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
Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. This project aims to develop an automated suicide risk detection system to reduce the incidence and impact of railway suicide, which has a devastating effect on victims’ families, station staff, train drivers, emergency workers, and bystanders. This project will use open-systems theory to develop two complementary information systems for more effective detection and reporting of suic ....Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. Preventing railway suicide: An open-systems perspective. This project aims to develop an automated suicide risk detection system to reduce the incidence and impact of railway suicide, which has a devastating effect on victims’ families, station staff, train drivers, emergency workers, and bystanders. This project will use open-systems theory to develop two complementary information systems for more effective detection and reporting of suicide risk; use these systems to investigate how different situational factors interact with different combinations of service interventions to influence suicide risk; and share the findings to reduce railway suicide in Australia and overseas.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100763
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,300.00
Summary
Multiscale modelling of fluid–particle transport in porous media. The aim is to use a multiscale approach to rigorously model fluid–particle transport in porous media – a fundamental process in many engineering problems. With advanced parallel-computing tools, a microscale model is developed to incorporate interacting grains, water, and particles. The model and innovative upscaling methods will transform our understanding of mechanisms, and allow development of predictive models for particle tra ....Multiscale modelling of fluid–particle transport in porous media. The aim is to use a multiscale approach to rigorously model fluid–particle transport in porous media – a fundamental process in many engineering problems. With advanced parallel-computing tools, a microscale model is developed to incorporate interacting grains, water, and particles. The model and innovative upscaling methods will transform our understanding of mechanisms, and allow development of predictive models for particle transport in both steady and unsteady porous flows. The fundamental knowledge and new-generation numerical models will support technological advances to directly benefit rail and road construction and their maintenance, fuel and renewable-energy extraction, coastal soil and water protection, and bushfire control.Read moreRead less
Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicl ....Safety in the Heavy Vehicle Industry: A Collaborative Response. The management and regulation of heavy vehicles, particularly in relation to safety, is recognised as an urgent issue at all levels of government across Australia. In the absence of research that identifies the key determinants of heavy vehicle crashes, countermeasures will continue to be based on anecdote. The proposed study will determine the role key risk factors, namely scheduling and sleep-related factors, play in heavy vehicle crashes and will identify cost-effective strategies to reduce the growing economic burden associated with these crashes.Read moreRead less
Evaluation of train driver work culture and environment for improving railway safety. This innovative research intersects the fields of neurosciences, computer science and engineering, leading to application of new knowledge for developing intelligent train driver systems for improving transport safety. Such research will place Australia at the forefront of this area. Reducing train related accidents will positively impact on the socio economic fabric of society by reducing the emotional and fin ....Evaluation of train driver work culture and environment for improving railway safety. This innovative research intersects the fields of neurosciences, computer science and engineering, leading to application of new knowledge for developing intelligent train driver systems for improving transport safety. Such research will place Australia at the forefront of this area. Reducing train related accidents will positively impact on the socio economic fabric of society by reducing the emotional and financial burden to the community. The research has the potential to lead to substantial revenue generation in Australia in the future. The data obtained will provide new knowledge and information to transport and Government authorities.Read moreRead less
Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and par ....Development of a new rail maintenance technology by using laser cladding. With the continuously increasing demand for higher production, and hence increased haulage rates and reduced track access for maintenance purposes, the development and application of new cost effective manufacture and repair rails maintenance strategies play a more important role in ensuring the structural integrity of rail infrastructure. This project aims to systematically investigate the laser cladding materials and parameters to enhance the wear and fatigue performance of a series of high strength rail steels used in heavy haul railway lines. The outcomes of this project intend to be applied directly to the rail industry track producers and operators of high axle load rail systems to develop and improve their rail maintenance strategies.Read moreRead less
Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser claddin ....Development of laser cladding technology to maintain rails in tram networks. This project aims to develop a new cost-effective maintenance technique by applying laser cladding to enhance the characteristics of new rails and track components and repair damaged ones, so as to ensure their structural integrity and improve the performance of rail infrastructure. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of railway maintenance using the innovative and interdisciplinary laser cladding technology. Expected outcomes of this project are crucial for manufacturers and operators of railway networks to develop and improve their railway maintenance strategies. This should provide significant benefits, such as extending lives of rails and special track components, and reducing wheel squeal and flanging noise.Read moreRead less
Exploring Behavioural Responses of Motorists to Exposure-Based Charging Mechanisms. Our continued reliance on cars is estimated to cost the Australian economy around $50 billion per year in accidents, congestion and air pollution. This project delivers a new approach to reduce these externalities, in which charges are levied on drivers based on their accident history, the kilometres driven and the circumstances under which these kilometres are driven. In addition to the safety and congestion ben ....Exploring Behavioural Responses of Motorists to Exposure-Based Charging Mechanisms. Our continued reliance on cars is estimated to cost the Australian economy around $50 billion per year in accidents, congestion and air pollution. This project delivers a new approach to reduce these externalities, in which charges are levied on drivers based on their accident history, the kilometres driven and the circumstances under which these kilometres are driven. In addition to the safety and congestion benefits, the outcomes of the project will be of importance to those charged with raising revenue to support infrastructure maintenance and development, and the insurance industry as a basis for reducing risks in driving and making premiums more equitable.Read moreRead less
Difficulties of monitoring for rare events. This project aims to identify cognitive and neural processes involved in sustaining attention to moving displays under monitoring conditions.People are poor at monitoring for rare events: they tend to miss infrequent targets. This is a problem in automated systems for transport, rail and air traffic control. If a computer error occurs, the operator needs to intervene quickly. This project will develop a tool for studying monitoring and determine patter ....Difficulties of monitoring for rare events. This project aims to identify cognitive and neural processes involved in sustaining attention to moving displays under monitoring conditions.People are poor at monitoring for rare events: they tend to miss infrequent targets. This is a problem in automated systems for transport, rail and air traffic control. If a computer error occurs, the operator needs to intervene quickly. This project will develop a tool for studying monitoring and determine patterns of brain activity that predict a lapse of attention. The results should contribute to theories of vigilance and improve performance in real-world monitoring situations.Read moreRead less
Understanding and improving sustained attention under vigilance conditions. This project aims to address a major global challenge caused by technological advances: human operators have to monitor computer-control (e.g., in autonomous vehicles, rail and airtraffic control) but sustaining attention is very difficult under these conditions. Developing innovative behavioural and neural methods, this internationally collaborative project bridges basic and applied science to understand lapses of atten ....Understanding and improving sustained attention under vigilance conditions. This project aims to address a major global challenge caused by technological advances: human operators have to monitor computer-control (e.g., in autonomous vehicles, rail and airtraffic control) but sustaining attention is very difficult under these conditions. Developing innovative behavioural and neural methods, this internationally collaborative project bridges basic and applied science to understand lapses of attention under monitoring conditions. It creates a novel intervention, based on brain activity patterns, to improve performance. Outcomes will increase our neural understanding of attention and lay a foundation for a novel system to detect lapses of attention in high-risk environments, preventing errors before they occur.Read moreRead less