Thrust Areas of Research (Specialist Panels)

Aerodynamics Panel

• Optimization of aerodynamics designs
• Experimental gas flows
• Layering and stabilization of flows
• Shock tubing
• Optical flow diagnostics, Vortex and computational fluid dynamics
• Algorithm development
• Coding for numeracy in gas dynamics

Aerospace Resources Panel

• Institution of awards for Innovative design & projects
• Invited Lectures
• Information Technology for Aerospace Applications
• Rapid Information flow systems
• Organizing Workshops, Seminars, training in aeronautics
• Writing Monographs in aeronautics

Materials & Manufacturing Panel

MATERIALS

• Feedstock Powder making for Additive Manufacturing
  • Nb/C103 powders
  • Ti alloy powders
  • Al 7XXX and 2XXX alloy powders
  • Inconel superalloy powders
• Material Characterization and Mechanical Properties
  • Ultra high temperatures
  • Cryogenic temperature
  • High strain rate loading
  • Static and dynamic loading conditions
  • Multiaxial loading
• Ceramics and Composites
  • SiC based ceramics and composites
  • TiB2 based composites
  • Ceramic cores for aerospace components
  • Ceramic shell making
• Smart Materials
  • Self healing materials
  • Self reporting materials
  • Self repairing materials
  • Meta materials
  • Technical Textiles
  • Damping materials
  • Thermoelectric materials
  • Self cleaning materials
  • Sensors and actuator materials for SHM
• Materials & Design
  • AI/ML based design
  • Computational materials design
  • Process modelling and simulation
  • Integrated computational materials design
  • Materials for quantum computing
  • Cellular materials
  • Protective Materials for CBRN threats
  • Radome materials
  • High density materials
• Development of Mechanical properties database for metals and alloys

MANUFACTURING

• Surface Engineering
  • Corrosion
  • Nitriding or laser nitriding
  • Laser or shot peening of surfaces
  • Catalytic degradation of surfaces
  • Anti
  • icing paint
  • Surface Coatings
  • Oxidation of refractive alloys
• Smart Manufacturing
  • Industry 4.0
  • Digitial twin technology
  • Shop floor automation
  • AI/ML for manufacturing
• Additive Manufacturing
  • AM of Composites
  • AM of SMAs
  • AM of Al alloys
  • AM of high energy materials
• Advanced Manufacturing
  • Hybrid manufacturing
  • Ti
  • Ni based brazing
  • Insitu characterization of defects during welding
  • Hybrid casting
  • Forming of complex shapes
  • Machining of super alloys, hard ceramics, and extreme materials
  • Sustainable manufacturing
  • Processing of high temperature ceramics
  • Noise/Vibration free manufacturing of gear boxes
• Micro and Nano Manufacturing
  • Optical component manufacturing
  • Strain wave gears
  • Precision and bulk preform manufacturing
• Systems and Design Manufacturing
  • Soft robotics
  • Manufacturing of UAV
  • Reliability and Life assessment
  • Aging structures
• Smart and Intelligent structures
  • Small drones and Swarms
  • Polymer based soft robotics
  • Reverse engineering
  • Adaptive morphing
  • Stealth
  • Structural health monitoring
• Metrology and Inspection
  • Large volume metrology
• Developing a Database for Manufacturing

Propulsion Panel

• • Aero Gas Turbine Engines
  • Ramjet Engines
  • Scramjet Engines
  • Variable Cycle Engine
  • Electric / More Electric Engines
  • Distributed propulsion / Blended wing
  • Rocket Propulsion
  • Pulse Detonation Engine
  • Advanced Propulsion Systems for fighter aircrafts, missiles and other aerospace vehicles.
• Specific Research Areas:
  • Conceptual design, performance prediction & simulation of Gas Turbine Engines
  • Aero-thermo-mechanical design of Turbo-machinery & Combustion systems
  • Structural & aerodynamic testing and analysis
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer Analysis
  • Aerofoil Design for turbine Nozzle Guide Vanes
  • High Power Electric motors/Generators
  • Boltless rotor and stator LP Turbine
  • Advanced / Optimum flame holder Afterburner
  • Blockage - Screech Suppression
  • Turbine blade cooling
• Specific Thrust Areas pertinent to Gas Turbine Combustors (GTC) are:
  • Sub Idle Performance Modelling of GT Engine
  • Ignition Modelling in GTCs (ANSYS Fluent + Realistic Geometry)
  • Cooling of GTC Liner with Impingement combined with Effusion (Experimental & CHT Based Analyses using ANSYS Fluent)
  • Theoretical Consideration of Boron Based JP10 Slurry / Gel Fuels Combustion in GTCs using Fundamental Thermo Chemical & Physical aspects
  • CFD/CHT Analysis of Combustor using Boron Based JP10 Slurry / Gel Fuels
• Specific Thrust area pertinent to Gas turbine Compressors:
  • Proposals should be helpful for design methodology of inverse design of airfoils. Capability to create new aerofoil in cascades DCA ,MCA,S-type and C: A data bank of airfoils for transonic Mach numbers, essential for any engine development programme. This data may form the basis and starting point for the design exercise.
  • Active and passive tip clearance control in axial compressor for a gas turbine engine.

Structures Panel

• Smart structures, 3D Composites, Polymer Matrix Composites and Nano Composites
• Thermoplastic Composite Technology
• Digital Twin Technologies
• Application of AI & ML concepts in aerospace structures design, testing and health assessment
• Recycling of Composites
• Damage tolerant design philosophy development for all the critical aerospace systems / components, parts of the engine including hot parts.
• Design of Radome Structure for Airborne Surveillance Antenna to meet Aerodynamic, Structural & Electromagnetic Functional Requirements
• Lightning Testing on Antenna Structure as per RTCA-DO-160
• Bird Strike – Explicit FE & Testing to meet FAR 25 / Equivalent requirements
• Reliability studies on composite structures - statistical techniques.
• Dynamic analysis of the rotor systems to simulate the non-linear vibrations and responses.
• Engine Predictive Health and Life analysis
• Two way transient Fluid Structure Interaction studies. Aeroelastic effects on Highly loaded Fan and Compressor blisks & Aero-thermo-elasticity of Compressor and Turbine blades.
• Impact analysis towards assessment of FOD and DOD damages for life and safety of metal & composite engine components. Hard / sand particle impact on Fan blade and its detrimental effect on the life of the blade. Hailstone impact damage assessment on engine.
• High-fidelity aero-thermal-structural integrated simulations and experimental validation.
• Active/Adaptive Aero elastic surfaces, Aero Servo Elastic analysis
• Hybrid structures for improved durability and damage tolerance
• Onboard Health Monitoring and crack growth measurements
• Structural Design for high shocks
• Fatigue Life of aircraft components: Modeling and Testing
• Hygro-thermal-mechanical fatigue of composite structures and joints
• Aero-acoustic scattering in case of aero structures
• Buckling, post-buckling and collapse of composite stiffened panels (static and dynamic (crushing)) subjected to combined loading.
• Progressive failure analysis of composite structures (multi-scale modeling)
• Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) - correlation of manufacturing defects with reduction in strength and stiffness and prognostics
• Advanced Sensors (FBGs etc) and Technologies for NDE and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)

Systems & Systems Engineering Panel

• Systems study Mechanical, Electrical and structures
  • Failure mode analysis(FMECA/FMEA)
  • Sensors identification & optimal locations and correlation of symptoms
  • Trends, Feature identification and sensor data fusion algorithms for diagnostics and prognostics.
  • Methodology to estimate consumed life and Remaining Useful Life(RUL)
• Test rigs/Model development
  • System/LRU modelling, validation of models with seeding of identified faults
  • LRU test rig development eg bearings ,valves, generators, valves, Gear box
  • Model validation/tuning with test rig data
• Autonomous aircraft operations
  • Algorithm development, sensor development and Multisensor data fusion for autonomous aircraft operations ,terrain following and autonomous air to air refuelling.
  • Reconfiguration algorithms to cater for sensor failure
  • Coordinated flying of multiple aircraft
    • Path following algorithm development
    • Network centric warfare algorithm development
  • Sensor and avoid algorithm development
• Algorithm development for automatic target recognition for aircraft applications
  • Multi band image processing(IR &visual)
  • Image tracking and recognition
  • Multi spectral band image fusion and comparison
  • Neural network for learning
• Algorithm development for target state estimation in dynamic environment using multiple sensors
  • Association & correlation algorithm
  • Tracking and state estimation algorithms
  • Target track formulation and behaviour analysis development
• Algorithm development for 3D audio voice warning applications
  • Implementation of different DSP function to generate direction of a sound for different head positions.

Unmanned Aero Systems Panel

Design of Unmanned Aero Systems such as Solar UAV, Rotary UAV, Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE), HALE, Unmanned bomber etc.
Aerodynamics - UAV Unsteady aerodynamics, low Reynolds number aerodynamics etc.

Flight Dynamics, Guidance, Control and Navigation

• Controlling post stall, controlling challenges of low inertia, high wind gusts etc. High speed automatic take-off and Landing (ATOL), Advanced Vertical Take-off and Landing (AVTOL), Precision Landing
• Swarm operations
• Network centric control to increase autonomy
• Sensors and Data Fusion
• Light weight secure communications, video stability

• Light weight Propulsion, reliable operation and ruggedisation
• Weight efficient stealth structures
• Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) prognostics
• Long life micro-power packs
• Next generation Al-Li alloys