Four patents granted; 14 more applications await final approval

Mysore/Mysuru: The National Institute of Engineering (NIE), Mysuru, has got four patents granted for research work carried out by the faculty since March 2021. While four patents have been awarded by the Patent Office of the Government of India, another 14 patent applications are awaiting final approval. 

This achievement is the culmination of original research work carried out at the Centres of Excellence at NIE that promotes focussed research work in thrust areas of engineering and technology, said Dr. N.V. Raghavendra, Principal, NIE.

Brick powder for masonry blocks

The lion’s share of patents has been garnered by the Civil Engineering Department. The team, headed by Prof. T.H. Sadashiva Murthy and comprising final year BE students C.S. Sharan, H.D. Prabhakar, Sachin Suresh and Pavankumar Nayak, has been granted a patent for their work titled “Recycled brick powder composition for masonry block and a method for synthesising the same.” 

The invention provides the composition and processing methodology to produce masonry-compressed blocks with recycled brick powder stabilised with various additives so as to reduce negative impact on the environment. The use of recycled brick powder in the production of masonry blocks can be one of the ways to reduce the burden of disposal of construction and demolition wastes. 

The composition of masonry-compressed blocks helps in achieving good strength and good surface finish, which in turn makes the wall plastering optional. These blocks can be used to make construction economical. 

The composition of these blocks also helps reduce the weight of the block, increases the impact resistance of the block and increases the energy absorption capacity of the block, thereby making construction suitable for earthquake-prone areas too.

Toughness of fibre-reinforced concrete

Dr. N. Suresh and his Ph.D student Dr. K. Mahesh Prabhu have been granted a patent for the application titled “Experimental evaluation of flexural toughness of fibre-reinforced concrete subjected to sustained elevated temperature.” 

The duo got the nod from the Indian Patent Office on July 5, 2021 for the research work carried out at the Building Fire Research Centre (BFRC) of NIE. It provides a novel methodology for testing fibre-reinforced concrete and prediction of overall cracking behaviour at all levels of sustained elevated temperatures. 

The research work helps engineers to evaluate residual flexural strength of fibre-reinforced concrete subjected to elevated temperatures, which is critical for the fire safety of buildings and structures.

Testing thermal properties of building materials

Dr. N.C. Balaji, Associate Professor in Civil Engineering, is one of the holders of the patent titled “Double guarded hot box.”  The patent was granted on March 31, 2021 for the research work carried out at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, as part of his Ph.D work. 

The research team invented a hot box apparatus for testing thermal properties of building materials. It is a multi-functional apparatus for evaluating thermal transmittance and convective heat transfer coefficients for the building elements such as wall envelope,  windows, roof elements, PV panels and so on. The equipment has given a boost indigenising the technology,  avoiding imports.

Reality-based remote learning platform

Thanks to the impact of the pandemic, researchers all over the world are coming out with innovative solutions for online learning. One of the major challenges is to provide hands-on laboratory training to students. 

A team headed by Dr. K. R. Prakash, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering along with his Ph.D students Dr. M.V. Ramya and Dr. J. Mohana Lakshmi, has secured a patent for the work titled “Method and system for performing experiments in a remote laboratory.” 

They have developed a mobile application and virtual reality-based remote learning platform to carry out laboratory experiments in the field of electrical engineering sciences. This offers students a flexible and sophisticated way to access laboratories from a far off place and work as if they are in the real laboratory. 

Further, the system can be integrated into a learning management system software to work effectively and efficiently during unpredictable situations. This unified framework is integrated with industry 4.0 and cloud computing technology.

For details, contact Dr.Yusuf Javed, Dean – Industry Consultancy and Sponsored Research, NIE, on Mob: 99860-62198.