Materials and structures

There is widespread consensus on the big questions modern societies such as Australia need to address in the face of population growth, climate change, and changing local and global socio-economic factors. These questions concern environmental sustainability, clean water and air, energy, efficient building and construction technologies, and next-generation communications, health and transport. These areas pose big challenges for engineers and scientists, and can only be addressed with the advanced design and development of materials and structures.

We offer a world-class, campus-based network of researchers in this field, focusing on the design and engineering of advanced materials and structures with unique properties. This includes materials that are exceptionally light and strong with the capability of photovoltaic activity (solar power generation), biocompatibility (non-toxic to humans), or specific responses to light and sound. We also examine 'smart structures' – buildings equipped with sensors that enable them to adapt to changes in the local environment, revolutionising our experience of shelter – as well as microstructural design to achieve exceptional properties.

Our other areas of expertise include:

adaptive structural systems
resilient structures
advanced high-strength alloys
chemical and biomechanical materials and structures
multifunctional architectural materials and integrated systems
granular materials science and mechanics.

Our research priorities

Designing the building structures of tomorrow

With support from Australia’s building and construction industry, we seek high-value relationships based on materials and structures for future construction, specifically:

high-performance buildings
smart glass
photovoltaic integration
green concrete.

Advanced nanostructured materials design

We aim to create more substantive relationships with industry around our niche capacity to characterise nanotechnology structures, such as state-of-the-art electronics components and advanced alloys.

Innovative manufacturing

There is strong potential here to create jobs and influence Australia’s advanced manufacturing industries. The development of materials and devices for biomedical technology represents a key focus of our engagement.

Materials and structures

Our work relates to materials fabrication, testing, characterisation and processing; nanomaterials (nanocomposites, wires, tubes, membranes); molecular sieves; multifunctional materials; self-healing and self-sensing materials; smart materials, metals, polymers, granular materials, cellular materials and bio-materials; high-strength steels and concrete; fracture modeling in steel and concrete; prefabricated composite construction; structural morphing; ventilated slabs and fibre-reinforced plastics strengthening.

Interface

Our research covers multiscale analysis (macro, meso and micro scales); constitutive modelling (crystal plasticity, fracture, fibre reinforcement, delamination); numerical methods, pre-processing and post-processing.