Kanmani Chockalingam

DOB: 26/06/1989

App ID: 2855833

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
I would like to pursue a doctoral program in Civil Engineering in the department of Structural Engineering and
Mechanics of Materials. I am applying to the MS/PhD program at University of California, Berkeley. My broad
areas of interest are pavement materials, computational mechanics, bio-mechanics and rheology of complex
fluids.
My inclination towards research is driven by my desire for gaining an in depth understanding of a subject
systematically and the curiosity to learn and discover new ways of looking at things in a manner that no one has
ever done before. What draws me most towards research is that it is a continuous learning process. I am eager to
learn new things and understand things differently throughout my life. I have also enjoyed the experience of
teaching my siblings and friends in the past and I would very much like to pursue a career in teaching in the
future. I feel that one can learn as much from teaching, as from being taught. Therefore, I believe that a career in
the academic world, leading a life of research, learning and teaching would be ideally suited for me.
I was introduced to the flexible pavement construction material, asphalt, in my sophomore year at the Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras, when I observed the effects of small amplitude oscillatory shear on this
material (in order to determine the transition temperatures) and was fascinated by the change in its mechanical
response, every time the test was conducted (even for the same protocols). I was very much intrigued by asphalt
and my interest in the material deepened more when I read extensively about its manufacturing processes,
different aging conditions and procedure for simulating aging and its rheological properties.
The knowledge that many common materials like asphalt undergo time dependent behavior, and therefore, the
sheer uncertainty involved in predicting various mechanical properties of these materials deepened my interest in
the field of rheology. My interest was fortified by courses in Mechanics of Materials and Pavement Engineering
(Transportation Engineering I). Since then, I have undertaken many research projects that have made me realize
that research is my calling.

Kanmani Chockalingam
DOB: 26/06/1989

App ID: 2855833

My first research project on characterizing asphalt was at the R&D laboratory of Chennai Petroleum Corporation
Ltd. during the summer break of my sophomore year under the guidance of Dr. J. Murali Krishnan, Dept. of
Civil Engg., IIT Madras. I carried out thermogravimetric analysis on bitumen from different processing and
aging conditions, simulated the reaction kinetics and established the difference between them by recording their
varying thermal profiles

[1]

This project gave me an insight into experimentation, the difficulties and

uncertainties involved in setting up protocols, and I understood the constant self-correcting path that research
usually takes, and I developed a strong liking for it.
In order to gain a strong mathematical and theoretical base in modeling of viscoelastic materials, I undertook an
elective course on continuum mechanics and constitutive modeling of viscoelastic materials, Rheology of Civil
Engineering Materials. As part of the course, I submitted a term paper on prediction of normal force and torque
in parallel plate steady shear and oscillatory shear using the upper convected Maxwell model and Oldroyd-B
Model. This encouraged me to work on modeling asphalt and I took up a project on characterizing petroleum
deasphalted pitch by steady shear experiments under the guidance of Dr. J. Murali Krishnan and Dr. U.
Saravanan, Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Madras. We modeled the different stress overshoots shown by pitch from
different crude sources using a viscoelastic fluid model with thermodynamic restrictions, solved the rotational
flow problem and obtained the material parameters whose prediction of the angular velocity of the spindle were
in reasonable agreement with the experimental values. The results were published in the International Journal for
Engineering Sciences [2].
These experiences helped me realize my aptitude to learn, understand and thirst for more knowledge. Currently,
for my undergraduate thesis, I am observing the effects of large amplitude oscillatory shear on blended, unaged
asphalt. The study aims at developing a model to predict the NL VE behavior for the same. All these projects and
courses have given me a strong base in continuum mechanics and rheology of complex fluids. I am also
interested in the field of bio-mechanics, which offers many vistas of unexplored research and I believe that my
foundation in constitutive modeling of viscoelastic materials will form bedrock for research in that area.

Kanmani Chockalingam
DOB: 26/06/1989

App ID: 2855833

In the second half of my junior year, I undertook a basic course, Transportation Engineering II and in my senior
year, I opted to take an advanced course, Transportation Network Analysis. As part of the latter course, I
completed many coding assignments and undertook a project to find multimodal shortest paths on a sample
Chennai city network. This helped me revive my interest in coding and hone my skills. This has led me to
understand that I have an aptitude for Transportation Networks and I would like to learn more of the subject.
My curiosity to explore beyond my school textbooks helped me in choosing engineering as a career. I chose to
major in civil engineering because of its diverse applications in a variety of fields. Sincerity has been my biggest
strength as I have strived to excel at all the fields that I have worked in. My efforts to learn and understand
everything that comes my way has seen me finish consistently at the top my extremely competitive class of 62
students right from my sophomore year. I have an overall CGPA of 9.21 with a major (civil engineering) CGPA
of 9.41 (including laboratory work).
UCB with its unique blend of eminent faculty, resources and a reputation for highly innovative work is the kind
of place that inspires me. I am particularly interested in the work carried out by Dr. Govindjee and Dr. Armero in
the area of constitutive theory and computational mechanics. While my track record in undergraduate school is a
good testimony of my analytical skills, the various projects I have worked on has honed my research skills. I
sincerely believe that my competence and dedication will help me achieve great heights. I solicit an opportunity
to learn and contribute to my area of interest, by means of a fellowship in your esteemed university.
Thank you for considering my application.
Kanmani Chockalingam
[1] C. Kanmani, A. Padmarekha, V. Selvavathy, B. Sairam, Yogesh S Satpute, J. Murali Krishnan, Thermogravimetry Analysis
of Blended and Blown Bitumen. Poster Presented at the EATA Conference, June 2010
[2] Kanmani Chockalingam, U. Saravanan, J. Murali Krishnan, Characterization of Petroleum Pitch using Steady Shear
Experiments, International Journal for Engineering Sciences 48 (2010), 1092-1109