The long term design life of the modular geocellular infiltration units (Atlantis systems) to be utilised in innovative environmental railway and road projects

Project Member(s): Khabbaz, M., Fatahi, B.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Atlantis Corporation Pty Ltd (Atlantis Corporation Limited Partnership Fund)

Start year: 2013

Summary: Introduction: This proposal has been provided to establish an active and strong collaboration between Atlantis Corporation and the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). The Chief Investigators in this project are from the Industry Based Geomechanics Research Group, at the Centre for Built Infrastructure Research (CBIR). The main goal of this collaboration is advanced development of infiltration systems for infrastructure projects such as roads and rails in Australia and overseas. Other objectives are optimising the design and performance of infiltration units and cells (Atlantis systems) based on research outcomes and training at least one postgraduate research student and a number of final year undergraduate students, undertaking their capstone projects, while satisfying the industry¿s need. Objectives: The main objectives of this research project are to develop rigorous models and practical guidelines to precisely quantify both the short term and long term performance of Atlantis infiltration units, applied in innovative environmental railway and road projects. The specific aims of this research are: (1) Investigating the performance of infiltration units and cells under the cyclic loads of rails and roads, (2) Providing detailed assessment of the factors that affect the structural performance of the modular units, (3) Determining the safe zone of excavation near the modular geocellular tank, (4) Estimating the long term design life of the units according to creep testing (5) Designing appropriate experimental tests including full scale trials to carry out the simulated loads on various modular geocellular systems including proper test methods for evaluation of compressive strength and creep effect, (6) Quantifying the required quantitative geotechnical site investigations and essential soil testing and (7) Optimising properties of sand and geotextiles to be used in conjunction of Atlantis units and cells.

Publications:

Aung, TH, Khabbaz, H & Fatahi, B 2016, 'Parametric Study of Applied Stresses on Infiltration Modular Cells Installed under Roads', Procedia Engineering, vol. 143, pp. 1325-1332.
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Azari, B, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 2015, 'Numerical analysis of vertical drains accelerated consolidation considering combined soil disturbance and visco-plastic behaviour', GEOMECHANICS AND ENGINEERING, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 187-220.
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Le, TM, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 2015, 'Numerical optimisation to obtain elastic viscoplastic model parameters for soft clay', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLASTICITY, vol. 65, pp. 1-21.
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Le, TM, Fatahi, B, Disfani, M & Khabbaz, H 2015, 'Analyzing consolidation data to obtain elastic viscoplastic parameters of clay', GEOMECHANICS AND ENGINEERING, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 559-594.
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Keywords: Infiltration cells, rail and road environment, creep effects, modular plastic geocellular units, Atlantis cells

FOR Codes: Civil Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Construction Design, Civil geotechnical engineering

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.