ME @

75
Story of Mechanical Engineering
department at IISc |1
 Contributors Writing and Editing
Prof Jaywant Arakeri
Content, Interviews, Pre-writing Dr Alok Behera
Ms Deepika S (OoC) Prof Namrata Gundiah
Dr Narmada Khare (OoC) Prof Raghuraman N Govardhan
Dr Ranjini Raghunath (OoC) Mr Joel P Joseph
Dr Samira Agnihotri (OoC) Prof Satish Kailas
Prof TS Mruthyunjaya
Dr Navaneetha K Ravichandran
Design Prof S Seshan
Cover page illustration: Ms Aarti Gurjar Prof KRY Simha
Illustrations, design and typeset: Ms Megha Ramachandra Ms Pavitra Srivatsan
Dr Balachandra Suri
ME faculty and staff

Photos and Identification

Students
Ms FS Banu
Ms Chinnamma Mr Abhishek Goyal
Mr C Dharuman Mr Adarsh D
Mr KG Haridasan Lt Cdr Anand S
Dr Jishnu Keshavan Mr Anshul Shrivastava
Ms Mangala R Mr Avaneesh Athreya V
Mr Sampath P Mr Bal Krishan
Mr Shyam Sundar Ms Deepika Gupta
Mr Gannena KS Raghuram
Mr C Subramani
Mr Gautham V
Mr Harish Singh Dhami
Writer and Editor-in-Chief: Prof Namrata Gundiah Ch Prem Chand
Writing and Editing: Prof Raghuraman N Govardhan Mr Sajjan Raj Keshari
Mr Santosh K Raut
Mr TBV Chetan
Mr Vageesh Singh Baghel
Lt Varun GS
Mr Visakh MG
Pictures and text ©Indian Institue of Science, Mechanical Engineering Department.
Credit for photographs goes to their respective owners.
Illustrations and design ©Megha Ramachandra

2|
 ME @ 75
Story of Mechanical Engineering
Department at IISc

Design and Illustrations by Megha Ramachandra

|3
 Preface
The story of the Mechanical Engineering department at IISc begins perhaps I must add here a very deep thanks to the Office of
with the words of Sir M Visveswaraya when he said, “the war that is going Communications (OoC) for their help in getting the material
on [World War II] is a mechanical engineer’s war,” and urged the Institute to together for this book, and in particular, Deepika S., who has
start working in applied areas in addition to fundamental ones. Mechanical been a constant and invaluable help in obtaining information
Engineering activities subsequently commenced in 1945 in the Internal from the Institute archives. Over the past few months my
Combustion Engineering (ICE) department. This book brings out the story colleague, Prof Namrata Gundiah, who brought in a huge
of the Mechanical Engineering department from that period until today, amount of energy and with the help of a team of students,
with bifurcations and mergers in between, with the final emergence of a postdocs, staff, colleagues, writers, designers, and an artist,
single Department of Mechanical Engineering, now referred to as ME, in put together this book with stories, facts, and pictures. I am
1972. immensely grateful to her for readily accepting this enormous
task and for taking huge interest in getting this book completed
On the 75th anniversary of the department, this book, ME@75, brings out and ready in time for the inauguration of the “ME@75: Research
the story of the department, a snapshot of the present research activities, frontiers” conference on 29 June 2022, where this book will be
the people of the department, and pictures and memories that bring to life, released by the past and present faculty of the department.
the “Life at ME”. The vision for such a book that captures the history of the
department on our 75th anniversary was clearly felt, and activities in this
direction were initiated by our former Chair and present Dean of Mechanical
Sciences, Prof Ananthasuresh. He and the heritage committee that he set-
up, worked through a very difficult COVID-19 period collecting information
from the Institute archives and past students and faculty.

4|
I will end by stating that seeing this book develop and getting acquainted
with all the historical information from the archives and former
colleagues and staff, has personally been an exhilarating experience.
Just a couple of days back, as we were having a final look at the book,
Prof Mruthyunjaya, who helped proofread and give his feedback,
mentioned that the day that Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of
India, inaugurated the Power Engineering building in 1951, he was a
school student standing on the road outside waving as Dr Rajendra
Prasad went by. This is not a story that is in the book, but one that adds
to the stories of the department within this book.

Raghuraman N Govardhan
Professor and Chair
Department of Mechanical Engineering
27 June, 2022

|5
Foreword
It is my privilege and delight to present this book in celebration of the 75th year of the Department of Mechanical Engineering
at the Indian Institute of Science. We started out as the Department of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) in pre-independence
India. To support the aspirations of a growing and industrializing nation, the department initially emphasized on Electrical
and Mechanical Sciences within the Power Engineering department. Merger of the Department of ICE with Mechanical
Sciences resulted in the Department of Mechanical Engineering as we know it today. In the words of the well-known
historian, Will Durant, “The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding”.

This book was put together in an attempt to outline the genesis and history of the department and its growth along with
independent India. The efforts of many enthusiastic volunteers made this enormous task possible. Thanks to Prof Raghuraman
Govardhan, Chair, Mechanical Engineering department, for entrusting me with this activity. Ms Deepika S from the Office
of Communications (OoC), equipped with deep archival knowledge of the department, greatly helped locate information,
link people and several disparate snippets from our research into a cohesive description. Deepika, with her colleagues from
OoC, also shared many documents from the ICE years which were a treat to read.

I am deeply grateful to the artist, Ms Aarti Gurjar, who brought to life the book cover which is inspired from vortex shedding
patterns arranged to span three quarter of a circle. Ms Megha Ramachandra, an energetic and creative designer, spun
magic with her illustrations and book design. Ms Pavitra Srivatsan, with timely help from Mr Joel P Joseph, understood
the academic demands, and weaved diverse aspects into an enjoyable narrative. Mr Mithun Nair, Assistant Registrar (HR),
gleaned details of the department faculty over the years. I will cherish the enthusiastic support and diligent eye-for-detail
which Prof Yogendra Simha brought into this book. Thanks also to Prof Jaywant Arakeri who discussed the material at great
depth, including the placement of colons and semi-colons, where appropriate. Departmental colleagues, Drs Balachandra
Suri, Susmita Dash, Himabindu, Jishnu Keshavan, contributed help at a moment’s notice.

6|
 In Lewis Carrol’s, Alice in Wonderland, Alice thinks, “And what is the use of a book
without pictures or conversation?”

I want to thank the student team for their energetic contributions in interviewing,
transcribing, and collating critical aspects from several conversations with alumni and
department faculty; these formed the basis for much of the storytelling in the book.
John Tenniel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Several alumni, faculty and families pored through old photographs and shared these
with the team. Dr Alok Behera worked steadily in the background to crosscheck the
material, and Ms Chinnamma and the ME office collated several photographs for the
book. Prof S Seshan readily shared details and helped link people and historical facts.
The Department continues to inspire a new generation of engineers as they address
the technological demands of an ambitious nation. Even as we look back at the road
travelled thus far, we set our eyes on the horizon ahead that shows great promise.

Enjoy the book!

Namrata Gundiah
Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
|7
Contents 01 Our Story
Mechanical Engineering at IISc
1.1 Early years
10

12
1.2 Expansion into heat engines 22
1.3 Fluids and the Power of turbines 28
1.4 Casting a new generation of engineers 34
1.5 Designing a new future 40

03 People of ME 100
3.1 Department Chairs 102
3.2 Women of ME 104
3.3 ME faculty 106
3.4 Staff of ME 115

8|
02 Glimpses of ME research and 48
education
2.1 Present areas of research 50
2.2 Reading list 94
2.3 Staying on course 96

04 Pictures and Memories 116

|9
10
10 || Our Story
 1 | Our Story
Mechanical Engineering at IISc
The Council at their meeting held on 30th March, 1942 The Mechanical Engineering (ME) department at the Indian Institute
appointed a Committee consisting of: of Science (IISc) began as a response to India’s industrial requirements
in the 20th century. This response sought to equip people with the
Sir Vithal N. Chandavarkar, Kt., M.A., Bar-at-Law, M.L.A. knowledge of working processes and machinery, help nurture and
Mr. M Venkatanaranappa, B.A., and The Director to prepare develop their technological skills, and become independent from
plans and estimates and suggest ways and means for raising importing industrial plants required for various manufacturing
funds for implementing the following two resolutions passed processes. Even as the young nation navigated the turbulent changes
by the Court at their meeting held on 28th March 1942:— brought about by World War II, seeds of academic discontent brewed
“That in view of the fact that it is almost impossible to steadily inside the very walls of the Institute.
import from abroad ready-made industrial plants for various
manufacturing processes which are now being developed in In this spirit of change, Sir M Visvesvaraya, the President of IISc’s
India, it is desirable that a first-class research workshop of Court from 1938 to 1946, drew attention to the Irvine Committee’s
Mechanical Engineering should be established in the Indian report (1936)1. The report highlighted the Institute’s preference for
Institute of Science, Bangalore, with a suitable staff, attached fundamental research and neglect of applied research. Calling the
to it, of Fuel Engineers, Chemical Engineers, Mechanical Institute to recalibrate its academic focus, Sir Visvesvaraya exhorted,
Engineers and Metallography experts, who, by close co- “The war that is going on is a mechanical engineer’s war.”2
operation and intimate team work, would be able to solve the
problems of design and construction necessary for the erection Five years later, in 1945, the Department of Internal Combustion
of such plants.”3 Engineering (ICE) was established.

1
From the address at the Inauguration Ceremony of the new Department of Metallurgy, Page 1-2.
2
From the 75 years of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, published by the Office of Communications.
3
From the IISc Council minutes of the meeting, 1942.

Our Story | 11
 1.1 | Early years

The Annual Report (1944-45) records two developments, which played

significant roles in the establishment of the ICE Department.

First, Sir Jnan Chandra Ghosh’s visit to England as a member of the Indian
Scientific Mission. Sir Ghosh, the then Director of IISc, discussed with
experts the need for new areas of research at the Institute. Based on their
recommendations, he appointed Major BC Carter to teach “the working
of Internal Combustion Engines”4 to the students at the Department of
Aeronautical Engineering.

Second, the Institute decided to start postgraduate programmes in Heavy

Engineering, Power Engineering (PE), Designing of Machinery, and Chemical
Engineering, “in view of the post-war plans for the proper development of
the resources of the country.”⁵ The newly established ICE department was
housed in a large building, presently occupied by the Society for Innovation
and Development (SID). Major Carter headed this department and the Central
Workshop. The workshop, presently a part of the Centre for Product Design
and Manufacturing (CPDM), also ran a liquid air-plant and maintained cold
Faculty list: The names of the academic staff of the ICE
and PE departments in July, 1953⁶
4
From the 75 years of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, published by the Office of Communications, IISc.
5
From the Annual Reports 1944-45.
⁶ From the brochure issued on the occasion of the official opening of the ICE department.

12 | Our Story
 A new home: The newly constructed ICE building

Following Major Carter, Prof Hans A Havemann headed the department from 1949 to 1957. Prof Havemann was also subsequently involved in
establishing the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, when he was listed as a “German expert with valuable India experience and a potential
recruit for ‘the German IIT’” to be established by the West German Rucker mission in 1956.⁷

7
From ‘The Establishment of IIT Madras, German Cold War Development Assistance and Engineering Education in India’ by Roland Wittje.

Early years | 13
 The ICE formed just one part of what
would later become the Department
of Mechanical Engineering. The
second part was the soon-to-be
established PE department, tasked
with supporting the electrical power
projects that had mushroomed
across the country after World
War II. The foundation stone for
the PE building was laid in 1947
by former Cabinet Minister Syama
Prasad Mukherjee, and the building
was inaugurated by Dr Rajendra
Prasad, the then President of India,
in 1951. Prof MS Thacker, who later
became the Institute’s Director and A momentous occasion: Rajendra Prasad, former President
of India, at the inauguration of the PE department, 1951
subsequently the Director-General
of the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) in 1955,
was appointed as the first head of
this newly created department.

Thinking ahead: Memorandum of the proposal to set

up the PE department

A memento from the foundation-laying ceremony for the

Hydraulics Research Laboratory of the PE department
14
14|| Our Story
Proposed curriculum: From a 1945
memorandum on a proposal to establish PE

The blueprint: Plan showing different wings,

including the PE and ICE departments, 1951 Early years | 15
 Indian industry at the time was rudimentary at best. India The Annual Reports of the Institute describe how the stands on
imported fuel and engines, which proved to be very expensive. which engines were hoisted for testing often required significant
The 1953 brochure issued on the opening of ICE department realignment to accommodate foreign-made engines. In the shadow
captures the scenario of the time clearly, “Power is created of these restrictions, many collaborative projects were carried out
in various prime movers but the power generated in Internal by ICE under the aegis of the fledgling CSIR. One of these — led by
Combustion Engines is by far the most important, and caters Prof Havemann and Mr VM Ghatage, Chief Engineer of Hindustan
for a large share of almost the total power requirements Aeronautics Limited (HAL) — focused on developing a fully
of a modern state... India cannot avoid to pay attention indigenous six-cylinder engine for the HT2, India’s first aircraft
to the development of an Industry to build such engines. used to train the Indian Air Force pilots. Under Prof Havemann’s
Various problems arise if the industry should be reasonably stewardship, the department worked on several types of engines
independent from foreign supplies.” such as Ricardo engines with variable compression ratios, and
experimented with different types of fuels, including dual fuels
such as cetane and octane.

Engine power: (Left): A Ricardo engine⁸; (Right): A Petter engine⁹

8
A picture from the PhD thesis of SLV Chary, 1965.
⁹ A picture from A Natarajan’s Associateship thesis
‘Some studies on the utilisation of heavy fuels in high-speed diesel engines,’ 1955.

16 | Our Story
 Engines at work: Engineers at the ICE laboratory, 1953

Researchers at the department collaborated actively with their “MICO, which later became Robert Bosch Co., moved to Bangalore
counterparts in the industry to design various types of engines because of their collaboration with ICE at IISc,” he recalls.
and components. These were housed and tested in a large hangar
in the west wing, according to a former faculty member, Prof V Another of Prof Havemann’s projects centred on an engine using
Kuppu Rao. hot air as the working medium, which could prove useful in rural
areas where organic fuels like firewood or charcoal were more
The researchers collaborated with many engine companies like abundant than gasoline or diesel. Prof BVA Rao, who pursued
Kirloskar Oil Engine Company (Pune), The Cooper Diesel Engine his DIISc — which later became the Master of Engineering (ME)
Company (Pune) in Satara Road, Bosch-MICO Fuel Injectors degree — at the Department from 1956 to 1958, served as faculty
(Bangalore), The Premier Automobiles (Bombay), and Ashok at IIT Bombay and IIT Madras, and went on to become the
Leyland Trucks (Madras). Dr N Raman, who retired from the Chairman of the National Design Research Foundation (NDRF) of
department as a Principal Research Scientist in 2003, attributes the Institution of Engineers (India), recalls working on a project
the flourishing industry-academia collaboration to the excellent titled ‘Torsional Vibrations of IC Engines Crank Shafts’ under the
R&D at ICE. guidance of Prof MRK Rao.
Early years | 17
 He also recollected conducting research blending alcohol in petrol or
diesel engines to boost their energy or power. “This would be useful for
vehicles moving on rough terrains and hilly areas, especially in military
operations. Nearly 30% of excess power was possible by this technique
and everyone, including the German Professor [Prof Havemann] and
my guide Prof Rao, was happy.”

Show and tell: (Below): A diagram to show the development of a Cyclone Gas
Producer and Combustion for Low Grade Fuels; (Right) and the machine10

10
From the brochure issued on the occasion of the official opening of the ICE department.

18 | Our Story
There was a strong emphasis on hands-on learning “to avoid unnecessary duplication
of staff and equipment.”11 Students built equipment and machines for their projects
in the Central Workshop, which would become indispensable to the students of the
department in subsequent years. A Thermal Power Station (TPS) was also set up to
train students in understanding the operation and maintenance of such equipment.

Mr RA Rao, who pursued his Master’s degree from the

department in 1958, under the supervision of Prof AV Sreenath,
says, “Engine lubricants are the most complex of all petroleum
products. They were imported under various oil company
brand names; little was known or understood about their field
performance capabilities.” Mr Rao was subsequently involved
in evolving national standards for petroleum products by the On the floor: The Central Workshop
Bureau of Indian Standards. He also worked with the armed
forces in Ladakh during the Indo-China war in 1961, for a
month, ensuring that the trucks and other vehicles running
on IC engines ran smoothly. His son, RV Ravikrishna, is
currently a Professor at the ME department, and continues to
work on combustion and biofuels.

A powerful connection: Mr RA Rao (left) with his son Prof RV Ravikrishna

11
From the 75 years of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, published by the Office of Communications, IISc.

Early years || 19
19
 In the later years, Prof MV Narasimhan and Dr Raman worked on a
two-stroke engine to reduce pollution and increase fuel efficiency.
Prof Ravikrishna also contributed to these efforts. The concept, which
was handed over to TVS Motors, was one of the many successful
technology transfers from IISc to the industry. More recently, there has
been significant work on alternate fuels for such IC engines by Prof
Ravikrishna, Dr Himabindu M and Dr R Thirumaleswara Naik.

From idea to reality: The design (left) and development of a U-type two-stroke
diesel engine A model of the two-stroke engine whose technology was transferred to TVS India

20 | Our Story
Noise reduction in vehicle exhaust became another focus area of study
for the researchers at the ICE department. The study of industrial
acoustics, particularly mufflers and silencers, was pioneered by Prof
ML Munjal, Emeritus Professor at the ME department. Currently
the AICTE Distinguished Chair Professor and INSA Honorary
Scientist, Prof Munjal started as a student in the department in 1966
and joined as a lecturer upon graduating in 1968. He and others in
the department worked on several industry projects related to noise
control and vibration; even stealth technologies for Indian Navy
submarines and silencers to limit cockpit noise in a fighter aircraft.
Prof Munjal proposed the general design criteria for silencers, which
led to the establishment of the Facility for Research in Technical
Acoustics (FRITA) in 1998. Prof Venkata Sonti, Professor at the ME
department, is a prominent present member of FRITA and conducts
research on the fluid structure interactions of acoustic panels.

A research trip: (L to R): Prof ML Munjal, Mr Jasjit Ahluvalia of IAC Acoustics

and Mr DN Raju during the US leg of the study tour for setting up FRITA, 199612

12
Photo courtesy: Mr DN Raju.

Early years | 21
 1.2 | Expansion into heat engines

The PE department bifurcated into Electrical and Mechanical

Engineering sections. Prof Carter appointed Dr Arcot
Ramachandran as an Assistant Professor in 1950 to begin
research on heat transfer and thermal sciences. Prof Havemann
saw Ramachandran as a representative of the new generation of
Indian science administrators — those who had received training
in the United States and inculcated an aspiration for industrial
research. Prof Ramachandran later headed the ME section and
helped spawn several programs on energy research across the
country.

“The ICE was not a very big department”, recalls S Seshan,

Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the ME department. Its
growth — in terms of the number of students, faculty and lab
facilities — became somewhat constrained. There was a lot in
common between the curricula and courses of the mechanical
division of PE and the ICE department. The Indian automobile
industry was also developing at a very slow rate and presented
inadequate career prospects for IC engineers. These factors led to
the merger of the two in the 1970s, forming the ME department
as we know it today.

13
From the brochure issued to commemorate the official opening of the ICE department.
Changes ahead: Conclusions from the ICE brochure in195313
22 | Our Story
A new direction: Prof Ramachandran (circled) in a group photo with the ME department, 1961

These initiatives laid the foundation to the research in the area of

Prof J Srinivasan (Prof JS), a former Professor at the ME heat transfer and thermal sciences in the department. Dr J Gururaja,
department, says that the merger was recommended a former student of Prof Ramachandran, who also worked with him
by an international review committee that did not later, says with admiration, “He [Ramachandran] was always looking
completely appreciate how rudimentary the state of beyond the current state of affairs at that time: What new branches
Indian automobile industry was at that time. can there be? What new areas can we start? Who are the competent
people available?” Prof Ramachandran was also very influential. Dr
Prof Ramachandran, who headed the ME section Arkal Shenoy recalls how Prof Ramachandran had asked the students
before its merger with the ICE department, introduced in his batch to not worry about jobs, and apply at TATA power. All the
many new programmes and courses like Nuclear students — even those who could not make it to the interview that day
Engineering and Machine Design. — were offered jobs.
Expansion into heat engines | 23
 Researchers through the years: Prof Ramachandran’s students,
including Prof BG Nair (second from left)

Dr J Gururaja, a former student of Prof Ramachandran,

who also worked with him later, says with admiration, “He
[Ramachandran] was always looking beyond the current
state of affairs at that time: What new branches can there be? The ICE batch of 1968-70: Sitting (L to R): Miss Prabha Krishna Swamy,
What new areas can we start? Who are the competent people Mr S Venkatesh, Dr M Narasimhan, Mr K Narayana Swamy, Prof AV Sreenath,
available?” Prof Ramachandran was also very influential. Dr Dr V Kuppu Rao, Mr DL Prasanna Rao, Mr ML Munjal and Mr KR Hariharan;
Arkal Shenoy recalls how Prof Ramachandran had asked the Standing First Row (L to R): Messrs Major Harjap Singh, PVK Perumal, S
students in his batch to not worry about jobs, and apply at Narayana Das, M Muslim, R Raman, N Raman, MS Chandrasekhar, Dr K
TATA power. All the students — even those who could not Mishra, A Suryanarayanan and PV Subba Rao; Standing II Row (L to R):
Messrs K Ramamurthi, K Annamalai, VS Venkatanathan, N Raghu, K Rama
make it to the interview that day — were offered jobs. Krishna, S Azeez, SS Iyengar, Jagbir Singh, NK Mital, HR Sriranga Rajan and
N Satyanarayana

24 | Our Story
 The ME group gathered on a terrace

Dr Shenoy recalls another incident from his time at Georgia Institute Prof Ramachandran helped him access the computational centres at
of Technology, as a newly enrolled PhD student following his stint IIT Kanpur and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bombay.
at IISc as a Master’s student. “In those days, the degree certificate Krishnamurthy recalls fondly how he and Prof HR Nagendra, former
would reach us by mail about six months after the completion of Professor at the ME department and the present Director and founder of
the degree. The Registrar at Georgia Tech would not allow me to SVYASA14, would travel to TIFR to use the computational facility, CDC 3600,
join the course without the degree certificate,” he says. “When the which was one of the fastest at that time. In another instance, Mr S Kasturi,
Dean got to know that I was a student of Prof Ramachandran, the another former student, needed some stainless steel sheets to manufacture
matter was settled without any further discussion.” In 1967, Prof trapezoidal ducts for experiments on laminar and turbulent fluid flow. “They
Ramachandran moved to IIT Madras as its Director. Later, he served were not available at that time in the whole of India, except at HAL,” Kasturi
as the first secretary of the then newly established Department recalls. “Prof Ramachandran was very helpful; he contacted the Director of
of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Prof MV HAL and procured all the material.”
Krishnamurthy recalls how Prof Ramachandran extended support
to his work on numerical heat transfer, despite the lack of adequate
computational facilities at IISc.
14
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana

Expansion into heat engines | 25

 Prof Krishnamurthy and other students of Prof Ramachandran As a befitting tribute to the founder Chair of PE, the
have carried his legacy forward, training and mentoring many faculty of the ME department unanimously approved the
more individuals. For instance, Prof Krishnamurthy mentored naming of a newly constructed auditorium as Prof Arcot
Dr GSVL Narasimham, Chief Research Scientist at the ME Ramachandran or AR auditorium. The AR auditorium,
department, who expanded thermal engineering to encompass and the construction of an additional floor in the main
refrigeration, air conditioning and solar engineering, inspiring ME building, stemmed from a need to have a larger space
engineers from industry and college teachers to embark on green to accommodate students, as well as provide additional
energy initiatives. office space. The project’s vision was primarily conceived
by Prof Jaywant H Arakeri (Prof JHA). The construction
Heat transfer and energy research, which Prof Ramachandran took several years and was spread over the tenure of two
pioneered, continues to be an important part of the department’s Chairs, Profs JHA and R Narasimhan. The AR auditorium
focus to this day. Prof Ramachandran recruited many faculty was inaugurated in 2013.
members with industry experience. This includes Mr BK Subbarao,
whose experience in thermal power plants helped build a new
focus area in the department. The growth of this beginning can
be seen in recent research focusing on thermo-chemical storage,
combustion and spray research, refrigeration technologies and
thermal management in spacecraft systems. Drs Susmita Dash
and Navaneetha K Ravichandran, Assistant Professors at the
department, have recently added to the activities of this group
with their focus on different aspects of micro and nanoscale
heat transfer. Dr Dash’s lab focuses on developing strategies to
enhance thermal and fluid transport using micro and nanotextured
surfaces, whereas Dr Ravichandran’s group works on nanoscale
heat transfer phenomena that are critical for thermal management
of electronics.

26 | Our Story
The auditorium is designed for thermal comfort, given the climatic
conditions in Bangalore, which has comfortable temperatures all
year except for the months of March and April. The thick walls
in the auditorium provide the thermal mass to make use of the
fluctuations in temperature during the day, and ‘stores the cold’
from the nights. Acoustic panelling that is usually made of fabric
and light boards would not allow this ‘cold storage.’ A large part
of the heat load in the auditorium comes from the occupants: a
100 W of heat per person leads to 10 KW of heat for 100 people
in the audience. This hot air then rises and is sucked out through
two exhaust systems: the turbo ventilators on the roof, whose
turbines rotate by the wind, and a series of low-noise exhaust fans
placed high up on the walls. Natural light pours in from the large
windows and from the translucent panels fitted in the ceiling, and
this lasts for most of the day. Perhaps the most innovative aspect
of the auditorium is the acoustic design. The walls are fitted with
clay tiles that feature waves of specific wavelength; this pattern
limits sound reverberation and echoing. Mr Narasimha Swamy,
from Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Ltd, helped design
the acoustic elements in the auditorium. With a seating capacity
of 120, this auditorium witnesses several classes, meetings and
conferences hosted by researchers from various departments on
the campus.

One of a kind: (Top): The AR auditorium’s design is a reflection of the

inward-outward balance that the Department has achieved over the years;
(Bottom): Prof JHA gestures at the wave-like tiles in the context of the acoustic
design in the AR auditorium

Expansion into heat engines | 27

 1.3 | Fluids and the Power of turbines

From Heat Transfer to Fluid Mechanics, the

wheels of research in the ME department never
stop turning. Fluid mechanics involves the study
of fluids, gases and plasmas, and the forces that
act on them. Both these fields of research have
found significant applications in industry and
other disciplines of science including biomedical
engineering, agriculture, meteorology and biology.
Prof S Soundranayagam (Prof SS) pioneered
the department’s research in fluid mechanics in
1971. Bringing in a strong industry experience,
Prof SS built an advanced laboratory with
several wind tunnels and turbomachinery rigs.
The funds provided by IISc and the Aeronautics
Research and Development Board helped the ME
department create a strong presence in the areas of
Turbomachinery and Fluid Mechanics.

Prof SS’s expertise was much sought after by several companies like Voltas, Best &
Crompton, NGEF, Jyothi’s Ltd and Worthington Pumps, and national laboratories like
NAL, NSTL and GTRE, even after his retirement in 1990. He was actively involved in
the Kaveri engine project and in the design of several types of propulsors for the Indian
In fluid motion: (Top): Prof BG Nair steps up to guide Mr Navy.
Narayanswamy for sump studies to ensure smooth operation;
(Below): Another view of the experimental system,1990

28 | Our Story
 Prof SS pursued research in micro-hydel power with great passion and
this became an important and socially relevant initiative for the ME
researchers as well. Prof Punit Singh, presently a faculty member of the
Centre for Sustainable Technologies (CST), recalls the long treks Prof SS
would take in the Himalayas, and his dream of making better turbines for
the people. “He [Prof SS] got the design for a crossflow turbine from the
German-Swiss firm Banki, and I think that he designed his own Pelton
turbine.”

Interestingly, the forerunner to CST was the Application of Science and

Technology to Rural Areas (ASTRA), which was set up in 1974, and
attracted some of the faculty of the ME department. ASTRA developed
several rural technologies like biogas plants, low-carbon housing, and
small-scale fertiliser industries. Prof SS also designed a Kaplan turbine
for a canal drop scheme, which used an ultra-low head of approximately
0.5 to 1 m, in Srirangapatna for the Karnataka Electricity Board. Micro-
hydel power generators were also used to power coffee estates in Coorg
and small townships in Kedarnath and Arunachal Pradesh. In a DST-
funded project in Nagaland, Prof SS developed a low cost technology for
a small hydro project, called Cross Flow Turbine, which has been used
to meet the energy demands of several villages in Nagaland.15 Profs JHA
and Raghuraman N Govardhan had the benefit of attending his course on
turbomachinery, the contents of which is the basis for the course currently
taught in the department.

The man and the machine: (Top): Prof Punit Singh’s father,
Jasmail Singh (center), Prof S Soundranayagam (left) and his wife
Rosemary (right), outside their home in Kodaikanal, 2014; (Bottom):
A small-scale version of Prof Soundranayagam’s micro-hydel turbine

15
From https://dst.nagaland.gov.in/activities/engineering-division/microhydel-projects.html

Fluids and turbines | 29

 The ME department also saw its first woman employee
and student in Prabha Krishnaswamy (later Prabha
Venkatesh), who joined as a Junior Technical Assistant
in 1970, and went on to complete her PhD in the
department. Her doctoral research was on Laser Doppler
Anemometry (LDA), a non-contact method to measure
fluid flow velocity, which is now a routine method in
most laboratories.

Prof Vijay Arakeri’s entry into the department in 1977 as

a young fluid mechanician trained from Caltech brought
in the expertise in hydrodynamics and cavitation.

Prof Arakeri, who held a joint appointment with the

Department of Civil Engineering, revived the Cavitation
Water Tunnel. His early years in the department were
spent investigating fundamental and applied problems
in the cavitation tunnel, which were of interest to the
Navy.

(Top) Use of ultrasonics in control of travelling bubble cavitation16; Picture perfect:

16
A picture from the PhD thesis of Dhiman Chatterjee, 2003 (Bottom): Prof MV Krishnamurthy and Prof Vijay Arakeri with Mr Dharuman (right)
showing Prof G Padmanaban, Director of IISc, photos of the water tunnel
30 | Our Story
 A hot ticket: The solar pond in front of the TPS building

He initially focussed mainly on the study of underwater noise from Prof JS, a specialist in thermal sciences, who joined the department in 1982
marine propellers and turbulent boundary layer noise in towed- from IIT Kanpur, gave further impetus to research in fluids and thermal
arrays. His focus later shifted to bubble plumes, cavitation control and sciences. He undertook the major task of building a solar pond. A solar pond
single-bubble sonoluminescence (SL), which is the phenomenon of is a lake with salt water, which collects and stores solar thermal energy.
light emission from nonlinear motion of a gas bubble. SL technology Prof JS built a 240-square metre solar pond in front of the old thermal
gained a lot of publicity in the early 2000s because of its possible power station.
connection to bubble nuclear fusion.

Fluids and turbines | 31

Mr C Dharuman, who joined IISc in 1986 as a Scientific Assistant, Currently, a range of fluid mechanics phenomena like turbulent
was involved in the development and running of the solar pond. convection, drag reduction and boundary layer interactions are being
The solar pond project also triggered fundamental research in studied in the department. Prof Govardhan, specialising in flow-induced
double-diffusive convection. Prof JHA, the younger brother of vibration of structures, and Prof JHA have worked on several projects on
Prof Vijay Arakeri, joined the Department as a faculty member unsteady flows of relevance to bio-fluid mechanics and fish propulsion.
in 1988, collaborated with Prof JS, and had several joint research “I’ve worked in very diverse fields. In some sense, I’ve covered all non-
students. Two of them, Anupam Dewan and KR Sreenivas, are dimensional numbers,” says Prof JHA. Bio-fluid mechanics was further
now faculty at IIT Delhi and JNCASR respectively. strengthened with Prof Namrata Gundiah joining the department; she
collaborated with Prof JHA to study arterial flows.
The team discovered an interesting phenomenon — the bifurcation
of a buoyant jet in a stratified medium which used salt to create More recent entrants, Profs Ratnesh K Shukla and Gaurav Tomar,
convective flows. Meanwhile, Prof JS slowly shifted his attention primarily work in computational fluid mechanics, and their groups
to atmospheric sciences around 1995. Talking about his interest study many interesting problems including optimal surface actuation
in atmospheric research, Prof JS says, “What makes it attractive is for drag reduction, thrust from rigid/flexible flapping foils for ‘robotic
that fluid dynamics, heat transfer and thermodynamics interact fish,’ multiphase flow simulations and atomisation and sprays. Prof
in very complicated ways in the atmosphere. For example, Saptarshi Basu works in experimental fluid mechanics and combustion
the monsoon is driven by the sun’s radiation, which creates a and addresses a number of difficult fluid dynamics problems in these
temperature gradient near the ground. This leads to convection areas, including a lot of recent work in the area of respiratory droplets
which modifies the atmosphere, which in turn affects the way the and disease transmission spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. More
sun’s radiation reaches the ground. And when the clouds form, recently, Prof Aloke Kumar, who works in complex flows, and Dr
they too radiate heat. So, the monsoon is a complex interaction Balachandra Suri, who works in transition to turbulence, have further
between radiation, convection, thermodynamics and a stratified added to the strength and diversity of research areas within the fluids
medium which is the atmosphere.” group.

32 | Our Story
The Thermal Sciences and Energy Systems group has contributed
significantly in basic and applied research. The Interdisciplinary
Centre for Energy Research (ICER), which was founded in 2012,
emerged from this group’s efforts. ICER handles some of IISc’s
biggest projects, namely the Indo-US solar consortium (SERIIUS),
the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development
(NCCRD) and the National Centre for Clean Coal Research and
Development (NCCCR&D). Prof Pradip Dutta and his former
doctoral student, Prof Pramod Kumar, who is now a faculty at the
ME department, work on supercritical carbon dioxide-based solar
thermal plants and turbines which gives India an opportunity to
become a world leader in this next-generation technology. This
aims to fulfil a major objective of the National Solar Mission with
its emphasis on indigenous manufacturing.

Generations of Arakeris: (L to R): Jaywant Arakeri, Vijay Arakeri, with

sons, Tapas and Navanit

Fluids and turbines | 33

 1.4 | Casting a new generation of engineers

Metal casting, a sophisticated technique to make metallic

components directly from liquid metal, remained more of an art
for decades.17 However, the advent of the automobile and machine
tool industries also mandated the presence of qualified foundry
engineers to manage metal casting plants. The ME department
made critical contributions to this industry with the development
of Cast-Iron (CI) crankshafts — the rotating parts that form the
backbone of an IC engine — to replace forged crankshafts in
automobiles, to reduce production cost by up to 40%.

The crankshaft is a critical part of the power-train, which includes

a chamber into which a mixture of air and fuel is injected. A
reciprocating piston in the chamber transforms high pressure
gases, caused by the volatile mixture, into useful work via the
crankshaft. There can be hundreds of moving parts in a machine.
Our department ventured into developing cast crankshafts with
Prof S Seshan explains, “The crankshaft is a fairly intricate steel the aim of reducing the weight as well as the cost, without
component, and is complicated and expensive to manufacture. compromising on the property standards. The availability of
ductile iron and austempered ductile iron served as yet another
incentive for such an endeavour.” However, these designs were
not used for commercial purposes.

The department offered an exclusive Master’s degree programme

in Foundry Engineering. Prof S Ramamurthy, General Manager,
17
From the section IISc’s Distinctive Master’s Programme in Foundry Engineering by S Seshan as part of the 75
years of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, published by the Office of Communications.
HAL, launched this programme in August, 1958 with the support
18
From the Council’s minutes, 1958. of Prof Ramachandran.
34 | Our Story
The foundation: The foundry engineering curriculum, 195818

Casting a new generation | 35

 Prof MR Seshadri, who took over this programme in Prof B Ravi, currently a faculty at IIT Bombay, who was
1961, formed the Bangalore Chapter of the Institute of mentored by Prof MNS, says, “He [Prof MNS] stood out
Indian Foundrymen in 1966. The programme included because of his physically imposing personality, but he was
two semesters of course work, followed by a six-month a soft-hearted gentleman. He exhorted us to explore new
internship. This was later converted into a four-semester directions as well as deep dive into ‘fundamentals’, which
programme. The foundry group was also actively made our research work both exciting and challenging. He
involved in doctoral research activities and sponsored had earlier performed as an English theatre artist and used this
R&D projects. Among the research students who became experience to hone our communication skills.” Prof Raghu V
faculty of the ME department were Profs KS Sreenivasa Prakash, currently a faculty at IIT Madras, another graduate
Murthy, Mandyam N Srinivasan (Prof MNS), Malur N of this program says, “Prof MNS also guided Prof Manivannan
Srinivasan (presently at Lamar University, USA) and S (IIT Madras) in haptics and biomechanics which exhibits his
Seshan. Technology development that emerged from multi-faceted personality.” Mr KG Haridasan, who joined the
their work included cast metal-matrix composites (based department in 1985 and became a permanent employee as a
on Al, Cu and Mg), gravity die casting of CI, Cast SG laboratory helper the following year, reminisces those times,
Iron crankshafts, high chromium CI, ultra-high-strength “I used to learn a lot of things while working in mechanical
austempered ductile iron, software for casting design department, not only melting or moulding, slowly I learned to
and metal flow studies, and technology forecasting in analyse the material structures, their different compositions
the casting industry. These were all unique because they and analysis of mechanical properties like tensile strength
represented newer materials and faster, less expensive and hardness. Mr Sommanna, who was a Scientific Officer
and flexible routes of mass production. at that time, taught me a lot of things, and Prof Seshan and
Prof KS Srinivasa Murthy always encouraged me.”

36 | Our Story
Postgraduate Foundry Engineering group, Batch of 1957-58: Sitting (L to R):
Messrs B Ramaswamy Rao, MR Raghavan, KS Grewal, Mrs Susila Ramachandran,
Master Balakrishnan Ramachandran, Prof Ramachandran, Dr S Rama Murthy,
Messrs MR Seshadri and B Vijay Mohan Rao, BC Basava Raj; Standing (L to R):
Messrs MN Srinivasan, KL Raghupathy, NRK Paramahamsa, TS Venkoba Rao, Hans
Raj Seth, YK Subramanya and MC Shanmugam

Casting a new generation | 37

 Prof Pradeep Rohatgi, presently at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, along with According to Dr Seetharamu “The Institute-
colleagues like Prof Malur N Srinivasan, initiated work on metal matrix composites at Industry interaction was excellent at FSE with
the foundry. Their students included Prof MK Surappa, former Director of IIT Ropar, and repeated visits to the industries including
Dr S Seetharamu, former Director of CPRI, Bangalore, among others. “Foundry Science BHEL, Kirloskar Electric Co., HMT, Best &
and Engineering (FSE) attracted me as it had a good combination of energy, materials Crompton Engineering Ltd. and many other
engineering, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, resource utilisation, waste management and foundries.” The programme later merged
application technologies,” says Dr Seetharamu. Over a hundred highly-trained foundry with mainstream mechanical engineering
engineers from this programme powered the metal casting industry as senior executives activities, and an updated foundry was created
from the 1970s to 1990. at the new ME department building which was
inaugurated in 1994.

Prof KSS Murthy started the semi-solid facility

in the early 2000s along with other researchers
such as Profs Dutta, JHA, Seshan, Ramnarayan
(from Electrical Engineering) and Kailas.
Several industries were also started by students
like Mr Babu Sathyan, Dr S Sundaramurthy
and Mr Ramadurai.

Coming together: Scenes from the inauguration of the new ME building, 1994. Prof CNR Rao,
Director of IISc, seen with colleagues from the ME department

38 | Our Story
The people and the process: (Top-left) (L to R): Dr S Seetharamu, Dr BK Muralidhara, Dr Narasimha Murthy and Prof Malur N Srinivasan in
2018; (Bottom-left) an overall view of the vacuum induction melting furnace; (Center): Melt treatment at the foundry19; (Far right) a picture of a test
casting tree20

19
File photo by KG Haridasan
20
From ‘Effect of foundry variables on structure and properties of investment cast nickel base super alloy PK 24(IN100)’
by HS Chandrasekhariah, 1989.

Casting a new generation || 39

39
 1.5 | Designing a new future
The Annual Reports in the 1960s mention several
collaborative projects between the ICE department and the
ME section of the PE department, hinting at the eventual
formation of the ME department as we know it today. The
then Director Prof Satish Dhawan invited Prof LS Srinath
(Prof LSS) from IIT Kanpur to lead the merger of the two
sections in 1972. Dr Gururaja, an alumnus of the first batch
of the ME degree from the department recalls, “He [Prof
LSS] was interested in creating an integrated approach
to mechanical science.” He also describes the academic
freedom he enjoyed in the department, “My own stay in the
Institute has been very rewarding. One thing that struck me
was the amount of freedom and informality that existed at
that time. I am not sure that the same level of freedom and
informality exists now. Informality means there were no
real barriers to interacting with professors, and professors
were like friends.” IISc was comparatively slow to expand in the field of solid
mechanics, but witnessed a flurry of faculty recruitments, and
student enrolments in different specialisations of engineering
design in the 1970s. According to Prof KRY Simha, Emeritus
Professor from the department, “Prof P Srinivasan introduced
research and teaching on mechanical vibration, beginning in
1951, along with Prof MR Raghavan, who dealt with the dynamics
of machinery and mechanical design. These pioneers taught
all the students of Power Engineering from both Electrical and
Mechanical sections.”
40 | Our Story
 Prof LSS’s expertise in the optical methods of stress
analysis helped advance research in experimental solid
mechanics in the newly merged ME department. Dr
KSS Aradhya reminisces about Prof LSS as a disciplined,
deadline-driven person and an excellent teacher who
loved to be around his lab. “Prof Srinath’s courses on
Solid Mechanics, Experimental Mechanics, and Theory
of Elasticity were so popular in those days that they
used to attract lots of students from other departments,
and a few professors as well.”

The power batch: The ME faculty along with the final year PE (Electrical) students, Kaleidoscopic vision: Scattered fringes as seen in the
1963-64. At the time, the PE department had two divisions, Electrical and Mechanical polariscope designed by Prof Srinath

Designing a new future | 41

 “The subtle power of scattered light stress analysis, which Prof
LSS developed with Prof Max Frocht, an illustrious student
of Prof SP Timoshenko, greatly enhanced the scope of 3D
experimentation,” says Prof Simha. It was during this time
that the faculty across departments and disciplines interacted
actively and offered several basic courses and electives
that covered the entire gamut of solid mechanics. Other
participating faculty of the ME department included Profs N
Srinivasa Murthy, DL Prasanna Rao, TS Mruthyunjaya, PR
Arora, NS Bapat and Udipi Shrinivasa. The surge of talent
during this period was countered by uneven Solid Mechanics
requirements across departments. This led to the inevitable
production of books and course materials, which were suited to
universities and institutes in India. Prof LSS’s technical books
inspired generations of students pursuing higher education.
He trained his doctoral students to prepare course syllabi and
design training courses for industries, and set up the Centre
for Continuing Education at IISc. He also delivered faculty In privileged company: (L to R): Prof A Ramachandran, Prof LS Srinath,
training programs for the teachers in technical institutions at Prof P Balaram, Director of IISc, Prof MV Krishnamurthy at the Institute’s
Centenary celebrations, 2008
the time while serving as the President of the Indian Society
for Technical Education.
Prof Shrinivasa collaborated with Prof HS Mukunda, former
Chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IISc,
In the early 1970s, the ME department also initiated R&D in to build gasifiers. He also headed the first Advanced Product
social engineering, focusing on rural problems in addition to Designing and Prototyping (APDAP) group, where rapid
meeting urban challenges. Prof Udipi Shrinivasa quotes Prof prototyping, die-making for industries, and R&D for the defence
Roddam Narasimha, former Director of NAL and NIAS, who sector were carried out. “The Mahindra Scorpio rear-end mirror
said right after the 1971 oil crisis:“Our villagers would not be casing comes out of our design,” he says. Prof Shrinivasa designed
able to stand another crisis of this kind. We won’t be able to and developed helmets for fighter pilots. He also contributed to
pump water for food production.” the development and exploration of alternative biofuels, such
as Pongamia pinnata [‘Honge’ in Kannada].

42
42| | Our Story
Carrying the ME story forward: The ME department, 1985

Designing a new future | 43

One of the longest running courses in design, called the Design of
Engineering Systems, was initiated in 1963 by Prof MR Raghavan.
The course, which has since been renamed as Creative Engineering
Design, is currently taught by Amaresh Chakrabarti, Professor and
Chair of CPDM, who is also an alumnus of the ME department. Prof
Mruthyunjaya, a former faculty of the department and Raghavan’s
student, joined the Master’s programme at the ME department when
only two faculty members, Profs Raghavan and P Srinivasan, worked on
design research. Prof Mruthyunjaya says, “[The] ME department in IISc
became a centre of research activity in India in the field of Mechanisms.”
He recounts how he became deeply interested in creative engineering
design through the lectures of Bernard Roth, a Visiting Professor from Compact tension sample testing of fatigue threshold21
Stanford University, in 1984. He studied design methodology during
his sabbatical as a Visiting Professor at Ohio State University and took The goal of this venture was to take a product from the drawing
over the engineering design course in 1988 following his return to the board all the way up to prototyping and work with industry
department. partners for large-scale manufacture.

Work in Solid Mechanics flourished with the induction of

professors, such as Prof Simha, who applied experimental,
A two-year Master’s program in Design, which started with inputs from theoretical and computational solid mechanics to study fracture
colleagues at the Centre for Electronics Design and Technology (CEDT), phenomena in the 1980s, and initiated the first graduate-level
now known as the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering, led to course on fracture mechanics in India. “Encouraged by the
the transformation of the Central Workshop into the CPDM in 1996-97. Prof enthusiastic response from students and engineers enrolled
Mruthyunjaya was the first Chair of the new CPDM department, which also from within and outside IISc, a book on fracture mechanics for
had a Master’s programme in product design. Around the same time, the faculty engineering design was published, besides a couple of books
of the ME department joined hands with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to on fracture of solids and structures for impact and blast loading
start APDAP to provide design services for a slew of industry clients including scenarios,” Simha says. “Just like hydrodynamic turbulence,
BHEL, TVS, GM India and DRDO. fracture and fragmentation of solids obey power law cascades
under intense loading, which is immensely significant to
21
From Raghu V. Prakash’s thesis Fatigue threshold ductile iron, 1988. powder technology and pharmaceuticals.”

44 | Our Story
The current trend to explore exciting new avenues of experimental, These are the core strengths of design research anywhere in the world.
theoretical and computational solid mechanics in the ME Prof Rudra Pratap played an instrumental role in establishing the Centre
department is being overseen by Prof CS Jog, R Narasimhan, and for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) in 2010 and served as the
Ramsharan Rangarajan. Manufacturing and Design, including founding Chair. ME faculty, Profs Ghosal, Ananthasuresh and Jayanth
Finite Element Analysis (FEA), continue to remain an important GR, helped to establish the Robert Bosch Centre for Cyber-physical
part of the department. Prof Mruthyunjaya’s student, Dibakar Systems (RBCCPS). Later Dr Jishnu Keshavan joined the department
Sen, who is now a Professor at CPDM and ME, along with Prof to study problems in robotics. As Prof Gurumoorthy says, “The best
GK Ananthasuresh, Professor and Dean of Division of Mechanical products of the department are the students themselves.”
Sciences, are advancing the frontiers through their work on
Compliant Mechanisms and their applications into diverse areas
of science, engineering and medicine.

The ME faculty, led by Prof K Srinivasa Murthy and Pradip

Dutta, set up the National Facility for Semisolid Forming
(NFSSF) in 2004 with funding from DST, DRDO and the Ministry
of Mines. NFSSF researchers developed an indigenous version
of thixocasting which has proved tremendously useful in the
manufacture of light-weight vehicle components, including
parts for two-wheelers manufactured by TVS Motors. At the
turn of the century, newer research areas were developed by
Profs Ashitava Ghosal, B Gurumoorthy, Rudra Pratap, who is
currently the Vice Chancellor of Plaksha University, Mohali,
and served as the Dean of Planning and Infrastructure at
IISc, and Anindya Chatterjee, presently at IIT Kanpur. They
established groups specialising in Computer Aided Design
(CAD), MEMS and nanotechnology, multibody dynamics and
control, and robotics.

Designing a new future | 45

 During the early years of the ICE department, Dr Raman studied the Mr Shyam Sundar recalls how the Tribology lab had no
lubrication aspects of IC engines and taught a course on Tribology, equipment when he started working in the department.
extending the pioneering work of Prof Raghavan. Prof Sanjay K Biswas The group soon acquired an adhesion rig, journal bearing
later expanded work in tribology, specialising in contact mechanics, rig, thrust bearing rig, scratch tester, indentation tester
dry friction and wear. Prof MS Bobji, Professor at the ME department, and nanoindenter thanks to generous funding from public
recalls Prof Biswas’ conversation with Prof Satish Dhawan, “Dhawan and private agencies. Prof Biswas also acquired a Scanning
encouraged me [Biswas] to join IISc.” Biswas designed and developed Electron Microscope (SEM) and Image Analyser in 1988.
the ‘pin-on-disc’ instrument for simultaneous measurement of friction Collaborations with major Indian oil companies resulted
and wear in materials shortly after joining the department. The primary in the development of new instruments to measure forces
innovation of his design was to measure the wear rate in real-time which between engineering surfaces with specific topographies,
translated into a commercial success. Several engineering colleges today atomic force microscopy, and an in situ Raman tribometer to
have one such instrument as a part of their research training. track changes in surfaces in the presence of lubricants.

New technology: Mr Shyam Sundar seen operating on the first SEM

Biswas brothers in arms: Sanjay (left) with brother Siddharth (right) and a student
of the ME department, 1988

46 | Our Story
 Joy of work: Students in the tribology laboratory in the 1990s

Prof Biswas served as the Chair of the ME department and later as Dean of
Engineering.22 As an administrator, Prof Biswas ushered the Bioengineering
program at IISc, which catalysed collaborations between biologists and engineers.
This culminated in the establishment of the Centre for Biosystems Science and
Engineering (BSSE) in 2012 with funding from the Department of Biotechnology.
Prof Ananthasuresh served as the founding Co-Chair of BSSE. The seed for
interdisciplinary work in Bioengineering propelled newer research areas such as
biomechanics and mechanobiology, with active participation from the faculty of
the ME department, Profs Namrata Gundiah and Aloke Kumar, among others. A
decade following Prof Biswas’ dream for a vibrant community of interdisciplinary
research in bioengineering, IISc is all set to start a postgraduate medical school,
with a full-fledged hospital with research and diagnostic facilities.
22
From http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/47221/1/Cur_Scie_104-12_1718.pdf

Designing a new future | 47

48 |
 2 | Glimpses of ME research
and education
From the days of the ICE and PE departments
to mechanical engineering activities as it stands
today, the ME department has continued to break
new ground across different research areas. Over
the last 75 years, the ME faculty has contributed
to the evolution of a robust curriculum through
the publication of books in classical and emerging
areas of research, which have been well received
both at home and abroad. If the purpose of research
is to investigate and create new knowledge, and
to enable the transition of this new knowledge to
its application for the benefit of larger society, it is
indeed a testimony to the fact that the department
has kept up with the times to remain relevant in
the modern interdisciplinary age.

The department and the sylvan surroundings: Aerial view of the ME department
ME Research and Education | 49
Credits: Harish Singh Dhami

50 | ME research and education

2.1 | Present areas of research
With the intent of extending the frontiers
of contemporary research, the ME
department has, over time, embraced
emerging interdisciplinary topics
alongside the traditionally core areas of
mechanical engineering. This research
journey traverses and knits together
relevant themes in materials, structures,
mechanisms, manufacturing, fracture,
tribology, dynamics, vibration, design,
control, computational modelling of solids
and fluids, experimental fluid dynamics,
multiscale and multiphase physics,
biomechanics, robotics, turbomachinery,
combustion and fuel technologies, energy
transport and storage, power generation,
micro and nanoscale phenomena, and
soft active matter among others. The rich
diversity in faculty backgrounds enables the
department to explore a blend of theoretical,
experimental and applied studies.

Present areas of research || 51

51
 2.1.1 | Biomechanics and Biomedical Devices

Research Areas
• Biofilms
• Cell Mechanics
• Mechanodiagnostics
• Mechanobiology
• Hemodynamics of
The ME department houses full-fledged laboratories
endothelial cells equipped with cell culture rooms, microscopes, instruments
• Protein design and software for mechanical characterisation, protein
• Bio- and Biomedical devices quantification and software which integrates capabilities in
• Laparoscopic Apparatus research at the interface of mechanics and biology. Faculty
conduct research on cell and tissue mechanics, as well
as bacterial biofilms. Additionally, there are design and
prototyping facilities to develop biomedical devices. Work
in biomechanics was started by Prof GK Ananthasuresh
with bio-micromanipulation of single cells to characterize
mechanical responses. Prof Namrata Gundiah, with her
interest in tissue and cell mechanics, substantially enhanced
the scope of research in this area. Her work has resulted in
several patents, and novel methods to quantify cancer cell
adhesions to substrates.

52
52|| ME research and education
 More recently, she and Prof Jaywant Arakeri collaborated to elucidate the
role of hemodynamics in endothelial mechanobiology. Profs Bobji and
Gundiah’s groups have quantified insect-based materials using atomic force
microscopy. Prof Ashitava Ghosal, in collaboration with Prof Aditya Murthy
and researchers at the Centre for Neuroscience, has revisited the issue of
redundancy in human arms which is an important problem in robotics.
Their studies suggest new insights into the resolution of this redundancy
in tasks such as the numerous configurations one can take when touching
one’s nose.

Prof Aloke Kumar’s group presents another line of research with the study
of biofilm viscoelasticity. In collaboration with Dr Koushik Viswanathan,
Prof Kumar’s group uses bacterial cultures to induce calcite precipitations
of Martian and Lunar simulant soils as space “bricks.” Projects in agriculture
were also started by many members of the department that address problems
at the interface of plant physiology and engineering.

(Top): Cell tractions on polyacrylamide substrates;

(Bottom): Arm model and tracker positions to measure joint rotation
angles
Present areas of research | 53
 (Right): The insect and the tool for cutting through hard
substrates; (Top): An endoscopy simulator developed by
Mimyk

54 | ME research and education

The area of research continues to grow in Faculty
collaboration with other departments and
centres, like the BSSE, within and outside • Prof GK Ananthasuresh
IISc. It is worth noting that two start-up • Prof Jaywant H Arakeri
companies were successfully spun off
• Prof MS Bobji
from the biological research here in the
Department from Prof Ananthasuresh’s • Prof Ashitava Ghosal
group. One is BendFlex, which is currently • Prof Namrata Gundiah
pursuing an in vitro fertilization chip • Prof Aloke Kumar
using mechanical manipulation and
characterization techniques developed
in-house. The other is Mimyk, which
specialises in medical simulation tools
based on an endoscopy simulator
developed here.

Post clogging behavior of bacterial

streamers in a microfluidic device
containing a micropillar array

Present areas of research | 55

 2.1.2 | Fluid mechanics and flow physics
Research Areas
• Turbulence
• Thermal convection
• High-speed multiphase
compressible flows
• Shock boundary layer
interactions
• Drag reduction using bubbles
and surface actuation The faculty at the department research a range
of fluid mechanics phenomena using both
• Transonic/Supersonic flows
experimental and computational methods.
• Bio-inspired unmanned water Prof Arakeri’s group has been actively carrying
vehicles out experimental research in turbulent natural
• Biofluid mechanics convection since the late 1980s. His activities
• Drop/Bubbles in Electric have now diversified into applied areas including
precision agriculture in protected environments.
Fields The experimental capability of the fluid mechanics
• Liquid jet atomization in a team was enhanced after Prof Raghuraman N
crossflow Govardhan joined the department in the early
• Complex fluids 2000s. His areas of interest include drag reduction,
interaction of vortex with bubbles, turbomachinery
• Multiscale simulations
flutter and shock boundary layer interactions.
• Precision agriculture
56 | ME research and education
New type of Turbulent flow. Axially homogeneous convection in a tube

Profs Ratnesh K Shukla and Gaurav Tomar strengthened the computational aspect of the fluid
mechanics group. Together, they cover a wide range of topics in computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) involving multiscale, multiphase and complex non-Newtonian flows. Prof Aloke Kumar
has also joined this group, introducing the relatively nascent area of complex fluids. The newest
addition to the group is Dr Balachandra Suri, who works on dynamical systems approaches to
understanding transitional turbulence
Drag reduction and flow control at ReD = 1000

Present areas of research | 57

Squid-like propulsion: (Left): Vortex patterns formed at flexible nozzle exit; Transonic flow: (Right): Shock patterns
in a transonic compressor cascade

Evaporation from conventional porous media: (Left): Wet film (pink colour) about 40C less than the dry region
(dark green colour); (Right): Fluorescein dye showing evaporation sites

58 | ME research and education

 Faculty
The experimental and computational teams collaborate on a number of challenging
and interesting fluid dynamics problems such as optimal surface actuation for drag
• Prof Jaywant H Arakeri
reduction, thrust from rigid/flexible flapping foils for ‘robotic fish’, and biofluid • Prof Saptarshi Basu
mechanics involving flexible surfaces and unsteady boundary layers. • Mr C Dharuman
• Prof Raghuraman N
Govardhan
• Prof Aloke Kumar
• Prof Ratnesh K Shukla
• Prof Gaurav Tomar
• Dr Balachandra Suri

Simulations of liquid jet breakup in crossflow

Present areas of research | 59

 2.1.3 | Heat transfer and energy systems
Research Areas
• IC Engines
• Surface-engineering and anti-
scaling for enhanced fluid-
thermal transport
• Supercritical CO2 Brayton
cycle: power generation
• Thermal management and
turbomachinery,
• High temperature solar
Prof Arcot Ramachandran initiated the activities on heat
receivers
transfer and energy systems in the department in the 1960s —
• Solar cooling/desalination a pioneering initiative that led to the establishment of major
systems programmes in energy research across the country. Today, the
• PCM-coupled heat-pipes for research group in thermal sciences and energy systems is the
spacecrafts largest one in the department, and has contributed significantly
in fundamental and applied research. The newly founded
• Combustion and spray design Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Research (ICER) at IISc,
and analysis which emerged from this group’s efforts, handles some of the
• Fuel injectors for gas turbine biggest projects in the Institute: the Indo-US solar consortium
combustion (SERIIUS), the National Centre for Combustion Research and
Development (NCCRD) and the National Centre for Clean
• Surface Patterning
Coal Research and Development (NCCCRD).
60 |
• Bio-fuels for Diesel Engines
Photothermal trap for ice mitigation: Design to increase the steady state temperature Multiphase convection: Transformation from dendritic to globular
rise and reduce the time scale for heating microstructures

Present areas of research | 61

Closed loop simple recuperated
s-CO2 Brayton cycle test system
Solar thermal energy storage: Laser induced
flow visualization imaging of thermal energy
storage systems

Antiscaling strategies: Liquid microlayer

Gas turbine spray combustion during boiling altered by surface wettability
that avoids crystallization-induced scaling

62 | ME research and education

The faculty of the group in the department pursue research in various areas under the
theme of heat transfer. Prof Pradip Dutta’s lab works on the development of cooling Faculty
technologies (adsorption cooling, loop heat pipes, phase change materials) and high-
• Prof Saptarshi Basu
temperature solar thermal receivers along with thermo-chemical storage technologies.
Prof RV Ravikrishna initiated combustion research activities, which was subsequently • Dr Susmita Dash
augmented by Prof Saptarshi Basu’s lab. The research areas in this subject include spray • Prof Pradip Dutta
dynamics and atomisation, trapped vortex combustion, research on fuel injectors for gas • Dr M Himabindu
turbine combustion, laser diagnostics, and combustion from levitated droplets. • Prof Pramod Kumar
Prof Pramod Kumar has developed India’s first supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) Brayton test
• Dr R Thirumaleswara Naik
loop for power generation and is developing micro-channel heat exchangers for s-CO2. • Dr GSVL Narasimham
Research on IC engines is being carried out by Dr Himabindu and Dr R Thirumaleswara • Prof RV Ravikrishna
Naik. Dr GSVL Narasimham’s lab works on cooling technologies and refrigeration. Our • Dr Navaneetha K
recent addition, Dr Susmita Dash, specialises in microscale thermal transport, while Dr
Ravichandran
Navaneetha K Ravichandran is exploring nanoscale energy transport.

In addition to fundamental research, the group has also been actively

collaborating with industries for technology development and
translational research. Notable among them are the development
of s-CO2 turbomachinery with Triveni Turbines by Prof Kumar,
successful flight testing of loop heat pipe with ISRO by Prof Dutta,
development of molten salt based thermal storage loop with HPCL
by Prof Basu, and development of natural gas combustor for s-CO2
power cycle with GAIL by Prof Ravikrishna.
Counterflow Flame: Canonical flame to study and
evaluate combustion chemistry and emission formation

Present areas of research | 63

 2.1.4 | Manufacturing and materials

Research Areas
• Novel cutting and forming
processes
• Processing mechanics of soft
materials
• High-performance finishing
processes
• Surface Roughness and The research groups in the area of manufacturing and materials
Electropolishing conduct studies that aim to understand fundamental mechanisms
• Multiasperity Contacts that govern materials design, materials processing, component
• Friction Stir Welding design and manufacturing processes and systems. Another aim
of the group is to advance the state-of-the-art in materials and
• Metal matrix composites manufacturing technology. The labs are accordingly equipped
• Metal Foams with an array of characterisation tools and equipment including
• Mechanical Joining scanning electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes,
• Heat Exchangers contact angle goniometer, differential scanning calorimeter,
dynamic light scattering particle analyser, Fourier transform
• Tribology
infrared spectrometer, 3D optical profilometer, optical
microscopes and universal testing machines.

64
64 || ME research and education
Sheet forming Metal foam Heat Exchangers of various pores size: An aluminium foam heat sink

Nanocomposite coating for wear resistance Research on tempering techniques in glass for
enhanced fracture resistance. Shown here is a
sequence of high-speed images depicting explosive
fragmentation in tempered glass “drops” Present areas of research | 65
 Modulus mapping

Additive manufacturing research in ME@IISc ranges from investigating novel methods for production of metal powders (left) to the development of metal
additive manufacturing systems (middle) and printing of complex multi-material geometries (right). The image in the right panel shows a complex contour
print made using a combination of Inconel 718 and Stainless steel 304 on a stainless steel substrate

66 | ME research and education

Prof Satish V Kailas’ group has made extensive contributions to the department’s
capabilities in tribology. To that end, several machines have been custom-built
to simulate conditions for the tribological systems under study. For example, a Faculty
fretting wear tester that works under vacuum and high temperature has been built
to simulate conditions of a fast breeder reactor where the primary and secondary • Prof MS Bobji
loops work under liquid sodium at 550°C. • Prof Pradip Dutta
• Prof Namrata Gundiah
Several other machines like the high-temperature vacuum-based pin-on-disc • Prof Satish V Kailas
machine to mimic conditions in a bearing channel during extrusion, and impact
tribometer to study tribological phenomena during the start of sliding, have been
• Prof Pramod Kumar
designed and built. Another area of focus of Prof Kailas is friction stir welding and • Prof R Narasimhan
processing. • Dr Koushik Viswanathan

Prof MS Bobji examines the world of micro and nanoforces to assess the behaviour
of materials at small scales in real time. His group is currently invested in developing
special tools to mechanically, electrically and thermally probe things. Dr Koushik
Viswanathan, studies the mechanics and physics of manufacturing processes
with a focus on developing new paradigms that address the demands of emerging
technologies.

Present areas of research | 67

 2.1.5 | Mechanics of solids and structures

Research Areas
• Computing shapes
through optimisation
modelling
• Simulating and measuring
shapes of buckled ribbons Mechanics of solids has been a longstanding interest of the department, spanning
• Mechanics of Soft Matter multiple scales (macro to micro) and multiple domains (fracture, MEMS, biomechanics).
• Mechanics of substrate Research in this area involves analytical, computational, and experimental projects.
boring by insects Prof KRY Simha studies fracture in thin-film coating, dynamic loading on plates and
shells for impact-resistant shields, and more recently, fracture in friction-stir welded
• Computational Mechanics
joints. Prof R Narasimhan’s group has been actively involved in analytical, experimental
of solids Fracture and computational studies on crack-tip fields and void growth in ductile face-centred
Mechanics cubic (FCC) single crystals.
• Mechanics, Optimisation,
and Stability of Structures These investigations have established the structure of these fields for different lattice
orientations, constraint levels and fracture configurations. He has also been working
on the role of several factors such as pressure-sensitive yielding, internal friction,
flow softening, Poisson’s ratio and mode-mixity in the fracture response of bulk
metallic glasses (BMGs). Prof CS Jog has made substantial strides on the formulation
of the finite element method with the implementation of hybrid elements, wherein
displacement and stress are independently interpolated for computational benefits in
multiphysics simulations.
68
68 || ME research and education
Obstacle contact problem

(Top): A setup to study the mechanics of elastic ribbons;

SEM fractography: (Bottom): crack initiation and growth

Present areas of research | 69

Tensile deformation behavior of nano-glasses: (Left) FEA and (Right) MD simulations

Deformation of Collagen Fibrils (~100 nm diameter)

70 | ME research and education
In addition to extensive research in fracture and computational mechanics, recently
a number of faculty are exploring other aspects of solid mechanics. Prof Gundiah
is engaged in experimental and computational work in biomechanics of tissue and
cells. She has also studied the mechanics of insect boring. Prof Rangarajan conducts
research aimed at probing the role of geometry in slender structures such as beams,
ribbons, and shells. Prof Ananthasuresh’s group studies mechanics-based design
of compliant mechanisms, growth modelling in plant leaves and inverse problems
in elastic mechanics. His group has ongoing work in multiple pathways in bistable
arches and shells with innovative designs of devices that exploit this feature.

Faculty
• Prof GK Ananthasuresh
• Prof MS Bobji
• Prof Namrata Gundiah
• Prof CS Jog
• Prof R Narasimhan
• Prof Ramsharan
Rangarajan
• Prof KRY Simha
• Dr Koushik Viswanathan
• Dr Debashish Das

Simulation of the inflation of an airbag using hybrid elements

Present areas of research | 71

 2.1.6 | Mechanisms, design and optimisation

Research Areas
• Geometric approach to
kinematics
• Compliant mechanisms
• Modelling of heterogeneous
objects
• Mesh-based representation
• Topology and shape
optimisation
Research in mechanisms and design has been pursued in the
department for a few decades now. It is worth noting that the
Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing (CPDM) in IISc
took shape primarily from the department faculty working in
this area. Several faculty members hold secondary appointments
in CPDM and undertake product design projects. Even after the
inception of this centre, research in engineering design aspects
continues in mechanical engineering. Geometric modelling
and Computer-Aided Design (CAD), kinematics from the
viewpoint of geometry, compliant mechanisms and topology
optimisation are some research areas that are currently active
in the department.
72
72 || ME research and education
3D shape reconstruction: Robust and automatic “SCAN to CAD” multipatch Compliant mechanisms
B-spline surfaces

Displacement-amplifying
compliant mechanism (DaCM)
has applications in microsensors
and compliant transmissions

Present areas of research | 73

 Tensegrity optimisation
A circumferentially-actuated radially deployable
compliant mechanism

Digital human modelling: (Right): Live model digitisation;

Transradial prosthesis: (Left): PURAK – a frugal design with rich functionality

74 | ME research and education

Research in the area of CAD has delved on representation of and reasoning with
3D models by Prof B Gurumoorthy’s group. While his earlier work focused on
feature-based modelling and construction of 3D geometry from measured point
data, the recent focus has been on the problems of capturing non-geometric product
information in representation and reasoning with mesh-based representation. Prof
Dibakar Sen’s group studies multi-body contacts from the geometric perspective
rather than that of algebra and considers both theoretical kinematics aspects and
practical applications. On the theoretical side, for example, automatic generation
of kinematic constraints is studied using the modular kinematics approach.

One of the practical applications his group had recently invested efforts in is
the design of circuit breakers for a company. Prof Ananthasuresh’s group works
extensively on compliant mechanisms. Design methods, non-dimensional analysis,
unconventional actuation, and a variety of multidisciplinary applications of
compliant mechanisms at macro, meso, and micro scales are investigated. Topology
optimisation has been used to design compliant mechanisms, tensegrity structures,
and de novo proteins. Lately, topology derivative-based method combined with
level-set approach is being investigated for devising computationally efficient
Faculty
methods for additive manufacturing of structures in collaboration with industrial • Prof GK Ananthasuresh
partners.
• Prof B Gurumoorthy
• Prof GR Jayanth
• Prof Ramsharan Rangarajan
• Prof Dibakar Sen

Present areas of research | 75

 2.1.7 | Micro and nanoscale processes and devices

Research Areas
• Microscale transport
phenomena
• Microfluidics
• Mechanics of sessile
droplets
• Nano-composite
processing
• Nanomechanics of solids
• Microsensors and
microactuators A number of groups in the department are engaged in research on micro and nanoscale
• Multi-physics simulation of phenomena with focussed investigations in this direction commencing about 30 years
MEMS Devices back in Prof Biswas’ group. In microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), one of the first
such groups in India was led by Prof Rudra Pratap in the department, which investigated
dissipation in MEMS devices. Micro and nano research in the Department has now
grown in multiple directions including topics like mechanics of solids and fluids at
small length scales, microscale transport phenomena, computational micromechanics,
development of numerous micro sensors and actuators. These efforts are now growing
rapidly with new faculty recruits, besides inter-departmental collaborative ventures.

76
76 || ME research and education
Fabrication of nanoscale structures False-colored SEM image of a composite soft material formed
by mixing high molecular weight PAM with particles.

In situ TEM

Present areas of research | 77

 Continuum singularity resolved using atomistic
simulations Directing cell migrations using micro Patterned
Array Detectors (mPAD): Silicone pillars to quantify
forces exerted by cells at discrete locations

It may be noted that MEMS as well as micro and

nanofabrication research initiated and nurtured by the
groups of Prof Rudra Pratap and Prof Ananthasuresh
played an important role in launching the Centre for Nano
Science and Engineering (CeNSE) in IISc in 2010. They
are also responsible for expanding the scope of MEMS
research across India through engagement in two national
research missions, namely the National Programme on
Smart Materials (NPSM) and the National Programme
on Micro and Smart Systems (NPMASS). Alongside,
Prof MS Bobji has explored nanomechanics for over two
decades now with novel experimentation in Transmission
Electron Microscopy (TEM).
Microsensors: compliant mechanical amplifiers to improve
78 | ME research and education the sensitivity and bandwidth of in-plane capacitive
microaccelerometers
Profs Ananthasuresh, CS Jog and Rudra Pratap also led a multi-investigator project
to develop a MEMS software suite for multiphysics simulation. Micromachined
pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, Capacitive Micromachined
Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs), force sensors, xy-stages, RF switches, miniature
grippers, micro-speakers, etc., were developed, tested and calibrated as part of this
initiative. Some of these have been commercialised (e.g., pressure sensor, force
sensor), while others are in the translation phase. Recently, new faculty like Prof
Basu, Prof Kumar, and Dr Susmita Dash have shown keen interest in research on
fluids and heat transfer aspects at small length scales.

More recently, Drs Navaneetha K Ravichandran and Debashish Das added to the Faculty
work on micro and nanoscale devices. While Krishnan’s group investigates heat • Dr Susmita Dash
transfer in micro and nanoscale devices using computational and experimental
methods, Das’ group works on understanding and harnessing multi-length scale
• Prof Aloke Kumar
and multi-physics phenomena for applications in bioengineering, sensors and • Prof Saptarshi Basu
actuators, energy, functional devices, etc. • Prof MS Bobji
• Prof CS Jog
• Prof GK Ananthasuresh
• Dr Navaneetha K
Ravichandran
• Dr Debashish Das
• Prof Namrata Gundiah

Present areas of research | 79

 2.1.8 | Robotics and autonomous systems

Research Areas
• Flexible robots
• Multi-fingered hands
• Automated sun-tracking
devices
• Hyper-redundant and
snake robots
Research in robotics began in the department with Prof
• Motor learning and the Ashitava Ghosal’s group in the late 1980s. It continues to
role of variability flourish today with focus on both fundamental and applied
• Mobile and walking robots aspects of kinematics, dynamics, control and motion planning
• Pipe-crawling robot by development, implementation and validation of theories and
algorithms associated. Research and development activities in
• Haptic robotics this area have been funded by various government agencies
• Microrobotics and private companies in India and abroad. A large number of
students have been trained in this area at doctoral and master’s
levels. Prof Ghosal’s research topics of past and present include
multi-fingered hands, wheeled and walking robots, hyper-
redundant snake robots, and nonlinear control. Recently, he
has collaborated with Prof Aditya Murthy’s group at the Centre
for Neuroscience, IISc, on motor learning and coordination.

80
80 || ME research and education
Measurement systems: Direct measurement of Stewart platform based 6-axis force-torque sensor Robots for endoscopy
3D forces in AFM MMT 04

Present areas of research | 81

 Stoch: Robot developed in Robert Bosch Centre of Cyber Drone attitude tracking gimballed testbed
Physical System at IISc

82 | ME research and education

Two other groups in the department also have distinctive engagement in this
field. Prof Ananthasuresh’s group has developed a pipe-crawling robot, a haptic
aid for cutting tissue, and a commercialised endoscopy simulator with haptics
and graphics. Furthermore, on the basis of his work on SU-8 microrobots used
in cell mechanics studies, he is involved in autonomous microrobotics with other
colleagues in IISc. Recently, Prof Ramsharan Rangarajan has started to investigate
flexible robots wherein slender beams are used for manipulation tasks. He is also
interested in employing deep learning to solve complex problems in path planning.

Faculty
• Prof GK Ananthasuresh
• Prof Ashitava Ghosal
• Prof Ramsharan Rangarajan
• Dr Jishnu Keshavan
• Prof GR Jayanth

Present areas of research | 83

 2.1.9 | Vibration, acoustics and control

Research Areas
• Linear and non-
linear sound-structure
interactions
• Structural acoustics of
perforated panels
• Sonic boom
• Probing systems for
nanoscale imaging,
characterization and
manipulation Prof ML Munjal initiated research in vibrations and acoustics in the department
• Measurement and control almost fifty years ago. The objective was to design industrial products for quietness,
of precision motion with a strong focus on automotive mufflers. The Ducts and Mufflers Laboratory
• Nonlinear dynamics and carried out computational and experimental research in the department, leading
control theory Design to a commercial software that predicts the performance of industrial automotive
mufflers. In order to popularise technical acoustics for education and research,
• Microelectromechanical Prof Munjal carried out industrial consultations and government projects,
(MEMS) devices organised numerous workshops across the country, and offered continuing-
education programs for college teachers. He was involved at the highest levels of
government policymaking to bring forth noise-control norms across the country.
84
84 || ME research and education
 Nonlinear structural-acoustic waveguides

A magnetic microparticle being trapped in three dimensions and

manipulated by employing parametric excitation

A harmonic Atomic Force Microscope probe, with its second natural frequency being the
second harmonic of its fundamental natural frequency

Present areas of research | 85

 An atomic force microscope (AFM) system integrated with a diamagnetically levitated stage for
performing automated tip-exchange of the AFM probe

86 | ME research and education

It was only natural for him to register his vast expertise in a comprehensive book
titled ‘Acoustics of Ducts and Mufflers.’ In 1999, he was joined by Prof Venkata
R Sonti, who had a background in structural acoustics. Prof Sonti and his group
conduct analytical/semi-analytical studies on well-posed sound-structure
interaction problems. Initially starting with linear problems, Prof Sonti has
broadened his interests to include nonlinear structural acoustic systems. More
recently, there has been an energy initiative, wherein a part of the objective is to
understand the rotor dynamics of high-speed shafts (~ 70,000 rpm). Subsequent
to these studies, research is expected to extend to the fluid-structure interaction
domain.

Research activities in control in the department have been marshalled by Prof

Faculty
Ashitava Ghosal for close to three decades now, aligned with his long standing • Prof Ashitava Ghosal
interest in the field of robotics. The scope of control research was expanded to new • Prof Ramsharan
regimes in 2018 when Prof GR Jayanth joined the Department as an Associate Rangarajan
Faculty. Prof Jayanth works on precision motion control, with applications in • Prof Venkata R Sonti
metrology and robotics, at the micrometre and nanometre length scales. Towards
this end, his group is investigating the development of new measurement techniques, • Dr Jishnu Keshavan
probes, actuation techniques, and advanced control. The latest addition to the • Prof GR Jayanth
group is Dr Jishnu Keshavan, whose research interests include autonomous aerial
and ground systems, non-linear estimation and control theory, data-driven and
learning based control, robust control systems design and vision-based navigation.

Present areas of research | 87

 Faculty research
PROF ASHITAVA GHOSAL PROF B GURUMOORTHY
Prof Ghosal’s group has been modelling and Prof Gurumoorthy leads the CAD
analysing multi-fingered hands as parallel laboratory, which addresses problems
robots, and developing biomedical devices related not just with representing
for minimally invasive surgeries product models, but also reasoning with
them.

PROF ALOKE KUMAR MR C DHARUMAN

Prof Kumar’s group works on the behaviour Mr Dharuman’s lab is currently
of soft matter, trying to understand non- working on using heat transfer and fluid
Newtonian fluids, soft robots, microfluidics, mechanics principles to design and
biocementation and its applications. optimise polyhouses for agricultural
purposes.

DR BALACHANDRA SURI PROF CS JOG

Prof Suri’s lab works on nonlinear dynamics, Prof Jog’s research group is involved in
fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic stability, and the development of new finite element
hydrodynamic quantum analogs. strategies for solving multi-physics
problems.

88 | ME research and education

DR DEBASHISH DAS PROF GR JAYANTH
Dr Das’ group investigates the fundamental Prof Jayanth’s group measures
properties of materials at micro and and controls motion and forces at
nanoscale length for applications in micrometre and nanometre length
bioengineering, sensors and actuators, scales for applications in imaging and
energy, etc. manipulation.

PROF DIBAKAR SEN DR GSVL NARASIMHAM

Prof Sen’s group conducts research aimed Dr Narasimham leads the R&AC lab,
at understanding shape, motion and which works on flow and heat transfer
their interaction using the knowledge of problems in low, medium and high
geometry, topology and kinematics. temperature systems.

PROF GK ANANTHASURESH PROF GAURAV TOMAR

Prof Ananthasuresh leads the M2D2 Prof Tomar’s group investigates various
lab, which explores designing elastically fluid flow phenomena involving
deformable bodies to realise desired multiscale systems. The lab’s major
motions in multi-disciplinary settings. focus involves the simulations of two-
phase flows.

Present areas of research | 89

 DR HIMABINDU M DR KOUSHIK VISWANATHAN
Dr Himabindu’s lab explores advanced Dr Viswanathan’s group addresses
ignition and combustion concepts using the technological challenges in
alternative and biofuels to extend the manufacturing: from basic science to
limits of lean operation and understand engineering implementation, and from
the performance of small engines. consumer goods to next-gen space travel.

PROF JAYWANT H ARAKERI PROF MS BOBJI

Prof Arakeri’s group applies experimental Prof Bobji leads the force microscopy
and computational methods to solve fluid lab, which specialises in measuring
mechanics problems. small forces, ranging from millinewtons
to nanonewtons.

DR JISHNU KESHAVAN PROF NAMRATA GUNDIAH

Dr Keshavan’s lab aims to develop novel Prof Gundiah’s biomechanics
bio-inspired sensing and learning-based laboratory works on the development
control paradigms to realise autonomous and application of mechanics to study
robotic systems that work well in dynamic biological materials.
and unstructured terrain.

90 | ME research and education

DR NAVANEETHA K RAVICHANDRAN PROF RATNESH K SHUKLA
Dr Ravichandran’s group works at the Prof Shukla’s Direct numerical simulations
intersection of thermal sciences, energy help to determine optimal surface
sciences and applied physics. The group actuation based flow control strategies to
investigates the thermal and electronic minimise net power consumption while
properties of electrical insulators, effectively reducing hydrodynamic loads.
semiconductors and metals.

PROF PRADIP DUTTA PROF R NARASIMHAN

Prof Dutta’s heat transfer lab aims to solve Prof Narasimhan’s group works on
thermal and cooling challenges in various understanding crack tip fields for
applications through fundamental research different lattice orientations and
and innovation. fracture configurations, guiding the
choice of texture and microstructure
in polycrystalline alloys for improved
fracture resistance.

PROF PRAMOD KUMAR PROF RAGHURAMAN N GOVARDHAN

Prof Kumar’s lab specialises in research Prof Govardhan’s flow physics lab
and development of green technologies explores a range of fluid mechanical
involving natural refrigerants, hydrocarbon phenomena with a focus on fluid
mixtures, and trans-critical co2 for cooling structure interaction problems.
applications along with supercritical co2
based Brayton power cycles.

Present areas of research | 91

 PROF RAMSHARAN RANGARAJAN PROF SAPTARSHI BASU
Prof Rangarajan’s group works on Prof Basu’s lab explores transport
understanding the influence of geometry processes in multiphase systems at
in the mechanics of elastic structures. different spatio-temporal scales with
applications ranging from gas turbine
combustion to surface patterning.

DR R THIRUMALESWARA NAIK DR SUSMITA DASH

Dr Naik’s lab studies the performance, Dr Dash’s microscale transport lab focuses
emission and combustion characteristics on developing strategies to enhance
of various engines using conventional thermal and fluid transport performance
fuels, alternate biofuels, combustion using micro- and nano-textured surfaces
diagnostics and other engine-related with specific wettability.
phenomena.

PROF RV RAVIKRISHNA PROF SATISH V KAILAS

Prof Ravikrishna’s group works on the Prof Kailas’ group addresses several topics
fundamental aspects of combustion and in the fields of tribology and friction stir
spray processes and their application in welding/processing.
internal combustion engines, gas turbines
and industrial burners, using laser-based
diagnostic techniques.

92 | ME research and education

 EMERITUS FACULTY
PROF VENKATA R SONTI
The structural acoustics group develops PROF ML MUNJAL
closed form solutions to well-posed Prof Munjal works in the areas of muffler
problems in the area of soundstructure acoustics, industrial and automotive
interaction. noise control, and acoustics of ducts and
mufflers.

SHORT-TERM/VISITING FACULTY
PROF AMRIT AMBIRAJAN PROF S SESHAN
Research Professor working in the area Prof Seshan works in the area of Advanced
of Thermal management, Two-phase Manufacturing Processes, Science of
heat transport devices, Thermal property Metal Casting – Alloy Development, Metal
measurements, Radiation heat transfer and Matrix Composites, Non-conventional
Thermo-acoustic devices machining techniques.

PROF ANDY L RUINA PROF KRY SIMHA

Satish Dhawan loE Visiting Chair Professor Prof Simha investigates the application of
at IISc and ‘John F. Carr’ Professor of fundamental mechanics from contact and
Mechanical Engineering at Cornell impact to failure and fracture in disks,
University. Research interests: rigid-object plates, shells, tubes, rings, cylinders and
dynamics, robotics, biomechanics honeycombs.

Present areas of research | 93

94 | ME research and education
 2.2 | Reading list
Books by the ME department faculty
Books, like beacons, light up the path for students to grasp
fundamentals which are essential to comprehend papers
published by experts in research journals. The ME department
has contributed to Indian technical education over the years,
through texts and monographs for undergraduate students, and
MS/PhD research scholars. Along with other edited collections
and proceedings, the ME department faculty have produced well
over one hundred textbooks. The titles mentioned in this book are
a small sample of the various areas that the faculty have taught
in the department. Books authored by Profs P Srinivasan, LS
Srinath, ML Munjal, J Srinivasan, KRY Simha, CS Jog, A Ghosal,
GK Ananthasuresh, Rudra Pratap and Satish V Kailas provide a
glimpse into a diverse range of subjects that highlight the universal
scope of mechanical engineering activities. The subjects
run through the gamut of topics such as
thermodynamics, materials engineering and manufacturing,
solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, fracture mechanics, acoustics,
radiations, vibration, dynamics, optimization, tribology,
MEMS, and robotics.

Reading List | 95
96 | ME research and education
 2.3 | Staying on course
ME curriculum over the years
The ME department’s curriculum has always been The emphasis on turbomachines or foundry
designed to set students up to become ambitious engineering in the past, to nanoengineering
engineers and researchers by trusting their capability and computer simulations in recent years, stand
to mature from undergraduates to independent testament to this change. Methods of teaching
thinkers. A cursory inspection of the department and learning continue to evolve, thanks to
curriculum over the last 75 years highlights the lasting technological advances and the dynamic stature
nature of fundamental principles in Mechanical of the mechanical engineers of today. However,
Engineering, the evolution of new ones, and the the emphasis on hands-on learning through
interdisciplinary nature of modern engineering. projects, development of breadth through a broad
Equally significant, curriculum revisions have been spectrum of electives, and a healthy faculty-
precursors of the new directions in the development student ratio is a legacy that endures.
of engineering in the country. “An indigenous
industry, and its healthy growth and independent
technical progress cannot be ensured unless the
technical personnel is being trained and supplied
with the knowledge and experience for those duties.”

Staying on Course || 97
97
 Charting a new course: (Far
Left): A proposal, approved and
signed off by Prof Satish Dhawan,
where he says “I agree - But I
should like the faculty to discuss
whether such new courses should
be routed through the Board of
Studies or taken up direct”

Focus of study: The ME

curriculum in 1957 signed by
Visiting Professor CH Kent

98
98 || ME research and education
 A suggested course in PE for Electrical Engineers

(Top): A picture of an ICE classroom, 1953;

(Bottom): Students of the ME department, 2020

Staying on Course || 99
100 | People of ME
 3 | People of ME
The ME department at IISc comprises 29 faculty members, with
15 full Professors, 5 Associate Professors, 1 Chief Research
Scientist and 4 Scientific Officers. The faculty, research staff,
and the students, along with students of the department, pursue
research in a wide range of areas including solid mechanics,
dynamics and control systems, robotics, geometric modeling,
micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), manufacturing and
nanotechnology, tribology, fluid mechanics, thermal sciences
and energy, vibrations and acoustics, and biomechanics. Through
their vision and work, the faculty and students spread across
different times in the history of the department have guided the
evolution of research, to what we see today. The administrative
staff and other employees ensure that the show runs smoothly by
providing the much needed support.

People of ME | 101
 ICE Department
BC Carter 1945-49
Hans A Havemann 1949-59
MRK Rao 1960-67
AV Sreenath 1968-74

Mechanical Division
A Ramachandran 1957-67 Mechanical Engineering Department
MA Thirunarayanan 1968-74
ML Munjal 1991-94
S Seshan 1994-95
VH Arakeri 1996-01
Mechanical Engineering Department SK Biswas 2001-06
JH Arakeri 2006-11
LS Srinath 1974-77 R Narasimhan 2011-15
S Soundranayagam 1977-83 Pradip Dutta 2015-20
K Narayanaswamy 1983-87 GK Ananthasuresh 2020-21
MV Narasimhan 1987-91 Raghuraman N Govardhan 2021-Present

102 | People of ME
3.1 | Department Chairs
Over the years, several faculty of the
department have served as Chairs and led
the department forward, bearing in mind
the needs of the times. The following is
the complete list of Chairs of the ME
department at IISc, including the erstwhile
ICE department and Mechanical division of
the erstwhile PE department, from 1945 to
now.

Department Chairs | 103

 3.2 | Women of ME
Mechanical engineering has traditionally been a male- She was also the first doctoral student of Prof Biswas to work on the
dominated discipline worldwide, and the department at erosion of single crystals and wear of Al-Si alloys. Dr Pramila describes
IISc has been no different. After her initial appointment as her former supervisor as a taskmaster. “I managed to complete my
Junior Technical Assistant, Dr Prabha Venkatesh became PhD in time because of his constant supervision, monitoring, and
a Scientific Assistant in 1976. Throughout her stay in the pressure.” She recalls how Prof Biswas always encouraged his students
Institute, she had been “associated with the instrumentation to work hard and helped them reach their potential.
section of the ICE and the ME departments.” and was
involved in the “instruments maintenance and servicing; Dr Pramila worked in the Institute for about 10 years after earning her
research; development of new instruments and improving doctorate — first as a Senior Scientific Officer in the Department of
the performance of existing instruments and assistance in Metallurgical Engineering, and next as an Assistant Professor in the
teaching.” Dr Prabha’s thesis on Laser Doppler Anemometry ME department. She then left the Institute to join her husband, who
(LDA) under the guidance of Prof CR Prasad “involves had a PhD from the Inorganic and Physical Chemistry department
measurement of radiation scattered by micron sized particles at IISc, at a private material testing lab that he had established in
(either naturally present or artificially seeded into the flow) 1980. The lab catered to the growing industrial demand for the
that follow the flow faithfully, when they are illuminated characterization of material properties. After joining the lab, she fine-
by a laser beam.” tuned the operation and obtained the NABL accreditation to the lab,
all of which, in her words, she owes to training and exposure in IISc.
Dr Pramila Bai, who earned her PhD from the department
a few years later in 1985, recalls that “the number of female Prof Sangeeta Kohli, Professor at the Department of Mechanical
engineering students on campus was [still] less than 10.” Engineering at IIT Delhi, was also the only woman research scholar in
the ME department during her stay at IISc. Prof Sangeeta, who earned
her doctoral degree in January, 1993, echoes Dr Pramila’s sentiments
and recalls the mentorship she received from her advisers, Profs J
Srinivasan and HS Mukunda.

104 | People of ME
 Encouraging mentorship: Prof Sangeeta Kohli with
Prof J Srinivasan

Women power: Standing (L to R): Ms Joita Chakraborty, Ms Subhashree Mandal, Ms Deeksha

“Both my supervisors encouraged me to take up Porwal, Ms Rashmi Dixit, Ms Omshree Mahapatra, Ms Dhanashri Tejpal Desai and Ms Deepika
experimental as well as simulation work for my PhD. They Gupta; Sitting (L to R): Ms Richie Garg, Prof Namrata Gundiah, Dr Pramila Bai, Dr Susmita
gave me a lot of freedom.” Reminiscing her experiences Dash, Dr Himabindu M and Ms Manila Reddy Madhuri
with the contemporaries at the department, Prof Sangeeta
says, “The bonhomie between all the research scholars is Dr Himabindu, who joined the department in 2007, is presently a Senior Scientific
something one cannot forget. The computer lab was newly Officer and works on ICE combustion and develops alternative fuels. Prof Namrata,
established, and the senior research scholars were given the who joined shortly after and is now a full Professor, works on tissue biomechanics
responsibility of managing it. That was a unique experience and cell mechanobiology.
of feeling empowered as students.” Dr Susmita joined the department in 2018 as an Assistant Professor and works
primarily in thermal management and interfacial science. The department also
The representation of women in mechanical engineering at
includes women students and postdoctoral researchers who work in research areas
the Institute has some way to go, although the department
spanning energy storage, manufacturing, biomechanics and applied mechanics.
has more women researchers now than in its early years.
Women of ME | 105
3.3 | Past and present faculty

Major BC Carter MRK Rao MS Thacker BN Narayana Iyengar

1945 - 1949 1946-1967 1947-1955 1947-1974
Professor Professor Director of IISc Professor

AV Sreenath HA Havemann P Srinivasan CH Kent

1948-1977 1949-1957 1949-1981 1954/55 - 1957
Professor Professor Professor Visiting Professor

S Nageswara Rao K Narayana Swamy MR Raghavan MA Thirunarayanan

1950s- 1950-1986 1951-1988 1951-1986
Professor Professor Professor Professor

106 | People of ME
 A Ramachandran KTS Iyengar BK Subbarao V Kuppu Rao
1950-1967 1951-1990 1953-1985 1954-
Professor Professor Assistant Professor Assistant Professor

RG Narayana Murthy NN Narayana Rao MR Seshadri N Srinivasa Murthy

1954- 1954- 1955-1992 1956-1988
Professor Professor Professor Associate Professor

P Venkata Rao Gurudas Hazra K Krishna Prasad KS Sreenivasamurthy

1957- 1957- 1958- 1959-1997
Associate Professor Lecturer Professor Professor
Past and present faculty | 107
 S Narayan Das CR Prasad BC Dutta V Easwaran
1960s- 1960s- 1960s- 1960s-
Scientific Officer Assistant Professor Professor Assistant Professor

Mandyam N Srinivasan CL Sharma S Rama Murthy J Gururaja

1960-2000 1960s- 1960s- 1961-1978
Professor Principal Research Scientist Assistant Professor Associate Professor

VTVS Ramachandra Rao SS Tripathi K Srinagesh BG Nair

1961-1966 1961-1966 1962-1970 1962-1997
Assistant Professor Lecturer Assistant Professor Principal Research Scientist
108 | People of ME
R Narasimhamurthy Malur N Srinivasan PV Sudhindra S Venkatesh
1964-1985 1965-1988 1965-1968 1965-1976
Professor Professor Lecturer Assistant Professor

MV Narasimhan CV Yogananda S Seshan G Ramachandra Prasad

1965-1994 1965-1972 1966-2002 1966-1968
Professor Assistant Professor Professor Lecturer

TS Mruthyunjaya Jeevana Shankar K Aprameyan R Ganesh

1966-2003 1967-2000 1967-1967 1967-1969
Professor Assistant Professor Lecturer Lecturer
Past and present faculty | 109
 R Hariharan HR Nagendra N Raman ML Munjal
1960s- 1968-1975 1968-2003 1968-2010
Principal Research Scientist Assistant Professor Principal Research Scientist Professor

A Suryanarayanan NS Mahadevan VA Bapat Prabha Venkatesh

1969-2006 1970-1971 1970-1980 1970-1987
Principal Research Scientist Lecturer Lecturer Senior Scientific Officer

Prithvi Raj Arora S Soudaranayagam DL Prasanna Rao PK Rohatgi

1970-1998 1971-1990 1971-1983 1972-1977
Principal Research Scientist Professor Assistant Professor Professor
110 | People of ME
 LS Srinath JS Ansari SK Biswas AG Marathe
1972-1984 1973-1978 1976-2010 1977-1991
Professor Assistant Professor Professor Assistant Professor

VH Arakeri Udipi Shrinivasa K Srinivasan J Srinivasan

1977-2011 1982-2012 1982-2005 1982-2013
Professor Professor Professor Profesor

BN Pramila Bai MV Krishnamurthy C Dharuman GSVL Narasimham

1986-1995 1986-2003 1986- Present 1987- Present
Assistant Professor Professor Senior Scientific Officer Chief Research Scientist

Past and present faculty | 111

 KRY Simha Jaywant H Arakeri Ashitava Ghosal B Gurumoorthy
1988-2020 1988-Present 1988-Present 1988-Present
Professor Professor Professor Professor

R Narasimhan Uday Shirahatti Rudra Pratap Pradip Dutta

1991-Present 1994-1995 1996-Present 1996-Present
Professor Assistant Professor Professor Professor

CS Jog Satish V Kailas Dibakar Sen Venkata R Sonti

1997-Present 1997-Present 1998-Present 1999-Present
Professor Professor Professor Professor
112 | People of ME
 RV Ravikrishna Anindya Chatterjee Raghuraman N Govardhan MS Bobji
1999-Present 2000-2009 2003-Present 2003-Present
Professor Associate Professor Professor Professor

GK Ananthasuresh Himabindu M Namrata Gundiah R Thirumaleswara Naik

2004-Present 2007-Present 2008-Present 2008-Present
Professor Scientific Officer Gr.II Professor Scientific Officer Gr.II

Ratnesh K Shukla Gaurav Tomar Saptarshi Basu GR Jayanth

2009-Present 2010-Present 2010-Present 2010- Present
Professor Associate Professor Professor Associate Professor
Past and present faculty | 113
 Pramod Kumar Vinod Srinivasan Ramsharan Rangarajan Aloke Kumar
2011-Present 2013-2015 2015-Present 2017-Present
Associate Professor Assistant Professor Associate Professor Associate Professor

Susmita Dash Koushik Viswanathan Navaneetha K Ravichandran Jishnu Keshavan

2018-Present 2018-Present 2020-Present 2020-Present
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Assistant Professor

Balachandra Suri Amrit Ambirajan Debashish Das Andy L Ruina

2021- Present 2021- Present 2022 - Present 2022-Present
Assistant Professor Research Professor Assistant Professor Visiting Professor (Cornell University)
114 | People of ME
 3.4 | Staff pictures

Dr Alok Behera Ms Mangala R Ms FS Banu Mr Raja K Ms Chinnamma

Mr KG Haridasan Mr G Babu Mr Chandran Mr Sampath P Mr A Kareem

Staff pictures | 115

116 |
 4 | Pictures and memories
For the ME faculty and students who have The Cricket team even bagged the cup at the
passed through the gates of IISc over the last recent intra-Institute sports meet, Spectrum.
few decades, the department, situated as it is Public outreach events like the ‘Open Day’ have
in such verdant surroundings, has always been also helped these friendships grow, as students
at the centre of long-standing friendships and of the department come together to organise
joyous camaraderie. and conduct these events.

The warmth is evident in the ME department Over the years, the department has hosted and
even to this day. On any afternoon, you can see trained faculty from other engineering colleges
a group of faculty taking a walk during their through their doctoral programs, defense
coffee break, sharing thoughts on work and life. personnel, research engineers from ISRO,
This shared experience — a daily ritual — lends an DRDO, among others.
additional sliver of uniqueness to the department
in the middle of the regular academic life at the
Institute. Many of the alumni have fond recollections of
their stay in the department, the activities they
This bonding over coffee or tea is further have participated in, and the life on campus.
nurtured even as faculty and students have These recollections and reminiscences from
enthusiastically participated, and continue to do the alumni speak to us across time and across
so, in various sporting events: Volleyball, Kho- boundaries of a warm and nurturing campus.
Kho, Cricket etc.

Pictures and Memories| 117

(Top): Prof S Seshan addressing the National Seminar (Top): Prof P Balaram addressing the IISc Centenary (Top, L to R): Profs GK Ananthasuresh, Sanjay K
on Developments in Moulding and Core Making, 1984; International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Biswas, Rudra Pratap and Venkata Sonti at the IISc
(Bottom): Profs G Padmanaban (left) and S Seshan at Engineering, 2008; (Bottom): Prof A Ramachandran Centenary Conference, 2008; (Bottom, L to R): Profs
the Golden Jubilee, 1995 lighting the lamp at (the Alumni Meet 2008) as Profs Jaywant Arakeri, Satish V Kailas, MV Narasimhan at
P Balaram, (need to check the name), and Jaywant the ME department Alumni Meet, 2008
Arakeri look on

118 | Pictures and Memories

Attending conferences and catching up

(Top-left, L to R): Prof ML Munjal, Mrs Somavathi,

Profs A Ramachandran, Vijay Arakeri, Rudra
Pratap, Satish V Kailas, Mr PN Sunderrajan, Mr
R Hariharan, (Seated): Prof MV Narasimhan, at
the AR auditorium inauguration in 2013; (Top-
right): Standing (L to R): Profs Vijay Arakeri,
Satish V Kailas, Udipi Shrinivasa, Jaywant
Arakeri, Ashitava Ghosal. Sitting (L to R) Profs
Rudra Pratap, MV Narasimhan. Sitting (Behind):
Prof A Ramachandran; (Bottom-left):(R to L)
Profs N Balakrishnan with S Seshan (centre) with
a friend having a laugh at the AR auditorium
inauguration, 2013

Pictures and Memories | 119

 In good cheer: (Top row): (L to R): Prof
KRY Simha (centre) with the alumni in 2008;
Chatting over chai: (L to R) Profs. MS
Bobji, Anindya Chatterjee, with a department
alumnus in 2008; Listening on: The attendees
at the ME Department’s alumni meet, 2015;
(Bottom): Prof B Gurumoorthy (centre) with
alumni

120 | Pictures and Memories

 The Alumni meets over the years

Group picture: (Left): From the alumni meet, 2017; Bidding adieu: (Right): A picture from the batch of 2015’s farewell

I was in IISc from 1960 to 1964, when the ME department The students of the Department had such a cordial relationship with the
used to be Power Engineering. We were a small group of faculty members that we could stop by and talk to them with ease. I distinctly
students, with five in the research group and about eight remember the New Year get-together on the terrace of the old building
in the Master’s program. My thesis adviser was Prof Arcot organised by students in which all the faculty members participated, with Prof
Ramachandran, who was extremely helpful in finishing my MV Narasimhan, the Chairman of the Department, especially encouraging
thesis at the last moment so that I could travel the next day. all of us.
- Mr S Kasturi, MSc (1964) - Prof Sangeeta Kohli,
PhD (1993), Professor at IIT Delhi

Pictures and Memories | 121

 ‘Open Day’ magic

Showrunners: ME faculty and students who participated in Open Day, 2017

122 | Pictures and Memories
 It is a privilege to be in IISc, even for a short period. I
remember waking up to the birds and looking up at the sky
from the window in N-72 (where I stayed as a student) every
morning and feeling blessed. There is much to learn even by
observing the faculty and senior students; not just [to learn]
how to perform research but also how to conduct oneself
rationally and professionally.

- Dr Bhallamudi Ravi,
ME (1988); PhD (1992), Professor at IIT Bombay

I was very excited and thrilled to secure admission to

the institute. I saw an excellent ambiance in the campus
and hostel zone, a calm and sober climate, a beautiful
administrative building, and a tall chairman (Prof S
Soundaranayagam) sitting in a tall chamber.

- Dr N Ramesh Babu
ME (1980)
Professor at IIT Madras

As students, we worked through the weekdays. On Sundays,

we had lunch outside, went for a movie in Brigade Road, or a
music program in Malleshwaram.

- Prof Udipi Shrinivasa

Women power: (Top): Members of the faculty and staff from the ME department
at Open Day, 2017; The showrunners: (Bottom): ME faculty and students pose in
front of the ME department, 2018
Pictures and Memories | 123
 Open Days taught me many things — from simple
explanations to children to the in-depth understanding
of any demonstration. Hidden physics behind simple
phenomena and coming up with a more straightforward
demonstration takes a lot of thinking, at least when some
applications are connected to them.
- Dr Navneet Kumar
PhD (2017), Assistant Professor at IIT Jammu

Campus recruitment was another great event. The

Mechanical Engineering office would help us set up
interviews. The big industries used to come to IISc first to
take the cream away. We could choose 3 firms for being
interviewed and once an offer was made the student
was not entitled to attend any more interviews. All the
students in our batch had received their job offer months
You have our attention: Children and other visitors listening attentively to
before they graduated. Such was the popularity of the
a student at Open Day, 2018
Mechanical Engineering Department.

- Mr PR Kishen, ME (1981)

It was very homely, and I believe it still is. I felt very

tentative on my first day and the last day arrived too
soon. I wanted to live this life forever.

- Dr Subrata Chakrabarti
ME (2011)
Scientist at ISRO Trivandrum

124 | Pictures and Memories

Smiles and cheers to welcome all: (Top): ME students In motion: (Top): An international ME student demonstrating
ready for Open Day 2017; Ready for take-off: (Bottom): turbulence to college students and school children; Starting
ME students displaying a model rocket in front of school young: (Bottom): School children trying their hand in
children and college students; experimenting on Open Day, 2017

Pictures and Memories | 125

 Children, our future: Piquing the interest of school children who are shepherded Coming together: The current Chair of the ME department, Prof Raghuraman
by enthusiastic teachers through the institute grounds on Open Day N Govardhan (second from left), interacting with a college student

I loved my morning commute to the ME building. Quiet roads, animal The ME department was scattered in a few different locations, starting
sounds, cool — at least relatively cool — weather. My end-of-day commute, with the IC Engines building towards Malleswaram 18th Cross, then the
though warmer, still had its exciting moments. The fruit bats resting in the main department next to the Electrical department, the Fluid Mechanics
trees sometimes would take flight simultaneously as I returned to the guest Lab, and the Mechanical Engineering workshop or Foundry near the
house. At first, it was a bit disconcerting until I realised they had little Biochemistry department.
interest in me!
- Mr DD Sharma (1989)
- Prof Ron Lumia Head of Enterprise GDI Engineering at Splunk
Visiting Professor from the University of New Mexico (2008 - 09)

126 | Pictures and Memories

Four-legged machine: An ME student demonstrating a robotic dog on Open Day, 2017 Sands of time: Chladni patterns on a vibrating plate

Although this system [of using energy from exhaust to AC onboard ships, Coming from the ship helped since a ship is an amalgamation of all
which I worked on as my project in the Department] is widely used in the fields of major fields of mechanical engineering. Background practical
western world and merchant navy ships, it was my long-term personal goal knowledge helped a lot while taking theory classes at IISc. Additionally,
to implement it directly onboard the Indian Navy ships. The work is being the professors were kind enough to help in the completion of the course.
undertaken by the Officer in research and policy level.
- Cdr Himanshu Raj
- Cdr Karthik Bharadwaj

Pictures and Memories | 127

 ME Cricket teams: (L to R): Batch of 2001-2003; Students and
faculty after a match; Prof Satish Kailas and ME students after
a match in 2015; On the field: Faculty and students playing
cricket, 2015

Laws of Thermodynamics applied to PhD

students

• To get the work done from as PhD student, the

supervisor turns the heat on.
• Sometimes students will not work even if the heat is
on. This leads to entropy generation.

- Prof K Srinivasan

128 | Pictures and Memories

 Scenes from Spectrum, 2022
IISc campus allowed me to meet comrades from different
parts of the organisation. IISc labs and the department gave
me cognizance. I learned to ask questions and not accept.

- Dr Sudipta Dutta
PhD (2018), R&D Engineer at WDC Bangalore
Pictures and Memories | 129
 Staff members of the ME department with Prof Vijay Arakeri during his
retirement function (L to R): Ms Fasiha Shaheen Banu, Mr N Chandran, Mr
Raja, Prof Satish V Kailas, Prof Vijay Arikeri, Mr G Babu, Mr Divyarajan
D, Mr R Srinivas, Mr C Ramaswamy

All smiles: Members of the ME department’s staff standing on the steps

of the newly-inaugurated ME building, 1994; Bottom row (L to R): Mr C
Subramani, Mr Kumar, Mr VP Raju, Mr Lakshmikanthaiah, Mr Shivaraya
Shenoy M, Mr Radhakrishnan Nair, Mr Narayanaswamy, Mr Raja, Mr
Srinivas; Top row (L to R): Mr Ramalingam, Mr Govindan, Mr Karimullah,
Mr G Babu, Mr Sampath, Mr Dharuman, Mr Krishna, Mr Yusuf Khan

130 | Pictures and Memories

 The work culture in the department is
so good that I want to implement that
in my time at IIT Roorkee.

- Dr Sudhakar Subudhi, PhD (2009)

Associate Professor at IIT Roorkee

The most beautiful part of our

Department is the entrance! Surrounded
by a lot of beautiful trees and flowers.
It is a peaceful place, and it will give
you the feeling that everything is going
to be okay, and you will complete your
research.

- Dr Yogendra V Kuwar, PhD (2020)

Assistant Professor at NIT Surat

Some of the faculty and staff of the ME department

Pictures and Memories | 131

 The faculty and staff of the ME department, 1995

132 | Pictures and Memories

The scholars of the ME department, 1995

Pictures and Memories | 133

 Catching up after COVID-19 lockdowns

134 | Pictures and Memories

ME@75

Heritage committee: (Left to Right): Vaishali Chandra, Chetan Teki, Avaneesh Athreya V, Anushul Shrivastava, Ashish Kumar,
Deepika Sharma, Prof Yogendra Simha (behind), Prof G K Ananthasuresh, Prof M L Munjal, Prof Koushal Verma, Gautham
Vadlamudi, Vageesh Singh Baghel, Adarsh D, Visakh M G, Gannena K S Raghuram

Pictures and Memories | 135

ME@75 Distinguished Lectures Series
Prof. Dr. Claus-Dieter Ohl Prof. Chris Dames
Cavitation Near Boundaries, in Boundaries, Energy Applications of Thermal Switches
and Due to Boundaries and Diodes
Department for Soft Matter, Institute for Physics, Department Chair and Howard Penn Brown
University of Magdeburg. Professor, Department of Mechanical
November 24, 2021 Engineering, University of California at Berkeley
August 24, 2021

Prof. Hideki Kawakatsu Dr. Murali S. Nair

Atomic Force Microscopy Related Techniques Technology Startup Funding by the US
-application to Tribology, Colour National Science Foundation
Imaging, and Artificial Reproduction Program Director, United States' National Science
Technology Foundation SBIR/STTR program
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo July 14, 2021
October 1, 2021

Dr. Charles A. Taylor Prof. B. Balachandran

Patient-Specific Modeling of Blood Flow in Data-Driven Nonlinear Dynamics
Arteries - from the Academy to the Minta Martin Professor, Department of Mechanical
Clinic Engineering, University of
Founder, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Maryland.
Heartflow Inc. June 15, 2021
September 8, 2021

136 | Pictures and Memories

Mr. Bhaskar Bhat Prof. Karen E. Willcox
Titan Company: Leveraging Technology in Predictive digital twins and the data-driven
the Fast-Changing World of Lifestyle future of computational science
Retired, Managing Director of Titan Company Ltd. Director of the Oden Institute for Computational
June 9, 2021 Engineering and Sciences, Associate Vice President for
Research, and Professor of Aerospace Engineering and
Engineering Mechanics, University of Texas, Astin
April 7, 2021

Prof. Rajat Mittal Prof. Sarah Bergbreiter

From Beating Hearts to Buzzing Wings: Flow Microsystems-inspired robotics
Physics and Computation at the Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie
Intersection of Mechanics and Bioengineering Mellon University.
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, March 17, 2021
Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of
Engineering.
May 12, 2021

Prof. Rudra Pratap Prof. Dennis M. Kochmann

Reflections on Choices and Risks for Impact Learning from the building blocks of nature
in Academic Life: A Personal Perspective in the design of periodic architected
Professor of Centre for Nano Science and Engineering, materials
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Professor of Mechanics and Materials, Institute for
April 29, 2021 Mechanical Systems, ETH Zurich.
February 17, 2021

Pictures and Memories | 137

 Release of the ME@75 book on 29 June, 2022 at JN Tata Auditorium, IISc

138 | Pictures and Memories

Participants of the ME@75 Conference at JN Tata auditorium

Pictures and Memories | 139

140 | Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, INDIA.