Metals and Materials: Pillars of Independence
Metals are often likened to be the epitome of strength, resilience and prosperity. Be it gold with all its lustre or titanium with its choicest combination of strength and lightness, every metal is endowed with a series of exploitable properties that have numerous industrial applications.
For centuries, metals have enabled tremendous growth, be it in infrastructure, the economy, scientific discoveries, or otherwise, and they will continue to do so for centuries to come.
Indians should take immeasurable pride in the fact that the science of processing metals in India dates back to the Vedic times. We formulated a way to extract zinc, we were the source of the famed Damascus steel, we made the Iron Pillar of Delhi known and marvelled for its corrosion resistance.
Research in the domain of materials continues in our country and is also something that has immense ramifications on the nation’s defence infrastructure. Lightweight alloys, high-performance speciality steels as well as superalloys are essential in improving the capabilities of our nation to defend its interests better.
Besides these, there must be a mention of India’s highly competent answer to USA’s NASA: our very own ISRO. Low-cost, high-efficiency missions are only possible because of the advances in materials and metals synthesis, with the development of cheaper and waste-free processes being devised for the same.
Titanium alloys in particular, for example Ti6Al4V, is used in the manufacturing of Ti-sponges, necessary in liquid propellant tanks for launch vehicles and satellites, gas bottle/liners, inter-tank structures and interface rings for satellites. ISRO has set up a plant in Kollam, Kerala, to meet the annual demand for the same, making India the seventh country in the world that produces Ti-sponges commercially.
India also boasts one of the largest creep testing facilities in Asia whose materials characterization and evaluation are at par with the best in the world, the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML).
NML has a great reputation in the fields of magnetic materials, rapidly solidifying alloys, metallic foams, and many more.
Advanced materials processing and post-processing activities such as mechanochemical activation, biomimicry, high-temperature synthesis, advanced joining among many more are carried out in the NML.
Another prominent facility dedicated to metallurgical research is the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL).
The DMRL has developed various projects to aid India in various fronts for applications in the space program, like:
- the ultra-high-strength steel used in the Akash surface-to-air missiles,
- heavy alloy pre-fragments for the Prithvi missile warheads,
- OFE copper for the Nag anti-tank guided missile sheets,
- special magnetic materials such as samarium-cobalt ring magnets and neodymium-iron-boron magnets, in collaboration with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
This clearly illustrates the push that India is making to be self-sufficient in all its resources and helping other nations with its technological expertise as part of the Make in India campaign. For any nation to stand tall, successful and truly independent, a culture that nurtures innovation is key; the domain of metals and materials is no exception and it only continues to grow in relevance today.
India has anchored herself firmly as a prime metallurgist and a beacon of knowledge, and a beacon of knowledge she will remain.
With her roots firmly fixed and nerves of steel our great nation grows, slowly, a few hundred tonnes at a time.
This article was written in collaboration with Sriram A.
