Prakash Kumar
Ph.D. Scholar
Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Ropar, Punjab-140001, India
Broad Area: Mechanics and design
Research areas: | Structural Batteries | Computational Fracture Mechanics | Interfacial Damage | Multiphysics Simulation | Cohesive Zone Model |
About me:
I am pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar under the guidance of Prof. Prabhat K. Agnihotri.
My research focuses on the mechanics-driven design and development of Structural Composite Batteries (SCBs) - a new class of multifunctional materials that can simultaneously carry structural loads and store electrical energy. I develop fully coupled electro-chemo-mechanical models incorporating Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM) to investigate degradation mechanisms in SCBs. My work examines interfacial degradation and battery capacity loss under coupled electro-chemo-mechanical loading conditions. This involves analysing how mechanical degradation, interfacial delamination, and capacity fade evolve coupled with complex external mechanical loading and electrochemical charge-discharge cycling. This coupled multi-physics approach enables prediction of progressive damage, long-term capacity loss, and failure mechanisms arising from the strong interaction between mechanical stresses and electrochemical processes.
This research directly addresses key industry challenges in lightweighting and multifunctionality. The outcomes support the development of lightweight, reliable, and durable structural batteries for high-impact applications in:
Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Aerospace (electric aircraft, UAVs, and satellites)
Automotive lightweight structures
Advanced electronics and energy storage systems
MAdMatLab (Lab - 108), Satish Dhawan Block, IIT Ropar
E-mail: prakash.22mez0014@iitrpr.ac.in