Mechanical Engineering

KARAN TAMHANE

**** ******** **** *****, *******, FL 32826.

Cell phone – 407-***-****.

Email: *****.*******@*****.***

OBJECTIVE:

To obtain an internship or a full-time position with a respectable organization as a materials/polymer

scientist and engineer that would enable me to apply my knowledge and help develop new skills while

I work towards the fulfillment of the company’s goals.

SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Microscopes: AFM, SEM, Polarizing Optical Microscope.

Spectrometers: FTIR Spectrometer, UV-Vis Spectrometer.

Mechanical Testing Equipment: Ultimate Tensile Tester (Tensile strength of films & molded

samples and Flexural strength of molded samples), Izod

Impact Tester, Charpy Impact Tester, Dart Impact Tester,

Tear Resistance Tester.

Thermal Analysis &

Testing Equipment: Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Thermo Gravimetric

Analyzer, Heat Deflection Tester.

Polymer Processing Equipment: Compression Molding Machine, Twin Screw Extruder.

Rheometers: Capillary Rheometer, Melt Flow Indexer, Ostwald

Viscometer, Cone & Plate Viscometer.

Physical Properties Testing: Coefficient of Friction apparatus, Haze & Gloss apparatus,

Density determination apparatus.

Computer skills: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, MS Word, MS Excel, MS

Powerpoint,

PERSONAL STRENGTHS:

• Excellent team player as well as independent worker.

• Good problem-solving abilities.

• Eagerness and aptitude for learning new things quickly.

PUBLICATIONS:

Radial Elasticity of Self-Assembled Lipid Tubules

Yue Zhao, Karan Tamhane, Xuejun Zhang, Linan An and Jiyu Fang.

ACS Nano, 2008, 2, 1466 - 1472.

• Mechanical properties of self-assembled lipid tubes were studied using an AFM and elastic

constants were estimated using mathematical modeling and finite element analysis.

pH-Triggered Shape Transitions of Crystalline Organic Tubes: Self-Assembled

Supramolecular Springs

Xuejun Zhang, Karan Tamhane, Fred Kobzeff and Jiyu Fang.

Submitted (2009).

• Change in shape of self-assembled bile acid tubes from rods to springs and vice versa as a result of

pH alteration was documented.

Assembly and Disassembly of Tubular Sheaves and Spherulites

Karan Tamhane, Xuejun Zhang, Jianhua Zou and Jiyu Fang.

Submitted (2009).

• Process of self-assembly of bile acid molecules into tubes, and the subsequent secondary assembly

and disassembly of tubes into sheaves and spherulites was observed.

PRESENTATIONS:

Poster Presentations –

Self-assembled Steroid Tubes

Karan Tamhane, Xuejun Zhang and Jiyu Fang.

American Vacuum Society (FL chapter) Student Poster Competition – Honorable mention.

• Study of formation of bile acid tubes and their preliminary characterization was carried out.

Course Presentations –

Structure and Properties of Smart Materials

• Insight into the structure of smart polymers and how it affects their properties leading to use in

specific applications.

Ultra High Temperature Ceramics

• A brief talk about UHTC materials and their outstanding properties.

Mechanical Behavior of Polymers

• Presentation explaining mechanical properties of polymers and factors affecting them.

Spinodal Decomposition

• An attempt to understand the unusual phenomenon of spinodal decomposition due to

thermodynamic factors.

Diffusion in β-NiAl Alloys

• Review of a study dealing with ordering in NiAl (50-50) alloys and their defect structures in near

stoichiometric regions along with some experimental observations of diffusivity measurements.

Polymers in Drug Delivery Systems

• A discussion about types of drug delivery systems for controlled release and some polymers used in

their manufacture.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Graduate Research Assistant at UCF Jan ‘09 – May ’09 & Dec ‘07 – July ‘09

• Worked on self-assembly of steroids to form supramolecular structures for the formation of liquid

crystalline phases.

Graduate Teaching Assistant at UCF Aug ’08 – Dec ‘08

• Course “Structure and Properties of Materials” for Engineers which involved teaching basic

materials science and engineering concepts.

TRAINING:

Product Application Research Center, Reliance Industries Ltd. (Mumbai, India.) July ‘06

• Operated polymer characterization equipment and learnt hands on about polymer processing

techniques like injection molding, rotational molding, blown film extrusion, thermoforming, tubular

quenched PP film manufacturing and pipe extrusion.

PROJECTS:

“Melt Processing Behavior and Structure Development of Polypropylene Nanofiller

Composites”

• Involved the synthesis of Polypropylene-based conventional calcium carbonate composites as well

as nanocomposites and the study of their melt flow properties using capillary rheometer and Melt

Flow Indexer. The introduction of nanofillers leads to reduced melt viscosities which can facilitate

materials processing and consequently, reduce power consumption during manufacture.

EDUCATION:

• Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering – University of Central Florida – Dec

2009 (GPA ~3.5)

• Bachelor of Engineering (Polymer Engineering) – University of Pune – Sept 2007 (First Class

with Distinction)

COURSEWORK UNDERTAKEN:

Metallurgical Thermodynamics

• Laws and principles of thermodynamics.

• Reaction equilibria.

• Phase diagrams.

• Extensive problem solving.

Mechanical Behavior of Materials

• Basic mechanical properties.

• Advanced treatment of elasticity, plasticity, viscoelasticity.

• Imperfections in materials.

Materials Kinetics

• Diffusion processes and mechanisms.

• Solutions to diffusion problems under different conditions.

• Phase transformations.

Polymer Chemistry

• Synthesis of different polymers through various techniques.

• Polymerization mechanisms and kinetics – step growth, chain growth and ionic polymerization.

• Cross linking technology.

Polymer Materials

• Study of various polymeric materials – thermoplastics, thermosets, rubbers, TPEs.

• Study of polymer properties – mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical.

• Identification of polymers and polymer testing.

Polymer Processing Operations

• Learning processing techniques and principles of operation of processing machinery.

• Studying products manufactured through different processes and learning production process

control.

Advanced Polymer Rheology

• Rheological measurement techniques and instrumentation.

• Effects of rheological properties of polymers in processing operations.

• Rheological models for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.

Other courses –

Physical Metallurgy, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, Strength of Materials, Product Design and

Computer Applications, Polymer Composites and Blends, Industrial Management and Process

Economics, Chemical Engineering Operations, Design of Equipment and Machine Elements, Polymer

Thermodynamics and Reaction Engineering, Instrumentation and Process Control.

AWARDS:

• Received, award for being among top three students in college (sophomore and junior years)

• Awarded, National Talent Search Scholarship in high school

EXTRA CIRRICULAR ACTIVITIES:

Cultural head, Indian Awareness Council (Multicultural Student Center) – helped organize events to

facilitate the spread of Indian culture at UCF.

Volunteer, Gujarati samaj of Orlando – Security for a theatrical play.

Joint coordinator, Polymer Students’ Association (2006-07) – Organized “Affinity”, a nationwide

technical paper presentation competition and “Confluence”, a student-industry meet. Hosted

Confluence two years in a row (Pune, India).

Member, Men’s College Volleyball team for 3 consecutive years, (M.I.T., Pune, India).

HOBBIES

Reading, Listening to music, Working out, Playing badminton.

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