Guest lecture on `Composites in Aerospace Industry`

The Department of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering, MVJCE, organized a Guest Lecture on `Composites in Aerospace Industry`, from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm, on 16^th November, 2022.

Participants

150 participants from the Department of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering, MVJCE, attended this Guest Lecture. Prof. Dr. John Baruch and Prof. Samir Kumar Mukherjee organized the event.

About the Guest Speaker

Mr. N Lakshmi Narasimha is working as Deputy General Manager (Projects & Planning) at the Aerospace Composites Division (ACD) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru. He obtained a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from Malnad College of Engineering, Hassan University, Mysore. He has done Master of Science in ‘Engineering and Management of Manufacturing Systems’ from Cranfield University, United Kingdom. He has more than two decades of experience in Tooling and Manufacturing of Composites parts, for Fixed wing, Rotary wing and Space applications. He has presented many papers on Composites, at National and International seminars.

Lecture on `Composites in Aerospace Industry`

Mr. Lakshmi Narasimha started the lecture by funishing fundamental information about the composites, and gave a brief idea about the composite materials currently being used in aircrafts and helicopters. He explained about the work being done by HAL Composite Division and other industries involved in manufacturing composites in Bengaluru.

He further explained about the composite types, and how composite materials have changed the aerospace industry. His lecture was divided into four major sections: Introduction to compose materials, Manufacturing processes, Tooling concepts and Manufacturing Technologies.

Mr. Lakshmi Narasimha went on to explain about the basic concepts of composites of weight reduction, specific strength and cost. He also elucidated the advantages of composite materials over existing Nickel and Titanium alloys. He further elaborated on the various manufacturing methods such as open molding, closed moulding and cast polymer moulding processes developed over the years, and made a comparative study of these. Through a PowerPoint presentation, he shared a lot of information on the advantages and limitations of the processes, he explained to the students how to select a manufacturing process that is suitable for the required applications.

While speaking about the tools used in the composite manufacturing industry, Mr. Lakshmi Narasimha explained about the importance of tools used for fixturing, trimming and drilling. He also explained the use of lasers in drilling and trimming. While dealing with the manufacturing technology used for composite manufacturing, Mr. Lakshmi Narasimha covered topics such as Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), Automated Tape Laying (ATL), Nanotechnology and Recycling Technology. Finally, at the end of his lecture, he took questions from students and faculty members.

Outcome of the Guest Lecture

The Guest Speaker Mr. Lakshmi Narasimha N delivered a stupendous lecture on composite materials, which was greatly applauded by the students. Students were able to understand the importance of composite structures and got motivated in the arena of design and manufacturing of composite materials for aerospace applications. Additionally, they acquired a vast knowledge in the area of the composite manufacturing practices being followed in the industries.