Research area 

Metal forming: Sheet metal forming, formability evaluation and prediction, end forming of tubes, forging
Joining and forming: Laser and friction stir welded blanks, welding, adhesive bonded sheets, formability evaluation, Joining by end forming of tubes
Computational applications in metal forming and joining: Finite element simulation and analysis, Cellular automata FE modelling, Soft computing, Computations for process and materials design
 

On-going research work

• Forming behavior of laser welded blanks

• Formability of friction stir welded blanks made of similar and dissimilar materials

• Springback investigation of friction stir welded sheets

• Limit strain prediction of FSW blanks and validation

• Predicting the forming behavior of welded blanks by ANN

• Developing expert system for tailor welded blanks

• Formability and springback evaluation of adhesive bonded blanks

• Developing CAFE models for predicting the forming of FSW blanks

• End forming of tubes (welded and un-welded)

Research Highlights

My research area includes Metal forming and Joining. Both the experimental and computational approaches are attempted to solve problems of interest. For the last few years, we (myself and my students) are working on formability of sheets after welding and joining, like laser welded sheets, friction stir welded sheets, and adhesive bonded sheets. In this we have studied the effect of friction stir welding on the formability of sheets quantified by forming limit, tensile behavior, strain analyses, cup drawability etc. The same has been predicted and validated. Prior to this the formability of laser welded sheets was studied. Recently we started working on forming of adhesive bonded sheets. In this we have shown that formability can be improved by suitable modification of adhesive properties through tensile tests, deep drawing, and plane strain formability tests. Presently we are attempting to predict the forming of adhesive bonded sheets to have an efficient simulation methodology while designing such sheet parts. In addition to this, Springback investigation during V-bending of FSW sheets and adhesive bonded sheets are also performed. We have developed an expert system based on neural network to predict the forming of welded sheets at different weld properties, location, orientation, size, at different modes of deformation. Cellular Automata based Finite Element (CAFE) modeling of friction stir welding and forming of such sheets, in collaboration with Tata Steel R&D, India, is an ongoing and newly attempted research contribution. Using CAFE approach, the micro-structural features like grain size, strength, dislocation density etc. of FS weld zone are predicted and validated experimentally. Recently we started working on end forming of tubes. In this, methods of joining sheet to a tube using end forming has been proposed. It is also planned to study the forming of welded and un-welded tubes during tube end forming like tube expansion, curling, reduction etc.