Modern approaches to vehicle diagnostics are revolutionizing maintenance by proactively monitoring and managing various aspects of on-the-road performance.

Kirthi Bhat, our next pathbreaker, OBD (OnBoard-Diagnostics) Engineer at Audi AG (Bavaria, Germany), works on ensuring that newly developed vehicles as well as those in the market are running in accordance with the country’s respective emission regulations.

Kirthi talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about his rich and global experience in the design and development of automotive engines !

For students, don’t let go of your curiosity; instead, nurture it to ignite your career in R&D !!

Kirthi,  Your background?

I grew up in Chennai in a lower middle-class Tulu speaking joint family and studied until the 12th Standard in an Anglo-Indian/State-board Syllabus. My father along with my uncles ran a small restaurant in Chennai. My mother was a house- wife. My hobbies were reading, attending to birds & animals, playing chess and computer games. As a kid, I was very interested in machines, vehicles, and animals. I was very sympathetic towards animals as they could neither convey explicitly when they were sick, nor could they convey hunger. And I was also fascinated by vehicles due to their ability to move. As a school going kid, I had always wondered how things move? What were the parts inside the engine and how they worked together to make the vehicle move? This curiosity led me to become a seeker of knowledge and I knew that only science could quench my thirst. As soon as I finished my 8th Standard, I knew I would either become a veterinary doctor or an automotive engineer, aligned with my interests. 

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

Fortunately for me, due to my Kannada background, I could take up the Common Entrance Test (CET) in Karnataka and participate in the general merit quota in the seat selection process. I worked on my CET & luckily got a merit seat for B.E., in Automobile Engineering in a very traditional & esteemed Engineering College called Malnad Engineering College in Hassan with an appetite for producing successful engineers. This would mean I would have to leave home and stay away from the family.

What were some of the drivers that influenced me to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and uncommon career in Automotives?

Once, I had a conversation with a veterinary doctor and he suggested that I would require 99% in my 12th Standard, and even then, a chance of getting a seat in Chennai was doubtful. This made me drop my plans of becoming a veterinary doctor. I was an above average student with around 82% of marks in 12th Standard which meant that I would not be getting a free seat in any engineering college near Chennai. As our small restaurant was just enough to feed the family and even struggled to sustain the weekly expenditures, I knew that my family would not be able to fund my engineering studies in TN.

My parents were my key influencers in motivating me and supporting me to do what I wanted to do. Even now, I can never imagine myself in this position without their constant support emotionally as well as financially. I remain very much indebted towards them.

Tell us about your career path

After my engineering, I was keen on starting in a design role. The job market wasn’t looking great. There was an overflow of engineers in the market and availability of jobs was restricted to experienced engineers. As a fresher, I would go to companies with my engineering degree hoping to find a suitable job. Starting off as a Design Engineer or a Trainee in a company occurred to me as an improbable proposition as I lacked the skills or experience for a job. Due to mounting financial pressure, I attended a call centre interview at HCL. I did very well and was confident of landing the job. To my surprise, I was rejected. The interviewer called out to me personally and said, I do not belong here. I was completely dejected and found myself unworthy of even getting a call center job.

As my interests lay in engineering design, my father suggested that I join a course in CADD Centre on CAD (Computer Aided Design). The fee was to be paid in instalments. After the completion of the course, I became quite proficient & confident in using tools such as Pro-E & Ansys in solving engineering design problems. There was a vacancy in the same institute for me to start-off as an instructor. I gained more in-depth knowledge about using the tools during this time. This was my first job, but I knew that I wouldn’t continue here as I was keen on solving real-world challenges. 

At India Pistons, I was a part of the team that indigenously developed India’s first salt-core die for oil-cooled gallery pistons. The knowledge I gained in piston manufacturing, GD&T and the engineering processes was immense. GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) is a system for defining and communicating design intent and engineering tolerances that helps engineers and manufacturers optimally control variations in manufacturing processes.It helped me progress in the later parts of my career by imparting me a foundation in manufacturing. In fact, extensive manufacturing knowledge is one of the key pillars for a successful design engineer. I am very thankful to India Pistons for having given me this wonderful opportunity and I’m especially indebted to Mr. Srinivasan, who was my mentor during this phase of my career.

After almost 2 years, I got an interview call for a Design Engineer role at Robert Bosch. I had to attend the interview in Coimbatore. The first round was focused on designing a part in 3D and detailing it according to GD&T. I was the first to finish the design job and was immediately interviewed regarding my challenges in my job and how I overcame them. The experience at India Pistons helped me a lot in overcoming this interview with ease. I was offered a Design Engineer Job in Bangalore and had to visit Germany within a month of joining to support the development department. This was a dream come true for me. 

The onsite in Germany lasted only for 4 months as there were very few projects for me. Germany was a very good exposure for me. I loved the work culture, the discipline, the civic sense, and the direct way of communication. I knew I had to work on my German language skills to understand & support my colleagues better. My work involved designing a solenoid valve for the high-pressure pump for the common rail diesel engines with Pro-E. I had to choose the right concept according to the customer requirements and release a document with technical details of the product for the customer. I also designed fuel return lines from the injectors back to the fuel pump. After a couple of years, these projects / tasks seemed to lack the challenges. I had to widen my horizon and increase my competitiveness by enhancing my skills. I realised I needed further education in Engine Design.

After gaining around 5 years of experience in the field of Automotive Engines, my interests grew deeper and I knew I had to update myself with the state-of-the-art tools and techniques which are used in the design and development of engines. I was specifically looking for an Engine Design & Development program and was surprised to find that Coventry University was offering the same course but in England. In September 2010, I left for Coventry, England to pursue my MSc in Engine Design and Development.

The MSc Degree was a 1 year degree and was quite challenging. It was a roller-coaster of a course with a lot to learn. I learnt a lot within one year, especially techniques in Design Optimization like Topography and Topology Optimization. It is here that I learnt the various weight reduction techniques using FEM (Finite Element Method). We had to manually calculate an FEM Problem and analyse it using Hypermesh and correlate our results. This helped me in the in-depth understanding of FEM. We also had to gain various other skills like CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) and use it in the course work. We also learnt about Material Science and how to select the right material for a design / design problem. This involved calculating the Forces / Stresses acting on the system and comparing them with the properties of the material. 

After my MSc, I started working at MAN Truck & Bus SE in Nürnberg, Germany as an Engine Design Engineer. MAN Truck & Bus is one of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.Their product portfolio includes vans, trucks, buses, diesel and gas engines as well as services related to passenger and freight transport.

At MAN, I had the wonderful opportunity to design and develop various engine components like, exhaust manifolds, water housing, flywheel housing, various brackets as well as the engine mounting brackets. My career as a design engineer came to an end in December 2015 as I somehow felt I needed a more challenging role. I had the opportunity to change my role to Engine Development engineer at MAN. This was the most challenging role of my entire career as I had to learn the functioning of an engine in terms of software functions.  

I had to calibrate an exhaust flap which would be used for braking as well as to heat the exhaust after- treatment module. I learnt to calibrate a closed-loop feedback controller (PID Controller) for braking as well as for heating applications. The first 6 months were very challenging. Everything was new to me. Every term, abbreviation, concept, function was new to me. The learning was immense and I was very satisfied with my job.

How did you get your first break?

I came to know about a vacancy at MAHLE-India Pistons for the role of a Piston Die designer. I applied for the job and luckily got a call for an interview. The interview was based on designing a suitable die for a piston. I completed the task successfully, and very much within the designated time. The interviewer was quite surprised by my skills and I was happy that it went very well, thanks to the experience I gained as an instructor. I got the job and started off as a Trainee. This was a breakthrough in my career as it would eventually help me gain experience in developing state-of-the-art piston dies.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Designing the first salt-core piston die at India Pistons: 

Automotive Pistons castings are normally produced by gravity die-casting Aluminium in the foundry. The peak ignition pressure in common rail engines is very high and it necessitates a special design to cool the piston due to high temperatures. The design could only be realised by accommodating an oil cooling gallery in the piston, which is a cavity near the piston crown. This oil cooling gallery cavity had to be in the casting because such a complex profile could not be realised through machining. This meant that a salt-core (ring or bangle) had to be inserted in the die and then the molten metal was poured into the die. After the molten metal solidified, the salt core could be removed by just melting the salt using water, thereby creating a cavity in the piston. The salt core had to be manufactured using a separate die which had to be indigenously designed. This was a big challenge as such a die was always imported from Korea. Tolerancing of the die, manufacturing pressure, moisture content in the salt prior to pressing & the reliability of the die were some of the main challenges in this process.

Where do you work now? 

Since the beginning of 2024, I work at Audi AG as an OBD ( On-Board Diagnosis) Engineer. 

What problems do you solve?

My tasks are based on the requirements or changes necessary on the engine calibration side & to check whether these changes are in compliance with the regulation. The problems might include incompatible requirements with the software or regulation.

What skills are needed for your role? How did you acquire the skills?

In-depth knowledge of the engine and in particular, the inter-dependability of the components within the engine, is required. As my entire career was based on engines, I had naturally acquired the skills for this job.

What’s a typical day like?

Normally, we think in terms of a working week. A typical week starts with a team meeting wherein we discuss the issues, prioritize and delegate them within the team members. During a typical day, I receive emails with requirements, which we need to implement in the software within the speculated time limits which we discuss in the weekly meeting.

What is it you love about this job?

At Audi, we develop process-based thinking at work. As humans, we tend to make mistakes. These mistakes can be avoided by adopting fool-proof processes. The good feeling that you contribute something to the environment by following emission regulations is what I love about the job.

How does your work benefit society? 

As an OBD Engineer, I basically make sure that the newly developed vehicles as well as those in the market are running in accordance with the country’s respective emission regulations thereby controlling the greenhouse gases that are responsible for global warming. In this way, my work hopefully benefits the future generations by meeting humanity’s global warming targets.

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

As I changed my role from Engine Design Engineer to Engine Development Engineer in 2016, I had to start my career from scratch as the Development & Testing of engines is an entirely different world. I was assigned to calibrate an actuator for increasing engine loads and thereby heating exhaust after-treatment systems. This would help us to develop an engine which is in conformity with the latest emission regulation.The calibration was successfully tested at the testbench, at high temperatures in the summers in Spain, at low temperatures in the winters near the Arctic circle and at high altitudes in Europe. The calibration was of a closed-loop controller for the actuator. The knowledge I gained out of this project was so immense, that it till date remains close to my heart and one of very interesting challenges I came across.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

Be brave, follow your interests, be curious, dive deeper, seek knowledge and see how the challenges of the world align with your interests.

Future Plans?

About 20 years into my career, more than half of it in Germany & a rich experience in the design and development of engines, I see myself heading an R&D department in the future. I have also been thinking about ways of contributing back to society, primarily by funding projects, start-ups/ NGOs and for good causes.