Dr. Dhiraj K. Mahajan

Dr Dhiraj K. Mahajan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Ropar. He was a post-doctoral researcher at ICAMS (Interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Materials Simulations), Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), which he joined after his Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur in the field of Solid Mechanics. He has a bachelor’s degree in Production Technology from Punjab Technical University and a master’s degree in Advanced Manufacturing Processes from NIT Warangal. At IIT Ropar, he is coordinating a research laboratory named “Ropar Mechanics of Materials Laboratory” that is focused on materials, design, and advanced manufacturing. His immediate focus is on the indigenous development of hydrogen energy technology (including the development of high-pressure hydrogen storage Type IV tanks, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, etc.) toward a zero-emission future for the country. Along with this, he is focusing on medical device development using micromanufacturing processes. He has filed five patents to date and has coordinated more than INR 75 million worth of sponsored and consultancy projects. He has (co)-authored more than 30 refereed journal publications (h-index: 14, 500+ citations; Google Sholar Link: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=GUDzM8MAAAAJ&hl=en), 3 Book Chapters, and 10 refereed conference publications. He is also a winner of several awards from the Hydrogen Association of India.

 

Scientific Interest:

·         Hydrogen storage and Hydrogen based zero-emission solutions

·         Experiment and simulation-assisted development of hydrogen-embrittlement-resistant metals.

·         Experiment and simulation-assisted development of polymers for energy and biomedical applications

·         Micromanufacturing processes

 

Work Experience:

·         Associate Professor at IIT Ropar December 2019-till date

·         Assistant Professor at IIT Ropar from December 2013-December 2019

·         Visiting Faculty at ICAMS, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, May 2014-July  2014

·         Postdoctoral Researcher (Advisor: Prof. Alexander Hartmaier) at ICAMS, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, January 2010-December 2013

Sponsored Projects:

1.      Additive Manufacturing & Machine Learning based Development of Indigenous Hydrogen Fuel Cell Stack, Role: PI, Cost: 74 L, DST

2.      IIT Ropar as National Resource Centre for Manufacturing, Role: PI, Cost: 14 L, MHRD

3.      Biodegradable Polymeric Stents: From Synthesis of Functionalized Raw Material to its Fabrication using Micro-Injection Moulding Process, Role: PI, Cost: 47 L, DST

4.      Development of an Effluent Treatment Plant for Handtool Industry, Role: PI, Cost: 47 L, UAY-DST

5.      Design, development, and demonstration of indigenous hydrogen storage and fuel cell system for mobile and stationary applications of 5 kW capacity, Role: Co-PI, Cost: 400 L (IITRPR-75 L), IMPRINT-MHRD

6.      Study of the Effect of Microstructure on Fatigue Crack Initiation in Nickel under Hydrogen Environment using Coupled Framework of Crystal Plasticity & Hydrogen Transport Model, Role: PI, Cost: 29.1 L, DST-SERB

7.      Grant under the fund for the improvement of S&T infrastructure (FIST), Role: Co-PI, Cost: 2.35 Crore, DST

 

Consultancy Projects:

1.      Design and development of a customized elastomeric balloon for a constant air pressure output bio-medical device, COEO Labs, Bangalore; PI, Completed, 5.5 L

2.      Development of Gas Driven Mini-Turbine for Automotive Applications, Enerstrong Technologies Pvt. Ltd, PI, Ongoing: Sep 2021-June 2022, 4.5 L

3.      Synthesis and validation of germicidal coating for BOPP films, Max Speciality Films Limited (MSFL), Nawanshahar, Punjab; Co-PI, Ongoing, 14.99 L

4.      Design Support for Negative Pressure Ambulance and Isolation Room for Covid19 Patients, Bafna Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., PI, Completed, 2.6 L

5.      Received CSR funding from ANSYS to install negative pressure room in Hospitals of Ropar district under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Ropar, Ansys Softwares Pvt. Ltd., Pune; PI, Ongoing, 8 L

6.      Independent Verification Agency-TEQIP III, NPIU-MHRD-World Bank, PI, Completed, 55.69 L

 

Administrative Roles:

1.      Department Representative for Academic Council for Research & Post Graduate Studies (ACRPGS) from Apr 2020-till date.

2.      Head, Training & Placement Cell, IIT Ropar from Apr’17-Jul’21. Brought several reforms in the functioning of T&P Cell. Played a key role in establishing Career Development & Corporate Relation Centre (CDCRC) at IIT Ropar and starting a B.Tech program with an Additional Internship and Joint Master's Thesis program.

3.      Coordinator, National Resource Centre for Manufacturing at IIT Ropar from Aug'18-Jul'19 to develop a 20-hour MOOC on Manufacturing. This course is floated on the Swayam Platform by GoI and includes extensive inputs from thought leaders from Industry and Academia.

4.       Organizing Team Member for SAE-BAJA 2018 at IIT Ropar, Jan’ 17-Mar’18.

5.       Faculty In-charge, Board of Cultural Activities (BOCA), IIT Ropar, Aug'14 - Jun’15.

6.       Established an online teaching feedback mechanism for IIT Ropar, June'14 - Nov’14.

 

Other Services:

1.      AWaDH Internship Carnival - 2021 Coordinator. Trained 100 students from all over India (online mode) on Agriculture and Water Technologies, May21-August’21 (80+ patent applications submitted by interns based on their 8-week work in this internship carnival)

 

Academic/Professional Award and Recognition: 

1.      Articles on Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles:

      a.      https://tinyurl.com/4uqucoar

      b.      https://tinyurl.com/yrrddfsr

2.      The work done on the Low-Cost Negative Pressure Room during the Covid-I outbreak was appreciated by MHRD minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, in his tweet (@DrRPNishank) on April 4th 2020

       a.      Related News article link

3.      IIT Ropar student team with Dr Dhiraj K. Mahajan as advisor won the second prize in HY Contest-2019 organized by the Hydrogen Association of India for the report titled "Modeling the Hydrogen Refuelling Station for Heavy Duty Bus Applications".

4.      International Travel Support Award for attending the 13th International Conference on the Mechanical Behavior of Materials held at RIMT, Melbourne, Australia, June 2019.

5.      In a conference organized by the Indian Structural Integrity Society (InSIS) and DMRL named Structural Integrity Conference and Exhibition 2018 at Hyderabad from 25th-27th July 2018, two Ph.D. students (Rakesh Kumar and Aman Arora) won the best poster and best presentation awards.

6.     IIT Ropar student team with Dr Dhiraj K. Mahajan as advisor won the Veziroglu Award in HY Contest-2017 organized by the Hydrogen Association of India for the report titled "An Innovative Fuel Cell Application for Rural India: From Concept to Design".

7.     IIT Ropar student team with Dr Dhiraj K. Mahajan as advisor won the second prize in HY Contest-2015 organized by Hydrogen Association of India for the report titled "Hydrogen Refueling Dispensing Station Model".

8.     Best Poster Award at DAE-BRNS Symposium on Multiscale Modeling of Materials and Devices (MMMD-2014) held at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai from October 30-November 2, 2014.

 

Memberships:

1. Member of CII Taskforce on Green Hydrogen 2022-23

2. Member of CII National Committee on Future Mobility & Battery Storage for the year 2021-22 and 2022-23

3. Panel members for revision of IS 16735:2018 `Cylinders for on-Board Storage of Compressed Gaseous Hydrogen and Hydrogen Blends as a Fuel for Automotive Vehicles Specification'

4. Member of TED27 and TED26 Committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards

5. Education and Student Engagement Committee of ASPIRE led by the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT)

6. Executive Member of Indian Structural Integrity Society (InSIS).

7. Member of Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE)

 

Patents: 

1. Methodology to Extract Stress Maps from Electron Backscatter Diffraction Data, Status: Filed, Application No. 202011009920, Country of filing: India

2. Leak Proof Liner-Boss Assembly for Type IV Hydrogen Storage Tanks, Status: Filed, Application No. 202011022281, Country of filing: India

3. System for optimizing air pressure in a compartment and a method thereof, Status: Filed, Application No. 202211011084, Country of filing: India

4. A Lifecycle indicator for personal protective equipment and perishable objects and a method of configuring thereof, Status: Filed, Application No. 202211007861, Country of filing: India

5. An autonomous system for low payload gripper changing mechanism and its method thereof, Status: Filed, Application No. 202211000649, Country of filing: India

Journal Publications:

 

[25] A Husain and D. K. Mahajan Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on DC electrical conductivity and acetone vapour sensing properties of polypyrrole, Carbon Trends, Volume 9, October 2022, 100193 doi:.1016/j.cartre.2022.100193

[24] V. Singh, R. Kumar, Y. Charles, and D. K. Mahajan, Coupled diffusion-mechanics framework for simulating hydrogen assisted deformation and failure behavior of metals, International Journal of Plasticity, August 2022, 103392. doi:10.1016/j.ijplas.2022.103392

[23] N. Singh, G. Vinay, A. SM Ang, D. K. Mahajan, and H. Singh, Cavitation erosion mechanisms of HVOF-sprayed Ni-based cermet coatings in 3.5\% NaCl environment, Surface and Coatings Technology, February 2022, 1-17. doi:10.1007/s11666-021-01267-y

[22] N. Singh, A. Kumar, A. SM Ang, D. K. Mahajan, and H. Singh, Characterization and slurry erosion mechanisms of Nickel-Based cermet coatings on monel K-500, Journal of Thermal Spray Technology, October 2021, 1-17. doi.org/10.1007/s11666-021-01267-y

[21] N. Singh, A. SM Ang, D. K. Mahajan, and H. Singh, Cavitation erosion-resistant nickel-based cermet coatings for monel K-500, Tribology International, July 2021, 159, 106954. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2021.106954

[20] R. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Effect of stable stacking fault energy and crystal orientation on fracture behaviour of thin metallic single crystals. Philosophical Magazine, Apr 2021, 101 (8), 929-963. doi:10.1080/14786435.2021.1873448

[19] A. Arora, R. Kumar, H. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Hydrogen assisted crack initiation in metals under monotonic loading: A new experimental approach, Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, April 2021, 112, 102917. doi:10.1016/j.tafmec.2021.102917

[18] H. Singh, G. Singh, D. K. Mahajan, N. Kaur, and N. Singh, A low-cost device or rapid `color to concentration quantification of cyanide in real samples using paper-based sensing chip. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 322 (2020), 128622, November 2020. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2020.128622

[17] R. Singh, A. Singh, P. K. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Effect of microstructural features on short fatigue crack growth behaviour in SA508 Grade 3 Class 1 low alloy steel, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 185, August 2020, 104136 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2020.104136

[16] A.Arora, H. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Towards the prediction of intergranular fatigue crack initiation in metals due to hydrogen, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 787, 1394882020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2020.139488

[15] R. Singh, V. Singh, A. Arora and D. K. Mahajan, In-situ investigations of hydrogen influenced crack initiation and propagation under tensile and low cycle fatigue loadings in RPV steel, Journal of Nuclear Materials, November 2019, 151912.; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2019.151912

[14] R. Kumar, and D. K. Mahajan, Hydrogen Distribution in Metallic Polycrystals with Deformation. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 135, February 2020, 103776. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmps.2019.103776

[13] R. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, On the transition of fracture toughness in metallic materials with thickness: An atomistic viewpoint. Computational Materials Science, Jan 2020, 171, 109268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2019.109268

[12] V. Singh, R. Singh, K. S. Arora and D. K. Mahajan, Hydrogen induced blister cracking and mechanical failure in X65 pipeline steels International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 44(39), pp. 22039-22049, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.06.098 

[11] R. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Role of stress triaxiality on ductile versus brittle fracture in pre-cracked FCC single crystals: An atomistic study. Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, May 2019, 27, 055007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-651X/ab1cb1

[10] R. Singh, A. Singh, P. K. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Role of prior austenite grain boundaries in short fatigue crack growth in hydrogen charged RPV steel. International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, 171(2019): 242-252, March 2019.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2019.03.004

[9] H. Singh, J. S. Sidhu, D. K. Mahajan, and N. Singh, Carbon Quantum Dots and Rhodamine Based Ratiometric Fluorescent Complex for Recognition of Histidine in Aqueous System. Materials Chemistry Frontiers, 3 (2019), 476-483, January 2019. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8QM00554K

[8] D. K. Mahajan, and A. Hartmaier. Mechanisms of crazing in glassy polymers revealed by molecular dynamics simulations. Physical Review E, 86(2): 021802, August 2012. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.86.021802 

[7] S. Brinckmann, D. K. Mahajan, and A. Hartmaier. A scheme to combine molecular dynamics and dislocation dynamics. Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 20(4): 045001, June 2012. doi:10.1088/0965-0393/20/4/045001 

[6] D. K. Mahajan, R. Estevez, and S. Basu. Ageing and rejuvenation in glassy amorphous polymers. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 58(10): 1474-1488, October 2010. doi:10.1016/j.jmps.2010.07.015 

[5] D. K. Mahajan, and S. Basu. On the simulation of uniaxial, compressive behaviour of amorphous, glassy polymers with Molecular Dynamics. International Journal Of Applied Mechanics, 2(3): 515–541, September 2010. doi:10.1142/S1758825110000639 

[4] D. K. Mahajan, B. Singh, and S. Basu. Void nucleation and disentanglement in glassy amorphous polymers. Physical Review E, 82(1): 011803, July 2010. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.82.011803 

[3] D. K. Mahajan, and S. Basu. Investigations into the applicability of rubber elastic analogy to hardening in glassy polymers. Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 18(2): 025001, March 2010. doi:10.1088/0965-0393/18/2/025001 

[2] M. K. Majumder, S. Ramkumar, D. K. Mahajan, and S. Basu. Coarse-graining scheme for simulating uniaxial stress-strain response of glassy polymers through molecular dynamics. Physical Review E, 81(1): 011803, January 2010. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.81.011803 

[1] S. Basu, D. K. Mahajan, and E. Van Der Giessen. Micromechanics of the growth of a craze fibril in glassy polymers. Polymer, 46(18): 7504–7518, August 2005. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2005.05.148 

 Book Chapter:

[2] V. Singh, K. S. Arora, and D. K. Mahajan, Investigation into hydrogen induced blister cracking and mechanical failure in pipeline steels. In: Advances in Structural Integrity: Structural Integrity over Multiple Length Scales, to be published in Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

[1] R. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Crystal orientation effect on SIF in single crystals: A study based on coupled framework of XFEM and crystal plasticity model. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, 9789811060014  , (2018), pp. 457-471. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-6002-137

 Conference Publications:

[10] R. Singh, A. Singh, P. K. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Effect of hydrogen on short crack propagation in SA508 Grade 3 Class I low alloy steel under cyclic loading. Procedia Structural Integrity, Volume 14, 2019, Pages 930- 936 doi:10.1016/j.prostr.2019.07.073 

[9] A. Arora, R. Kumar and D. K. Mahajan, In-situ Study of the Effect of Hydrogen on Fatigue Crack Initiation in Polycrystalline Nickel. Procedia Structural Integrity, Volume 14, 2019, Pages 790-797 doi:10.1016/j.prostr.2019.07.057 

[8] R. Kumar, D. Meena and D. K. Mahajan, Modelling of Fatigue Crack Initiation in Hydrogen Charged Polycrystalline Nickel. Procedia Structural Integrity 14 (2019) 6686752 doi:10.1016/j.prostr.2019.05.083 

[7] R. Singh, A. Singh, A. Arora, P. K. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, On the transition of short cracks into long fatigue cracks in reactor pressure vessel steels. MATEC Web of Conferences 165 (2018) 13001 doi:10.1051/matecconf/201816513001 

[6] V. Singh, R. Singh, A. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Tracking hydrogen embrittlement using short fatigue crack behavior of metals. Procedia Structural Integrity 13 (2018) 14271432 doi:10.1016/j.prostr.2018.12.296 

[5] V. Singh, and D. K. Mahajan, Synergetic effect of hydrogen embrittlement and sensitization on short fatigue crack behavior in AISI 316L steel. In: Proceedings of Corcon 2018, 30th Sep-3rd Oct 2018, Jaipur, India.

[4] D. K. Mahajan, R. Swarnkar, Y. Singh, R. Singh, K. S. Arora, M. Shome, and G. Singh, Study of Hydrogen Embrittlement of API X65 & X80 Pipeline Steels using Short Fatigue Cracks. In: Proceedings of Corcon 2017, Paper No. CMT25, 17-20 September, Mumbai, India.

[3] D. K. Mahajan, Crystal Plasticity based Modeling of Fatigue Behaviour of Metals under Hydrogen Environment. In: Proceeding of Multiscale Modeling of Materials and Devices (MMMD-2014), October 2014, BARC, Mumbai, India.

[2] D. K. Mahajan, and S. Basu. Parametric study of strain hardening behavior of glassy polymers using molecular simulations. In: Proceedings of the 22nd ICTAM-2008, August 2008, Adelaide, Australia.

 [1] D. K. Mahajan, and S. Basu. Characterization of deformation behaviour of glassy polymers using molecular dynamics simulations. In: Proceedings of the 2 nd ICCMS-2006, December 2006, IIT Guwahati, India.

Ph.D.	M.Tech./Dual Degree (B.Tech+M.Tech)	B.Tech. (Major Project)
		2014-15: Gaurav Jagannath Mahajan, Sachin Kumar, Tushar Chaudhary 2015-16: Kishan Govind, Vishal Goyal, Ishneet Singh, Sumit Dahiya, Kuricheti Ravi Teja, Aashish kholiya, Maneesh Verma, Sajeed Mahaboob, Krishanu Sarkar, Adarsh Kumar 2016-17: Peeyushi Raghav, Anshu Kaushal, Jitin Madhu, Paryant Pradhan, Shivam Jindal, Prasoon Ratnam, Randhir Swarnkar, Ranjan Kumar, Tijender Singh, Gaurav Behrani, Vishal Gupta; 2017-18: Amanjot Singh, Deepesh Meena, Pradeep Kalra, J Sai Nitin, Swapnil Rai 2018-19: Aakash Ravgotra, Anuj Kalsotra, Harsha B T, Rishabh Anchalia, Rishabh Goel, Ritik Rai, Rushit Virani 2019-20: Ujwal Goel, Abhinash Barnwal;  2020-21: Roshan Kumar Parihar, Saaransh Agarwal, Sahil Dighe
Dr. Rajwinder Singh Dr. Rakesh Kumar Dr. Harupjit Singh Dr. Navneet K. Singh Dr. Aman Arora	Mr. Shovit Sagar Mr. Mukesh Kumar Mr. Yashpal Singh Mr. Sandeep Mehla Mr. Mohd. Faizal Akash Bhardwaj Sumit Dahiya Yashjeet Chaudhary Sanjay Barfa Mohit Deshmukh Mohit Singh