UK’s Institute of Physics publishes IIT Madras Professor’s digital book on Photoelasticity

UK’s Institute of Physics publishes IIT Madras Professor’s digital book on Photoelasticity

Hummingbird News Desk

CHENNAI, 14 FEB: The U.K.’s Institute of Physics has published a digital book authored by IIT Madras Faculty Prof. K. Ramesh, who is the ‘Mahesh K. Chair Professor’ in the Department of Applied Mechanics. Titled ‘Developments in Photoelasticity – A Renaissance’, the book is based on decades of active research by Prof. K Ramesh and his students at IIT Madras.

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This digital book brings out in one volume, the use of Photoelasticity to understand complex problems such as understanding biological systems through their locomotion, which can help develop flexible robots for disaster management, improve agricultural production by understanding the stresses developed in plant roots, and the role of needle shape in epidural injections, among other applications.

‘Developments in Photoelasticity – A Renaissance’ was released today in a virtual event by Mr. Krishna Mahesh, Managing Director of Sundaram Brake Linings Ltd. and Founder-CEO of Sundaram Medical Devices (P) Ltd, in the presence of Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, and other faculty and staff of the Institute.

Diverse applications of Photoelasticity from many key applications in mechanical sciences as well as neurobiology, plant biology, biomaterials, biomimetics, granular materials, soft matter, glass stress analysis, and rapid prototyping for complex model fabrication are also discussed in this book.

Speaking on the occasion Prof. Rajpal Sirohi, a Padma Shri recipient who is from Alabama A&M University, USA, and the Series Editor of Advances in Optics, Photonics and Optoelectronics highlighted the organisation of the book and said how it will be useful to both students and practising researchers in the field.

Addressing the Book Launch Event, Mr. Krishna Mahesh, Managing Director of Sundaram Brake Linings [SBL] and Founder-CEO of Sundaram Medical Devices (P) Ltd. [SMD], said, “Coming from the Industry, a common refrain was ‘how is this research applicable?’ Prof. K. Ramesh’s book deals with how the research is applicable in the industry. Everyone knows the industry is moving toward digital prototyping and this Book provides valuable inputs in this regard to the field.”

Photoelasticity is an experimental technique to reveal the stress/strain fields in models/structures through fringe patterns, especially in colour, by exploiting the phenomenon of temporary double refraction induced by in-service loading. The book presents an authoritative treatment of transmission photoelasticity, reflection photoelasticity, three-dimensional photoelasticity, photoplasticity and digital Photoelasticity.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “What is really striking about this book is the applications of this research, which range from plant biology to semiconductor packaging. This can be a game changer, when implemented in the field. I am sure many students will take this up as a career and I look forward to many start-ups coming up in this field.”

Sharing the need for such books, Prof. K. Ramesh said, “The engineering colleges across the country need to restart their laboratory on Photoelasticity – in view of the great strides the technique has made in the last two decades and in offering hope for solving emerging problems in diverse fields. Instead of a real laboratory, many could benefit by setting up a virtual polariscope at a fraction of the cost of the actual setup.”

Image: Prof. K Ramesh

Prof. Arun Menon, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, highlighted the potential of the technique with modern developments in rapid prototyping to develop true heterogeneous models of concrete to promote fundamental research in Civil Engineering as well as for the study of metallic sponges. The visual understanding of the stress field through prototype study on granite masonry has indirectly contributed to the restoration of Kedarnath Temple, Uttarakhand that was done by an IIT Madras team led by Prof. Arun Menon.

Tags: #IITMadras #DigitalBook #InstituteOfPhysicsUK #Photoelasticity

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