Dachermann, U, Li, J & Samali, B 2010, '1A12 Boundary Damage Identification of a Two-Storey Framed Structure utilizing Frequency Response Functions and Artificial Neural Networks', The Proceedings of the Symposium on the Motion and Vibration Control, vol. 2010, no. 0.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
Dackermann, U, Li, J & Samali, B 2010, 'Dynamic-Based Damage Identification Using Neural Network Ensembles and Damage Index Method', ADVANCES IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 1001-1016.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper presents a vibration-based damage identification method that utilises a 'damage fingerprint' of a structure in combination with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and neural network techniques to identify defects. The Damage Index (DI) method is used to extract unique damage patterns from a damaged beam structure with the undamaged structure as baseline. PCA is applied to reduce the effect of measurement noise and optimise neural network training. PCA-compressed DI values are, then, used as inputs for a hierarchy of neural network ensembles to estimate locations and severities of various damage cases. The developed method is verified by a laboratory structure and numerical simulations in which measurement noise is taken into account with different levels of white Gaussian noise added. The damage identification results obtained from the neural network ensembles show that the presented method is capable of overcoming problems inherent in the conventional DI method. Issues associated with field testing conditions are successfully dealt with for numerical and the experimental simulations. Moreover, it is shown that the neural network ensemble produces results that are more accurate than any of the outcomes of the individual neural networks.
Ding, GKC 2010, 'Sustainability Assessment of Residential Development – An Australian Experience', International Journal of Construction Management, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 19-32.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Environmental performance of residential development has played an important role in achieving the goal of sustainable construction. Green homes have been or are being built in many countries. This paper discusses the issues of sustainability and its roles in residential developments. This paper also examines the development of a building and sustainability index (BASIX) for mandatory assessments of all residential developments in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Data collection includes examining the methodology of BASIX in assessing sustainability performance of residential development in the three broad areas of energy and water efficiency as well as indoor thermal comfort. The introduction of BASIX has had a profound impact on the construction industry. An online survey of users of BASIX in the construction industry revealed that the tool has played a significant role in providing a guideline for the sustainability performance of a proposed development and lifting the standard of design practices. The tool has led to better thermal comfort for users and reduced water and energy consumption by all new residential developments in NSW. However successful this has been, there is more to be done such as control of waste and energy usage in the manufacturing of building materials.
Fatahi, B, Khabbaz, H & Indraratna, B 2010, 'Bioengineering ground improvement considering root water uptake model', ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 222-229.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Bioengineering features of native vegetation are currently being evolved to enhance soil stiffness, slope stabilisation and erosion control. The effects of tree roots on soil moisture content and ground settlement are discussed in this paper. Matric suction induced by tree roots is a key factor, governing the properties of unsaturated soils, directly imparting stability to slopes and resistance for yielding behaviour. A mathematical model for the rate of root water uptake that considers ground conditions, type of vegetation and climatic parameters has been developed. This study highlights the inter-related parameters contributing to the development of a conceptual evapo-transpiration and root moisture uptake equilibrium model that is then incorporated in a comprehensive numerical finite element model. The developed model considers fully coupled-flow-deformation behaviour of soil. Field measurements obtained by the Authors from a site in Victoria, South of Australia, are used to validate the model. In this study, the active tree root distribution has been predicted by measuring soil organic content distribution. The predicted results show acceptable agreement with the field data in spite of the assumptions made for simplifying the effects of soil heterogeneity and anisotropy. The results prove that the proposed root water uptake model can reliably predict the region of the maximum matric suction away from the tree axis. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hakimi, M, Feizi, N, Hassani, H, Vahedi, H & Thomas, PS 2010, 'Regeneration of Aromatic Carbonyl Compounds from the Corresponding Oximes Using Tetrapyridine Silver(II) Peroxydisulfate in Acetonitrile and Aqueous Media', Synthetic Communications, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 725-731.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
The results of the recovery of both aldehyde and ketone carbonyl functionalities from the
oxime derivatives in aromatic carbonyl compounds using tetrapyridine silver(II) peroxydisulfate
[Ag(py)4S2O8] as a stable, mild, and efficient oxidizing agent is reported. Yields in
excess of 85% were achieved at room temperature in both acetonitrile and aqueous media,
making the method versatile and suitable for a wide range of aromatic carbonyl oximes.
Haskett, M, Oehlers, DJ, Ali, M & Wu, C 2010, 'Analysis of Moment Redistribution in Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Plated RC Beams', Journal of Composites for Construction, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 424-433.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
Hu, HS, Wang, J, Jiang, XZ, Li, YC & Li, ZC 2010, 'Design and controllability analysis of a gun magnetorheological recoil damper', Zhendong yu Chongji/Journal of Vibration and Shock, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 184-188.
View description>>
According to gun magnetorheological (MR) recoil damper's characteristics, aiming at the recoil part of a gun system under high impact and high-speed environment, the recoil resistance force's effect on the quiescence and firing stability of the gun was studied. The controllability of a magnetorheological damper to the gun recoil part's movement was also studied. A new gun magnetorheological recoil damper was designed and developed. And a suit of real-time measuring and controlling simulation experimental platform including hardware and software for dynamic response of a gun MR recoil damper under impact load was developed. Considering the dynamic behavior of the MR damper under impact load, an inertia factor was introduced into the dynamic model of the recoil part of the gun system. A shock test was done to measure the designed long-stroke MR damper's dynamic performance under impact load. To evaluate the control effect of the MR damper on the gun recoil movement during recoiling, a hardware-in-loop simulation and a test were performed. The testing results showed that the recoil's resistance and stroke of the designed gun MR recoil damper under impact load can be controlled by changing the applied current. The results lay a foundation for the integrated design and engineering application of the gun recoil force and stroke control.
Indraratna, B, Nimbalkar, S, Christie, D, Rujikiatkamjorn, C & Vinod, J 2010, 'Field Assessment of the Performance of a Ballasted Rail Track with and without Geosynthetics', Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, vol. 136, no. 7, pp. 907-917.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
Li, Y, Li, J & Samali, B 2010, '1A24 Dynamic Performance of A Novel Magnetorheological Pin Joint', The Proceedings of the Symposium on the Motion and Vibration Control, vol. 2010, no. 0, pp. _1A24-1_-_1A24-8_.
View description>>
Magnetorheological fluid (MRF) has received significant attention lately and MRF based devices have been proposed for structural control applications in recent years. The unique characteristics of MR fluid lies in its abilities to reversibly, repeatedly and instantly change from a free flowing liquid to a semi-solid state when exposed to a magnetic field. The electric power required to drive the MR devices can be easily provided by a battery. Possessing such unique properties, MR fluid based devices, such as MR damper, have become promising candidates in the semi-active control for civil structure applications. However, most of the published research has focused on application of MR dampers instead of exploring other type of MR devices. In addition, MR based devices exhibit complex nonlinear hysteresis behaviour and thus making their modelling a challenging task. In this paper, a novel MR fluid based device, namely MR pin joint, is proposed as smart structural members in development of an intelligent civil structure that can suppress unwanted vibrations to ensure safety and serviceability of the structure. After design and fabrication, experiments have been conducted to characterise dynamic behaviours of the new device under different harmonic excitations with various input currents. Test data shows that the MR pin joint possesses a unique behaviour in the moment-angular velocity plot. A hyperbolic hysteresis model is proposed to model such unique behaviour. The investigation presented in the paper explores dynamic performance of MR pin joint. Finally, a parametric model is developed following the investigation on the correlation of coefficients in the proposed model with the loading conditions and applied currents.
Li, Y, Li, J & Samali, B 2010, '1A24 Dynamic Performance of A Novel Magnetorheological Pin Joint', The Proceedings of the Symposium on the Motion and Vibration Control, vol. 2010, no. 0.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
Phat, VN, Ha, QP & Trinh, H 2010, 'Parameter-dependent H-infinity Control for Time-varying Delay Polytopic Systems', JOURNAL OF OPTIMIZATION THEORY AND APPLICATIONS, vol. 147, no. 1, pp. 58-70.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper addresses the robust stabilization and H∞ control problem for a class of linear polytopic systems with continuously distributed delays. The control objective is to design a robust H∞ controller that satisfies some exponential stability constraints on the closed-loop poles. Using improved parameter-dependent Lyapunov Krasovskii functionals, new delay-dependent conditions for the robust H∞ control are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
Raja, S, Thomas, PS & Stuart, BH 2010, 'A study of storage conditions and treatments for forensic bone specimens using thermogravimetric analysis', JOURNAL OF THERMAL ANALYSIS AND CALORIMETRY, vol. 99, no. 3, pp. 869-872.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Bone provides an important source of forensic evidence. The storage conditions of bone have been recognised as a factor in maintaining the integrity of such evidence. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) has been employed to examine the effects of storage environments and preparation methods on the structural properties of pig bones. A comparison of oven and freeze drying has been made to study the effect of storage conditions. A comparison has also been made of ground bone specimens with cut specimens. Freeze-dried hand ground specimens provided the most consistent results and, thus, this is the recommended method of preparation of bone specimens for TG analysis.
Samali, B, Li, J, Choi, FC & Crews, K 2010, 'Application of the damage index method for plate-like structures to timber bridges', Structural Control and Health Monitoring, vol. 17, no. 8, pp. 849-871.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
The paper presents a research recently completed by the authors utilizing a method of damage evaluation for identifying damage in timber bridges, numerically and experimentally. The method utilizes changes in modal strain energy between the undamaged and damaged states of plate-like structures. A finite element model of a laboratory timber bridge was developed to investigate the capabilities and limitations of the method to detect damage. A simple four-girder bridge was fabricated and tested in a laboratory to verify the method. The numerical studies showed that the method can correctly identify single and multiple damage locations within the bridge. The experimental studies also showed promising results for detecting severe damage, but less effective for light and medium damage.
Tabatabaiefar, HR & Massumi, A 2010, 'A simplified method to determine seismic responses of reinforced concrete moment resisting building frames under influence of soil–structure interaction', Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1259-1267.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
As the Iranian seismic code does not address the soil–structure interaction (SSI) explicitly, the effects of SSI on RC-MRFs are studied using the direct method. Four types of structures on three types of soils, with and without the soil interaction, are modeled and subjected to different earthquake records. The results led to a criterion indicating that considering SSI in seismic design, for buildings higher than three and seven stories on soil with Vs<175 m/s and 175
Tang, L, Du, P & Wu, C 2010, 'Compare diagnostic tests using transformation-invariant smoothed ROC curves', Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference, vol. 140, no. 11, pp. 3540-3551.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, plotting true positive rates against false positive rates as threshold varies, is an important tool for evaluating biomarkers in diagnostic medicine studies. By definition, ROC curve is monotone increasing from 0 to 1 and is invariant to any monotone transformation of test results. And it is often a curve with certain level of smoothness when test results from the diseased and non-diseased subjects follow continuous distributions. Most existing ROC curve estimation methods do not guarantee all of these properties. One of the exceptions is Du and Tang (2009) which applies certain monotone spline regression procedure to empirical ROC estimates. However, their method does not consider the inherent correlations between empirical ROC estimates. This makes the derivation of the asymptotic properties very difficult. In this paper we propose a penalized weighted least square estimation method, which incorporates the covariance between empirical ROC estimates as a weight matrix. The resulting estimator satisfies all the aforementioned properties, and we show that it is also consistent. Then a resampling approach is used to extend our method for comparisons of two or more diagnostic tests. Our simulations show a significantly improved performance over the existing method, especially for steep ROC curves. We then apply the proposed method to a cancer diagnostic study that compares several newly developed diagnostic biomarkers to a traditional one. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Thomas, PS, Šesták, J, Heide, K, Fueglein, E & Šimon, P 2010, 'Thermal properties of Australian sedimentary opals and Czech moldavites', Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, vol. 99, no. 3, pp. 861-867.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
The thermal properties are presented for a precious opal sourced from Coober Pedy, South Australia and a moldavite from Bohemia, Czech Republic whose origins differ significantly as opal is derived from the slow isothermal diagenesis of silica, while the tektites are specimens of vitreous silica formed from the terrestrial impact of asteroids. The differences between the two glassy silicates are presented through measurement of the TG-DSC, TMA and high-vacuum-hot-extraction DEGAS analysis.
Vexler, A, Wu, C & Yu, KF 2010, 'Optimal hypothesis testing: from semi to fully Bayes factors', Metrika, vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 125-138.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
We propose and examine statistical test-strategies that are somewhat between the maximum likelihood ratio and Bayes factor methods that are well addressed in the literature. The paper shows an optimality of the proposed tests of hypothesis. We demonstrate that our approach can be easily applied to practical studies, because execution of the tests does not require deriving of asymptotical analytical solutions regarding the type I error. However, when the proposed method is utilized, the classical significance level of tests can be controlled. © Springer-Verlag 2008.
White, R, Thomas, P, Phillips, MR, Moran, K & Wuhrer, R 2010, 'X-Ray Mapping and Scatter Diagram Analysis of the Discoloring Products Resulting from the Interaction of Artist's Pigments', MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 594-598.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
The discoloring interaction between the artist's pigments cadmium yellow and the copper-containing malachite, an interaction that is conjectured to cause black spotting in oil paintings of the 19th and early 20th centuries, was examined using X-ray mapping and scatter diagram analysis. The application of these coupled techniques confirmed that copper sulfide phases were produced during discoloration reaction. Scatter diagram analysis indicated that two copper sulfide stoichiometries (CuS and Cu3S2) were present as reaction products where previously only crystalline CuS (covellite) had been identified by X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate the potential of X-ray mapping coupled with scatter diagram analysis for the identification of both crystalline and X-ray amorphous phases produced by such complex heterogeneous interactions and their applicability to the investigation of interactions of artists' pigments. © Microscopy Society of America 2010.
Wu, C, Fattori, G, Whittaker, A & Oehlers, DJ 2010, 'Investigation of Air-Blast Effects from Spherical-and Cylindrical-Shaped Charges', International Journal of Protective Structures, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 345-362.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Although the distributions of peak incident overpressure and impulse generated from spherical charges and cylindrical charges of the same weight can differ greatly close to the point of detonation, spherical charges are assumed for nearly all explosive-effects computations per modern standards for blast-resistant design such as UFC-3-340-02 and the soon-to-be published ASCE Standard for the Blast Protection of Buildings. A blast-testing program was performed using a reinforced concrete slab as the target to investigate the reflected peak overpressure and impulse distributions as a function of charge shape, orientation, and scaled distance. The charge shapes were cylindrical and spherical, and the charge mass varied from 0.24 to 8.0 kg. Nine pressure transducers were installed on the surface of the slab to record the distribution of pressure histories over the face of the target. A finite element model of the explosive and the target was validated using the experimental data. The validated model was then used to undertake a parametric analysis to more broadly study the effects of detonation point, ratio of charge length to charge diameter, charge orientation and standoff distance on the distribution of reflected overpressure. Numerical results are compared with predictions of UFC-3-340-02. For cylindrical charges, the ratio of charge length ( L) to diameter ( D), the orientation of the longitudinal axis of the charge, and detonation point within the charge affected the distributions of reflected peak overpressure and impulse in the immediate vicinity of the explosive. The UFC-3-340-02 underpredicts substantially the reflected peak overpressure and impulse on a target aligned with the vertical axis of a cylindrical charge with an aspect ratio of 1.0.
Xiao, JZ, Li, WG & Tawana, MM 2010, 'On 4R Principle in the Rehabilitation of Concrete Historic Buildings', Advanced Materials Research, vol. 133-134, pp. 985-990.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
vThe 4R principle refers to reduce, reuse, recycle and regeneration, which should be implemented in the process of concrete treatment. In terms of the special micro-structural properties and self-repairing capacity, concrete is one kind of regenerative construction materials. Through proper handlings, self-repairing (crack close-up) of concrete cracks is possible in the concrete hydration damaged region. Due to the effect of heterogeneous nucleation and subsequent crystal growth of calcium hydroxide, a better bonding strength forms interlocking the new and old concrete interfaces. A proposal on the relationship between the self-repairing, regeneration function of concrete and the rehabilitation of historic buildings is suggested, this is based on the formed process of the bonding strength of the interfaces and the function on concrete repairing. Besides the constitution and features of the microstructure of concrete, the relationship between the micro-structure and the macro-mechanical property is also investigated in this paper
Yu, Y-H, Vo-Ky, C, Kodagoda, S & Ha, QP 2010, 'FPGA-Based Relative Distance Estimation for Indoor Robot Control Using Monocular Digital Camera', Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 714-721.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Distance measurement methodologies based on the digital camera usually require time-consuming calibration procedures, some are even derived from complicated image processing algorithms resulting in low picture frame rates. In a dynamic camera system, due to the unpredictability of intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, odometric results are highly dependent on the quality of extra sensors. In this paper, a simple and efficient algorithm is proposed for relative distance estimation in robotic active vision by using a monocular digital camera. Accuracy of the estimation is achieved by judging the 2D perspective projection image ratio of the robot labels obtained on a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor – Liquid Crystal Display) monitor without the need of any additional sensory cost and complicated calibration effort. Further, the proposed algorithm does not contain any trigonometric functions so that it can be easily implemented on an embedded system using the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. Experimental results are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique.
Ardalany, M, Deam, B, Fragiacomo, M & Crews, K 1970, 'Tension perpendicular to grain strength of wood, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and Cross-Banded LVL (LVL-C)', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 891-896.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Recent experimental tests carried out on structural timber members have highlighted the importance of tension perpendicular to grain strength, particularly in beams with holes and notches, in connection regions, in curved beams, and in post-tensioned timber frames, Innovative engineered wood products such as Cross Banded Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL-C) have been introduced into the market specifically to improve the perpendicular to grain properties of normal Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), This paper reports on tests that were performed at the University of Canterbury using specimens of sawn timber Radiata Pine, LVL and LVL-C. The perpendicular to grain tension strengths of LVL was generally lower than those for sawn timber, but the LVL-C showed a significantly improved strength. The paper also compares the experimental results with strengths predicted using both coupled elastic Finite Element Method (FEM) and Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) models. These models were found to predict the average strength with reasonable accuracy.
Crews, KI, Gerber, C & Shrestha, R 1970, 'Development of Design Procedures for Timber Concrete Composite Floors in Australia and New Zealand - Part 2: Connection Characterisation', CIB - W18 - Working Commission W18 - Timber Structures, International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) Meetings, Workshops, Symposia, Conferences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Nelson, New Zealands, pp. 1-8.
View description>>
The approach adopted for design of timber concrete composite (TCC) floor systems in Australia and New Zealand is based upon extensive testing of the permitted connection types that are specified in the design procedures, identifying strength, serviceability stiffness and so called ultimate stiffness characteristic properties that are required for utilisation of the 'Gamma coefficients' method, which manipulates properties of the concrete member in order to predict the cross-section characteristics of the structure. This paper presents an overview of testing undertaken to date and the derivation of characteristic properties (5'h percentile for strength and 50'h percentile or average for stiffness).
Dackermann, U, Li, J & Samali, B 1970, 'Identification of added mass on a two-storey framed structure utilising FRFs and ANNs', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 757-762.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper presents a vibration-based damage detection method that utilises frequency response functions (FRFs) to identify added mass on a two-storey framed structure. Added mass is used to simulate frequency changes due to structural damage. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are employed to map changes in FRFs to locations of the added mass. In order to obtain suitable inputs for neural network training, principalcomponent analysis (PCA) techniques are adopted to reduce the size of the FRF data and to filter noise. A hierarchy of neural network ensembles is used to take advantage of individual measurement characteristics from different sensors. The method is tested on laboratory and numerical models of a two-storey framed structure. From the two kinds of structures, FRF data are determined and compressed utilising PCA techniques. The PCAreduced FRFs are then used as input patterns for training and testing of ANN ensembles predicting different locations of added mass. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, London.
Ding, GK & Ge, J 1970, 'A challenge to sustainably improving environmental performance of existing housing stock in Australia', CIB 2010 World Congress Proceedings, International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) Meetings, Workshops, Symposia, Conferences, CIB, Salford Quays, United Kingdom, pp. 86-98.
View description>>
A key global challenge nowadays is to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing Australia today. Improvements to energy and water efficiency of existing building stocks can significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce utility bills. With increasing recognition that green buildings outperform conventional buildings, much less known about how green building initiatives can be incorporated into upgrading existing housing stocks. In Australia due to population growth and increased in the size of dwellings coupled with the reduction of number of person per household have put an enormous pressue on energy and water consumption. Existing houses represent approximately 98% of residential building stocks and any improvement to these dwellings will have a profound impact on reducing the negative effects of the environment. This paper examines the sustainable upgrading strategies in improving environmental performance of three existing single dwellings. This paper presents an economic analysis of sustainable upgrading using Net Present Value. The results suggest that sustainable upgrading of existing housing stocks is feasible and the scheme will be more attractive if more government financial assistance is provided.
Far, H, Fatahi, B & Samali, B 1970, 'Seismic Behaviour of Steel Moment Resisting Buildings on Soft Soil Considering Soil-Structure Interaction', Proceeding of the 14 European Conference on Earthquake Engineering 2010, European Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Macedonian Association for Earthquake Engineering (MAEE), Ohrid, Macedonia, pp. 1720-1727.
View description>>
The 1985 Mexico City and many other recent earthquakes clearly illustrate the importance of local soil properties on the earthquake response of structures. These earthquakes demonstrated that the rock motions could be amplified at the base of the structure. Therefore, there is a strong engineering motivation for a site-dependent dynamic response analysis for many foundations to determine the free-field earthquake motions. The determination of a realistic site-dependent free-field surface motion at the base of the structure can be the most important step in the earthquake resistant design of structures. In this study, the effects of Soil-Structure Interaction on seismic behaviour of steel moment resisting building frames have been studied using Finite Difference Method. Two types of mid-rise structures, including 5 and 15 storey buildings on a soft soil deposit have been selected and analysed under influence of three different earthquake acceleration records. The above mentioned frames been analysed under two different boundary conditions: (i) fixed-base (no soil-structure interaction), and (ii) flexible-base (considering soil-structure interaction). The results of the analyses in terms of structural forces and lateral displacements for the above mentioned boundary conditions have been compared and discussed. It is concluded that the dynamic soil-structure interaction plays a significant role in the seismic behaviour of the mentioned building frames including substantial increment in lateral inter-storey drifts of the structures and changing the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse. Thus, Considering SSI effects in seismic design of steel moment resisting building frames resting on soft soil deposit is essential.
Far, H, Samali, B & Fatahi, B 1970, 'Effects of Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction on Inelastic Behaviour of Mid-Rise Moment Resisting Buildings on Soft Soils', AEES Conference 2010 - Australian Earthquake Engineering Society 2010 Conference, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society Conference, Australian Earthquake Engineering Society, Perth, Western Australia, pp. 1-11.
View description>>
In this study, a ten storey moment resisting building frame, representing the conventional type of regular mid-rise building frames, resting on shallow foundation, is selected in conjunction with a clayey soil, representing subsoil class Ee, as classified in the AS 1170.4. The structural sections are designed after applying dynamic nonlinear time history analysis, based on both elastic method, and inelastic procedure using elastic-perfectly plastic behaviour of structural elements. The frame sections are modelled and analysed, employing Finite Difference Method using FLAC 2D software under two different boundary conditions: (i) fixed-base (no Soil-Structure Interaction), and (ii) considering Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). Fully nonlinear dynamic analysis under influence of different earthquake records is conducted and the results of the two different cases for elastic and inelastic behaviour of the structural model are extracted and compared respectively. The results indicate that the lateral deflection increments for both cases are substantially dominating and can change the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse. Therefore, conventional elastic and inelastic structural analysis methods assuming fixed-base structure may no longer be adequate to guarantee the structural safety. Therefore, considering SSI effects in seismic design of concrete moment resisting building frames resting on soft soil deposit is essential.
Fatahi, B, Far, H & Samali, B 1970, 'Influence Of Soil Characteristics On Seismic Response Of Mid-Rise Moment Resisting Buildings Considering Soil-Structure Interaction', Seismic Engineering Design for Management of Geohazards - Proceedings of the 2010 Symposium, Seismic Engineering Design for Management of Geohazards, The Australian Geomechanics Society, Sydney, NSW, Australia, pp. 67-74.
View description>>
In this study, a fifteen storey moment resisting building frame, representing the conventional types of regular mid-rise building frames, resting on a shallow foundation, is selected in conjunction with three soil types with the shear wave velocity less that 600m/s, representing classes Ce, De and Ee, according to AS 1170.4. Characteristics of the employed soils have been extracted from the available geotechnical investigation reports of various projects. Furthermore, the structure is modelled considering the three mentioned types of the subsoil medium underneath employing the Finite Difference approach using FLAC 2D software. Three strong ground motion records adopted by the international community as benchmark earthquakes are used. These are the 1968 Hachinohe, the 1995 Kobe and the 1994 Northridge earthquakes. Fully nonlinear dynamic analysis under influence of different earthquake records is conducted, and the results of the three different cases are compared and discussed. The results indicate that the dynamic properties of the subsoil play a significant role in seismic response of the building frames under the influence of soil-structure interaction. As the shear wave velocity of the subsoil decreases, lateral deflections and inter-storey drifts of the structures increase which can change the performance level of the structures from life safe to near collapse or total collapse.
Gerber, C, Crews, K, Foscoliano, M & Agus, S 1970, 'Development of timber concrete composite flooring in Australia and New Zealand', 11th World Conference on Timber Engineering 2010, WCTE 2010, pp. 139-146.
View description>>
In 2007 a major R&D project commenced in Australia, investigating the performance of timber concrete composite flooring systems for potential application in non residential buildings. In mid 2008 the scope of the project was extended with the formation of the Structural Timber Innovation Company, which is a research consortium of government, industry and the University's of Canterbury, Auckland and UTS in Sydney. The two year project has been undertaken by the University of Technology, Sydney in collaboration with the University of Canterbury, (NZ) and had focused on developing and characterising the performance of various types of timber / concrete connections. This paper describes the work undertaken in this project, including optimisation of connection geometries and presents the results of testing of over 100 connection assemblies, as well as discussing constructability issues that need to be addressed for this type of technology to gain acceptance in Australia and New Zealand and discussing current research that will continue until 2012.
Hamedanimojarrad, P, Adam, G, Ray, A, Vessalas, K, Thomas, P & Thomas, S 1970, 'A novel multi-functional expansive additive for drying shrinkage reduction in mortars', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 877-881.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Several shrinkage compensating additives and admixtures are currently used in mortar and concrete. This study deals with the literature review and categorization of different classes of expansive additives with the objective of introducing a new range of polymeric additive. In this investigation an inorganic polymer, which is a multifunctional expansive additive, was used in different mixes of mortar. The results of experiments on drying shrinkage as well as its effect on several physical properties are reported. The new polymeric additive used in the experiments were found to decrease the amount of drying shrinkage when compared with a control mixture through the reaction of the inorganic polymer with calcium hydroxide forming a stable binder as well as an expansive agent. This new additive also proved to have a positive effect on some fresh and hardened properties of mortar.
Howes, JM, Stuart, BH, Thomas, P & Raja, S 1970, 'The analysis of forensic bones using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy', 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences Abstract Book, 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, Sydney.
Indraratna, B, Nimbalkar, SS & Tennakoon, N 1970, 'The Behaviour of Ballasted Track Foundations: Track Drainage and Geosynthetic Reinforcement', GeoFlorida 2010, GeoFlorida 2010, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp. 2378-2387.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Ballasted Rail tracks are widely used throughout the world due to its resiliency to the repeated wheel loads, low construction cost and ease of maintenance. However, the ballast layer needs periodic maintenance due to its deformation and degradation associated with particle breakage and fouling. A proper understanding of the contamination due to various types of fines and its implications on track drainage is a pre-requisite for effective implementation of track maintenance operations. A new parameter Void Contaminant Index (VCI) can accurately assess the contamination as it includes the effect of void ratio, specific gravity and gradation of ballast and fouling material. A series of constant head hydraulic conductivity tests using a specially designed large-scale permeability apparatus were performed on fresh ballast mixed with different proportions of fines to study the relationship between the percentage of fouling and drainage characteristics. A field trial is conducted on an instrumented track at Bulli, NSW Australia, to study the benefits of a geocomposite layer installed at the ballast-capping interface, and to evaluate the performance of recycled ballast in comparison to traditionally uniform fresh ballast. It is found that recycled ballast can be effectively reused if reinforced with a geocomposite. The geocomposite can effectively reduce vertical and lateral deformations of the ballast with obvious implications on improved track stability thereby reducing maintenance costs. © 2010 ASCE.
Khan, A, Khan, EU, Nasir, AB & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Methods for Estimating Internal Erosion in Embankment Dams', Proceedings of the International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, Pakistan Geotechnical Engineering Society (PGES), Lahore, Pakistan, pp. 129-135.
View description>>
Historical data shows that piping failure is one of the most common modes of failure in dams. To evaluate the safety of dams it is necessary to estimate the internal erosion rate based on precise geotechnical and soil hydraulic properties. This paper presents two methods for estimating the internal erosion through embankment dams. The findings of this paper indicate that a combination of these two methods can lead to a more robust and reliable set of results when estimating internal erosion of embankment dams.
Li, J, Müller-Tomfelde, C & Hyatt, A 1970, 'Supporting collaborations across a biocontainment barrier', Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group of Australia on Computer-Human Interaction, OZCHI '10: Proceedings of the 22th conference of the computer-human interaction special interest group of Australia on Computer-human interaction, ACM, Brisbane, Australia, pp. 320-323.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
We present the design process of a collaboration platform which allows research and diagnostics scientists in an animal health laboratory to work collaboratively across a biocontainment barrier. This Biosecurity Collaboration Platform (BCP) integrates high quality audio-video communications with a large shared interactive workspace. It enables real-time sharing of a broad range of data from various data repositories and computer applications, including microscope imaging. We describe the one-year design and development activities which included field study, scenario-based use case analysis, iterative design and evaluations. We highlight factors relating to the unique setting and the associated difficulties in information sharing and communication. We discuss the importance of an appropriate design approach and our solution of an integrated interaction and communication workspace with appropriate configurations to support the scientific collaborations.
Liu, B, Ray, AS & Thomas, P 1970, 'Drying shrinkage of hydrothermally cured cements with reactive magnesia and clay brick waste', Proceedings of the 12th International Inorganic-Bonded Fiber Composites Conference, International Inorganic-Bonded Fiber Composites Conference, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, pp. 90-95.
View description>>
In recent years, worldwide research and development in the cement industry has gathered momentum with an aim to explore innovative and sustainable methods to deliver environmentally responsible Portland Cement (PC) based construction products. This study investigated physical and mechanical properties of autoclaved cement-quartz sand blends with the addition of clay-brick waste (CB waste) and reactive magnesia (MgO) with the aim to lower CO2 emissions through the reduction of PC consumption. Mechanical properties and drying shrinkage showed improvements with the incorporation of CB waste due to increased amounts and crystallinity of Al-tobermorite. The addition of reactive MgO to PC in hydrothermal conditions was observed to have a negative effect on the compressive strength. XRD data indicated that MgO did not take part in the reaction during the hydration of the cement and may even retard tobermorite formation. However, the expansive nature from the hydration of MgO to brucite may have compensated for drying shrinkage.
Nimbalkar, SS & Choudhury, D 1970, 'Effect of Amplification on Seismic Stability of Tailings Dam', Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, GeoShanghai International Conference 2010, American Society of Civil Engineers, pp. 340-345.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
The stability of tailings dams in earthquakes prone areas has become a matter of increasing concern as seismic knowledge has advanced. For the seismic slope stability assessment of tailings dam, majority of current design methodologies rely on the use of pseudo-static approach. However, the crude estimate of finding approximate seismic accelerations makes the pseudo-static approach too conservative to adopt in the stability assessment. In this paper, horizontal slice method is used which considers the seismic inertia forces acting on the sliding wedge of the tailings dam by incorporating the effects of time, phase difference and amplification in shear and primary waves along with the horizontal and vertical seismic accelerations and other soil properties. Results are provided in the graphical form for the stability analysis of tailings dam. © 2010 ASCE.
Parsa Pajouh, A, Fatahi, B & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Uncertainties of Smear Zone Characteristics in the Design of Preloading with Prefabricated Vertical Drains', The 4th International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics (ICSESM 2010), International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering and Soil Mechanics, Iranian Geotechnical Society (IGS), Tehran, Iran, pp. 1-8.
View description>>
Installing prefabricated vertical drains using mandrels induces disturbance of the soil surrounding the drain, resulting in a smear zone with the reduced permeability. The required time for pore pressure dissipation in preloading design is strongly associated with the smear zone characteristics. In this study, the effects of smear zone properties on preloading time are numerically investigated. Parametric study is conducted to find out the range of smear zone parameters significantly influencing the consolidation period. It is observed that the characteristics of smear zone namely size and permeability have a substantial impact on the preloading design to achieve certain soil strength and stiffness satisfying both bearing capacity and settlement design criteria.
Price, A & Nejadi, S 1970, 'Calculation of long-term Deflection in Concrete Slabs Using Finite Element Methods', CECAS & ASEC 2010: Innovative Community Building - The 5th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region and Australasian Structural Engineering Conference 2010, The 5th Civil Engineering Conference in the Asian Region and Australasian Structural Engineering Conference 2010, Engineers Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia, pp. 1-6.
View description>>
The deflection of concrete slabs involves numerous factors including the geometric properties, concrete properties and load history. Long-term deflections are the result of a decrease in stiffness overtime due to concrete shrinkage and creep effects. Finite element programs are useful to analyse the behaviour of concrete slabs most notably two way slab systems. However, they lack the current functionality to accurately model long term deflections due to the complexity of factors involved. Currently there is no industry accepted method to calculate long-term deflections in concrete slabs using finite element software. AS 3600 Concrete Structures makes no mention and provides no guidelines for the analysis of concrete slab deflections using finite element software. Without industry guidelines there is an increased risk of structures failing to meet the required serviceability limit state using finite element methods. This study has explored the factors that contribute to the time-delayed increase in concrete slab deflections known as long-term deflections. RAM Concept is a finite element program where the Load Factors, Cracked Element Analysis and RAM Conceptâs Effective Curvature Ratio (ECR) methods have been used to estimate the concrete slabs long-term deflections. The finite element results have been compared to the previously tested one-way (Gilbert, 2008) and two-way (Gilbert & Guo, 2002) concrete slabs that had been subjected to sustained loads.
Raja, S, Stuart, B & Thomas, P 1970, 'The development of analytical techniques for the determination of forensic bone age', Science & Justice, UTS Faculty of Science Research Day, Elsevier BV, pp. 36-37.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
Raja, S, Stuart, BH, Thomas, P & Howes, JM 1970, 'The effect of soil burial environment on forensic bone structure', 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences Abstract Book, 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, Sydney.
Raja, S, Stuart, BH, Thomas, P & Howes, JM 1970, 'The effect of soil burial environment on forensic bone structure', 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences Abstract Book, 20th International Symposium on the Forensic Sciences, Sydney.
Rijal, R, Samali, B & Crews, K 1970, 'Dynamic performance of timber-concrete composite flooring systems', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 315-319.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Long span and light weight floor construction in recent times has led to increased concerns on the dynamic issues with the flooring systems. Therefore, there is a growing need for measurement of dynamic characteristics such as fundamental natural frequency, damping ratio, and mode shapes of floor systems to investigate their behaviour. A combination of timber and concrete has been extensively used to construct floors over the past three decades to resolve most of the issues such as vibration and acoustic encountered in full timber flooring systems. his paper presents the results such as fundamental natural frequency, damping ratio and composite action index from dynamic investigation on four TCC beams with identical geometry but with different connection systems. Initially all the beams were excited by instrumented hammer and free vibration responses were recorded. The connection systems tested included bird-mouth notch with coach screw, nonnal and SFS screws without any notches.
Rijal, R, Samali, B, Crews, K & Shrestha, R 1970, 'Dynamic behaviour of timber-concrete composite flooring systems', 11th World Conference on Timber Engineering 2010, WCTE 2010, pp. 1815-1820.
View description>>
Floors are almost always designed against the action of static loads, despite everyday evidence that dynamic loads are also of great importance and therefore there is a growing need for measurement of dynamic parameters like natural frequencies, and damping ratio of the floors. Timber-concrete composite (TCC) floors have been found to resolve vibration susceptibility and low impact insulation issues concerned with full timber floors; however, the composite behaviour of TCC floors depends primarily upon the efficiency of the connection system used. The dynamic parameters of the flooring system can be used to assess the efficiency of the connection system. This paper presents a comprehensive review on dynamic parameters of TCC flooring systems and tests to determine these parameters. Serviceability requirements for TCC floors to control vibration are also discussed. Brief description of ongoing dynamic tests using instrumented hammer test on TCC beams are finally presented.
Saleh, A & Li, J 1970, 'Innovative Assessment and Feedback System for Structural Engineering Education', Proceedings of the 21st Annual Conference for the Australasian Association for Engineering Education, Annual Conference of Australasian Association for Engineering Education, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia, pp. 315-321.
View description>>
Commercial Online course management platforms are increasingly used in teaching and learning in many disciplines. However their use for setting assessment tasks in engineering education is often difficult and limited in achieving desired teaching and learning objectives. This is partly due to the nature of engineering exercise problems which often requires equation manipulation and multi-stage problem solving. This paper presents an innovative spreadsheet based tool which is designed to cater for this type of problem. The tool was developed for both formative and summative assessments and with a resource optimal capability to automate both marking and collecting timely feedback from students on their perceived learning. It aims to encourage active learning with activatable hints and to minimise plagiarism by generating individual assignment data for each student.
Samali, B, Crews, K, Aboura, K, Ariyaratne, W & Manamperi, P 1970, 'A system for bridge network condition assessment and prediction', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 739-744.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Traditionally, bridge management systems were designed using a Markov chain decision model. Based on the analysis of 15 years of bridge inspection data, we apply the gamma process instead, After extracting all relevant information, enough data was collected on the condition paths of elements to build a deterioration model. The element conditions follow a time period in full condition then start deteriorating. We consider a random variable for the last time the condition was observed to be 100%. We consider the stochastic deterioration process that follows. The amalgamation of the two part process through probabilistic arguments creates a new stochastic process. The novel stochastic process characteristics are derived through the data to provide a predictive model for the element, bridge and network conditions. We showcase a software solution for bridge network condition assessment, monitoring and prediction.
Shrestha, B & Khabbaz, H 1970, 'Improving Reinforced Soil Performance Incorporating Vertical Reinforcement', Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics, GeoShanghai International Conference 2010, American Society of Civil Engineers, Shanghai, China, pp. 249-254.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Reinforced soils have been widely used in different variety and range of applications. Applying vertical reinforcement along with conventional horizontal reinforcement, a new concept of soil reinforcement, is proposed in this paper. The primary difference between the general practice and the insertion of vertical reinforcement is that the latter provides passive resistance against shearing, making all the layers intact that will increase the strength and stability of the reinforced soil. Different modes of failure can be tackled by this improvement in reinforced soil technology. Vertical reinforcement cages the soils in different units along with layered by horizontal reinforcement and produce intact effects in soil mass. It enhances the tensile strength and provides bending effects. Likewise, implementing vertical reinforcement reduces the induced tensile stresses in horizontal reinforcement, which results in less length. The main objective of the vertical reinforcement is to stitch horizontal reinforcing layers to each other. This paper also presents possible methods of construction process. This technology can add numerous benefits to the current industry of soil reinforcement.
Sriravindrarajah, R, Do, H, Nguyen, L & Aoki, Y 1970, 'Effect of clogging on the water permeability of pervious concrete', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 873-876.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Use of pervious concrete for pavement construction provides benefits such as reducing the stormwater run-off and recharging the ground water. This paper discusses the results of an experimental investigation into the effect of pore structure clogging and compaction on the water permeability of pervious concrete. The water permeability of pervious concrete was studied under falling head. The results showed that the clayey materials presence in the percolating water had seriously reduced the water permeability of pervious concrete. High-pressure water cleaning was found to partially recover the water permeability of pervious concrete. Since compaction causes pore structure modification, it should not be used with pervious concrete to ensure high water permeability of pervious concrete.
Tran, T & Ha, QP 1970, 'Distributed Model Predictive Control for Complex Interconnection Systems', 2010 IEEE RIVF International Conference on Computing & Communication Technologies, Research, Innovation, and Vision for the Future (RIVF), Communication Technologies, Research, Innovation, and Vision for the Future (RIVF), IEEE, Hanoi Vietnam, pp. 284-289.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper presents a new communication-based distributed model predictive control (DMPC) scheme for spatially coupled systems based on linear matrix inequalities (LMI). The large-scale system in discussion is formed by several interconnected subsystems with mixed structures connected in parallel, serial and cycle configurations. Each subsystem is regulated by a dedicated model predictive controller (MPC). These local controllers communicate with their interconnected partners to update the coupling information for their online optimisation problems. An interconnection stability condition based on the dissipative systems theory is derived, taking the coupling effects into consideration. The stability condition is then converted into dynamic stability constraints for individual MPCs in a distributed manner. Upon their satisfaction, the closed-loop large-scale system with these distributed MPCs is stabilised accordingly. The main results are illustrated in simulation for a three-unit system. ©2010 IEEE.
Tran, T, Nguyen, HT, Ha, QP & IEEE 1970, 'Stability of Complex Systems with Mixed Connection Configurations under Shared Control', 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONTROL, AUTOMATION, ROBOTICS AND VISION (ICARCV 2010), Int. Conf. Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision, IEEE, Singapore, pp. 512-517.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper presents a new stabilizing method for the control of complex systems operating in semi-automatic modes. The complex system is modeled by several spatially-coupled subsystems interconnected in parallel, serial and cycle configurations. Each subsystem is regulated by a dedicated autonomous controller that also allows for a manual control mode. An interconnection stability condition which takes the couplings between subsystems into consideration is derived from the renowned dissipative systems theory. Built upon this stability condition, decentralized stabilizing agents for autonomous controllers are subsequently deployed independently and segregatedly from the control algorithms. Due to this independence, human errors from man-machine interactions, that may destabilize the control systems, can be avoidable; also different types of control algorithms and controllers of subsystems are interoperable with the same stabilizing mechanism. To accomplish such tasks simultaneously, the stabilizing agents render overriding outputs for the automatic controllers, and at the same time, provide instability warning signals and manipulation guidance to the operators to successfully regulate the subsystems in the manual control mode, yet maintain the plant-wide stability. Real-time data of control inputs and plant outputs is exerted under the auspices of controller dissipativity indices and trajectories to stabilize the systems with closed-loop control and man-in-the-loop coexistence. Our main results are illustrated in simulation for a three-unit system. ©2010 IEEE.
Vessalas, K, Ray, AS, Thomas, P, Joyce, PA & Haggman, J 1970, 'Pitchstone Fines: A New Inorganic Binder For Portland Cement-Based Construction Products', Proceedings of the 12th International Inorganic-Bonded Fiber Composites Conference, International Inorganic-Bonded Fiber Composites Conference, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark, pp. 39-47.
View description>>
The findings of this investigation into the performance pitchstone fines (PF) sourced from a naturally occurring pitchstone deposit in Queensland Australia as a potential pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material (SCM) are reported. 50 mm mortar cubes were prepared by replacement of 20% of the Portland cement (PC) with PF and PF blended with silica fume (SF) in a 1:1 ratio. Mortar cubes were also prepared with a 20% PC substitution level using fly ash (FA) and FA blended with SF also in a 1:1 ratio for comparison as the SCM. Control mortar cubes without PC substitution were also prepared. The compressive strength results for PF blended mortars were comparable to FA mortars, were within 75% of the control mortar at 7 and 28 days and approached the strength of the control mortar at 91 days curing. PF and FA blends containing SF produced compressive strength which surpassed the control mortar. Drying shrinkage measurements are also reported for up to 28 days storage in air. The PF mortar was found to have comparable shrinkage to the control mortar; the shrinkage of the FA mortar was found to be significantly greater. The differences were attributed to the particle shape, angularity and size resulting in greater capillary forces in the FA mortars resulting in greater shrinkage.
Yu, Y-H, Kodagoda, S, Ha, QP & IEEE 1970, 'Slope-Based Point Pursuing Maneuvers of Nonholonomic Robots using FPGA', IEEE/RSJ 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INTELLIGENT ROBOTS AND SYSTEMS (IROS 2010), IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IEEE, Taipei, taiwan, pp. 3694-3699.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
Steering maneuver is essential in robotic motion planning. Despite a lot of steering mechanisms successfully developed in past years, for miniature robots, real-time computation is still a limitation for robot path tracking. The design issues in cooperative control of battery-powered nonholonomic robots rest with the complicacy of the control strategies, the low power consumption and real-time processing capability. Conventionally, the improvement of computing speed mostly relies on the increment of the system clock and often results in some transient loss. Thus, an elaborate control algorithm developed for PC might not work on an embedded system. This paper presents a comprehensive steering algorithm which, via issuing predicaments for computation, will dramatically reduce the resource usage in hardware circuit design. The proposed algorithm is implemented on an embedded system for ubiquitous robotics using the field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology. ©2010 IEEE.
Zabihi, Z, Crews, K & Samali, B 1970, 'Modern trends in long span timber flooring systems', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM21), Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 903-907.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
With the advent of other types of flooring systems utilising stronger materials and higher performance, timber flooring has been mainly restricted to domestic applications. However, the advent of engineered wood products (EWP's) such as LVL and glulam as well as a new generation of adhesives has provided the means to fabricate large section, long spanning structural members with equal structural properties to that of steel or concrete used in the same applications. On the other hand, timber is the only structural material that is truly renewable and sustainable, and timber buildings result in lower CO2 emissions, therefore, timber structures have attracted a great deal of renewed interest. In this paper, modern trends and approaches used in timber flooring systems worldwide is presented with comments regarding each system's pros and cons, design criteria and requirements. Systems with potential suitability for Australia and New Zealand for non-residential/commercial applications are also discussed.
Zad, A, Li, J, Samali, B & Crews, K 1970, 'Finite element evaluation of non-destructive testing methods for embedded timber poles in service', Incorporating Sustainable Practice in Mechanics of Structures and Materials - Proceedings of the 21st Australian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials, CRC Press, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 909-914.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper presents the results of numerical evaluation of surface Non-Destructive Testing methods for embedded timber poles in service. Main objective of the study is to investigate the influence of factors such as different boundary conditions, geotechnical conditions and material defects and imperfections of embedded timber poles, on reliability and accuracy of the prediction or evaluation using surface NDT. Firstly, the numerical evaluation of a free-end timber pole without embedmentwas conducted to gain an understanding of the behaviour of stress waves in timber poles in relation to selected surface NDT methods. Then the embedded timber poles are modelled to include effects of geotechnical conditions as in-service poles. Two types of typical decay patterns are simulated to study the effect of defect/damage on the Non-Destructive Testing results. Finally, the numerical results are compared with field test results obtained from field testing in Victoria. © 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, London.
Zhao, L, Huang, S, Yan, L, Wang, JJ, Hu, G, Dissanayake, G & IEEE 1970, 'Large-Scale Monocular SLAM by Local Bundle Adjustment and Map Joining', 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONTROL, AUTOMATION, ROBOTICS AND VISION (ICARCV 2010), IEEE, Singapore, pp. 431-436.
View/Download from: Publisher's site
View description>>
This paper first demonstrates an interesting property of bundle adjustment (BA), 'scale drift correction'. Here 'scale drift correction' means that BA can converge to the correct solution (up to a scale) even if the initial values of the camera pose translations and point feature positions are calculated using very different scale factors. This property together with other properties of BA makes it the best approach for monocular Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), without considering the computational complexity. This naturally leads to the idea of using local BA and map joining to solve large-scale monocular SLAM problem, which is proposed in this paper. The local maps are built through Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) for feature detection and matching, random sample consensus (RANSAC) paradigm at different levels for robust outlier removal, and BA for optimization. To reduce the computational cost of the large-scale map building, the features in each local map are judiciously selected and then the local maps are combined using a recently developed 3D map joining algorithm. The proposed large-scale monocular SLAM algorithm is evaluated using a publicly available dataset with centimeter-level ground truth. ©2010 IEEE.
Zhu, R-Q, Li, Y-C, Ni, Y-Y & Zhang, P-T 1970, 'NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN TWO BUBBLES RISING IN THE WATER', PROCEEDINGS OF THE ASME 29TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OCEAN, OFFSHORE AND ARCTIC ENGINEERING, 2010, VOL 6, 29th ASME International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, AMER SOC MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, PEOPLES R CHINA, Shanghai, pp. 955-960.
