Stabilisation of erodible and dispersive soils with natural wood processing by-products. Lignosulfonate is a by-product of paper and wood processing industry, which is an environmentally friendly organic compound with an immense potential for stabilising erodible and dispersive soils when mixed in small quantities. This project will deliver practical design guidelines and specifications for sustainable performance of road and rail embankments that are treated with lignosulfonates. Utilisation of ....Stabilisation of erodible and dispersive soils with natural wood processing by-products. Lignosulfonate is a by-product of paper and wood processing industry, which is an environmentally friendly organic compound with an immense potential for stabilising erodible and dispersive soils when mixed in small quantities. This project will deliver practical design guidelines and specifications for sustainable performance of road and rail embankments that are treated with lignosulfonates. Utilisation of lignosulfonates in soil stabilisation is not only cost-effective, but also has the benefit of eliminating a waste disposal problem. The proposed project will improve industrial competitiveness and Australia's export earnings through increased commercialisation and technology transfer in the region.Read moreRead less
High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators wi ....High Strength Steel Protection Bollards. Terrorist attacks cost Australians much human grief and millions of dollars. Prevention of an attack is paramount. Passive road bollards are commonly used to stop a vehicle approaching and/or entering security sensitive infrastructure. Thin-walled tubes are used to manufacture such bollards. However there is a lack of knowledge about their behaviour, and in particular high strength alloy steel bollards, when subjected to impact loads. The investigators will apply their extensive knowledge in thin-walled tubular structures to establish the most economical means of designing high strength bollards. This knowledge will be transferred into design standards and Australia's limited defence resources.Read moreRead less
Advancement of Vacuum Pressure Application via Prefabricated Vertical Drains for Stabilising Soft Ground. Coastal Australia is under ever increasing pressure from rapid population growth which requires continual capital investment in civil infrastructure, such as road and rail links and large buildings. Many regions have soft compressible clays that present challenges for infrastructure design and construction. The use of vacuum preloading, together with vertical drains for soft soil stabilisati ....Advancement of Vacuum Pressure Application via Prefabricated Vertical Drains for Stabilising Soft Ground. Coastal Australia is under ever increasing pressure from rapid population growth which requires continual capital investment in civil infrastructure, such as road and rail links and large buildings. Many regions have soft compressible clays that present challenges for infrastructure design and construction. The use of vacuum preloading, together with vertical drains for soft soil stabilisation, can reduce construction and maintenance costs, while the increased soil strength will enhance the stability of infrastructure. This project will deliver design guidelines and specifications of enhanced vacuum consolidation application, as well as improving industrial competitiveness and export earnings through increased technology transfer.Read moreRead less
Effectiveness of prefabricated vertical band drains (PVD) in the stabilisation os soft clays. Stabilisation of structures in low-lying coastal Australia is affected by excessive settlement, low bearing capacity, and high lateral displacement of soft clays upon loading. The use of prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) prior to main construction can ensure pre-compression of soft clays by rapid pore water pressure dissipation, thereby increasing the soil strength and minimising its post construction ....Effectiveness of prefabricated vertical band drains (PVD) in the stabilisation os soft clays. Stabilisation of structures in low-lying coastal Australia is affected by excessive settlement, low bearing capacity, and high lateral displacement of soft clays upon loading. The use of prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) prior to main construction can ensure pre-compression of soft clays by rapid pore water pressure dissipation, thereby increasing the soil strength and minimising its post construction deformation. The main goal is to fully understand the stabilising mechanisms of PVD in soft clay, and to minimise the unfavourable effects of soil disturbances (smear) during installation. Extensive laboratory and field studies plus computer modelling will result in innovative design concepts and enhanced construction practices.Read moreRead less
Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can conside ....Enhanced Analysis of Time Dependent Viscous Behaviour of Soft Clay. Often post construction settlements of structures overlying clayey soils have been observed to be more than those predicted, or the predicted rate of settlement is not correct. The main benefit of this research is providing an accurate but simplified approach, which can be used by practicing engineers to predict the post construction settlement of structures in the design phase of construction projects. The community can considerably benefit from the findings of this project including safer structures, significant reduction in the future maintenance costs and enhancing the performance of bridges, buildings, roads, railways and dams with less cracks and differential settlement.Read moreRead less
Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state ....Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state of the art models to be used as agents providing a dynamic risk evaluation and necessary information for actions to infrastructure owners and emergency responders as a threat develops. Both the developed scripted agent and the risk assessment technologies can be applied to other technologies and complex risks, such as waste disposal and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. The project will develop a distributed risk network capable of real time assessment of multiple threats to critical infrastructure, which will guide decision making on the appropriate response as the nature of the threat changes. This will assist all stakeholders and allow an integrated response across industry and government agencies. The developed technology will find read ....Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. The project will develop a distributed risk network capable of real time assessment of multiple threats to critical infrastructure, which will guide decision making on the appropriate response as the nature of the threat changes. This will assist all stakeholders and allow an integrated response across industry and government agencies. The developed technology will find ready application in other areas where integration of science and technology is required to solve complex problems. For example, risk network technology has application to natural hazards, waste disposal and financial markets while the scripted agent has application to communication technologies and sensor networks.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of granular base and sub-base pavement materials under cyclic loading. Pavement construction is a high cost item in road construction. Until very recently, pavements were designed based on empirical rules and restrictive material prescriptions. With the introduction of rational mechanistic pavement design methodology, it has become necessary to reliably characterise the behaviour of road foundation materials under cyclic loading. This project is focused on the characterisati ....Characterisation of granular base and sub-base pavement materials under cyclic loading. Pavement construction is a high cost item in road construction. Until very recently, pavements were designed based on empirical rules and restrictive material prescriptions. With the introduction of rational mechanistic pavement design methodology, it has become necessary to reliably characterise the behaviour of road foundation materials under cyclic loading. This project is focused on the characterisation of unbound granular base and sub-base materials. Since these are geo-materials, geotechnical concepts such as the influence of stress path will be used. This project will lead to better roads at lower cost, and significant leap in know-how in pavement design and material specification.Read moreRead less
The Airport Metropolis: Managing the Interfaces. The project aims to develop coordinated and equitable decision-making to ensure that airport-urban development balances economic, social and environmental issues and produces a sustainable regional (and national) competitive advantage that is both secure and resilient. The project will develop modelling technologies for the innovative management of data to ensure efficient and resilient infrastructure coordination. The outputs will enable an open ....The Airport Metropolis: Managing the Interfaces. The project aims to develop coordinated and equitable decision-making to ensure that airport-urban development balances economic, social and environmental issues and produces a sustainable regional (and national) competitive advantage that is both secure and resilient. The project will develop modelling technologies for the innovative management of data to ensure efficient and resilient infrastructure coordination. The outputs will enable an open planning process whereby all stakeholders are able to provide informed input into decision-making. Strategic decision-making, based on increased certainty about future airport and regional planning and development will improve conditions for growth in a range of industries.Read moreRead less