Dr. Ashish Dhole (Ph.D)

Welcome! I am Dr. Ashish Dhole, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada specializing in the fascinating field of materials science with a focus on metallurgy. My current research explores microstructural evolution and phase transformations in line pipe steels using Phase Field Simulations.

With a Ph.D. in metallurgy from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), India. My doctoral work delved into oxidation and microstructural evolution in Niobium (C-103) alloy. During my tenure at IIT Bombay, I gained extensive expertise in advanced characterization techniques like EBSD and XRD, managed the Orientation Imaging Microscopy (OIM) facility, and developed innovative methods such as speckle patterning for Digital Image Correlation (DIC).

My experience spans over eight years of cutting-edge research, blending experimental methodologies with simulation tools like Density Functional Theory (DFT) and phase field modeling. Driven by a passion for discovery and a commitment to innovation, I aim to contribute impactful solutions that advance the field of materials science and metallurgy.

Research Interests: Metallurgy, Microstructural evolution, Thermomechanical processing of steels, Numerical Modelling, Oxidation, High temperature materials, Characterization tools (EBSD, XRD), Density Functional Theory (DFT), Phase field simulations, Cutting-edge research, Innovation, Leadership and management skills.


My Work

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I have developed a phase-field grain-growth toolkit software. pf-UBC is a powerful and easy-to-use simulation tool designed to model grain growth in polycrystalline materials using the phase-field method. Built with researchers, students, and materials engineers in mind, it enables users to generate microstructures, simulate grain evolution, and visualize results with minimal setup. If you're studying grain boundary motion—including the effects of fine, non-scalable particle pinning—pf-UBC offers a flexible and efficient platform to explore complex grain growth phenomena with scientific accuracy and a user-friendly design.
More on this is coming soon...

Paper 4

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Full details: The model incorporates work-hardening and dynamic recovery terms, calibrated against experimental stress–strain data for various alloys. The code is available on GitHub and can handle multi-stage loading paths. (see full paper)

Paper 1

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The commercial Nb–Hf–Ti alloy C-103 exhibited internal oxidation with monoclinic HfO₂ precipitates at its grain boundaries, and minor cold rolling (~10%) caused cracking selectively at certain Nb–HfO₂ interfaces despite similar high‐angle Nb–Nb boundaries elsewhere. DFT calculations revealed that interfaces terminated by a single Nb layer bonded to HfO₂ oxygen have a work of separation about 8% lower than bulk Nb–Nb interfaces, explaining the observed selective decohesion and cold cracking. (click to know more)

Paper 2

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The metal–oxide interface of a commercial Nb alloy showed orientation-dependent “hills” (non-(111) grains) covered by porous tetragonal Nb₂O₅ and “plateaus” ((111) grains) covered by denser orthorhombic Nb₂O₅. DFT results revealed that (111) surfaces have the highest surface and oxygen‐adsorption energies as well as the largest barrier for O diffusion, while tetragonal Nb₂O₅ is more stable at higher O partial pressures. Based on these DFT insights and the experimental compositional gradients, a simple model combining adsorption energies and short‐range diffusion at the interface was proposed to explain how orientation controls oxide phase formation. (click to know more)

Paper 3

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Surface hardening by oxygen diffusion in the commercial Nb alloy C-103 created an oxygen-rich surface layer that increased hardness and elastic stiffness, resulting in higher yield and tensile strength but a significant drop in ductility manifested as strain localization and cracks in the hardened gauge region. Full-field CPFE simulations on the actual microstructures showed extreme stress inhomogeneity— approximately five times higher stress concentration in the oxygen-rich surface grains—which explains the observed crack initiation and brittle failure. (click to know more)

Research Articles
Conferences

  • Poster: Crystallographic aspects of cracking at metal- oxide interface in a cold rolled Nb based alloy
    NMD ATM - 2020, Organised by IIM at IIT Bombay

Education
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada
    2023 - Present
  • Ph.D. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India, Department of Mechanical Engineering
    Thesis Title: Oxidation and Microstructural Engineering of Niobium (C-103) Alloy
    Thesis Supervisors: Prof. Amol Gokhale (ME), IIT Bombay, Prof. Indradev Samajdar (MEMS), IIT Bombay
    2016 - 2023
  • M.Tech. University of Hyderabad (HCU), Hyderabad, India, School of Engineering Science and Technology, Department of Nano Science and Technology
    Thesis Title: Carbon Nanofillers/PVA Composite Synthesis, Characterization and Mechanical Behavior
    2014 - 2016
  • B.E. R.T.M. Nagpur University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
    2009 - 2013
Technical Skills
  • Experimental: Gleeble Thermomechanical Processing, Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) including EDX and WDX, XRD (Peak profiling, Texture analysis, Residual stress measurements), Digital Image Correlation (DIC), Focused ion-beam (FIB) milling, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), SEM Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) method, Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and Laser Raman Spectroscopy (LRS).
  • Packages: Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) – Phase Field Simulations, Statistical Analysis using Data Sciences, Quantum Espresso (Density Functional Theory – DFT simulations), Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package – VASP (learning), Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator – LAMMPS (Molecular Dynamics – MD simulation) and MOOSE Package (Learning).
  • Programming Languages: Python, C++, HTML5.
Projects
  • Space Technology Cells (STC) Project: Funded by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Managed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
Experience
  • Technical Assistant, Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), OIM, IIT Bombay, January 2017 – Present
  • Technical Assistant, Laser Raman Spectroscopy, Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF), IIT Bombay, January 2017 – July 2019
  • Project Assistant, UPE-II sponsored project titled “Development of Nanostructured Composites as Exchange Spring‐Magnets with High Coercivity and High Energy Product”, University of Hyderabad, November 2015 – July 2016
  • Internship, Lloyds Steel Industries Limited, Wardha, Maharashtra, May – June 2011
Membership
  • Associate Member: Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
  • Member: ASM International
Responsibilities
  • Manager, Technical Advisor and Operator: National lab of Orientation and Imaging Microscopy (OIM) and Texture, IIT Bombay
  • Print Media Co-ordinator: NMD ATM – 2020, IIT Bombay
  • Co-ordinator: “Critical Non-Ferrous Metals: Establishing the value chain (CNMF), 2019” organised by IIM Mumbai Chapter
Courses
  • Certificate Courses
    - Lightweight Materials for Transportation (IIM-21-102), Professional Educational Course offered by the Indian Institute of Metals (26–27 July 2021),
    - Basics of Data Science for Metallurgy and Manufacturing (IIM-21-101), Professional Educational Course offered by the Indian Institute of Metals (19–21 July 2021).
  • Key Courses: Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria, Characterization of Materials – Microscopy, Concepts of Nanoscience and Technology, Synthesis and Application of Nanomaterials, Polymer Science and Technology, Nano Biotechnology, Mechanical Behaviour of Materials, Surface Engineering, Modelling and Simulations, Processing of Aerospace Materials.
Teaching Assistantship
  • Teaching Assistant: Processing of Aerospace Materials-I (ME-772) at IIT Bombay
  • Teaching Assistant: Processing of Aerospace Materials-II (ME-774) at IIT Bombay

Get in touch

Ashish Dhole