Indian Science and Technology Developments : Updates and Discussions

IIT Gandhinagar Scientists Develop Additives To Improve Rocket Propulsion.

DRDO centre at UoH granted patent for rocket propellant fuel​

 
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IIT Gandhinagar Scientists Develop Additives To Improve Rocket Propulsion.

DRDO centre at UoH granted patent for rocket propellant fuel​

these two things will enhance our missiles manytimes over and enhance the range of Astra and all other missiles developed in India as they all use solid fuels.
 

IIT Kanpur Researchers develop ‘Damaru’ Inspired Lattice that finds applications in stealth submarines,high speed trains.​

IIT Kanpur researchers have demonstrated how with the use of a micro-structured hour-glass shaped metastructure in the lattice unit, one can get a wider variation of propagation and stop bands. The hour-glasses are developed in the Smart
Materials Laboratory of IIT Kanpur using additive manufacturing.

Lattice based meta-structures have shown tremendous application in electro-magnetic and sonic wave absorption which could in principle create ‘invisibility’ of an object either in optical or in acoustic domain. Existing lattice and crystal based phononic materials have however, practical limitations in terms of customizability and hence, they can be generally used in a narrow band of frequency.

IIT Kanpur in its press release said, Inspiration of the lattice they developed has come from a two-headed drum called ‘Dambaru’ or ‘Damaru’ which is used in ancient Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. It is said that Lod Shiva has produced a special sound through this musical instrument to create and regulate the universe. Interestingly, in this application, IIT Kanpur researchers have shown the nature of stiffness of a vibrating medium could be altered drastically by controlling the lattice micro-structure from regular honeycomb to auxtetic honeycomb structure. This has wide applications in the field of vibration isolation in high speed trains, stealth submarines and helicopter rotors. We have also shown that for dynamic systems, we can control the propagation and band-gaps very effectively which can usher in the development of new ultrasonic devices with capacity of sub-wave length imaging empowering the medical practitioners and the health management industry. This work is sponsored by a SPARC project of MHRD and is the outcome of a successful collaboration between Professor Bishakh Bhattacharya and his PhD student Mr. Vivek Gupta of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, and Professor Sondipon Adhikari of Swansea University. The work is published in the scientific report on 1st December, 2020 with the title “Exploring the dynamics of hourglass shaped lattice Metastructures”.
 
IIT-Guwahati Researchers Develop Technology To Harvest Water From Air.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati claimed to have developed a new technology to harvest water from the air by using the concept of hydrophobicity.
A team, led by Uttam Manna, Associate Professor of Chemistry, along with his research scholars Kousik Maji, Avijit Das and Manideepa Dhar, published the results of the "path-breaking" work in the journal of Royal Society of Chemistry, IIT-Guwahati said in a release.

"Such water-harvesting techniques use the concept of hydrophobicity or water-repelling nature of some materials. The concept of hydrophobicity can be understood by looking at the lotus leaf," Professor Manna said.
The research team from IIT-Guwahati has used the concept of chemically patterned SLIPS for the first time, to effectively harvest water from moist air, he added.

"A patterned hydrophilic SLIP was produced by spraying a sponge-like porous polymeric material on top of a simple A4 printer paper. Further, chemically modulated hydrophilic spots were associated on the coating, prior to lubricating with two distinct types of oils."
This surface could harvest water from foggy/water vapour laden air without the need for any cooling arrangement," the release said.

With increasing water scarcity throughout the world, there have been attempts to collect and conserve water through non-traditional means and the IIT-Guwahati scientists have turned to nature to design ways of water harvesting, it said.
We have produced a highly efficient water harvesting interface. The researchers have also compared the performance of their pitcher-plant inspired SLIPS materials to other bio- inspired ideas and have found theirs to be superior in terms of efficiency of water harvesting," Professor Manna said.

 

IIT-M shows technique to enhance output of piezoelectric materials.​


The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT-Mandi) on Monday said its researchers proposed a technique to enhance the power output of piezoelectric materials.

Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials in response to applied mechanical stress. Mechanical stress is a measure of internal resistance exhibited by a body or material when an external force is applied to it. Piezoelectric materials can be used in floor tiles to generate electricity from human walking, or on roads, where the weight from the vehicles can power road lights and signals.
In their study, published in the journal Engineering Reports, the research team have numerically studied piezoelectric materials -- materials that interconvert mechanical energy and electrical energy.

They have proposed a new arrangement to enhance the electrical output of these materials when subjected to stress.
Piezoelectric materials can generate electrical energy when a force is applied on them, and are thus extremely useful," Rajeev Kumar, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, IIT Mandi, said in a statement.

"We have developed a technique known as "graded poling" to enhance the power output of piezoelectric materials by more than 100 times", study researcher Dr. Rahul Vaish.

The researchers have used numerical techniques to utilize multiple mechanical stresses -- bending, compressive and tensile stresses at the top and bottom of the piezoelectric cantilever beams and shear stresses in the mid-section -- in order to significantly improve the electrical output.

The results of this study possible through the graded poling technique offers incentive for researchers to develop actual piezoelectric designs that implement the graded poling technique so that the applications can be realised.

The researchers recommend possible steps to achieve these designs in practice, such as partially connecting the right face of the sample to ground and top faces being applied with an electric potential.

The promise of generation of higher amounts of electrical energy from mechanical movement can potentially enable applications in which smart devices can be powered simply by human motion, the team said.

Other applications could include generating power from the soles of footwear equipped with these materials.

According to the researchers, piezoelectric materials can do the reverse as well generate mechanical motion in response to electrical energy. IANS
 

Intech Additive expands range of metal 3D printers

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Launches large-format 'iFusion LF series'

Bengaluru-based Intech Additive Solutions, which claims to be the first Indian OEM successful in developing and supplying 3D metal printers based on laser powder bed fusion technology for industrial manufacturing, has announced the expansion of its range of metal 3D printers with the launch of the ‘iFusion LF series’, a large-format range with a high build rate for cost-effective manufacturing.

The iFusion LF series has a range that starts with a single 500W laser printer and is upgradeable to a quad laser configuration with 700W and 1000W lasers if required. The LF series of machines require the lowest initial investment to procure and install compared to other similar-sized metal 3D printers, along with locally available spares and support, a company spokesman said here.

Four years in making

This ‘Made in India’ product is a result of extensive research, development and innovation spread over the past almost four years. The iFusion LF series, tightly integrated with Intech’s software suite for metal additive manufacturing with a build volume of 450x450x450mm, aims to deliver robustness and productivity at rates that are cost-effective.

Pradeep Nair, Vice-President, Hardware Sales, Intech, said that Indian companies have a huge interest in 3D printers that build parts larger than 400 mm. All these machines must be imported and are expensive. There are other issues like long lead times for support and spares, making Indian companies ultimately settle for less expensive mid-sized machines.

Pact with Poeir Jets

“The iFusion LF Series amply fills this void, says Nair. “The system supports a wide range of materials like aluminium, titanium, steel, Inconel, cobalt and chrome addressing the needs of aerospace, automotive, general engineering, tool, die and medical market segments in India and abroad.”

Intech has already signed a definitive agreement with Bengaluru-based Poeir Jets, the first company from India into the design, development, and manufacture of propulsion systems for unmanned aerial applications and micro-jet engines for unmanned aerial solutions and heavy lift drones, for supply of its LF series. With the success of the 3D printed parts from Intech, Poeir Jets have begun printing larger parts with an iFusion LF series system for their production needs.


This is quite an achievement @Nilgiri @Gautam @Ashwin
 
That 7.5T super heavy launch vehicle looks quite impressive. This is actually double the maximum existing capacity but 2022 looks way too much aggressive time line.

It's apparently been scheduled to happen after the first human space flight.
 
It's raining 3-D printers, lol.

Amace, part of India's largest machine tool conglomerate Ace Micromatic Group (AMG), just launched this Metal Additive manufacturing machine ALM 400.

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Technology : Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)
Build Volume : 410mm x 410mm x 450mm
Laser Power : 2 x 1000W Yb- fiber laser

 
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