Faculty Publications
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Item Tailoring surface characteristics of bioabsorbable Mg-Zn-Dy alloy using friction stir processing for improved wettability and degradation behavior(Elsevier Editora Ltda, 2021) Rokkala, U.; Bontha, S.; Ramesh, M.R.; Balla, V.K.; Srinivasan, A.; Kailas, S.V.Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are currently under consideration for use as temporary implants. However, early degradation and maintaining mechanical integrity is a significant concern. Surface modification techniques are used to improve mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg based alloys. In the present study, friction stir processing (FSP) was used to tailor the surface characteristics of Mg-1Zn-2Dy (wt.%) alloy for temporary implant applications. The FSPed alloy was characterized using EBSD to understand the influence of FSP on crystallographic texture, grain size and grain boundaries and thereby their effect on corrosion, wettability and hardness. Results showed that the grain size of stir zone (SZ) was refined to less than 3 ?m, as a result of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during FSP and the FSPed alloy exhibited better wettability than as-cast alloy. An increase in the hardness (11.7%) and elastic modulus (6.84%) of FSPed alloy were also observed. Electrochemical corrosion and weight loss methods were conducted in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) with, 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) physiological solution. The lower degradation rate (0.72 mm/yr) of FSPed alloy has been attributed to the fine grains and evenly distributed secondary phase particles. Further, the influence of grain boundary characteristics and crystallographic texture on the corrosion behavior have been investigated. © 2021 The Author(s).Item Comparative investigation of coating and friction stir processing on Mg-Zn-Dy alloy for improving antibacterial, bioactive and corrosion behaviour(Elsevier B.V., 2021) Rokkala, U.; Jana, A.; Bontha, S.; Ramesh, M.R.; Balla, V.K.Magnesium based alloys are well-known materials for temporary implant applications. However, failures due to early degradation and bacterial infection are limiting their applications. To overcome these problems, in the present work a Mg-Zn-Dy alloy based composite surface was prepared using coating and friction stir processing (FSP) techniques. Herein, hydroxyapatite (HA) and silver (Ag) particles were deposited on Mg-Zn-Dy alloy to obtain HA and Ag coated surface (C-HAg). Later, FSP was carried out on the C-HAg surface to develop a Mg-Zn-Dy alloy based composite surface (F-HAg). Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) confirm the mixing of HA and Ag particles with the Mg-Zn-Dy substrate. Antibacterial studies reveal that both C-HAg and F-HAg samples inhibit Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. In vitro cytotoxicity study indicates that the both samples are non-toxic in nature. Results of in vitro corrosion study reveal a significant reduction (72%) in corrosion rate of F-HAg sample when compared to C-HAg sample. The F-HAg samples showed simultaneous improvement in corrosion resistance and antibacterial properties with good biocompatibility. The results of this study indicate that the developed composite surface is a promising material for antibacterial and biodegradable implant applications. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.Item Influence of friction stir processing on microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour of Mg-Zn-Dy alloy(Springer, 2023) Rokkala, U.; Bontha, S.; Ramesh, M.R.; Balla, V.K.In the present study, friction stir processing (FSP) was carried out on as-cast Mg-Zn-Dy alloy to tailor grain size and texture which alter the mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour. The grain size of the as-cast alloy was reduced from 60 ± 2 µm to 3 ± 0.1 µm after FSP due to dynamic recrystallization. The effect of grain size, crystallographic orientation and fine precipitates on mechanical properties were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD). The ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, % elongation and hardness of FSPed alloy improved by 55%, 60%, 53% and 46% when compared to as-cast alloy. The FSPed Mg-Zn-Dy alloy exhibited a 79% decrease in corrosion rate when compared to as-cast alloy which can be attributed to grain refinement, uniform distribution of secondary precipitates and strong basal texture. The surface of FSPed sample after immersion corrosion exhibited calcium phosphate rich minerals which help in apatite formation on the sample surface. Cytotoxicity studies using MTT assay revealed more than 80% cell viability for both as-cast and FSPed alloy illustrating non-toxic nature of both the samples. The results of this study indicate that FSPed Mg-Zn-Dy alloy is a potential material for biodegradable implants due to its high strength, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.Item Enhanced tribological performance of laser directed energy deposited Inconel 625 achieved through laser surface remelting(Elsevier B.V., 2024) Praharaj, A.K.; Chaurasia, J.K.; Gurugubelli, R.C.; Bontha, S.; Suvin, P.S.Inconel 625 (IN625) is an essential material for the manufacture of turbine blades and seals, aircraft ducting systems, engine components, and pressure valves. Laser Directed Energy Deposition (LDED) process has shown the potential to fabricate IN625 parts with superior mechanical properties and higher corrosion resistance when compared to those fabricated using conventional manufacturing techniques. However, the poor surface quality limits the practical application of LDED fabricated parts, especially in sectors that demand high tribological performance. To this end, this study focuses on improving the surface quality and tribological performance of LDED fabricated IN625 components using Laser Surface Remelting (LSR) as a postprocessing operation. The tribological performance was evaluated using a linear reciprocating ball-on-flat wear test setup. The surface roughness, remelting depth (RD), microstructure, hardness, and tribological performance (coefficient of friction and wear rate) of the remelted (RM) samples were compared with that of as-deposited (AD) samples. Microstructural characterization revealed that LSR resulted in grain refinement, reduced dendrite size, and primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS). Laser scanning speed effects RD, dendrite size and PDAS via its effect on cooling rates. SEM + EDS analysis confirmed the presence of Laves phase in both AD and RM samples. XRD analysis of RM samples showed an increase in the amount of Laves phase. The refinement in microstructural features and the increased amount of Laves phase among the RM samples led to improvement in microhardness when compared to AD samples. Wear test results revealed a reduction in the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate after LSR with wear mechanism being either abrasive or delamination. Reduction in the size of dendrites and refinement in grain size are attributed to the enhanced tribological performance after LSR. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.Item Multi-step fabrication of bioactive Mg–Zn–Dy–AlO3/HA composites: exploring the synergistic effects of plasma spray and friction stir processing(Springer, 2024) Rokkala, U.; Bontha, S.; Ramesh, M.R.; Balla, V.K.Magnesium (Mg) alloys are gaining more attention in recent times as biodegradable materials. However, two major problems with Mg alloy implants are bacterial infections and poor corrosion resistance. In this context, a composite surface (Mg–Zn–Dy–Al2O3/HA) is developed using surface modification techniques. First, Al2O3 + HA composite powder is coated on Mg–Zn–Dy alloy to attain coated surface (C-AHa). Next, the C-AHa surface is subjected to friction stir processing to develop composite surface (F-AHa). Microstructural characterization reveals that, the Al2O3 + HA particles were distributed evenly into the Mg–Zn–Dy substrate. Antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reveal low adhesion of bacteria on the F-AHa sample surface due to low surface energy (37.83 ± 0.22 mN/m) and low surface roughness (0.36 ± 0.1 µm). Further, the cytotoxicity tests confirm that the F-AHa sample shows significant improvement in cell viability (98%) after 7 days and non-toxic against the mouse osteoblast cells. In Vitro corrosion study observations demonstrate that the corrosion rate for the F-AHa sample is decreased by 72% compared to the C-AHa sample. Thus, the results of this study for the fabricated composites are promising for antimicrobial, biocompatible and bioabsorbable temporary implants. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.Item Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Laser Directed Energy Deposited Inconel 625(Springer, 2025) Praharaj, A.K.; Chaurasia, J.K.; Suvin, P.S.; Narayanan, J.A.; Paul, C.P.; Balla, V.K.; Chakrapani, S.K.; Bontha, S.Laser directed energy deposition (LDED) is a promising technology for manufacturing and repair of Inconel 625 (IN625) components used in critical sectors requiring enhanced tribological performance due to harsh operating environments. Hence, the current work focuses on the evaluation of the tribological performance of LDED-built IN625 with the implementation of different heat treatment methods, i.e., solution treatment (ST), direct aging (AG), and solution treatment + aging (ST + AG). A detailed microstructural analysis, hardness, and wear testing were performed for the as-deposited (AD) and heat-treated (HT) samples, and the results were compared. The analysis revealed coarser grains in the case of ST and ST + AG samples, whereas finer grains for AD and AG samples, indicating grain coarsening after solution treatment. Further, the brittle laves phase gets dissolved after ST, whereas the AG and ST + AG samples resulted in the precipitation of metal carbides and strengthening phases. The microhardness of the ST sample (193.2 HV) was lower compared to the AD (211.6 HV) sample, whereas the AG and ST + AG samples exhibited 25.6 and 9.3% higher hardness than the AD sample. Considering tribological performance, the AG sample illustrated a maximum reduction of 61.4% in the coefficient of friction (COF) and 36.5% in wear rate when compared to the AD sample. This could be attributed to the presence of finer grains and strengthening phases. © ASM International 2025.