National Metallurgical Laboratory

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INTRODUCTION:

The National Metallurgical Laboratory, the third in the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) family of 38 laboratories. The foundation stone of NML was laid on 21.11.1946 by the first and only Governor General of independent India, Shri C.Rajagopalachari. The laboratory was formally inaugurated and dedicated to the nation on the 26th of November, 1950 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru " in a sprit of hope and I faith in the future".

The laboratory formed part of the great plan, which Sir Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar visualised in 1940, for providing India with a network of research institutes capable of taking the country forward in the Science & Technology. The establishment of the laboratory was generously supported, in cash and kind, by the Tata Industries Ltd., Sir Ratan Tata Trust and Sardar Bahadur Sir Inder Singh of Indian Steel and Wire Products (ISWP) Company. Dr. Balraj Nijhawan, the first Indian Director of the laboratory, set the pace for the rapid growth of the laboratory through the establishment of a number of pilot plants and facilities and initiating research programmes which were in line with the Five Years Plans of the young Republic of India. NML has one Centre at Chennai.

AREAS OF R & D ACTIVITIES:

Extraction of Metals
Development of Refractories / Ceramics
Mineral Beneficiaiton
Process Optimisation and Modelling
Synthesis and Development of Materials
Materials Forming Processes
Materials Characterisation
Waste Utilization
Corrosion and Protection
Component Integrity Evaluation (CIEP) / Remaining Life Assessment (RLA)
Pollution Control
Chemical Analysis
Testing and Evaluation
Failure Analysis
Engineering Consultancy
Calibration
Standard Reference Materials
R & D Management and IP acquisition

Specialised Expertise:

Characterisation of minerals and ores. Methodologies for beneficiation of precious metal bearing lean ores. Design of transportable mineral characterisation facility and beneficiation plant for precious metal bearing lean ores.
Bio-technologies for mineral beneficiaiton and metal extraction. Solvent extraction / exchange technologies for the extraction of trace metals. Improved technologies for common metals and development of alloys for specific applications.
Technologies for nuclear grade magnesium metal and development of magnesium alloys. Innovative technologies for titanium extraction, and development of titanium alloys.
Application of Mechano chemistry concepts for controlling materials processing and improving the materials properties.
Advanced manufacturing techniques like technology of squeeze casting, and bulk amorphous alloys and wide amorphous ribbons.
A comprehensive expertise based on property optimisation by surface modifications and coating. A comprehensive expertise base on surface characterisation.
Single window based technology for engineering critical analysis. A web based comprehensive database on remaining life assessment and extension. A portable mechanical property determination equipment. Comprehensive characterisation of concrete materials and structures by non-destructive testing and evaluation. Electro-magnetic acoustic transducer for non-contraction destructive testing.
Computational facility and expertise base for modelling, signal analysis and risk analysis
Nano particle technology through bio mimetic route
Prevention of material degradation and environmental pollution.
Water testing and evaluation laboratory water and effluent treatment.
Pursue research in the area of micro- and nano- size bubble generation by novel methods and its application to flotation and waste treatment processes.
Thermodynamic Modelling and Computational Thermodynamics.
On nano-synthesis through electrochemical techniques and attrition milling.
Materials and processing methods for intermediate temperature fuel cells.
Certified Reference Materials
Hall Marking

MAJOR PROJECTS CARRIED OUT:

Mechanochemical Activation of Bauxite to improve the performance of Bayer Process of Alumina Production
Extraction of magnesium from Indigenous Raw Material
Maximising Blast Furnace Productivity with Indian Iron Ore
Improved Granular Processing towards energy efficiency and resource conservation in cement manufacture
Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) Facility for Infrastructure Asset Management
Evaluation and recommendation of CRS bars for SBC canal application in SSNNL Gandhinagar
Processing of polymetallic sea nodules recovery for extraction of valuable metals