Assistant Professor
Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
IIEST Shibpur
Candidates interested in pursuing a M.Tech/Ph.D in the area of mechanical metallurgy and numerical simulation may send an email
I am currently serving as an Assistant Professor in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology, Shibpur.
In my previous role, I held the position of Principal Researcher at the Product Application Research Group, R&D, within Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur, spanning the period from 2015 to 2023. My research primarily focused on the micromechanical modeling of deformation in steels tailored for automotive and diverse applications. Additionally, I spearheaded projects dedicated to the development of advanced forming technology for sheet metal forming, resulting in the submission of 10 national and international patents, with 5 successfully granted. Recently I have initiated research extended to exploring the integration of machine learning applications in computational mechanics, contributing to cutting-edge advancements in the field.
Before my industry engagement, I served as a Research Associate in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. Within the Materials Engineering Group, I collaborated closely with the esteemed Prof. Norman Fleck and Prof. Vikram Deshpande, delving into computational research to enhance our understanding of fracture mechanisms in metals.
My academic journey culminated in the successful completion of a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 2013. Under the expert guidance of Prof. Sumit Basu and Prof. Sandeep Sangal, I focused my research on computational mechanics, contributing significantly to the evolving landscape of materials science and engineering.
Throughout my career, I have maintained an unyielding commitment to pushing the boundaries of knowledge in my field. By seamlessly integrating academic expertise with practical applications, my aim is to make meaningful contributions to the dynamic and ever-evolving realms of materials science and engineering.
I joined Cambridge University's Department of Engineering in May 2013 as a postdoctoral research associate. My primary focus was on advancing our understanding of hydrogen embrittlement in steels through the development of a mechanistic approach. To achieve this, I utilized a cohesive zone model within a finite element code, which I had previously developed during my Ph.D. This allowed me to conduct a comprehensive parametric study on Mode I crack growth in an elastic-viscoplastic material.
By predicting fracture resistance curves and failure maps, we could successfully highlight the significance of considering loading rates and cohesive strengths. This research emphasized the critical role played by the loading rate at the crack tip, as it can dictate the fracture mechanism. Moreover, I uncovered how strain rate effects in rate-sensitive materials can lead to the growth of short cracks, similar to the effects caused by strain gradients.
Through my work, I contributed valuable insights into the understanding of hydrogen embrittlement, shedding light on the complex interplay between material properties, loading conditions, and fracture mechanisms
My doctoral research involved the study and investigation of Size Effects observed in metals, undergoing deformation at small scale. A higher order Strain Gradient Plasticity theory (Fleck and Hutchinson, 2001) was employed to investigate the size effects occurring in various small scale problems such as nano-indentation, thin film indentation, micro-molding and crack tip plasticity. As a part of the work, a large deformation based finite element code was developed in FORTRAN. It was explored how effectively the theory predicts the wide range of experimental observations reported in the literature.