Civil Composites For Resilient And Sustainable Transport Infrastructure

Research and development of engineered composite materials and structures in the last two decades have paved way to increasing applications of these advanced materials in civil and transport infrastructure globally. In Australia, the pioneering work was initiated at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) within the Centre for Future Materials resulting in the first Australian fibre composite bridge in 2002. Since then, projects involving new and innovative design and structural concepts to make engineered composites a suitable solution in civil and transport infrastructure have emerged. Through close involvement with Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and other major asset owners, these technologies have evolved from initial technology demonstrators to become viable commercial alternatives to traditional structural solutions in creating resilient and sustainable infrastructure. This presentation will highlight state-of-the-art research and development projects on engineered composites in civil and transport infrastructure in Australia. Moreover, field applications and case studies where civil composites have been effectively used will be presented. It also identifies future opportunities for the broad use of these innovative and sustainable materials in transport infrastructure. The challenges faced in applying this emerging technology in transport infrastructure emphasis the need for appropriate education and training of young engineers and close collaboration with industry and asset owners.