Specialization

Dissimilar Welding and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Email

niraj.kumar@thapar.edu

Contact No.

+91-8285388440

Biography

Dr. Niraj Kumar is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala. His research expertise includes advanced welding of superalloys and stainless steels, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), and thermo-mechanical analysis of advanced materials. His work focuses on understanding microstructural evolution, mechanical behaviour, residual stress, and high-temperature performance of welded and additively manufactured components. He has expertise in GTAW, GMAW, SMAW, laser welding, WAAM, SEM/EDS, EBSD, XRD, mechanical characterization at room and high temperatures, and finite element analysis. His current research interests include nickel-based superalloys, residual stress mitigation, texture and anisotropy control, and advanced manufacturing for energy and power-generation applications. He has published research in reputed international journals and is actively engaged in interdisciplinary research integrating experimental, computational, and advanced manufacturing approaches.

Academic Profile

• Ph.D. in Production Engineering | National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (August 2020 – July 2025)

Thesis: Investigation of Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Welded Joints Between Inconel 718 and Austenitic Stainless Steel 304L. CGPA: 8.25/10

• M.Tech in Manufacturing Engineering | National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur (August 2018 – July 2020)

Thesis: Effect of Zinc Interlayer on Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Friction Stir Welded AA 6061-T6/Mg AZ61 Alloys. CGPA: 8.65/10

• B.Tech in Tool Engineering | Delhi Institute of Tool Engineering (2013 - 2017)
  Percentage: 64.95/100

Work Experience

• Assistant Professor (Research), Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Punjab, India
  • July 2026 – Present

Technical Skills

• Numerical Tools & Software Skills: ABAQUS, Origin, ImageJ, SolidWorks.

Research Publications

Journal Articles (15)

SCI (15)

1. Manoj Kumar P, Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Santosh Kumar Mishra, Sanjeev Kumar, Chandan Pandey, 2025, A machine learning approach in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) of Inconel 617, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-026-14016-5, (SCIE, IF 2.2, Q2). 
2. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Aman Verma, Amit Kumar, 2026, Microstructure-Controlled Mechanical Behavior of Autogenous Laser-Welded IN625-AISI 304LDissimilar Joints, Materials Today Communications,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115008 , (SCIE, IF 4.5, Q1).
3. Abhinav Garga, Niraj Kumar, Hirshikesh, Dariusz Fydrych, Chandan Pandey, 2026, Mechanical Integrity of Inconel 617-AISI 304H Steel Welded Joints Fabricated by Pulsed GTAW, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11661-025-08068-w (SCIE, IF 2.5, Q1).
4. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Dariusz Fydrych, Chandan Pandey, 2025, Dissimilar gas metal arc welding (GMAW) of Inconel 718 and 304L stainless steel: a comparative study of ERNiCrCoMo-1 and ERNiCr-3 filler metals, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2025.105732 (SCIE, IF 3.5, Q2).
5. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Chandan Pandey, 2025, Impact of Buttering on Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviour of IN718-ASS304L Dissimilar Joint, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A,https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11661-025-07843-z, (SCIE, IF 2.5, Q1).
6. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Chandan Pandey, 2025, Comparative Study on the SMAW Dissimilar Welding of IN718 and ASS304L using ENiCrCoMo-1 and ENiCrFe-3 Electrodes, Materials Chemistry and Physics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matchemphys.2025.131080 , (SCIE, IF 4.7, Q1)
7. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Anil Kumar, Chandan Pandey, 2025, Investigating the Metallurgical and Microstructural characteristics of Pulsed GMAW Welds in IN718 and ASS304L with ERNiCr-3 Filler, Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Volume 25, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43452-025-01239-x , (SCIE, IF 4.4, Q1).
8. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Sachin Sirohi, Shailesh M Pandey, Chandan Pandey, 2024, Microstructural and mechanical investigation of dissimilar U-groove weld of IN 718/ASS 304L employing ERNiCr-3 filler. Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1080/01694243.2024.2426520, (SCIE, IF 2.7, Q2).
9. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Ravi Shanker Vidyarthy, Chandan Pandey, 2024, Role of Microstructure Evolution During Welding on Mechanical Properties and Residual Stresses of the Inconel 718 and Austenitic Stainless Steel 304L Dissimilar Weld Joint. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Volume 55, pages 4543–4570, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-024-07571-w, (SCIE, IF 2.5, Q1).
10. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Chandan Pandey, 2024, Influence of filler materials on GTAW dissimilar welds: Inconel 718 and austenitic stainless steel 304L. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Volume 24, https://doi.org/10.1007/s43452-024-01042-0, (SCIE, IF 4.4, Q1).
11. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, 2024, Investigation on microstructural and mechanical integrity of GTAW dissimilar welded joint of IN 718/ASS 304L using Ni-based filler IN 625 using EBSD and DHD techniques, International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, Volume 209,  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpvp.2024.105213, (SCIE, IF 3.5, Q2).
12. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, RS Vidyarthy, Chandan Pandey, 2024, Numerical and experimental investigation of autogenous GTAW weld between IN 718/ASS 304L. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing (IJIDeM), Volume 18, pages 1523–1538, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12008-024-01764-8, (ESCI, IF 2.5, Q2).
13. Niraj Kumar, Prakash Kumar, Rajat Upadhyaya, Sanjeev Kumar, Chandan Panday, 2023, Assessment of the Structural Integrity of a Laser Weld Joint of Inconel 718 and ASS 304L, Sustainability, 15, 3903. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15053903, (SCIE, IF 3.3, Q1). 
14. Niraj Kumar, Chandan Pandey, Prakash Kumar, Dissimilar Welding of Inconel Alloys with Austenitic Stainless-Steel: A Review, 2023, (ASME) Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology, 145(1): 011506, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4055329, (SCIE, IF 1, Q3).
15. Mukesh Kumar, Ashish Das, Raj Ballav, Niraj Kumar, Keshav K Sharma, 2021, Enhancing the tensile performance of Al/Mg alloy dissimilar friction stir welded joints by reducing brittle intermetallic compounds, International Journal of Materials Research,  https://doi.org/10.1515/ijmr-2021-8690, (SCIE, IF 0.7, Q3)

CONFERENCES (1)

• Niraj Kumar, Ashish Das, Shashi Bhushan Prasad, 2020, An analysis of friction stir welding (FSW) of metal matrix composites (MMCs), Materials Today: Proceedings, Volume 26, 2020, 2650-2656, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.02.558

Course of Interest

• • Advanced Manufacturing Processes
  • Materials Science
  • Machine Design  

Personal Webpage

Catch me at the www.linkedin.com/in/niraj-kumar-phd-b95288124

Research Profile

https://scholar.google.nl/citations?hl=en&user=DwZoiR0AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate