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Gandhinagar: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed aluminum alloys using simulations that show great promise in making high-tensile aluminum alloys produced in India and can lower our reliance on imported alloys used in defense, aerospace, transportation, clean energy, and other strategic areas of infrastructure. This work has been internationally recognized with IITGN PhD candidate Mr. Sagar Kumar Deb being awarded the Larry Kaufman Scholarship for 2026 from CALPHAD Inc., for his work in the intersection of computational thermodynamics and materials design.
Named after Dr. Larry Kaufman, the creator of computational thermodynamics (CALPHAD), the scholarship celebrates young researchers for major achievements in computational materials thermodynamics. Deb's research concerns a new aluminum alloy with the objective of strengthening India's self-sufficiency under the Make in India mission by creating a robust domestic supply of high-performance aluminum alloys for strategic purposes.
Aluminum is cherished for its ability to make lightweight and strong products as diverse as tools, cars, and airplanes because of its strength and resistance to corrosion. However, an aluminum alloy that is highly strong and lightweight has largely evaded the engineering community. Conventional alloy development is long and costly due to the extensive trial and error. IIT Gandhinagar's research has the potential to revolutionize the field of simulation-driven material design and advanced computing, which has the potential to drastically reduce the time to deliver new advanced engineering materials.
This work stems from a 3-year research project under the supervision of Prof. Amit Arora, Department of Materials Engineering; and funded by the Ministry of Mines, Government of India. The research project has received global recognition with the awarding of the Larry Kaufman Scholarship 2026 to Mr. Sagar Kumar Deb. Mr. Deb is one of the few Indian researchers and the first IITGN PhD scholar to receive this award. As a result of receiving this award, Mr. Deb had the opportunity to present his research at the 53rd CALPHAD Conference in Quebec, Canada.
The AA6082 aluminum alloy has been adopted across several critical industries such as defense, aerospace, transport and strategic infrastructure within India. Though it possesses the combination of strength, corrosion resistance, and weldability, India will acquire this AA6082 alloy in tube form for strategic purposes. As of now, Indian made alloys that aim to fulfill the demand for strategic purposes have inferior strength and making alloys with copper and zinc to improve strength results in an alloy that has poor corrosion resistance.
Mr. Deb has designed an Al-Mg-Si (Al-Mg-Si) based addition to the 6xxx series of alloys that is free from copper and zinc. From this design, an alloy with a strength higher than AA6082 has been achieved, along with excellent corrosion resistance and ductility that would help serve the strategic sector of India.
Instead of the labor-intensive trial-and-error method typically employed in alloy manufacturing, computer simulations were used to design the alloy, and experiments were conducted to validate the design. The basis for the research is in CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams), which allows computer modeling to be performed on thousands of alloy designs before the most viable ones are ready for the lab.
Upon computational design, the alloy was manufactured and rigorously analysed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and other advanced techniques. The predicted properties of the alloy were verified. The project has reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and is progressing for an industrial-scale validation in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Aluminium Research Development and Design Centre (JNARDDC), Nagpur, and Siddhi Engineers, Ahmedabad. A provisional Indian patent (Application No. 202621017676) has been filed for the technology.
According to Prof. Amit Arora, the alloy will spur the domestic manufacturing of advanced aluminum components and ease the reliance on imports of strategic materials. It will also further the national missions of Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Sagar Kumar Deb stated that the first step is addressing the industrial-scale validation of the alloy and patent completion and technology transfer to the Indian aluminium industry. Deb also said that he hopes his achievements inspire scientific research on the Northeast region and greater dimensions of India.
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