Dr. Shuvra Das' Research

Keywords: Process Modeling, Numerical Methods, Inverse Problems, Optimization

Research Profile

Credentials:
Dr. Das received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in 1985 and M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Iowa State University in 1987 and 1991, respectively. He worked as a post doctoral research associate at University of Notre Dame from Jan.-Oct. '91 and as an analysis engineer for Concurrent Technologies Corporation (in Johnstown, PA) from Nov.'91-Nov. '93. He joined the University of Detroit Mercy in December '93 as an Assistant Professor. Last year he spent six months of his sabbatical leave to work at Laboratorium für werkzeugmaschinen und Betriebslehre (WZL) at RWTH University in Aachen, Germany working on Electron Discharge Machining Processes. He is currently an Associate Professor and the chairperson of the department. His research can be classified in the broad area of computational mechanics with applications to manufacturing process modeling. He is also interested in curriculum development in Mechatronics.

Research Focus:
Dr. Das's recent research has been concerned with thermo-mechanical modeling of manufacturing processes. At ISU he developed boundary element based solution algorithms for inverse problems with applications in manufacturing, non-destructive testing, and heat conduction. At UND, he worked on modeling solidification of castings. At CTC, he developed algorithms for calculating the metal-mold interfacial heat transfer and for optimizing casting riser size. He also developed a finite element based weld solidification model that can calculate the temperature, microstructure, local properties and residual stresses in a GMA (gas metal arc) welded structure. His work in Welding has been extended to the area of Laser Forming. Recently he finished some work for the Air-Force on the development of fast simulation tools for the calculation of thermal and stress profile associated with heat treatment processes. During his sabbatical months in Germany he collaborated with a research team at RWTH to model the process of Electro-Discharge Machining. He has also collaborated with the faculty of Electrical Engineering to develop curriculum in the area of Mechatronics. This work was funded by the National Science Foundation through its Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program.

Impact of Research:
Dr. Das's work has direct impact on the areas of manufacturing and automotive engineering. The process models that he has developed will provide better understanding of the complex issues of manufacturing, help determine optimal process parameters, avoid expensive trial-and-error on the shop floor, and help make correct products the first time. Furthermore, the Mechatronics related curriculum will help train present-day graduates in the area of multi-disciplinary engineering.

New Directions, Plans or Objectives:
Dr. Das plans to continue his work on manufacturing process modeling and extend it to new areas like laser assisted hemming and manufacturing of composites. He is also developing proposals for extending the Mechatronics curriculum into the area of Mechatronics Systems Modeling.

Recent Publications:

A. K.Odumudu and S.Das, "A Numerical and Experimental Study of Forceless Forming Using Lasers," Computer Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, Vol 2, August 1997, p.243-266.
B. M. Krishnan, S. Das, S. A. Yost, "Team-Oriented, Project-Based Instruction in a New Mechatronics Course," presented at the Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE'99), San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 1999, pp. 13d4/1-13d4/6.
C. S. Das, G. Antonoglou, F. Klocke, "Simulation of Fluid Flow in the Vicinity of the Electrode and the Workpiece in the Wire-EDM Process," submitted in June 2002 for publication in Journal of Materials Processing Technology.
D. S. Das, M. Klotz, F. Klocke, "EDM Simulation: Finite Element Based Calculation of Deformation, Micro-structure and Residual Stresses," submitted in June 2002 for publication in Journal of Materials Processing Technology.

Contact Information:

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Detroit Mercy
4001 W. McNichols Road
Detroit, Michigan 48221-3038

Phone: 313-993-3380
Fax: 313-993-1187
Email: dass@udmercy.edu