Miniature triaxial tests to investigate effects of pore fluid salt concentration on the mechanics of clays. Mitigating the land degradation caused by salinity is a national priority. In the urban environment salinity and the associated waterlogging have the potential to seriously degrade infrastructure and domestic housing. Currently the effects of salinity on the mechanical response of the ground are not well understood and there is a paucity of engineering models capable of predicting ground b ....Miniature triaxial tests to investigate effects of pore fluid salt concentration on the mechanics of clays. Mitigating the land degradation caused by salinity is a national priority. In the urban environment salinity and the associated waterlogging have the potential to seriously degrade infrastructure and domestic housing. Currently the effects of salinity on the mechanical response of the ground are not well understood and there is a paucity of engineering models capable of predicting ground behaviour. This project aims to address this situation by providing new knowledge and understanding of how changes in salt concentration affect the soil, and by developing models capable of predicting the observed behaviour. This will assist in the development of rational approaches to mitigate the effects of salinity.Read moreRead less
Erosion of variably saturated soils - a fundamental investigation. Soil erosion is a serious problem in Australia and internationally. Each year 75 billion tones of soil are removed due to erosion causing siltation and reduced storage capacity of reservoirs (and in some cases dam failures), while reducing agriculture productivity. Also, the internal erosion of dams has historically resulted in about 1 in 200 dams failing. This project will develop a framework for understanding the initiation, pr ....Erosion of variably saturated soils - a fundamental investigation. Soil erosion is a serious problem in Australia and internationally. Each year 75 billion tones of soil are removed due to erosion causing siltation and reduced storage capacity of reservoirs (and in some cases dam failures), while reducing agriculture productivity. Also, the internal erosion of dams has historically resulted in about 1 in 200 dams failing. This project will develop a framework for understanding the initiation, progression and rate of erosion of soils including previously overlooked parameters. It will significantly advance the ability to manage and predict soil erosion. Engineers, land management authorities and dam owners will benefit directly through the development of new experimental and predictive tools.Read moreRead less
Mechanics of dynamic loading and rapid penetration of soils. The project will produce improved understanding and new numerical tools that will permit cost effective simulation and modelling of rapid penetration of objects into the ground, and of the compaction processes used on the majority of construction sites. The free fall penetrometer will be developed to enable soil strength to be determined at remote sites, e.g. ocean seabed, jungles, swamps. The project will also assist in the selection ....Mechanics of dynamic loading and rapid penetration of soils. The project will produce improved understanding and new numerical tools that will permit cost effective simulation and modelling of rapid penetration of objects into the ground, and of the compaction processes used on the majority of construction sites. The free fall penetrometer will be developed to enable soil strength to be determined at remote sites, e.g. ocean seabed, jungles, swamps. The project will also assist in the selection of compaction equipment and procedures.Read moreRead less
The Origin of Australian Opal Deposits: Unlocking the Secrets of an Australian Icon. Opal is the National Gemstone of Australia. With over 95% of world's precious opal being mined in Australia, this precious mineral is not only one of our major export earners but also the life blood of many central Australian townships. Despite its economic significance and long history of mining little is known about the formation of opal. Consequently, exploration is still based on old-fashioned prospecting me ....The Origin of Australian Opal Deposits: Unlocking the Secrets of an Australian Icon. Opal is the National Gemstone of Australia. With over 95% of world's precious opal being mined in Australia, this precious mineral is not only one of our major export earners but also the life blood of many central Australian townships. Despite its economic significance and long history of mining little is known about the formation of opal. Consequently, exploration is still based on old-fashioned prospecting methods rather than on genetic exploration models that have made base metal exploration so successful. The aim of this project is to investigate the processes controlling the formation of Australian opal and to use this information to construct an exploration model that will lead to more effective and efficient exploration methods.Read moreRead less
The Influence of Cement Type, Age and Curing Conditions on the Flexural Capacity of Masonry Walls. The use of cements containing waste products such as fly ash and blast surface slag has increased markedly. This has desirable environmental and economic consequences, but the influence of these cements on the bond strength of masonry constructed from mortars containing these cements is unknown and in urgent need of clarification. This investigation studies this effect as well as the influence of ....The Influence of Cement Type, Age and Curing Conditions on the Flexural Capacity of Masonry Walls. The use of cements containing waste products such as fly ash and blast surface slag has increased markedly. This has desirable environmental and economic consequences, but the influence of these cements on the bond strength of masonry constructed from mortars containing these cements is unknown and in urgent need of clarification. This investigation studies this effect as well as the influence of age and curing conditions on masonry flexural strength at both a fundamental and applied level, thus allowing the impact of the use of mortars containing these cements on actual building performance to be assessed.Read moreRead less
Sustainable usage of dredged clay materials as land reclamation fills. Millions of cubic metres of dredged materials are removed from river and sea beds every year in dredging projects. It is common to dump a significant portion of the dredged spoils into the sea which can result in serious environmental problems such as deterioration of water quality, damage to aquatic habitats, disruption of ecosystems and dispersion of fine clay particles in seawater. The proposed use of dredged clays as land ....Sustainable usage of dredged clay materials as land reclamation fills. Millions of cubic metres of dredged materials are removed from river and sea beds every year in dredging projects. It is common to dump a significant portion of the dredged spoils into the sea which can result in serious environmental problems such as deterioration of water quality, damage to aquatic habitats, disruption of ecosystems and dispersion of fine clay particles in seawater. The proposed use of dredged clays as land reclamation fill will lead to a substantial reduction in or even eliminate the need for dumping dredged clays into offshore dumping locations. The stabilized dredged clays have great potential if their geotechnical characteristics are adequately understood.Read moreRead less
The mechanics of healing and self-healing in clayey soils. This project aims to develop an experimentally-validated theory of healing and self-healing in clay and determine clay-polymer mixtures that heal cracks and fissures in clay. Healing of fissures will improve strength and reduce hydraulic conductivity, which will reduce risks associated with construction on fissured clay and make clay barrier systems in dehydrating environments more reliable. The project’s observations of crack healing ar ....The mechanics of healing and self-healing in clayey soils. This project aims to develop an experimentally-validated theory of healing and self-healing in clay and determine clay-polymer mixtures that heal cracks and fissures in clay. Healing of fissures will improve strength and reduce hydraulic conductivity, which will reduce risks associated with construction on fissured clay and make clay barrier systems in dehydrating environments more reliable. The project’s observations of crack healing are expected to advance understanding of this phenomenon of soil mechanics and of geotechnical applications where cracking can occur, such as in foundation design, waste containment, slope stability and embankment dams.Read moreRead less
Fundamental theoretical investigation of the chemomechanical properties of clays. Australia faces significant environmental challenges, one of the most important being soil degradation. The aim of this project is to develop new and state-of-the art mathematical models describing the behaviour of clays in soils. This proposal addresses five fundamental problems in clay soil behaviour that have so far remained unanswered. The primary outcomes of this project will be new theoretical insights into t ....Fundamental theoretical investigation of the chemomechanical properties of clays. Australia faces significant environmental challenges, one of the most important being soil degradation. The aim of this project is to develop new and state-of-the art mathematical models describing the behaviour of clays in soils. This proposal addresses five fundamental problems in clay soil behaviour that have so far remained unanswered. The primary outcomes of this project will be new theoretical insights into the chemomechanical properties of clay soils, so providing the understanding required to intelligently engineer and manage our natural and built environments.Read moreRead less
Improved analysis techniques for seismic assessment of unreinforced masonry buildings with flexible floor/roof diaphragms. A major international collaboration between researchers in Australia, New Zealand and Italy is underway to develop a method for structural engineers to determine which masonry buildings post a significant hazard to the public in the event of an earthquake such as that which struck the city of Christchurch.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240101106
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$413,847.00
Summary
Experimental and numerical studies on internal erosion of granular soils. This research aims to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in internal erosion in soil that can trigger instabilities and damage in large scale infrastructures. Specifically, influences of morphology features, at both grain and structure scales, and applied stress on the initiation and evolution of internal erosion will be clarified, to predict where and when the catastrophic failure happens. The proposed p ....Experimental and numerical studies on internal erosion of granular soils. This research aims to improve our understanding of the mechanisms involved in internal erosion in soil that can trigger instabilities and damage in large scale infrastructures. Specifically, influences of morphology features, at both grain and structure scales, and applied stress on the initiation and evolution of internal erosion will be clarified, to predict where and when the catastrophic failure happens. The proposed proposal will not only surely benefit a broad range of science and engineering communities, but also directly address the second most urgent problems, 'soil and water', in Australia, by rephrasing the Australia standards or guidelines for construction, surveillance, and decommissioning of civil engineering structures.Read moreRead less