It is recognition and awards time for Dr.Baldev Raj

Venkatachari Jagannathan
16 August 2005

The steering committee comprises eminent personalities like B Muthuraman, managing director, Tata Steel Limited, Dr. S Banerjee, director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, L Pugazhenthi, managing director, ILZDC and J C Marwah, managing director, Edcons, Kolkata.

According to Dr Raj, during 2005-06 IIM would initiate the formation of student chapters in an extensive manner. "Proactive measures will also be undertaken to boost the industry-academia-research institution interactions by conducting symposia on broad fronts of emerging materials technologies, materials processing and products," he adds.

Sometime back Dr Raj, a distinguished scientist, was awarded the prestigious Jaeger Lecture Award by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and International Standards Organisation (ISO). He is the first Indian to receive this award. The award was conferred in recognition of his research and contributions to the science and technology of welding and `hard facing''.

Dr Raj developed and implemented the `in-situ'' repair welding of cracked shrouds and blades of steam turbines and also the procedure for hard facing nuclear components using nickel-based hard facing alloys at nuclear plants. This led to substantial reductions in cost and plant downtime. He is responsible for the development of indigenous electrodes for the 500mw-Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), which led to the availability of high quality welding electrodes in the Indian market.

IIW is a premier body that formulates welding directions and policies for advances in welding science and technology.

Dr Raj was also honoured with the `Lifetime Achievement Award'' 2004 by the Indian Welding Society. Earlier, he had received the `Lifetime Achievement Award'' from the Indian Society for Nondestructive Testing.