Successful 2003 Discovery Projects Grants by Institution - Australian ...

Category: 2908 - CIVIL ENGINEERING
Administering Institution: The University of Newcastle
Summary:
Engineering structures such as buildings, highways, tunnels, dams, slopes and offshore oil platforms are
all constructed on or in soils. The ability to predict the response of these materials under static and
dynamic loading is therefore of major importance in civil engineering design, but is complicated by the fact
they are typically unsaturated with nonlinear, inhomogeneous, and anisotropic properties. This project
aims to formulate and implement new computational tools for predicting the load-deformation behaviour of
unsaturated soils, and will also involve experimental work and simulations of field data. The long term
objective is to develop advanced methods that can be used by practising engineers, thereby leading to
improved engineering design and reduced construction costs.
DP0346710 Prof SW Sloan
Title: Upper Bound Shakedown Analysis for Geotechnical Applications
2003 : $127,000
2004 : $119,000
2005 : $116,000
2006 : $94,000
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Category: 2908 - CIVIL ENGINEERING
Administering Institution: The University of Newcastle
Summary:
To design many geotechnical structures, engineers need to estimate the maximum load that can be
sustained under cyclic conditions without causing large permanent deformations (incremental collapse).
This quantity is used to deduce the allowable design load and is therefore crucial in maximising safety
and minimising costs. The chief aim of this project is to develop a new method for predicting the maximum
load that a structure can sustain under cyclic conditions without undergoing incremental collapse. It will
be applicable to a wide range of geotechnical engineering problems including pavements, offshore
foundations, compacted soils, and cyclically loaded foundations.
DP0346818 Dr P Stevenson
Title: Dynamic behaviour of foams
2003 : $75,000
2004 : $80,000
2005 : $80,000
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Category: 2907 - RESOURCES ENGINEERING
Administering Institution: The University of Newcastle
APD Dr P Stevenson
Summary:
Foam flow occurs in many industrial processes such as the fractionation of proteins and coal flotation.
The proposed research will investigate transient behaviour at start-up of such processes and how the
method of foam production affects process efficiency. The dispersion of liquid tracers in foam and a
newly discovered phenomenon of 'upwards rippling' will be studied as it is likely that these could
illuminate the physical processes that lay behind foam flow. Removal of unwanted material from a pipeline
is often a major industrial problem and the ability of foams to perform this role will be assessed.
DP0344191 Mr GJ Suaning
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Title: Functional Electronic Stimulation of Muscles - Development of a Model for Sensory
Feedback to Amputees and Vision for the Blind
2003 : $50,000
2004 : $50,000
Category: 2915 - BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING