We at R&M Lab, headed by Prof. P. A. Ramakrishna, work with a range of problems in the field of aerospace propulsion. Our goal is to study, develop and optimize propulsion technology. Over the years, we have been developing experimental and computation facilities to build a strong foundation for innovation and scientific exploration. We have a numerous state-of-the-art experimental setups and a large repository of computational codes available.
An ever-expanding test facility for solid fuel ramjets is available at the R&M Lab. This facility supports tests of upto 4 kg/s air flow rate. This setup has also been upgraded recently to provide vitiated air of temperatures upto 1000 K using hybrid rocket exhaust products and heating elements. Propellants produced in-house have been used for these studies. The research is being done on ramjets for use in missiles and other applications.
The afterburner setup is designed to enhance the thrust capacity of the mini gas turbine engine by powering the afterburner with aluminized Fuel-Rich Propellant (FRP). The afterburner duct consists of transversely mounted chambers on its exterior, where the fuel-rich propellant is burned, and the generated high temperature fuel-rich gases are injected radially into the afterburner. The combustion of FRP in the afterburning section provides a temperature rise of over 2500 K.
Equipped with a compact yet robust 35cc internal combustion engine, this quadcopter delivers exceptional performance and extended flight durations. Its powerful engine allows for higher payload capacities, making it suitable for various tasks such as geophysical studies, surveying, and vertical profiling of atmospheric at a slow phase.
Computational fluid dynamics development as well as analysis using commercial codes is done at the R&M Lab. In-house multi-phase and multi-physics solvers including combustion modeling, turbulence modeling, and multiple frames of reference have been developed. Complex problems pertaining to transient phenomena such as ignition, underwater propulsion, and spin-stabilization of rockets have been attempted. The goal of this branch of work is to develop an end-to-end numerical test rig for testing and improving rocket motor designs.
Professor P. A. Ramakrishnna joined the Department of Aerospace Engineering at IIT Madras in 2005. He completed his PhD from IISc in 2003. He later worked at Kyungpook National University, South Korea as a Post-Doctoral Fellow.
He is a member of the journal editorial board for Defense Science Journal and Journal of Aerospace Sciences and Technologies. His research interests are solid rocket propulsion, solid fuel ramjet, aluminium combustion characteristics and IC engines.
IITM and SHAR organised the 12th International HEMCE in 2019 convened by Prof. P A Ramakrishna.
Dignitaries from Myanmar visited the R&M Lab in 2022 to talk about potential collaborative projects.
Dr. Godbole joins as Thermofluids Engineer with Rolls-Royce.
Dr. Godbole completed Ph.D. from the R&M Lab in September 2020. She joined Rolls-Royce in June 2022.
Dr. Nagendra Kumar joins as faculty at IIT Bombay
Dr. Nagendra joined as an assistant professor at IITB in December 2020 after finishing his PhD and MTech with R&M Lab
Multi-product Aerospace and Defence Start-up incorporated in 2017, incubated at IIT Madras under Prof. P A Ramakrishna's guidance
Dr. Marothiya joins as Senior R&D Manager
Dr. Marothiya joined as senior R&D manager at Solar Industries India Ltd. in March 2022 after finishing his PhD and MS with R&M Lab