Research

Developing Materials for Extreme Environments

“The Gwalani Research Group specializes in engineering alloys and composites optimized for durability in severe conditions. We design materials that maintain their integral structural characteristics, including robustness and resistance to oxidation while preserving essential functional attributes like electrical conductivity and magnetic properties.“

Mechanistic Understanding of Material Vulnerabilities

 

 

 

“Our approach combines both ex-situ and in-situ methods to observe materials at the mesoscopic to atomic scale in real-world conditions. We focus on dissecting the root causes of defect formation and the mechanisms behind material failure through comprehensive multi-scale characterization. Our expertise lies in devising tailored compositional and processing strategies to advance the development of future-oriented materials.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost-effective Manufacturing Routes 

“Our manufacturing processes are designed for both cost-efficiency and energy savings, focusing on microstructural modification and alloy composition through deformation-based processing techniques. We employ friction-assisted solid phase processing methods to produce non-equilibrium and compositionally graded alloys.”

Nano-Scale Property Assessment

“Our use of precise, site-specific in situ testing methods enables us to evaluate localized properties meticulously. With our nano-mechanical testing facilities, we are equipped to introduce and monitor well-defined defects, allowing for detailed analysis of the material’s response.”

Diverse Testing Modalities “We conduct tensile, compressive, and shear tests under various temperatures and environments. 

Relevant publications:

Bharat Gwalani, Jia Liu, Sten Lambeets, Matthew Olszta, Jonathan Poplawsky, Amit Shyam & Arun Devaraj (2022) Rapid assessment of interfacial stabilization mechanisms of metastable precipitates to accelerate high-temperature Al-alloy development, Materials Research Letters, 10:12, 771-779

Gwalani, Bharat, et al. “Modifying transformation pathways in high entropy alloys or complex concentrated alloys via thermo-mechanical processing.” Acta Materialia 153 (2018): 169-185.

Gwalani, Bharat, Matthew Olszta, Soumya Varma, Lei Li, Ayoub Soulami, Elizabeth Kautz, Siddhartha Pathak et al. “Extreme shear-deformation-induced modification of defect structures and hierarchical microstructure in an Al–Si alloy.” Communications Materials 1, no. 1 (2020): 1-7.

Gwalani, Bharat, Sindhura Gangireddy, Shivakant Shukla, Christopher J. Yannetta, Sheena Grace Valentin, Rajiv S. Mishra, and Rajarshi Banerjee. “Compositionally graded high entropy alloy with a strong front and ductile back.” Materials Today Communications 20 (2019): 100602.

Gwalani, Bharat, Sriswaroop Dasari, Abhishek Sharma, Vishal Soni, Shivakant Shukla, Abhinav Jagetia, Priyanshi Agrawal, Rajiv S. Mishra, and Rajarshi Banerjee. “High density of strong yet deformable intermetallic nanorods leads to an excellent room temperature strength-ductility combination in a high entropy alloy.” Acta Materialia 219 (2021): 117234.