New Systems for High Rise Steel Structures in Rising Factory Construction. This project will develop new and innovative ways of constructing steel structures using the rising factory concept. The rising factory is a 10 storey enclosure where the final high-rise building is safely constructed within a watertight envelope which rises as the building progresses. The project will perform the necessary research to make possible high-rise steel structural systems consisting of hot-rolled (heavy gauge ....New Systems for High Rise Steel Structures in Rising Factory Construction. This project will develop new and innovative ways of constructing steel structures using the rising factory concept. The rising factory is a 10 storey enclosure where the final high-rise building is safely constructed within a watertight envelope which rises as the building progresses. The project will perform the necessary research to make possible high-rise steel structural systems consisting of hot-rolled (heavy gauge) and cold-formed (light gauge) steel structural members and connections which can be used in the rising factory. The main benefits of the rising factory are the waterproof construction environment and the substantially increased safety as a result of no external cranes.
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Hybrid steel-framed structural systems for mid-rise buildings. The project aims to develop solutions for lightweight structural systems. Hybrid steel structures are those constructed from a mixture of conventional hot-rolled steel sections and tubes combined with lightweight cold-formed steel structural members. There is an increasing need to provide prefabricated structural systems that are highly constructible and modular in mid-rise (5–10 storeys) residential apartment and commercial building ....Hybrid steel-framed structural systems for mid-rise buildings. The project aims to develop solutions for lightweight structural systems. Hybrid steel structures are those constructed from a mixture of conventional hot-rolled steel sections and tubes combined with lightweight cold-formed steel structural members. There is an increasing need to provide prefabricated structural systems that are highly constructible and modular in mid-rise (5–10 storeys) residential apartment and commercial buildings. The major problem in producing efficient hybrid systems is the connections between the hot-rolled framing members and the lightweight cold-formed members. The main aim of the project is to carry out experimental and theoretical research into the hybrid connections. The expected outcomes of the research are more efficient and standardised structural connections and systems.Read moreRead less
Cold-rolled Aluminium Structural Members and Systems. BlueScope Permalite has recently demonstrated that it is possible to produce aluminium structural sections by roll-forming. This presents a faster and less energy consuming method of production than conventional extrusion. Through experiments and numerical simulations, the project aims to develop guidelines for the design of single members and complete structural systems in cold-rolled aluminium. The project intends to quantify the strength e ....Cold-rolled Aluminium Structural Members and Systems. BlueScope Permalite has recently demonstrated that it is possible to produce aluminium structural sections by roll-forming. This presents a faster and less energy consuming method of production than conventional extrusion. Through experiments and numerical simulations, the project aims to develop guidelines for the design of single members and complete structural systems in cold-rolled aluminium. The project intends to quantify the strength enhancements achievable by the cold-rolling process and devise guidelines for determining the strength of cold-rolled aluminium sections and systems, considering the prevalent buckling modes for C- and Z-sections, their interactions and the effect of gradual yielding.Read moreRead less
Achieving structural morphing via functionalising nonlinear buckling. This project aims to develop a general framework to analyse and design functional components of buildings and structures, where they change shapes (morphing) by buckling. Australian buildings consume 20% of the nation’s total energy production on heating and cooling, and projected population increases are likely to increase energy demands. The shape changes are optimised, e.g. to reduce energy consumption by minimising solar r ....Achieving structural morphing via functionalising nonlinear buckling. This project aims to develop a general framework to analyse and design functional components of buildings and structures, where they change shapes (morphing) by buckling. Australian buildings consume 20% of the nation’s total energy production on heating and cooling, and projected population increases are likely to increase energy demands. The shape changes are optimised, e.g. to reduce energy consumption by minimising solar radiation loads or maximising natural air ventilation. The project expects to develop building technology solutions to reduce Australia's energy consumption, and provide domestic and global market opportunities in the high-tech manufacturing sector.Read moreRead less
A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include deve ....A novel method to stabilise expansive soils by alkali-activation . This project aims to address durability and sustainability issues with traditional lime-based methods used to stabilize expansive soils by alternatively advancing an alkali-activation approach. It expects to generate new knowledge in using alkali-activation to suppress the swelling potential of expansive soils which have been deleterious to roads, pavements and overlying structures. Expected outcomes of this project include development of a long-term durable treatment with reduced carbon footprint and use of waste materials. This should provide significant benefits commercially and critical insights to overcome expansive soils which cover approximately one-fifth of Australia’s surface area and six out of eight of its largest cities.Read moreRead less
Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical ....Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier when treating Acidic Groundwater. Proper understanding of soil-water interaction is vital for sustainable development of floodplains, and to halt acid mine drainage caused by the oxidation of pyritic soil. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) offer a cost-effective solution to neutralize acidified groundwater. The project aims to quantify the clogging potential of PRB’s granular medium by coupling geotechnical fundamentals with integrated hydro-bio-geochemical processes. Time-dependent clogging will be evaluated through geotechnical laboratory & field testing. Expected outcomes are enhanced PRB design methods and sound geotechnical field monitoring to provide significant industry benefits, such as mine-site rehabilitation, increased productivity and infrastructure longevity.Read moreRead less
Geotechnical properties and compaction characteristics of granular wastes as potential port reclamation fill. In moving towards sustainable waste management, the Australian mining and steel industry is proactively seeking large scale recycling schemes for coal wash and slag. If the construction potential of these wastes is favourable for reclamation, then the environmental and socio-economic benefits will be substantial due to less quarrying of fresh rock and reduced volume of waste tips on oth ....Geotechnical properties and compaction characteristics of granular wastes as potential port reclamation fill. In moving towards sustainable waste management, the Australian mining and steel industry is proactively seeking large scale recycling schemes for coal wash and slag. If the construction potential of these wastes is favourable for reclamation, then the environmental and socio-economic benefits will be substantial due to less quarrying of fresh rock and reduced volume of waste tips on otherwise usable land. The research outcomes will be published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, raising Australia's scientific profile in granular waste management. The geotechnical community will benefit through the rigorous training of professionals, while industry hosted seminars will promote the dissemination of knowledge gained to practitioners.Read moreRead less
Scalable daytime radiative cooling for buildings and the built environment . This project aims at the development of a scalable daytime radiative cooling technology suitable for large deployments in the built environment that will help mitigating the urban heat island effect, and reduce future cooling energy needs in buildings. The main outcomes of the project will consist of the development of radiative coolers that will be able to operate in the built environment under Australian climatic cond ....Scalable daytime radiative cooling for buildings and the built environment . This project aims at the development of a scalable daytime radiative cooling technology suitable for large deployments in the built environment that will help mitigating the urban heat island effect, and reduce future cooling energy needs in buildings. The main outcomes of the project will consist of the development of radiative coolers that will be able to operate in the built environment under Australian climatic conditions, and of clear guidelines for their large deployment. The technology is based on a passive cooling strategy requiring no energy for its operations. The outcomes of the project will also have a beneficial impact on the Australian building and construction industry.Read moreRead less
Elastocaloric cooling systems for buildings and the built environment. This project aims to develop elastocaloric cooling systems that will find application in buildings and the built environment. The main aims of the projects are to establish a new technology capable of enhancing the efficiency of traditional cooling systems used for building applications and of reducing the contribution of structural and architectural components to the urban heat island effect. This work will be supported by a ....Elastocaloric cooling systems for buildings and the built environment. This project aims to develop elastocaloric cooling systems that will find application in buildings and the built environment. The main aims of the projects are to establish a new technology capable of enhancing the efficiency of traditional cooling systems used for building applications and of reducing the contribution of structural and architectural components to the urban heat island effect. This work will be supported by a new theoretical platform that will incorporate the elastocaloric cooling behaviour into the structural, thermal and energy performance of the building components, as well as by prototype testing. The outcomes of the project will lead to new building cooling technologies, increasing efficiency of traditional cooling building systems.Read moreRead less
Fluorescent daytime radiative cooling for urban heat mitigation . This project aims to develop a fluorescent daytime radiative cooling technology suitable for the mitigation of urban overheating in the built environment and for the reduction of future cooling energy demands in buildings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in this area to enable the exploitation of fluorescent materials for urban heat mitigation and cooling of buildings. Expected project outcomes consist of the establi ....Fluorescent daytime radiative cooling for urban heat mitigation . This project aims to develop a fluorescent daytime radiative cooling technology suitable for the mitigation of urban overheating in the built environment and for the reduction of future cooling energy demands in buildings. The project expects to generate new knowledge in this area to enable the exploitation of fluorescent materials for urban heat mitigation and cooling of buildings. Expected project outcomes consist of the establishment of the new cooling technology for application on coloured surfaces, typically used in the urban built environment, and on white surfaces for boosting the cooling power of current daytime radiative coolers. This should lead to significant benefits for the Australian building and construction industry.
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