Programme Chronology

1970s:  Creep deformation behavior of materials initiated with the support of  (UNIDO)  creating the single largest creep testing facility in south Asia

1980s: Fracture characterisation and fracture mechanics of engineering materials was initiated

early 1990s:   Component Integrity Evaluation Program  launched with co-sponsorship from World Bank and five other premium industrial organizations.

2002:  Technology for Engineering Critical Assessment program launched [10th Five year Plan programme] : established networks with research organizations and industries

2008: Technology for Assessment and Refurbishment of Engineering Materials and Components  program initiated [11th five year plan program]: focused on selected industrial sectors, to solve critical life assessment and life enhancement issues of components.

Today: The mechanical behaviour group at NML is one of the best experimental groups anywhere with world class infrastructural facilities and expertise.

Scope:

Industrial research: sponsor specific mandates  executed in a limited time frame in order to provide a research/industrial solution. A number of industrial investigations for a variety of industries have been carried out under this category. Some of the beneficiaries are thermal and nuclear power plants, fertilizer and petrochemical industries, steel industries, railways and aviation industries.

Basic research:  often the off-shoot of the industrial problems that require to be scientifically understood.

Knowledge dissemination and mentoring: through tie–ups with different academia  students are  inducted for doctoral, post-graduation and graduation work. To cater to the industrial sector, the group periodically organizes symposia, workshop and specialized training programs. Often the themes of these programs have direct relevance to industrial applications and aims to educate the plant engineers to handle the day to day problems related to behavior of materials.

Major Achievements  

Long term stress rupture evaluation for IBR certification

Remaining creep life assessment of service exposed component materials

Creep and stress rupture data base on bolt steel, high temperature ferritic steels, stainless steel and nickel base super alloys

Creep behaviour assessment of high temperature alloys

Development of CCL relations for various specimen geometries

Accelerated corrosion fatigue crack growth test procedure, (7) Methodology to study crack tip blunting Cyclic fracture procedure for seismic loading conditions

Specimen size and constraint effect on fracture

Ratchetting fatigue characterization of nuclear piping materials

Determination of fracture toughness from stretch zones

Fatigue behaviour of materials under multiaxial, non-proportional loading

Fatigue analysis of spot welded joints

Development of portable ball indentation technique for evaluation of mechanical properties

Major Facilities

210 creep loading points; Indentation creep testing system; 50 T servo-hydraulic  test system; 4  10T/5T servo-hydraulic test systems;  2 10T servo-electric test frames;  Instrumented impact test system with low/high temperature facility; Environmental chambers for high/low temperature tests; 3 electro-mechanical Creep-Fatigue Test machines; 100kN/1000Nm Tension-Torsion test frame with internal pressurization arrangement; High strain rate test system up to 20m/s; Table top miniature fatigue test system; EMR fatigue testing system; Portable ball indentation system