Research Project
Sustainable Materials
CO2 Concrete is a new process for producing durable and high-strength recycled concrete. We inject carbon dioxide into recycled aggregate to improve its bonding, and thus performance of recycled concrete. This process can bring direct benefits to concrete batching plants as recycled concrete can be effectively used. Many leading concrete suppliers have researched this capability, but none have been successful.
ARC Future Fellowship success for world first recycled concrete project
Professor Vivian Tam, from the School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, was awarded $1,109,924 for the project, ‘Het-Crete: High-Grade Chemical-Treated Heterogeneous Recycled Concrete’. The research is set to address the grand challenges of CO2 emissions and landfill reduction within the construction industry.
Resilient Structures
Fire Resilience Infrastructure, Assets and Safety Advancements (FRIASA)
A new Australian Research Council (ARC) research hub that will focus on cutting edge public research on future fire risks that can affect critical infrastructure in Australia has been established at the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. Professor Guan Yeoh, Director at the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies and Professor at the School will lead the hub with key academic partners from 5 Australian universities, 14 industry partners and 15 peak bodies to help increase the impact of the hub.
Resilient and Intelligent Infrastructure Systems (RIIS)
RIIS is an industry and ARC funded research and innovation hub for smart infrastructure. It engages with industry, government, and the community to develop and implement science-based policy and integrated practical solutions to the current and future challenges facing Australia’s urban, resource and energy infrastructure.
Structural Performance of Permanent Formwork Systems
CIE is evaluating the structural performance of permanent formwork systems by the names of AFS-Logicwall and AFS-Rediwall. The aim of this research is to examine the performance of AFS panels by means of experimental laboratory tests and numerical simulations.
Estimating Corrosion Rate of Steel Elements in Transmission Towers
Corrosion is a serious issue causing damage in power transmission towers of steel that can cause outages and other issues. Despite initial galvanization, periodic repainting and usage of weathering steels, corrosion is experienced in in transmission towers. This pilot project aims to develop a scientific based approach for prediction of corrosion in steel members of transmission towers owned by Endeavour Energy (the client) in order to support any repair and maintenance plan.
New ARC Research Hub will develop solutions to the ongoing fire crisis in Australia
A whooping $1.1 trillion was lost to property damage in the petrochemical and refinery industries between 2016 and 2017 alone. The catastrophic bushfires that plagued the nation between 2019 and 2020 caused an estimated damage of $110 billion, burned 19 million hectares, destroyed 3,094 homes, and killed an estimated 1.2 billion animals.
This LIEF proposal aims to establish a ground-breaking national facility for physical fire simulation (NFPFS) that will extend and upgrade existing research capacity in Australia to become world-leading. The facility will open new research possibilities and collaborations on the fire resistance of structures and infrastructure, from individual components (e.g. columns, beams) to structural assemblies (e.g. joints, frames). The NFPFS will unite researchers in their endeavours to conduct high-quality research in fire-related disciplines from all Australian mainland states; enhance collaboration with industries and government agencies; and provide research, training and education for this critically important area to the country.
Modern Technologies
High-Performance Prefinished Modular Building System [HPPMBS]
Born from a collaborative project between the Modular Prefab Design Laboratory (MPD-Lab) of Western Sydney University and Infratech Industries, this project develops ground-breaking high-performance prefabricated prefinished building along with integrated energy harvesting systems, using a set of standardised modular volumetric units (Pods).
Bridge Inspection Using Drones
Our Structural Assessment and Health Monitoring (SAHM) team, led by Dr. Maria Rashidi, has collaborated with RMS to trial remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA or drones) for bridge inspections. As part of this feasibility study, qualified pilots from our team and RMS used a high-end drone to examine the effectiveness of RPAs for bridge inspection. Four bridges with various features and configurations have been tested to determine the effectiveness of RPAs as bridge inspection tool. This research has already sparked interest across Australia, including other states’ transportation departments.
Modular Prefab Design Lab (MPD-Lab)
Our research program aims to remove major roadblocks preventing widespread application of modular prefabricated systems in construction and transformation to advanced building manufacturing technologies in Australia and beyond. MPD-Lab conducts leading-edge research that focuses on design of modular and prefab construction engineering technologies/systems, and provides advanced numerical, analytical and experimental services. As well as being available for advanced research work, MPD-Lab is also available for consulting and teaching activities and services relating to the area of modular prefab construction.
Interactions between volumetric units in modular buildings
The project is an important step towards simplifying and standardising the design of modular buildings’ interconnections for manufacture and assembly that can pave the way for widespread use of these efficient systems in building construction. The results will also be of great use for evaluating the applicability of existing regulations for the design of modular buildings’ interconnections. By addressing significant gaps in the current research on the design of modular interconnections and their integration strategies, this project enhances the industry’s capacity to adopt safe, economical and standardised designs of modular systems. It therefore, significantly reduces the risk in decision making in modular construction, and transformation to advanced building manufacturing technologies in Australia and beyond.
