World class technical institute - Welding Research Institute
Since 30 per cent of erection of boilers involves welding, the BHEL has decided to provide as much funding as required to the WRI for undertaking research and development activities, the Chairman and Managing Director K. Ravi Kumar assured recently while addressing the inaugural of the three-day symposium on Joining of Metals (SOJOM), 2008, organised by the WRI in association with the Indian Welding Society, Southern Zone.
Innovation being the key to success, Mr. Ravi Kumar suggested that the WRI recruit 20 to 25 Ph.D.s for R & D.
The corporate office will accord approval within seven days of receiving the proposal, he said, adding that since the objective was to convert the WRI into a world class technical institute, the return on investment will not be a criterion. Ancillary industries would be encouraged to make the most of the WRI, he said.
Ever since its inception in 1975, WRI has established itself as a national centre for welding research and development, initially with the support from United Nations Development Programme and subsequently from GTZ, Germany.
Currently enjoying the status of a Centre of Excellence in welding and fabrication with BHEL support, the WRI is working on several nationally important projects such as robotic TIME Twin arc welding and deformation resistance welding, both with funding from the Department of Science and Technology.
V. Thyagarajan, General Manager, WRI, said the institute was upgrading itself with state-of-art equipment such as water jet cutting, hybrid laser welding, friction stir welding, and gleeble thermal cycle simulator with active support from BHEL Corporation.
Besides research, WRI, he said, has done yeoman service to the Indian industry through several human resource developmental programmes in welding and allied field, training manpower right from welders to engineers. “Any major industry in India and Middle East countries will have at least one trained person from WRI,” said Mr. Thyagarajan.
The Executive Director of BHEL, Tiruchi, V. Ananthakrishnan said that the WRI has built up a strong expertise in welding research and development for application in diverse sectors like power, oil and gas, transport, fertiliser, refinery, petrochemicals, ship-building and aero-space.
The institute, he said, offers training and consultancy in welding processes, equipment, consumables, and testing and inspection.
It has been conducting training programmes for lady welders, welders under a DST programme, and for overseas welding professionals, he said.
The valediction of the three-day symposium saw presentation of about 100 technical papers.
The special feature of the symposium, the welding exhibition, got to a close on Sunday.
Nearly 40 organisations comprising equipment manufacturers, consumable manufacturers, industries, and testing and inspection agencies exhibited their products and services.
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