Monash University unveils hub for construction research

Based at Monash University’s Clayton campus in Melbourne, the 'Nanocomm Hub' is jointly-funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and a number of industry organisations.

In 2016, Monash University was awarded $5 million by the ARC to lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers across 13 Australian and three international universities in the advancement of Australian construction materials.

The researchers and industry partners from Australia, China, Singapore and the USA have been collaborating on affiliated projects for over a year.

Under the leadership of Hub director, Professor Wenhui Duan, researchers will utilise the latest advancements in the field of nano-science and nano-engineering to develop sustainable infrastructure assets such as binders, cement additives, high performance concrete structural systems, polymer composites and pavement materials.

So far, 38 projects have commenced with research teams filing at least one provisional patent, with more in development.

“We are happy to be launching the Nanocomm Hub,” says Professor Duan.

“This is only the start of our journey to truly transform the way construction materials are manufactured in Australia. Through our work and close connections to industry, we are ensuring future advancement of the sector.”

Projects currently in progress which are already seeing some early results include the development of a permanent steel formwork for concrete stairs, led by Dr Amin Heidarpour. The innovation produces a lighter stair constructed with fewer materials, is stronger and can be fabricated faster saving significant labour and material costs.

Another innovation from the Nanocomm hub is the Robotic Transverse Profiler that crawls along sampling pavement using state-of-the art laser and ultrasonic sensors. It takes frequent snapshots of pavement as it is applied with simulated heavy traffic to see how it deteriorates over time, in order to determine which pavement materials will ensure reliable roads.