Plastic deformation and failure of high strength rail steels in heavy haul transportation of mineral products. The Australian Government has made infrastructure, including rail, as a national priority for investment to meet the freight transport demand. This project focuses on the deformation and failure of rail in heavy haul lines to transport ores in the mining industry. The outcomes will be applied to ensure the structural integrity of rail infrastructure.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453398
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$161,075.00
Summary
A Non Contact Facility For Measuring Irreversible Energy, Residual Stress, and Full Field Stresses for Critical Rail Infra-Structure Assessment. To meet the national rail objectives as enunciated in the 2002 Green Paper there is an urgent requirement for a capability for: i) advanced (rail) prototype assessment, ii) rapid assessment of rail infra-structure, iii) for increasing the capacity of existing (rail) infra-structure. To address this we propose a facility with both a dissipative energy m ....A Non Contact Facility For Measuring Irreversible Energy, Residual Stress, and Full Field Stresses for Critical Rail Infra-Structure Assessment. To meet the national rail objectives as enunciated in the 2002 Green Paper there is an urgent requirement for a capability for: i) advanced (rail) prototype assessment, ii) rapid assessment of rail infra-structure, iii) for increasing the capacity of existing (rail) infra-structure. To address this we propose a facility with both a dissipative energy measurement and a 'lock in' thermograpghy capability. Recent Australian developments in thermo-elasticity enables the researchers to extend this facility to measure residual stress in complex components. The ability to measure dissipated energy, residual stress, ultrasonic waves, and full field stress will create a unique research capability.Read moreRead less
Designing for Safe and Durable Structures. This project creates advanced concepts and tools for the analysis/design of new structures, and structural modifications with safety and durability constraints. It involves the marriage of the alternative finite element techniques, for assessing durability, recent developments in structural optimisations, and advances in parallel processing techniques. This project builds on the applicants recent pioneering work, one of which won the best paper award ....Designing for Safe and Durable Structures. This project creates advanced concepts and tools for the analysis/design of new structures, and structural modifications with safety and durability constraints. It involves the marriage of the alternative finite element techniques, for assessing durability, recent developments in structural optimisations, and advances in parallel processing techniques. This project builds on the applicants recent pioneering work, one of which won the best paper award at the 2nd Australasian Conference on Applied Mechanics. By marrying the skills associated with three internationally recognised key researchers this proposal represents a major advance in the basic understanding of structural optimisation and creates unique research linkages.Read moreRead less
Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devi ....Optimal Topological Design of 3D Continuum Structures for Crashworthiness. There is a widespread need throughout the Australian transport, defence and construction industries for high performance energy absorption devices. Data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that in 2002 there were 1,715 people killed in 1,525 crashes in Australia. The proposed research will develop advanced techniques for improving crashworthiness of vehicles, roadside barriers and other energy absorption devices. This will lead to significant reductions in injury to people and damage to structures caused by impact; and thus substantial savings for the nation from the enormous costs associated with the fatalities, injuries and structural damages. Read moreRead less
Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in com ....Improved fibre Bragg grating sensors for detection of structural hot spots. Structural integrity monitoring, to anticipate and prevent failure, is a multi-billion dollar effort worldwide. Detailed assessment of the capability of fibre Bragg gratings to measure strain profiles along the grating length, i.e. intragrating sensing, and thereby detect structural ?hot spots? before failure is essential for effective systems. They will be used to determine strain gradients similar to those found in common problem areas, such as the tips of elliptic notches and disbonding at the ends of composite joints. Additionally, grating refractive index profiles will be characterised using imaging techniques, to assess performance and possible changes to gratings after prolonged use.Read moreRead less