IMFAA, ZEISS, and IGSTC jointly facilitate international researchDoctoral student researches microstructure damage in fiber composites with support from Carl Zeiss Microscopy and IGSTC scholarship
Mritunjay Hiremath (Mitte) mit seinem Betreuendenteam von IMFAA und ZEISS zu Besuch bei ZEISS in Oberkochen. Foto: © Hochschule Aalen | privat
Mritunjay Hiremath is a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT) Bombay in India and researches with Prof. Asim Tewari in the field of microstructural damage in glass fiber composites. Hiremath is developing a mathematical framework to describe this damage. He has been awarded an IGSTC-PIEF fellowship to conduct his research in collaboration with Carl Zeiss Microscopy in Oberkochen, Germany, and Materials Research Institute Aalen (IMFAA) at Aalen University. Hiremath was nominated for the scholarship by his supervisor and is one of a handful of all-India students ultimately selected for the scholarship.
Hiremath's work involves developing innovative ways of acquiring 2D and 3D microstructural images. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the 3D distribution of microcracks in fiber-reinforced composite materials before beginning 2D imaging. To this end, he scanned all cyclically loaded fiber-reinforced composite samples using non-destructive tomography scans. He also emphasizes the importance of adequately preparing the samples for imaging, including slicing, mounting, and polishing them.
After obtaining 2D data on potential damage, Hiremath applies stereology, an outcome of stochastic geometry, to make unbiased estimates of the damage vector using the 2D images. He then compares these estimates with the 3D tomography data obtained directly.
Hiremath is grateful for the opportunity provided by the IGSTC to work in such a culturally diverse environment with a variety of scientific activities and research areas. He appreciates the international team at IMFAA and Carl Zeiss Microscopy AG, which includes students worldwide.