PhD: Mechanical Engineering, BITS Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus (Thesis Submitted, Awaiting Viva)
Teaching: Assistant Professor (MIT-COE, Pune, 2013–2018, MIT-WPU, Pune, 2018 - 2020); Teaching Assistant (BITS Pilani, 2020–2025)
Sudhanwa M. Kulkarni is working in the field of vehicle safety and crashworthiness. His doctoral work at BITS Pilani, Goa Campus focuses on the design, manufacturing, and optimization of crash-boxes for automobiles to improve energy absorption during collisions. He has published in reputed international journals, presented at prestigious conferences, and co-authored a patent on a universal fixture for welding tubes. With teaching and mentoring experience, he combines research expertise in structural mechanics with innovative teaching practices.
Professional Experience
- Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Maharashtra Institute of Technology College of Engineering, Pune (2013 – 2018)
- Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Maharashtra Institute of Technology World Peace University, Pune (2018 – 2020)
- Teaching Assistant, BITS Pilani, Goa Campus (2020 – 2025)
- Vehicle Safety & Structural Crashworthiness
- Crash-box Design & Optimization
- Impact Modeling
- Friction Stir Welding/Processing
- Sudhanwa Mahesh Kulkarni, Kiran D. Mali, Dhananjay M. Kulkarni, N. Iniyan Thiruselvam, Novel thermo-mechanical triggers processed by friction stir to enhance the crashworthiness of an automobile crash-box, Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 162, 2024.
- Sudhanwa M. Kulkarni, Priyal V., Kiran D. Mali, Dhananjay M. Kulkarni, Selection of an appropriate material for a crash-box in multi-attribute group decision-making environment using R-method, International Journal of Crashworthiness, 28(5), 2022.
- S. M. Kulkarni, Priyal Vemu, K. D. Mali, D. M. Kulkarni, Effect of geometric irregularities induced during manufacturing of a crash-box on its crashworthiness performance, Materials Today: Proceedings, 57(2), 2022.
- Kulkarni, S. M., Mali, K. D., Kulkarni, D. M. et al., Influence of friction stir processing parameters on the mechanical properties of aluminium tubes, Interactions, 245, 380 (2024).
- Analytical and experimental crashworthiness investigations of laterally thickness graded cylindrical crash-boxes, Experimental Mechanics [Under Review].
- Crashworthiness Performance Optimization of Bio-Inspired Thickness Graded Circular Energy Absorbers, International Journal of Solids and Structures [Under Review].
- Effect of imperfection and various contact algorithms on the simulation of quasi-static collapse of thin-walled energy absorbers using ABAQUS/Explicit, ICRAMERD 2022, Springer LNME.
- Energy Absorption Characteristics of Aluminium Alloy Tubes Subjected to Quasi-static Axial Load, WMVC 2022, Springer MMS.
- Crashworthiness performance of cylindrical crash-boxes with varying rib configurations, ICMMM 2025, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Patent Published (2025): A universal fixture for joining and welding of straight and tapered tubes or pipes longitudinally (Application No. 202311059052).
