage cans per year are produced worldwide (including 30 billion in Australia), but there is a problematic level of waste due to aluminium sheet forming failure. Current simulation of a multi-stage sheet forming process for rigid-packaging components results in a higher rejection rate due to the inaccuracy of conventional forming a ....A Novel Failure Approach for Multi-stage Aluminium Sheet Forming. This project aims to reduce waste in the production of aluminium cans. Over 200 billion aluminium beverage cans per year are produced worldwide (including 30 billion in Australia), but there is a problematic level of waste due to aluminium sheet forming failure. Current simulation of a multi-stage sheet forming process for rigid-packaging components results in a higher rejection rate due to the inaccuracy of conventional forming and fracture limit models. A novel development in this work is the design of a nonlinear strain path which is intended to maximise the forming limit of aluminium alloys and also estimate the safety margin up to the necking or fracture limit in the early die design stage.Read moreRead less