Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This p ....Development of design guidelines for recycled plastic material and structural components. It is estimated that by 2010 over 1.2 million tonnes of plastic will be used annually by Australians of which only 3% is currently recycled. Preliminary testing of recycled plastic products has demonstrated their potential usefulness in structural engineering applications. However, the lack of guidelines suitable for advanced applications of recycled plastic is limiting the growth of this technology. This project aims to develop a set of rational guidelines for the testing, analysis and design of recycled plastic material and structural components that will enable the continued expansion of this technology, significantly reducing waste plastic.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$800,000.00
Summary
National Rock, Concrete and Advanced Composite Testing Capability. National rock, concrete and advanced composite testing capability:
The aim of the project is to develop a national hybrid biaxial/true triaxial load testing facility to serve the needs of geotechnical, structural, mining and materials researchers and engineers for sophisticated testing. It would address the need for leading edge testing and analysis of the deformation and strength of rock, concrete, and thin plates comprising me ....National Rock, Concrete and Advanced Composite Testing Capability. National rock, concrete and advanced composite testing capability:
The aim of the project is to develop a national hybrid biaxial/true triaxial load testing facility to serve the needs of geotechnical, structural, mining and materials researchers and engineers for sophisticated testing. It would address the need for leading edge testing and analysis of the deformation and strength of rock, concrete, and thin plates comprising metals, composites and polymers, under a wide range of loading conditions. The facility would accommodate cubic specimens up to 300 millimetres and be able to apply 10 megapascals of stress in up to three orthogonal directions. State-of-the-art monitoring equipment is designed to assess the degree of damage caused by testing, simulating damage induced by blasting, cutting, static loading and/or impact.Read moreRead less
A New Generic Approach for Assessing Blast Effects on Reinforced Concrete Members. A framework allow for both flexural and shear response analysis using a new segmental approach is developed in this proposal. A blast test program is designed to validate the framework for reinforced concrete members. The validated framework is then used to derive normalised pressure impulse programs for reinforced members in unconfined and confined spaces. This project will provide design engineers guidelines for ....A New Generic Approach for Assessing Blast Effects on Reinforced Concrete Members. A framework allow for both flexural and shear response analysis using a new segmental approach is developed in this proposal. A blast test program is designed to validate the framework for reinforced concrete members. The validated framework is then used to derive normalised pressure impulse programs for reinforced members in unconfined and confined spaces. This project will provide design engineers guidelines for reliably and quickly assessing the effect of different kinds of blast loads on different types and properties and geometries of reinforced concrete structural members, saving computation time and efforts while providing increased realism and accuracy.Read moreRead less
A unified approach for estimating coastal flood risk. The project aims to develop a unified approach to quantifying flood risk. Because flooding is caused by multiple mechanisms such as extreme rainfall, storm surge and astronomical tide, accurately estimating flood levels in the Australian coastal zone is challenging. By quantifying flood risk in terms of these mechanisms, the project is expected to provide reliable flood risk estimates for both historical settings and future climate scenarios. ....A unified approach for estimating coastal flood risk. The project aims to develop a unified approach to quantifying flood risk. Because flooding is caused by multiple mechanisms such as extreme rainfall, storm surge and astronomical tide, accurately estimating flood levels in the Australian coastal zone is challenging. By quantifying flood risk in terms of these mechanisms, the project is expected to provide reliable flood risk estimates for both historical settings and future climate scenarios. The improved estimation should enable Australian water agencies and policy-makers to effectively design defence infrastructure (e.g. drainage systems) and urban planning policies to adapt to future flood risk.Read moreRead less
Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will dev ....Experimental investigation and constitutive modelling of reactive soils. This project aims to develop the fundamental knowledge, a mechanical framework and practical engineering design tools needed to minimise the effects of reactive soils on infrastructure. Reactive soils undergo significant swelling and weakening upon wetting or intrusion by salt-rich groundwater and shrinkage upon drying. This can result in damage to buildings and infrastructure beyond a state of repair. This project will develop tools, models and theories to detect weaknesses in the design of infrastructure and its foundations built on problematic reactive soils, assess the impact and implement effective remedial measures to improve performance. The project is expected to increase efficiency through improved design and reduced damage, and save infrastructure owners, government and private, tens of millions of dollars each year.Read moreRead less
Combining transient micro-reflections and multi-sensor arrays for condition assessment of buried pipes. This project will develop an accurate and reliable approach for assessing the condition of pipelines. This new approach will reduce costs and save considerable amounts of water each year, as it will assist utilities in preventing major failures such as pipe bursts, and performing strategically targeted maintenance, replacement and rehabilitation.
Detecting developing cracks before pipe bursts using smart sensor systems. This project aims to significantly reduce the number of pipe bursts in cities by detecting the leaks from developing cracks on water supply pipes just in time. New techniques will be developed for reliable and timely detection using the existing sensor network in the Adelaide CBD. Specialised monitoring stations will be developed with adaptive noise-cancellation algorithms to detect small leak signals in noisy city enviro ....Detecting developing cracks before pipe bursts using smart sensor systems. This project aims to significantly reduce the number of pipe bursts in cities by detecting the leaks from developing cracks on water supply pipes just in time. New techniques will be developed for reliable and timely detection using the existing sensor network in the Adelaide CBD. Specialised monitoring stations will be developed with adaptive noise-cancellation algorithms to detect small leak signals in noisy city environments. Expected outcomes include an effective pipe burst early warning system and the implementation of an active burst prevention and targeted pipe replacement strategy. This should significantly reduce the burst rates and associated interruptions in Adelaide and save millions of dollars every year in pipe relay programs.Read moreRead less
Cost Effective Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Paired Pressure Sensor Arrays. Water distribution networks represent society's most important infrastructure asset. They are buried pipes and are often old and deteriorating. Cost-effective methods to assess their physical condition are urgently needed. This research will develop a novel and advanced approach to determine the interior condition of pipes quickly and effectively using small water hammer pulses or waves. Paired pressure sensor arra ....Cost Effective Pipeline Condition Assessment Using Paired Pressure Sensor Arrays. Water distribution networks represent society's most important infrastructure asset. They are buried pipes and are often old and deteriorating. Cost-effective methods to assess their physical condition are urgently needed. This research will develop a novel and advanced approach to determine the interior condition of pipes quickly and effectively using small water hammer pulses or waves. Paired pressure sensor arrays will be used to measure reflections of the waves in pipes and these methods will enable finer resolution and identification of pipeline faults, such as wall thickness loss and leakage while at the same time allowing operational continuity. The outcome will be powerful tools to more cost effectively manage these crucial assets.Read moreRead less
High-resolution pipeline condition assessment using hydraulic transients. This project aims to develop urgently needed non-invasive methods to assess fine detail of a pipe’s condition and allow ‘just in time’ predictive repair. Water distribution networks are society's most important infrastructure asset. They consist of buried pipes that are often old and deteriorating, and annual maintenance overhead exceeds $1 billion per year in Australia alone. The project will develop cost-effective powerf ....High-resolution pipeline condition assessment using hydraulic transients. This project aims to develop urgently needed non-invasive methods to assess fine detail of a pipe’s condition and allow ‘just in time’ predictive repair. Water distribution networks are society's most important infrastructure asset. They consist of buried pipes that are often old and deteriorating, and annual maintenance overhead exceeds $1 billion per year in Australia alone. The project will develop cost-effective powerful tools to identify faults, such as pipe wall corrosion and blockages, while allowing operational continuity. The expected outcome is high-resolution images of wall condition of pipes using high-frequency pressure transients and sophisticated fibre optic sensor arrays.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101593
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$359,446.00
Summary
Seismic evaluation of non-structural unreinforced masonry components. This project aims to reduce earthquake risk posed by unreinforced masonry buildings. The project will use integrated experimental and numerical research to understand the dynamic interaction between timber floors, roofs and walls. New knowledge about this interaction will enable economical and safe earthquake design methods to be used for unreinforced masonry buildings.