Ph.Ds

Work Summary : 

Avinash worked on a phenomenological constitutive modeling framework that utilizes continuum mechanics to investigate the coupling between electromagnetic and mechanical behaviors in Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys (MSMAs). His research explores two primary applications: (1) sensing and actuation systems, leveraging MSMAs' Magnetic Field Induced Strain (MFIS) for efficient motion control, and (2) the Magnetocaloric Effect (MCE), a promising avenue for next-generation magnetic refrigeration technologies. For MCE applications, Avinash develops a thermodynamically consistent constitutive model for Field-Induced Phase Transformation (FIPT) in NiMnCoIn alloys. The model integrates magneto-inelastic energy and introduces novel entropy calculation methods beyond conventional Maxwell's relations. His research further extends to a coupled Magneto-Thermo-Mechanical (MTM) Boundary Value Problem (BVP) that incorporates Maxwell's equations, mechanical balance laws, and heat equations. The framework employs a Helmholtz free-energy formulation that combines internal and external variables in an elastic intermediate configuration. Through detailed parametric analysis, the study reveals how magnetization, stress, and phase transformations evolve under different loading conditions.

Publications : 

1. " Modelling of pressure-induced magnetic and magnetocaloric effects in dissipative magnetic shape memory alloy systems Free "

The royal society publishing journal

(2023)

Conferences :

1. Modeling the constitutive behavior of Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys (FSMA) using finite deformation framework, The 10th GACM Colloquium on Computational Mechanics, Sep 10- 13, 2023, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria.

2. A Finite Deformation-Based Constitutive Modeling of Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys, The 7th International Conference on Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys (ICFSMA), May 14- 19, 2023, College Station, Texas, USA.

3. Phenomenological Modeling of Magnetocaloric and Elastocaloric Effect in Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys, The 7th International Conference on Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Alloys (ICFSMA), May 14- 19, 2023, College Station, Texas, USA.

4. Constitutive modeling of rate-dependent shape memory alloys, 67th congress of the Indian Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ISTAM), IIT Mandi, India, 14-16 December 2022.

5. Modeling of Magnetocaloric effect in Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys, 35th National Convention of Aerospace Engineers (NCAE) & National Conference on Smart Materials and their Applications in Aerospace Industries, Institution of Engineers (IES) & PEC Chandigarh, India, 25-26 November 2022.

6. Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys: Phenomenological Constitutive Modelling and Analysis, 3rd International Conference on Structural Integrity and Exhibition (SICE 2020 e - conference), IIT Bombay, India, 11-13 and 18-20 December 2020.

Work Summary :

My PhD work on the mechanical behavior of soft materials focuses on two soft materials: brain tissue and magnetoactive polymers (MAPs). Soft materials are essential in biological and engineering applications, yet their complex rheological properties challenge traditional analysis. Using finite element analysis (FEA-UMAT, ABAQUS), I explored the viscoelastic response of brain tissue, particularly white matter, to traumatic brain injury (TBI). I developed a finite element model of brain tissue, including its validation against experimental data and real-world impact simulations. Additionally, I worked on a novel coupling of neuron deformation with electrophysiological modeling to predict how mechanical deformation affects neural activity. The second part of my work focuses on MAPs, which exhibit mechanical properties that change in response to magnetic fields. I worked on finite element formulations (UMAT development) for MAPs and on simulations of multiphysics boundary-value problems. My work bridges computational modeling with experimental data to enhance our understanding of soft materials in biomedical and engineering contexts.

Publications : 

1. " Finite element formulation and implementation of largely deformable soft viscoelastic brain tissue responses "

International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics, Volume 157, 104514

(2023)

Conferences :

1. Finite element implementation of the finite deformation-based anisotropic viscoelastic constitutive model of white matter, 10th GACM, Vienna, Austria.

2. Coupling of Mechanical Deformation and Electrophysiology of Brain Neuron Cell, 3rd International Conference on Structural Integrity and Exhibition (SICE 2020 e-conference), IIT Bombay, India, 11-13 and 18-20 December 2020.

Work Summary :

Arijit has carried out his doctoral research on the development and characterization of magnetoactive polymers (MAPs). In his work, he fabricated novel MAPs by embedding tailored magnetic particles into elastomers and studied their magneto-mechanical responses using a custom-built experimental setup. His tests revealed a remarkably high magneto-stiffening effect—nearly doubling the stiffness at moderate magnetic fields compared to conventional isotropic MAPs. Building on these results, he proposed a finite-deformation-based constitutive model that successfully captures the coupled magneto-mechanical responses of the material. The model was carefully calibrated and benchmarked with experimental data, and further validated through three-dimensional finite element simulations. He then demonstrated how this material enables stiffness-controlled, stress-assisted actuation, highlighting its elastic tunability and its potential practical applications. This research strengthens both theory and applications of MAPs.

Publications :

1. "Experiments and Constitutive Modeling of the Magnetic Particle Fraction Dependence on Magneto-Active Polymer Responses."
   Advance Engineering Materials Journal 202501363
   (2026)

2. "Experiments and modeling of magneto-stiffening effects for magnetoactive polymer."
   International Journal of Mechanical Sciences Volume 286. 109860
   (2025)

Conferences :

1. Magneto mechanical experiments on soft Magneto Active Polymer, 10th German Association for Computational Mechanics (GACM) Colloquium on Computational Mechanics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Vienna, Austria, September 10-13, 2023.

2. Material Characterization and Numerical Simulation of Magneto Ac tive Polymer, 4th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Exhibition (SICE 2022), IIT Hyderabad, India, 14-16 December 2022.

3. Experiments for Magneto Mechanical Characterization and Numerical Simulation of Soft Magneto Active Polymer responses, 22nd International Conference on Experimental Mechanics (ICEM), Oct 19 - 23, 2024, IIT Madras, India.

Work Summary :

Vivek has carried out his doctoral research on the development of a coupled chemo-mechanical continuum-based framework to model and characterize the deformation behavior of hydrogels undergoing finite deformation. He proposed a thermodynamically consistent, multiplicative decomposition-based formulation to represent the coupled swelling and deformation behavior, employing a modified nonlinear Yeoh-Fleming model to capture the strain energy of the polymer network. The model was calibrated and validated against experimental data for different polymer network concentrations of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels, revealing the evolution of material parameters with swelling. Using finite element simulations, he studied the free swelling of hydrogels and analyzed the evolution of residual stresses arising from solvent diffusion. Furthermore, he investigated the shear behavior of hydrogels in their fully swollen state as well as during swelling, for pure and simple shear deformations, focusing on the nonlinear Poynting effect. His findings demonstrated a positive Poynting effect under shear and a reversal to a negative effect when swelling and shear occurred simultaneously—highlighting the potential for controlled shape transformation. This work provides guidance for significant applications of hydrogels in soft robotics, sensors and actuators, drug delivery, and biomedical systems.

Publications :

1. "Coupled chemo-mechanical constitutive equations and residual stress evolution of swelling hydrogels." 

International Journal of Engineering Science 217 104390 

(2025)

Conferences :

1. Elastic Response of Hydrogels Under Finite Deformations. In: Sidhardh, S., Prakash, S.S., Annabattula, R.K., Mylavarapu, P. (eds) Advances in Structural Integrity for Mechanical, Civil, and Aerospace Applications. SICE2022 2022. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering. Springer, Singapore.

2. Swelling induced deformation of hydrogel, 10th German Association for Computational Mechanics (GACM) Colloquium on Computational Mechanics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien), Vienna, Austria, 10-13 September 2023.

3. Elastic response of hydrogels under finite deformations, 4th Interna tional Conference on Structural Integrity and Exhibition (SICE 2022), IIT Hyderabad, India, 14-16 December 2022.

4. Kinetics of swelling of a spherical gel, 35th National Convention of Aerospace Engineers (NCAE) and National Conference on Smart Materials and their Applications in Aerospace Industries, The Institution of Engineers (India), and Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh, India, 25-26 November 2022.