Response of Vertical Drains in Soft Subgrade under Cyclic Rail Loading. Soft formations (subgrade) can become unstable when subjected to heavy and repeated (cyclic) train loading. This project aims to investigate the cause and mechanisms of undrained instability of soft subgrade soil beneath rail embankments, and to assess the effectiveness of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in stabilising such soils. The role of PVDs to enhance track performance will be quantified via rigorous mathematical ....Response of Vertical Drains in Soft Subgrade under Cyclic Rail Loading. Soft formations (subgrade) can become unstable when subjected to heavy and repeated (cyclic) train loading. This project aims to investigate the cause and mechanisms of undrained instability of soft subgrade soil beneath rail embankments, and to assess the effectiveness of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in stabilising such soils. The role of PVDs to enhance track performance will be quantified via rigorous mathematical techniques complementing a computer-based numerical model, which can be validated by laboratory and field data. It will deliver tangible outcomes for accurately predicting the long-term settlements in soft foundations over prolonged train loading while extending the life span of modern railroad infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment meth ....Next-gen accident prevention: a new theory and toolkit for safer systems. This project aims to address limitations associated with existing accident causation theory and methodologies. Accident prevention across high risk industries is constrained by limitations in accident theory and methodologies. As a result, reductions in injuries and fatalities in most domains are plateauing. The expected outputs of the project include a new theory of accident causation, a new proactive risk assessment methodology and a new methodology for analysing accidents. This will provide organisations and researchers with a powerful framework for enhanced accident analysis and prevention activities. This will provide significant benefits, associated with reductions in accidents, injuries and fatalities.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
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
Improved Capacitor Voltage Balance for Multicell Power Electronic Converters Controlled by Spectrally Optimal Modulation. There is a growing demand for high power and medium voltage energy conversion systems in a wide range of applications, including Rail, Renewable Energy, Defence and Electricity Distribution. Multicell-type multilevel converters are a very attractive means of satisfying this demand, but only if the cell voltages can be precisely regulated so as to ensure protection of the conv ....Improved Capacitor Voltage Balance for Multicell Power Electronic Converters Controlled by Spectrally Optimal Modulation. There is a growing demand for high power and medium voltage energy conversion systems in a wide range of applications, including Rail, Renewable Energy, Defence and Electricity Distribution. Multicell-type multilevel converters are a very attractive means of satisfying this demand, but only if the cell voltages can be precisely regulated so as to ensure protection of the converter while simultaneously ensuring the synthesis of switched waveforms with the required spectral quality. This project offers the potential to eliminate this barrier to the use of Multicell converter technology. In addition this project emphasises the development and training of people skilled in the design and development of this technology.Read moreRead less
Personalised public transport. This project aims to address urban congestion by utilising people’s travel plans to coordinate journeys. The project expects to generate new knowledge in scalable optimisation, based on innovative modelling of urban transport, and tested on historical data from Melbourne. The expected outcomes of the project are an active transport database and optimised mode choice and routing system, with predicted reductions in congestion based on simulation of its use. This pro ....Personalised public transport. This project aims to address urban congestion by utilising people’s travel plans to coordinate journeys. The project expects to generate new knowledge in scalable optimisation, based on innovative modelling of urban transport, and tested on historical data from Melbourne. The expected outcomes of the project are an active transport database and optimised mode choice and routing system, with predicted reductions in congestion based on simulation of its use. This project aims to design an urban trip advisory system that could be followed by automated vehicles as well as human drivers, to reduce the financial and environmental cost of current urban congestion.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
Containment and Reduction of Rework in Transport Mega Projects. Mega transport projects (>$1 billion) are poorly managed during their construction with significant cost and schedule overruns and benefit shortfalls regularly being experienced. Having to perform rework has been identified as a major factor that contributes to these unintended consequences. As there has been limited research that has empirically examined rework causation, an inability to develop effective rework containment and red ....Containment and Reduction of Rework in Transport Mega Projects. Mega transport projects (>$1 billion) are poorly managed during their construction with significant cost and schedule overruns and benefit shortfalls regularly being experienced. Having to perform rework has been identified as a major factor that contributes to these unintended consequences. As there has been limited research that has empirically examined rework causation, an inability to develop effective rework containment and reduction strategies prevails. This research aims to develop a theoretical model that can be used to develop robust containment and reduction strategies to mitigate the adverse economic, productivity and safety consequences that materialize from performing rework during the construction of mega transport projects.Read moreRead less
New paradigms for urban public transport planning in Australia: assessing the capacity of institutions and infrastructure. Current urban transport policies cannot be sustained in the face of climate change, peak oil and economic instability: dramatic increases in public transport use will require new standards of service delivery. This project will use international experience to shape new approaches to planning public transport in our largest cities.
Triggering the dormant capacity of fish to make omega 3 fatty acids. Marine fisheries cannot expand further, leaving aquaculture (fish farming) with the challenge of meeting the growing demand for fish, whose consumption is known to enhance human health. Fish oil is an essential component of the feed used in aquaculture, but there is a decreasing global supply of this commodity. This innovative nutritional biochemistry project boosts the capacity of fish to produce their own fish oil from vegeta ....Triggering the dormant capacity of fish to make omega 3 fatty acids. Marine fisheries cannot expand further, leaving aquaculture (fish farming) with the challenge of meeting the growing demand for fish, whose consumption is known to enhance human health. Fish oil is an essential component of the feed used in aquaculture, but there is a decreasing global supply of this commodity. This innovative nutritional biochemistry project boosts the capacity of fish to produce their own fish oil from vegetable oils in their diet. Therefore, this project will enable the expansion of aquaculture as an economically and environmentally sustainable means to produce the highest quality, nourishing fish for human consumption.Read moreRead less