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#IP 966 28 Mar - 3 Apr 2011

Indo-European Workshop on RECENT ADVANCES IN SHAPE MEMORY MATERIALS

A one-day Indo-European Workshop on “Advances in Shape Memory Materials” was organized by Centre for Societal Missions and Special Technologies (CSMST), CSIR-NAL, on March 21, 2011 at S. R. Valluri auditorium, NAL. The audience were scientists, researchers and engineers from NAL and other R&D organizations like DRDO, HAL, ISRO, ADA, ADE, General Motors, etc., apart from a few engineering colleges.

This workshop focused on some of the recent advances made in the area of shape memory alloys (SMAs), their thin films, and shape memory polymers (SMPs) and Ferromagnetic SMAs; the potential application areas were also identified.

In his welcome address, Dr. G.N. Dayananda, Head, CSMST, said that the objectives behind conducting this workshop were to create a common awareness and impart rudiments of knowledge of the workshop topic for scientists, academicians and design engineers who are working towards development of smart mechanisms/devices and structures based on shape memory materials for highly discerning applications such as morphing of aircraft, energy absorbing systems for seismic structures, deployment mechanisms for space vehicles, micro systems etc. He said “The thermal and super elastic SMA systems have established themselves to some extent in aerospace, biomedical, automobile, consumer appliances, to name a few”. However, he continued, “There are certain other shape memory material systems such as polymers and magnetic alloys that have attracted the attention in recent times due to their functional efficacy and versatility. These new materials enhance the range of smart materials available and thus broaden the horizon of the designer. In addition, this workshop would provide more insight into the behavior of shape memory materials vis-a-vis their potential utility, degradation aspects, consistency and reliability for use in various device forms”.

In his inaugural address, the Director Dr. A. R. Upadhya expressed happiness that Dr. G. N. Dayananda, Head, CSMST has taken this “smart” initiative to organize such a useful workshop. He also shared a lighter moment with the audience: “If a technical note had to be prepared in Hindi, what could be the gender of SMA?” He also suggested that the participants should make best use of this unique opportunity with the technical lectures from the experts in the field, including two European speakers, Prof. Jan Van Humbeeck, Catholic University, Belgium, and Dr. Petr Sittner, Institute of Physics, Prague; the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Shylaja Srihari, R&D co-ordinator, CSMST.

In the technical sessions that followed, the speakers of the first session, chaired by Dr. K. Vijayaraju, ADA, presented illuminating lectures lectures: Dr. Petr Sittner, Institute of Physics, Prague, discussed the shape setting of NiTi for smart structures and composites; Prof. Jan Van Humbeeck, Catholic University, Belgium, gave an overview of the basic mechanisms and applications of SMPs,  and Prof. Abhijit Deshpande, IIT/M, Chennai, spoke on tailoring the shape memory behaviour of cross linked polymers.

In the post lunch session chaired by Prof. S. Gopalakrishnan, IISc., Prof. Madangopal, BARC, gave a very focused talk on Ferromagnetic SMAs and their potential for varied applications. This was followed by a very informative and interesting presentation on SMPs for Space applications by Dr. C. Gouri, VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram. The next lecture by Prof. S. Mohan, IISc., Bangalore,  was centered around SMA thin films for MEMS and SMA devices, their versatility and collaborative research potential; The concluding lecture was presented by Dr. G.N. Dayananda, NAL, who gave an overview of the application-oriented SMA-based activities being carried out at NAL to realize morphing airframe structures as well as that  for efficient energy dissipating mechanisms. His talk also dwelled on the various issues that need to be addressed to realize SMA-integrated flight-worthy structures.

The technical lectures and the panel discussions that followed brought out the fact that each type of shape memory material has its own inherent merits and limitations; and there is a strong need to bring about a synergic effect through the development of hybrid/conjoint systems and/or devices.

The panel discussions were very thought-provoking and interactive.

Sandhya Rao

 

Congratulations!!!

Dr. L. Venkatakrishnan, Head, EAD has been awarded the Prof Satish Dhawan Young Engineers State Award for the year 2008 instituted by the Government of Karnataka.

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Dr. J. S. Mathur is the New ISO Management Representative

Dr. J. S. Mathur, Joint Head, CTFD and Chairman, ISTAG, NAL has taken over, from Mr. N. G. Vijaya Vittala as the Management Representative (MR) for NAL’s ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System activities from 1 April, 2011.

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#IP 965 21 - 27 Mar 2011

NAL Familiarization programme

The twenty-sixth NAL familiarization programme for all the new entrants of NAL was organized on March 21, 2011 at KTMD Seminar Hall.

Dr. S. Sridhar Murthy, Head, KTMD, welcomed the new entrants to the Laboratory and briefly spoke about the activities of NAL. He described NAL as a world-class laboratory with world-class facilities; he recalled the famous compliments from our former DG, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar comparing NAL to the Kohinoor Diamond in the Jewel Crown of CSIR. He also informed the gathering that at the recently concluded CSIR TECHNOFEST exhibition held in New Delhi, NAL bagged the Platinum Jubilee Award.

Mr. Shyam Chetty, the outstanding Scientist and Head, FMCD, in his address shared a few personal thoughts with the youngsters. He told the youngsters that the thirty three years he has so far served NAL was richly rewarding and that he cherished every moment of his association with the laboratory.  He said the eco system in NAL will complement their strength and correct their weakness.

Dr. A. R. Upadhya, Director, NAL, in his presidential remarks let the new entrants know that they are entering the portals of the laboratory which has earned the National and International recognition. He said, “NAL is a world class laboratory that has significantly contributed through its national effort to build and nurture a vibrant, indigenous aerospace industry”. He compared the choice of the youngsters in joining NAL to that of a “life-partner”, and complimented them for that and assured them that their choice is the very best, and they should persist with it.  He advised that the youngsters should have high sense of commitment to the laboratory and should continue to maintain the glorious tradition - and they should contribute to its growth, and grow along with the organisation.

Mr. M. K. Sridhar, Adviser (M&A) speaking on the occasion highlighted the best practices followed at NAL both in management and administration. He praised the contribution of administration in addressing the needs of all its scientists and staff, and to let them concentrate their beat efforts towards their scientific activities. He alerted them that they are inheritors of profound legacy and they have to carry forward the baton and raise it to greater heights.

The function concluded with Mr. A. Somanarayan, KTMD proposing the vote of thanks.

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#IP 964 14 - 20 Mar 2011

International Women’s Day Celebrations at CSIR-NAL

The year 2011 marks the centenary of the International Women’s day celebration; March 8, 1911 was declared as the International Women’s day (IWD) in recognition of the achievements in the economic, political and social spheres by women across the world. The UN theme for the centenary of the IWD of this year is “Equal access to education, training and science & technology: Pathway to decent work for women”.  At CSIR-NAL we celebrate IWD every year by inviting women who have made significant contributions in their respective fields of activity  to address us and share their experiences. In this centenary year, NAL invited two outstanding women achievers as  guests of honour: Mrs. Sundari S.  Pujari, Senior Additional Director General, Indian Defense Estates Services, New Delhi, and Dr. Shalini Urs, Executive Director, International School of Information Management, University of Mysore. Dr. Girija Gopalaratnam, Chairperson, International Women’s Day Celebrations at NAL welcomed the gathering and introduced the chief guests to the audience

Mrs. Sundari Pujari, had served in NAL as an Administrative Officer during 1987-1990.  She was popular among NAL staff for taking positive and quick decisions on many administrative matters; she recalled her pleasant experiences during her stay, and narrated how she convinced the then Director Prof. R. Narasimha to depute young women scientists to participate in International Scientific programmes. Mrs. Pujari’s topic “One More Step” did have an element of mysticism; as she continued her lecture, the theme unraveled itself. “It is a small step that makes a big difference to civilization, history and the entire mankind”, she said. She pointed out the bold step of Draupadi, the epic woman lead character of Mahabharatha, when she was lost by king Yudistara as an object of betting in the infamous game of dice: Draupadi had questioned the right of her husband-king to do what he had done; Mrs. Pujari thought there started the foundation for the individuality and the status of women for the first time in India, perhaps the world. She also narrated her experiences as Joint Secretary at the National Women’s Commission, the bold steps she had taken to tackle issues of women like gang rape, domestic violence and many more. Her message to the “Empowered” women of NAL was loud and clear: “Take the lead, speak out and fight for the cause of the downtrodden women”. She believes that being silent when you have to speak out is immoral – she referred to this as the “Immorality of Silence”. She left the audience to ponder on with many questions - “How can I widen my horizon? Can I handle complexities? Can I use my team as a force multiplier?” Her concluding remarks were a great challenge to the NAL community: “Create Brand NAL- whenever we think of a best indigenous aircraft we should think of NAL”.

Dr Shalini R. Urs, had a different story of women to tell: Wonders and Woes of being a Woman. She  said women’s day is essentially to “Reflect and prospect”. She further added we need to understand and appreciate Women’s Movement which has been a journey of hundred years after the declaration of IWD. She said, “Today we women have arrived and have made a difference and are also proud and happy to say that we are women”. She spoke about feminism, the idea of justice and women’s movement. She stated that the new millennium is witnessing a significant change and attitudinal shift in the society's thoughts about equality for women and their emancipation. One hundred years of women’s movement has been a long journey from aggression to assertion to acceptance, and the social transformation we see today; but still a lot to be achieved and  the movement should continue, lest,  we  may lose all that we have gained, she said.

Director who presided over the function gave away prizes to the girl children of NAL employees who excelled in academics during the year 2010-11. In his presidential address, he endorsed the views expressed by the two distinguished speakers: he said, “Small steps taken picks up momentum and would lead to big strides”. He also cited some interesting statistics and made references to the news item which had appeared in the International Herald Tribune: "Britain joins calls to close the board room gender gap".  His closing remarks were “Men and women are not exclusive, but they are inclusive in a society, they have to go together respecting and complementing each other.”

The programme was compered by Mrs. Gomathy Sankaran, Scientist, KTMD, in her characteristic style with punches in Raja Bhasha, and concluded with a vote of thanks by Ms. Rajani, Scientist CTFD.

Photo and photo collage designed by Team Photography, KTMD, NAL

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#IP 963 7 -13 Mar 2011

Unique honour to CSIR-NAL

It is  a matter of great pride to CSIR that CSIR-NAL was one of the five Institutions who were  accorded  special  recognition  by  the Government  of India  for  their  significant contributions to the growth of Civil Aviation in India on the occasion of the Inauguration of the Centenary Celebrations of Civil Aviation in India. Mr Vayalar Ravi, Hon’ble Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation, Government of India felicitated CSIR-NAL by presenting a plaque and a scroll  on 18 February 2011 at the inaugural function at Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi, which was received by Director, CSIR - NAL, Dr A R Upadhya.  The other four Institutions felicitated on the occasion are Aero Club of India, Aeronautical Society of India, HAL and Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAF).

CSIR-NAL initiated small civil aircraft design and development activity in the late 1980s at the instance of the great visionary Prof. Satish Dhawan, the then Chairman, Research Council of NAL who wanted CSIR to seed a vibrant Civil Aviation Industry in India.  CSIR-NAL has responded with design and development of a two seat all composite trainer HANSA, 14 seat multirole LTA - SARAS and 5 seat General Aviation Aircraft NM-5 (the last one with the Mahindra Group).  HANSA is in use with some of the flying clubs (funded by and delivered through DGCA), SARAS is undergoing flight certification trials, with intended supply to launch customer IAF with HAL as the manufacturing agency, and   the NM-5 prototype is being assembled both in the Mahindra facility in Australia and at CSIR-NAL, India, to be ready for its first flight later this year.  CSIR-NAL has also been asked to conduct feasibility study for a 90 seat National Civil Aircraft for regional connectivity under the guidance of a High Power Committee set up by the Government, with the view that a full scale development programme would be considered for  sanction by the Government to be undertaken by a special entity with public-private partnership.  These developments point to the fact that CSIR-NAL is on the way to fulfilling Prof Dhawan’s expectations with full support from successive DGs of CSIR and Directors of CSIR-NAL.

CSIR-NAL was congratulated by DG-CSIR, Secretary-MCA, Secretary-DST, DGCA, Dr R A Mashelkar, former DG-CSIR, Directors of CSIR Laboratories and many other well wishers on its special recognition.

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