Civil, Mining and Environmental

Geomechanics and Railway Engineering

Geomechanics and Railway Engineering Staff

 

Academic Staff

 eng - buddhima indraratna

Prof Buddhima Indraratna 

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3046

 eng - cholachat rujikiatamjorm

Dr Cholachat Rujikiatamjorm

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Phone : 61 2 4221 5852

 eng - martin liu

Dr Martin Liu

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3035

 eng - jayan s. vinod

Dr Jayan S. Vinod

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Phone : 61 2 4221 4089

 eng - jan nemcik

Dr Jan Nemcik

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Phone : 61 2 4221 4492
  A/Prof Brett Lemass

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3039

 eng - ernest baafi

A/Prof Ernest Baafi

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3031
  Dr. Alex Remenniokov

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Phone : 61 2 4221 5574
Research Staff
  
eng - phil flentje

Dr Phil Flentje

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3056

 eng - lijun sun

Dr Lijun Su

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3385

 eng - sanjay nimbalkar

Dr Sanjay Nimbalkar

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3385

eng - Geng Xueyu

Dr Xueyu Geng

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3457

 eng - laura banasiak

Dr Laura Banasiak

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Phone : 61 2 4221 4527

eng - Guanghui Meng

Dr Guanghui Meng

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Phone : 61 2 4221 4257

 eng - anisha sachdeva

Dr Anisha Sachdeva

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Phone : 61 2 4221 8232
  Dr Jiandong Jiang

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3020
Honorary Professorial Staff

 eng - robin chowdhury

Emeritus Prof Robin Chowdhury

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Phone : 61 2 4221 3037

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Externally Funded Projects

(Geomechanics and Railway Engineering)

Project Investigators Funding amount Title
LP0883244 Indraratna et al. $785k Advancement of vacuum pressure application via prefabricated vertical drains for stabilising soft ground
LP0989534 Indraratna et al. $420k Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques.
DP1092483 Indraratna et al. $366k Laboratory and theoretical investigation of soft clay behaviour under cyclic loading stabilised by prefabricated vertical drains
DP1094383 Indraratna et al. $310k Investigation of chemical clogging in a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) installed for remediating groundwater from acid sulphate soils
LP100100236 Indraratna et al. $253k Study of coupled water-gas-sediment (three-phase) flows through jointed and stratified rock
LP100200265 Indraratna et al. $650k Indraratna et al. Geotechnical Properties and Compaction Characteristics of Granular Wastes as  Potential Port Reclamation Fill.
CRC Rail Innovation Indraratna et al. $550k Indraratna et al. Field monitoring of track behaviour and the study of synthetic inclusions in an experimental track section to minimise the adverse effects of high cyclic and impact loads.
CRC Rail Innovation Indraratna et al. $750k Integrated Ballast-Formation-Track Design and Analysis including the Implications of Ballast Fouling and High Impact Loads.
CRC Rail Innovation
CRC Rail Innovation Rujikiatkamjorn, Indraratna and Khabbaz $300k Development and validation of non-destructive ballast and formation condition assessment. CRC Rail Innovation
  Total $4.38M  

 

Year Project Investigator Grant Body Grant Scheme Funding
2009-2011 Geotechnical characterisation of compacted ground based on passive ambient noise techniques. Leo, Indraratna, Zou, Rujikiatkamjorn, Golaszewski, McWilliam, Wong, Bergado ARC Linkage $300
2008-2010 Advancement of Vacuum Pressure Application via Prefabricated Vertical Drains for Stabilising Soft Ground. Indraratna, Rujikiatkamjorn, Buys, Wijeyakulasuriya, Kelly, McIntosh, Leroueil, Chu. ARC Linkage $550k
2006-2009 Stabilisation of erodible and dispersive soils with natural wood processing by-products. Indraratna, Ismail, Armstrong, Wijeyakulasuriya ARC Linkage $320k
2006-2008 Assessment and Prediction of Particle Breakage under Cyclic Loading. Indraratna and Darve ARC Discovery $180k
2008-2010 Integrated Ballast-Formation-Track Design and Analysis including the Implications of Ballast Fouling and High Impact Loads. Indraratna, Rujikiatkamjorn, Khabbaz, Christie. Rail-CRC   $759k
2008-2010 Development and validation of non-destructive ballast and formation condition assessment. Indraratna, Rujikiatkamjorn, Khabbaz, Christie. Rail-CRC   $300k
2004-2009 Landslide monitoring and risk management Flenje Wollongong Council and Rail- Corp   $700k
2008 Real time landlslide monitoring Flenje Mineral Resource Tasmania   $45k

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Research Topics

Available for postgraduate, undergraduate, summer vacation and practicum students

(Geomechanics and Railway Engineering)

  • Evaluation of the geotechnical properties of chemically treated soils
  • Numerical simulation on the post-liquefaction behaviour of granular materials using DEM
  • Dynamic response of the sleeper-ballast system
  • Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis applied to Road and Rail Embankments in Soft Clays
  • Cyclic Shear Behaviour of Rock Joints and applications in underground tunneling and mining
  • Measurement of crack enlargement in dams using Internal Erosion Apparatus
  • Flow through Granular Dam Filters and Modeling of Particle Migration
  • Soft Clay Improvement with Geosynthetic Vertical Drains and vacuum pressure application
  • Modelling and analysis of viscous creep behaviour of very soft clays
  • Effect of train speeds and impact loads on cyclic densification and breakage of ballast
  • Non-destructive testing and monitoring of rail track deformations
  • Behaviour of Jointed Rock Structures and Composite Discontinuous Ground
  • Clogging of Permeable Reactive Barriers in Acidic Soil Terrains
  • Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis applied to Road embankments and Rail Tracks
  • Micro-mechanics of granular assemblies and implications on civil infrastructure

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Research Facilities

(Geomechanics and Railway Engineering)

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Current PhD students

Name Project
Pramod Thakur Cyclic Densification of Ballast and Associated Deformation and Degradation.
Ali Ghandeharioon Effect of Mandreal Penetration on the Development of Smear Zone and the Associated Pore Pressure and Deformation of the surrounding soil
Kourosh Kianfar Effect of Vacuum Preloading via PVD on Secondary Consolidation of Clays
Gyanendra Regmi Chemical Clogging is Permeable Reactive Barrier for Remediating Acidic Groundwater
Mohd Yusof Effect of Unsaturated Vertical Drain Interfaces on Pore Pressure Dissipation
Jing Ni Application of Geosynthetic In Stabilising Railways
Faizah Kamarudin Improvement of soft soil with circular geosynthetic drains infilled with fine aggregate
Vo Trong Nguyen Flow Through Filters and Drains in Hydropower Dams
Md. Al Mahamud Stabilisation of Soft Clay with Non Toxic Waste Products
Nayoma Tennakoon Development of Constitutive Model for Fouled Ballast under Cyclic Loading
Made Ardana Numerical and Experimental Modeling of the Effects of Prefabricated Vertical Drain Installation on Smear Zone Characteristics
Wuditha Premadasa Shear Behaviour of Infilled Rock Joints in Relation to Unsaturated Infill Conditions
Ngoc Ngo Performance of Geotextile Stabilised Fouled Ballast in Rail Tracks
Khaja Syed Composite Soil Structure Interaction Applied to Rail Tracks Under Cyclic Leading
Shiran Galpathage Improvement of Shear Strength of Soft Soil by Natural Tree Root Suction
Nadeesha Chamini Dharmasiri Keembiye Liyana Gamage Influence of Wall-Normal Velocity on Open Channel Turbulence
Pannila Athukorala Residual Strength Behaviour of Lignosulfonate Treated Soil and its Application to Landslides
Zhenyu Zhang Non-Darcian Water Flow Through Rock Joints
Faizah Kamarudin Improvement of Soft Soil with Circular Geosynthetic Drains Infilled with Fine Aggregate
Azura Ahmad Study of Dynamic Soil Properties and Pumping potential of subgrade soils under high speed trains
Ana Ribeiro Heitor Geotechnical Characterization of Compacted Ground Considering Sheer Wave Velocity Measurements
Punyama Pathirage Modelling of clogging of Permeable Reactive Barrier in Acid sulfate soil terrains
Chandrasiri Wanayalage Multi-phase Permeability of Sediment infilled rock joints and the effect of confining pressure
Tin Nguyen Use of Vertical Drains for Preventing Liquefaction of Soft Soils under High Cyclic Loads and Earthquake conditions
Thirukumaran Sivanathan Time-dependent shear strength of degradable rock joints
Mohd Yusof Effect of Unsaturated Vertical Drain Interfaces on Pore Pressure Dissipation

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Past PhD Students

Name Project
F. Vafai (1996) Experimental & Analytical Modelling of Granular Dam Filters
I. Redana (1998) Analysis of Prefabricated Vertical Drains in Soft Ground
A. Haque (1999) Constant Normal Stiffness Behaviour of Rock Joints
P. Ranjith (2000) Coupled Water-Air flow through rock joints
B. Blunden (2000) Acid Sulphate Soils Remediation by Groundwater Table Management
M. Locke (2001) Behaviour and Design of Granular Dam Filters
A. Dey (2001) Shear Behaviour of Grouted Bolts under Constant Normal Stiffness
J. Nemcik (2003) Floor Failure Mechanisms in underground mines
W.Glamore (2003) Acid Sulphate Soils Remediation by Tidal Buffering
C. Bamunawita (2003) Behaviour of Vertical Drains with Vacuum Preloading in Soft Clays
W.  Salim (2004) Dynamic Modelling of Recycled Railway Ballast Stabilised with Geosynthetics
S. Welideniya (2004) Constant Normal Stiffness Shear Behaviour of Clay-Infilled Joints
J. Price (2005) Two-phase Flows in Jointed Rock
D. Ionescu (2005) Engineering Behaviour of Railway Ballast
I. Sathananthan (2005) Modelling of Smear Effects with Cavity Expansion Theory for Mandrel Driven Vertical Drains
R. Walker (2005) Application of Vacuum Pressure through Unsaturated Vertical Drains in Soft Clay
J. Lackenby (2005)  Effect of Confining Pressure on Cyclic Behaviour and Degradation of Railway Ballast
R. Cholachat (2005) Modelling of Radial Drainage with Vacuum Pressure in Geosynthetics Drains
 M. Jayanathan (2006) Shear behaviour of Clay-infilled Rock Joints under Triaxial Shearing
A. Raut (2006) Filtration Modelling in Granular Soils
B. Fatahi (2006) Modelling of influence of matric suction induced by native vegetation on sub-soil improvement
Dominic Laricar Trani (2009) Application Of Constriction Size Based Filtration Criteria For Railway Subballast Under Cyclic Conditions
David Oliveira  (2009) Shear Stress - displacement and pure water pressure behaviour of idealised infilled rock joints
Karpagam Muthu  (2009) Cyclic Behaviour of Granular Media and Implications on Rail Track Design
Mousumi Mukherjee  (2009) Effect of impact and cyclic load on ballast degradation

 

Contact

(Geomechanics and Railway Engineering)

Who To Contact

For more information please contact:

Prof. Buddhima Indraratna
Professor of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
Tel: (02) 4221 3046;
Fax: (02) 4221 3238 e-mail: indra@uow.edu.au

 

 

Last reviewed: 25 October, 2011