Civil Engineering
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Civil infrastructure research at Swinburne is undertaken within the Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure, commonly known as CSI-Swinburne. Infrastructure is critical to the economic wellbeing of Australia with some $30 billion invested annually. Infrastructure underpins the delivery of essential services, drives economic growth, supports social needs and is closely linked to the high quality of life enjoyed by the developed world. All individuals, corporations and governments gain the benefits of good infrastructure or suffer the losses from poorly performing infrastructure.
Contemporary challenges facing the community include extending the life of ageing infrastructure and the provision of new infrastructure for a growing population in a cost effective and environmentally sustainable manner. The life cycle of any infrastructure system involves planning and procurement, design and construction, performance monitoring and renewal and in each of these phases different research challenges exist including the impact of new technologies, incorporation of sustainable materials, modelling and retrofitting for deterioration effects, asset management and the impact of extreme loads, climate change and the carbon economy.
CSI provides a focus for multi-disciplinary research in the field of sustainable civil infrastructure, which is a topic of national importance in the 21st century, and will expand research links through collaboration both nationally and internationally in a manner consistent with the new Federal Governments research model of 'hubs and spokes'.
CSI has three major research programs consisting of a series of projects involving industry partners, centre staff, research fellows and graduate students. The research is carried out using analytical and experimental techniques to suit the project requirements and all will consider emerging technologies. The three research program areas are as follows:
Program 1: Advanced Structural and Geotechnical Systems (ASGS)
Program 2: Transportation Systems (TS)
Program 3: Water Resources Modelling (WRM)
Program 1: Advanced Structural and Geotechnical Systems
1.1 Advanced Structural Systems
The projects within this theme focus on physical testing of structural systems and components in the new Smart Structures Laboratory (SSL). Many of the projects have a sustainability theme through the use of new materials and extending the life of existing facilities. The reaction wall of the SSL will allow push-over tests of structural systems to be undertaken from which performance and damage curves will be developed for wide application in industry including impacts from climate change and increased wind speeds. Some of the current and emerging projects include:
- Strength and drift capacity investigation of structural systems
- Dynamic response of structures to blast and earthquake
- Development of long span integrated floor systems
- Proof testing and performance rating of building products
- Renewal of timber and concrete bridges and structures
- Renewal of mining and energy infrastructure
- Applications of new and recycled materials such as geo-polymers
- Advanced façade systems
- Embodied energy and life cycle analysis studies
- Sensor applications in infrastructure monitoring
- Smart structures for improved aged care
1.2 Advanced Geotechnical Systems
The projects in this theme are supported by physical testing in the renewed Swinburne Geotechnical laboratory and have a particular focus on the re-use of materials reclaimed from construction and demolition waste for a range of applications including road pavement systems. An emerging strength is the modelling of methane gas generated from landfill decomposition. Some of the current and emerging projects include:
- Integrated pavement design using reclaimed materials
- Applications of reclaimed and new materials in geotechnical engineering
- Geotechnical laboratory testing, field instrumentation and in-situ testing
- Ground improvement, soil stabilisation and geosynthetic applications
- Soft soils and problematic soils
- Land reclamation and dredging
- Slope stability, piled foundations, retaining walls and excavations
- Tunnelling applications
- Landfill applications
Program 2: Transportation Systems
The research into road and railway systems could in time expand into the broader issues of integrated transport planning and transport systems as a critical mass of multi-disciplinary expertise is developed across Faculties. Current strengths focus on the asset management of low volume roads and the complex contact interface between wheel and rail whilst an emerging theme is focussing on transport access for the elderly.
2.1 Road Pavement systems
- Knowledge management systems for asset management
- Modelling low volume road performance
- Road roughness and vehicle-driver interaction and behaviour
2.2 Railway systems
- Modelling wear and rolling contact fatigue
- Development of new rail and wheel materials to improve performance
- New thick rail coatings for reducing noise and extending asset life
- Axle fatigue modelling
- Development of maintenance strategies for ageing rail assets
- Residual life analysis for rail, wheel and axles
- Performance evaluation of railway components
2.3 Access to transport for the elderly
- Improving railway access issues for an ageing population
- Needs analysis for accessing railways and cars
- Improvements to car ingress and egress through analysis and design
- Wheel chair manoeuvrability on different surfaces including thick carpet
Program 3: Water resources modelling
The research into water resources modelling is divided into urban water systems and coastal and maritime engineering. The urban water research focuses on improving water supply capacity through harvesting of storm water and re-use of wastewater, both important elements in the context of climate change, drought and a growing population. The coastal and oceanography is internationally recognised with a focus on wave and ocean modelling. Modelling the effects of wave action and the effects of climate change is extremely important for Australia with such an urbanised coastline and for the offshore oil and gas industry. In addition, the innovative research into ocean turbulence contributes directly to the climate models for predicting long term trends in the weather and climatic conditions, which has global significance.
3.1 Sustainable urban water systems
- Deterioration modelling of water supply, stormwater and sewer systems
- Litter separation in urban water stormwater systems
- Water quality management including turbidity
- Sustainable water resource management
- Database for sensitive urban water design
- Demand modelling for water supply systems
- Recycling and reuse of wastewater
3.2 Coastal and maritime engineering
- Spectral modelling of wind-generated waves
- Dynamics of surface ocean waves
- Wave breaking and dissipation
- Modelling the phenomenon of extreme waves
- Air-sea interaction
- Wave induced turbulence and ocean mixing
- Impact of climate change on coastal and port facilities
