Dr Sujith Kumar is a Postdoctoral Researcher in I-Form based in Dublin City University. His research expertise is in the evaluation of mechanical and functional properties of Nickel Titanium (NiTi) alloys. He completed his PhD in 2020 in the area of small-scale deformation behaviour of NiTi based alloys in the Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, India. His research interests include additive manufacturing, microstructure and mechanical property characterization, and small-scale deformation analysis using nanoindentation.
Research Interests (Lay Summary)
At I-Form, Sujith is conducting research on 3-D printed NiTi systems. His research supports enhanced understanding of microstructural evolution of NiTi components, printed using different process parameters and includes the assessment of mechanical properties in NiTi systems of different size scales. Sujith’s project aims to fabricate NiTi components with desired functional properties by altering the various parameters of 3-D printing. The research will support the safe introduction of 3-D printed NiTi based medical devices.
Technical Summary
The Nitinol or NiTi-based shape memory alloy system is known to display a superior shape recovery compared to other metallic systems. This enhanced shape recovery through functional properties such as super-elasticity and shape-memory effect has aided in deploying Nitinol systems in various applications. These include cardiovascular stents, actuators, and super-elastic tires. The micro-mechanism behind this shape recovery process in Nitinol is governed by factors such as the composition, martensitic phase transformation, crystallographic phases, orientation, thermal characteristics, etc. Due to these influencing factors, it is highly challenging to obtain the desired properties in the NiTi system using 3-D printing. Our research mainly focuses on overcoming the above challenge by investigating the best process route to obtain a 3-D printed NiTi system with required properties. This systematic research study is supported by various advanced characterization techniques. By correlating 3-D printing parameters with micro-mechanism properties of the Nitinol system, we can pave the way for exploring this alloy system for new applications.
Expertise
Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Materials Characterisation, Materials Processing, Materials Structure-Property Analysis, Mechanical Characterisation, Metallurgy, Powder Bed Fusion, Process Optimisation