Nijhawan, B R (1961) The role of the National Metallurgical Laboratory in Research and Development of Light Metal Industry in India. NML Technical Journal, 3 (1). pp. 56-72.
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Abstract
This paper gives a general appraisal of light metal industry in India in relation to current expansion programme projected during the Third Five-Year Plan. Our assets in respect of resources of light metals have been indicated in the context of their utilisation to optimum advantages. Research and development work in light metals and their alloys present a wide spectrum ranging from laboratory scale experiments to industrial prototype trials. Within this spectrum, increasing specialisation in light alloys for high duty applications in this jet and supersonic age calls upon metallurgical "back room" boys to turn new and superior structural and service materials to meet challenging needs. In this background, an outline of the work so far done at the National Metallurgical Laboratory on some aspects of the metallurgy of light metals and their alloys has been given. Such investigations have related to primary subjects, such as, laboratory scale production of titanium sponge by Kroll's method, silico-thermal reduction of dolomite for production of magnesium, certain aspects of electro-metallurgy of zirconium and beryllium ranging on to secondary subjects, such as, production of modified aluminium-silicon alloys by alumino-thermic reduction of quartz, aluminium-titanium alloys, binary alloys, such as, aluminium-magnesium containing optimum additions of rare-earth group of metals and passing on to related fields, such as aluminising of steel wire and sheet production of suitable carbon paste for Soderberg electrodes from indigenous raw materials, etc. Considerable stress is being given at the National Metallurgical Laboratory on the development of light alloys based on indigenous alloying elements, such as, aluminium, magnesium, titanium and rare-earth group of metals. In the field of utilisation of rare-earth group of metals resources of, which are abundant in India, work has been projected on their micro and macro additions in the development of engineering alloys. It is observed that the progress so far has been pioneering in scope yet steady and rewarding whilst much more remains to be accomplished in diverse fields of light metal industry during our successive Five Year Plans. Although in most of the important light metals and their alloys Indian resources, by any metallurgical standard, can be regarded as classic yet the same cannot be said concerning their past or projected industrial growth despite the tempo of our successive Five Year Plans. It is in this context that due emphasis on the development of light alloys industry in India has to be rightly accorded, wherein the role of research and development work is supreme and to which the National Metallurgical Laboratory work is devoting considerable attention. Whilst the linkage and collaboration between the National Metallurgical Laboratory and ferrous metallurgical industries is now firm and well established, similar pattern of linkage in relation to our light metal industry has to fully develop whilst the foundations thereof have been well laid. Research and development work in the fields of light metals and their alloys place a high premium on scientific research ingenuity in both basic and applied fields in any country and this is all the more applicable today under conditions. In this context reference has been made in this paper to certain projected research and development themes followed at the National Metallurgical Laboratory in relation to the development of metallurgical industries based on light metals and their alloys under Indian raw-material's and processing conditions. (Dr. B.R. Nijhawan, Director, National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur)
Item Type: | Article |
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Official URL/DOI: | http://library.nmlindia.org/articleDetails.jsp?rec... |
Uncontrolled Keywords: | Light metal industry ; industrial prototype trials ; high duty applications-jets ; production of titanium sponge ; Kroll's method ; Silico-thermal reduction of dolomite |
Divisions: | Director Office |
ID Code: | 1417 |
Deposited By: | Dr. A K Sahu |
Deposited On: | 09 Aug 2010 21:47 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2012 12:32 |
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