Optimising the design and implementation of public transport priority initiatives. This project strengthens national approaches to a pervasive Australian problem, growing traffic congestion deteriorating liveability, environmental health & economic performance of the cities where most Australians live. Public transport can address these issues but most is provided by buses which are caught up in traffic congestion. This project improves approaches for traffic priority design to improve the eff ....Optimising the design and implementation of public transport priority initiatives. This project strengthens national approaches to a pervasive Australian problem, growing traffic congestion deteriorating liveability, environmental health & economic performance of the cities where most Australians live. Public transport can address these issues but most is provided by buses which are caught up in traffic congestion. This project improves approaches for traffic priority design to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of on-road public transport. It optimises the design of individual and groups of priority treatments and will generate diagnostic tools to better target priority treatments. Findings will better focus Australia's approach to increasingly challenging transport futures.Read moreRead less
Infrastructure project delivery: a life cycle evaluation model for public private partnerships. Governments continue to embrace public-private partnerships so as to obtain value for money and provide financial accountability to taxpayers. This project will determine the most appropriate way to engage the private sector in infrastructure delivery and develop a dynamic life cycle evaluation model to ensure projects are delivered effectively and efficiently.
Performance Characteristics of an Innovative Structural System - Compound Curved Sandwich Shell Structure. An innovative structural system utilising sandwich panel technology and shell action has recently emerged. These aesthetically pleasing curved structures are durable and spacious with fast construction time. They have residential and commercial applications and have attracted considerable local and overseas interest. There are no definitive procedures for their analysis and design and thei ....Performance Characteristics of an Innovative Structural System - Compound Curved Sandwich Shell Structure. An innovative structural system utilising sandwich panel technology and shell action has recently emerged. These aesthetically pleasing curved structures are durable and spacious with fast construction time. They have residential and commercial applications and have attracted considerable local and overseas interest. There are no definitive procedures for their analysis and design and their behaviour is complex involving many variables such as sandwich layer interaction, shape, openings, structural action, etc. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on their behaviour over a range of properties and operating conditions and develop guidelines to ensure safe and economical design, bringing economic benefits to Australia.Read moreRead less
FRACTURE OF STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE: MODES I & II. In 2000-2001 Australia spent 17.5 billon dollars on heavy engineering infrastructure development (3% of its gross domestic product). As this infrastructure ages costs of repairs and maintenance magnifies. Conventional structural concrete can significantly deteriorate with time requiring regular and often costly maintenance. This research goes to the development of a class of "super" concretes with very high strengths and with excellent d ....FRACTURE OF STEEL FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE: MODES I & II. In 2000-2001 Australia spent 17.5 billon dollars on heavy engineering infrastructure development (3% of its gross domestic product). As this infrastructure ages costs of repairs and maintenance magnifies. Conventional structural concrete can significantly deteriorate with time requiring regular and often costly maintenance. This research goes to the development of a class of "super" concretes with very high strengths and with excellent durability properties. With improved understanding of fracture and fracture processes with these materials, new models can be developed to represent the behaviour of structural elements fabricated with this "super" class of concretes and speed their implementation into Australian construction practice.Read moreRead less
DEBONDING FAILURE IN CFRP STRENGTHENED CONCRETE STRUCTURES. In 1999-2000 Australia spent $19 billion on civil engineering infrastructure renewal (3% of the country's GDP). The repair of damaged structures and strengthening of existing structures has become a research priority to maximise the life of aging infrastructure. A method that shows particular promise is the use of CFRP technology to retrofit structures. The repair technology, however, requires development and questions remain as to bond ....DEBONDING FAILURE IN CFRP STRENGTHENED CONCRETE STRUCTURES. In 1999-2000 Australia spent $19 billion on civil engineering infrastructure renewal (3% of the country's GDP). The repair of damaged structures and strengthening of existing structures has become a research priority to maximise the life of aging infrastructure. A method that shows particular promise is the use of CFRP technology to retrofit structures. The repair technology, however, requires development and questions remain as to bonding mechanics and debonding strength of the repair material from the structure. This research will provide high quality experimental data and will develop a rational analytical model for debonding between CFRP plates from the parent concrete.Read moreRead less
Multi-Scale Model-Based Simulation of Glass Fragmentation under Blast Loading. It is estimated that most injuries from bomb blasts can be attributed to airborne sharp glass fragments. The proposed project will help us gain better understanding of glass failure mechanism under impact/blast loading. The results from the proposed project are expected to help in developing more effective blast-resistant transparency, ensuring the reliability and quality of buildings and facilities, mitigating injury ....Multi-Scale Model-Based Simulation of Glass Fragmentation under Blast Loading. It is estimated that most injuries from bomb blasts can be attributed to airborne sharp glass fragments. The proposed project will help us gain better understanding of glass failure mechanism under impact/blast loading. The results from the proposed project are expected to help in developing more effective blast-resistant transparency, ensuring the reliability and quality of buildings and facilities, mitigating injury or death due to flying glass fragments, and eventually enhancing public safety and security.Read moreRead less
Retrofit of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Connections with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites. Effective retrofitting of structurally deficient reinforced concrete structures with fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) will improve the safety of Australian infrastructure resulting in both social and economic benefits. Avoidance of structure collapse by retrofitting will provide obvious social benefits and minimisation of infrastructure damage will provide economic benefits to both the public ....Retrofit of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Connections with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites. Effective retrofitting of structurally deficient reinforced concrete structures with fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) will improve the safety of Australian infrastructure resulting in both social and economic benefits. Avoidance of structure collapse by retrofitting will provide obvious social benefits and minimisation of infrastructure damage will provide economic benefits to both the public and private sector. Engineering confidence in designing FRP retrofitting measures will also be enhanced. Local engineering expert knowledge in retrofitting will be a valuable technology to export to our seismically vulnerable international neighbours thus creating revenue and establishing Australia as a world leader in the retrofitting field.Read moreRead less
Friction and contact in soil-structure-interaction. Frictional contact, which occurs at soil-structure interfaces, has a major influence on the behaviour of many civil engineering structures such as building foundations and soil anchor systems. To better understand this phenomenon, new theoretical models and solution algorithms are needed to simulate soil-structure interaction. This project aims to develop these models and algorithms. Its outcomes will lead to improved prediction methods and bet ....Friction and contact in soil-structure-interaction. Frictional contact, which occurs at soil-structure interfaces, has a major influence on the behaviour of many civil engineering structures such as building foundations and soil anchor systems. To better understand this phenomenon, new theoretical models and solution algorithms are needed to simulate soil-structure interaction. This project aims to develop these models and algorithms. Its outcomes will lead to improved prediction methods and better geotechnical design strategies.Read moreRead less
FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pi ....FRICTION AND CONTACT IN SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION AT LARGE DEFORMATION. The proposed research addresses the fundamental mechanics of contact for a wide range of civil engineering structures such as piles, retaining walls, and soil anchors. Piles and anchors are essential parts of off-shore platforms which, in turn, are key elements of the Australian oil and gas industry. The numerical tool the project aims to develop is capable of analysing the entire process of installation and loading of a pile foundation. Such a tool does not currently exist and will result in safer and cheaper geotechnical design. The methods developed in this project can also be extended to study human joints and joint replacements.Read moreRead less
Micro-macro modelling of collapse problems in geomaterials by strain gradient plasticity. The proposed research aims to improve our fundamental understanding of the collapse of geomaterials, which is directly related to the failure of offshore structures, mining operations, tunnels, cuttings and foundations. The advanced mathematical model developed will be capable of accurately predicting the collapse of geomaterials and will be founded on measurable microscopic information. The fruits of the r ....Micro-macro modelling of collapse problems in geomaterials by strain gradient plasticity. The proposed research aims to improve our fundamental understanding of the collapse of geomaterials, which is directly related to the failure of offshore structures, mining operations, tunnels, cuttings and foundations. The advanced mathematical model developed will be capable of accurately predicting the collapse of geomaterials and will be founded on measurable microscopic information. The fruits of the research will be implemented in an advanced nonlinear finite element program, and will lead to safer and more cost-effective designs for a wide range of geostructures.Read moreRead less