Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Tra ....Promoting active travel and public transport for a post-pandemic world. In many major cities, COVID-19 stimulated the provision of open streets, pop up bike lanes and widened pedestrian access, prompting unprecedented increases cycling and walking. While this type of infrastructure has always been supported by urban planners and designers, the pandemic has served as a vital inflection point, enabling cities to pursue long-term sustainable transport initiatives, including investment in Active Travel (AT). There is an opportunity to promote AT as part of an integrated transport strategy, and to develop tools for the robust evaluation of AT impacts to inform future investment strategies. This proposal will provide our partner organisation Transport for New South Wales (with the knowledge required to achieve this.
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Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is importa ....Pedal and motor cycle helmet performance study. Cycling is a form of recreation and transport. Both pedal and motor cyclists are exposed to risks of head and neck injury. These injuries occur in young people and can have substantial health and economic impacts on the individuals and society. It is believed that injury rates can be reduced and an active lifestyle encouraged by improving helmet performance and understanding factors that lead to non-use. As helmet use is mandatory it is important that Australians are provided with optimal helmets. The specification of product standards is also relevant for international trade agreements. Read moreRead less
A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitat ....A systemic model to underpin enhanced management of powered-two-wheelers as part of a safe, sustainable transport system. Better management of motor scooters and motorbikes (Powered-2-wheelers or P2W) will deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. Road crashes involving P2Ws cost the Australian community in excess of $2 billion per annum. There are also the broader social impacts for crash victims, their families and communities from the potentially long-term pain, grief and debilitating injuries. This project will provide insight into how the incidence and costs associated with P2W crashes can be reduced. In addition, congestion costs in each of Australia's capital cities are on the order of $3 billion per annum and there is potential for P2W research to reduce not only that cost but also the broader environmental impacts of travel by providing an alternative to cars.Read moreRead less
Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structu ....Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. Deterioration of structural integrity of ageing ships and marine platforms. This project will research the deterioration of structural integrity and remaining life of marine assets such as ships and offshore energy facilities, by integrating structural response analysis methods with aged-structure assessment techniques. Maritime assets exposed to ocean conditions suffer from time dependent phenomena, which reduce structural capability, affect safety and could have catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Making assets available and affordably safe is a problem for operators. The key to prolonging asset life is in understanding the interrelationships over time between the asset’s structural condition and its use. Anticipated outcomes are superior safety, expected lifetime and economic benefits of maritime assets.Read moreRead less
Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use ....Ship response under corrosion, fatigue and complex sea-state environments. This project will improve understanding of the gradual deterioration of ships and maritime structures subject to metal corrosion, fatigue and extreme sea-state conditions. Increasingly such understanding is necessary for optimal asset management decisions. These include the potential economic, personnel and other risks involved for ship owners and operators, including the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project will use numerical simulation. It will tackle the Fluid-Structure Interaction problem of ships in waves by integrating Finite Element structural response analysis with cutting-edge Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics methods. The outcomes will provide new insight into remaining asset life and for exploring optimal maintenance strategiesRead moreRead less
Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction ....Advancing unsteady bluff body aerodynamics: applications to elite cycling. Delivering a better understanding of unsteady wakes has real potential to further our future capabilities of reducing bluff body parasitic drag. The national benefit derived from this project is the advancement of knowledge of a complex fluid mechanics problem, with secondary benefits arising from the specific and practical application to sports aerodynamics. By better understanding the wake structure and its interaction with a locally oscillating bluff body this knowledge can feed into the field of active flow control in the transport sector. The potential for emissions mitigation by lowering aerodynamic losses in the ground transportation section through active aerodynamic control is significant.Read moreRead less
Wind Tunnel Testing of a Hypersonic Plasma Engine. This project intends to evaluate an electric engine that is capable of speeds in excess of 10000 km/hr, for access to space and responsive surveillance in our region. The expertise of Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Australia, the University of Qld and DST Group are to be combined to complete experimental and theoretical evaluations of an air-breathing plasma engine that is capable of out-performing rockets and scramjets. US Air Force Research ....Wind Tunnel Testing of a Hypersonic Plasma Engine. This project intends to evaluate an electric engine that is capable of speeds in excess of 10000 km/hr, for access to space and responsive surveillance in our region. The expertise of Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Australia, the University of Qld and DST Group are to be combined to complete experimental and theoretical evaluations of an air-breathing plasma engine that is capable of out-performing rockets and scramjets. US Air Force Research Laboratory results will also be compared and shared. This project provides opportunities for young Australian researchers to be participate and lead an exciting new field of propulsion. It is anticipated that the program will be the foundations to future flight demonstrations from Woomera, Australia.Read moreRead less
Using Mathematics to Maximize the Efficiency of Shared Infrastructure in Australia's Coal Export Supply Chain. Port Waratah Coal Services operates the world's largest coal export terminal, servicing about 14 coal mining companies in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is responsible for around $15 billion in annual export income for Australia. The coal supply chain is a complex operation, hampered by bottlenecks in critical shared infrastructure. Such limitations are estimated to cost Australia about $2 ....Using Mathematics to Maximize the Efficiency of Shared Infrastructure in Australia's Coal Export Supply Chain. Port Waratah Coal Services operates the world's largest coal export terminal, servicing about 14 coal mining companies in the Hunter Valley, NSW. It is responsible for around $15 billion in annual export income for Australia. The coal supply chain is a complex operation, hampered by bottlenecks in critical shared infrastructure. Such limitations are estimated to cost Australia about $2 billion pa in lost sales. This project will support the design of new infrastructure and processes to ensure an efficient supply chain. The new science resulting will benefit other coal operations in Australia, and potentially other bulk goods supply chains.Read moreRead less
Aerodynamic interaction of bluff bodies with applications to sports aerodynamics. Numerical modelling and experiments will be combined by this project to characterise the flow and reduce drag on a set of objects in the wake of another object. The Olympic pursuit cycling team is a typical application, with small improvements leading to major competitiveness gains. Findings will also apply to Paralympic team sports, and potentially transportation.
Rail Safety And Reliability: A Human Factors/Ergonomics Approach. Recent rail crashes have focussed rail operators and the public on issues of rail safety and reliabilty. The project is a major initiative that will assist the development of safer and more reliable rail operations through the application of human factors and ergonomics methods to the design of train control and management devices and systems.