Seminar on Exploring the Plasticity of Titanium Alloys

Structural design engineers use design data bases and constitutive equations that describe the mechanics of materials based on continuum approaches while materials engineers approach the development of materials through the characterisation, modelling and linking of materials properties at various length scales ranging from the electronic, atomic, to the submicroscopic, microscopic and mesoscales through an integrated computational materials science and engineering approach. A linkage between properties at the microstructural scale and a mesoscale is provided by crystal plasticity approaches to mechanical behaviour simulation. After a brief introduction to this background, this presentation describes our work on the characterisation and simulation of mechanical behaviour titanium alloys used in the aircraft industry. We provide an introduction to titanium metallurgy and application then describe approaches to develop data and their application in crystal plasticity analysis of mechanical behaviour in titanium alloys with complex multiphase microstructures.

After a brief stint as a research fellow on a project of the Aeronautical Research and Development Board of India, Dr. Banerjee joined the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory of DRDO in Hyderabad in 1979, and was the director of the laboratory from 1996 to 2003. During the course of his career, Dr. Banerjee has held research positions at world's premier metallurgical institutions including the Carnegie Mellon University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and GE Corporate Research and Development Laboratory, Schenectady, USA. He was Chief Controller, R&D of DRDO from 2003-2010, and in that position he coordinated the aeronautical and materials programmes of DRDO. He is currently Professor, Department of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science. Prof. Banerjee chairs the research council of CGCRI (Kolkata , India), the GTMAP program of ARDB, Govt. of India, and serves on the Technical Advisory Board ofMidhani Ltd. He participates in the manufacturing initiatives of the Indian Institute of Science. He is also on the editorial board of the Annual Review of Materials Research and an associate editor of Philosophical Magazine. He has in the past chaired the research council of NIIST, Trivandrum and served on the Board of Governors of IIT Madras and on the board of Midhani Ltd as an government representative and independent director. He is a past president of The Indian Institute of Metals.

In his early research career, Dr. Banerjee developed an understanding of structure-property relationship in titanium alloys using advanced techniques of electron microscopy. He subsequently initiated programs on development of intermetallics based on the Ti-Al system for use in high temperature applications. This work led to the development of a new generation of alloys based on this intermetallic compound, some of which have been internationally patented. He has about 100 research publications to his credit. As the director of DMRL, Dr. Banerjee provided leadership for many critical defence related materials programs including special naval steels for the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers, investment casting processes for single crystal, directionally solidified and equiaxed Ni base alloys and the development of titanium alloys products for aeroengines. As Chief Controller R&D of DRDO, he coordinated military engine and combat aircraft programmes, and major system development efforts in airborne electronic warfare, unmanned vehicle and airborne early warning capabilities, and related advanced materials development efforts. Currently his research focuses on processing-structure-property relationships in engineering alloys with emphasis on titanium alloys.