APPENDIX C. SITE REPORTS - UKRAINE

Site: E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute
Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
11, Bozhenko St.
Kiev 252650
Ukraine
Telephone: 227-61-16
Fax: 227-12-88

Date Visited: May 1, 1993

Report Author: R. Seymour

ATTENDEES

WTEC:

L. Gentry
R. Seymour

HOSTS:

Professor Konstantin A. Yushchenko; Deputy Director
Dr. Yuri Ya. Gretskii; Department Chief

BACKGROUND

Paton, founded in 1934, has become one of the largest research institutes in the world with about 8,000 employees (3,000 at the headquarters in Kiev). The institute undertakes research in all phases of electric welding and certain specialized related processes such as brazing, explosive forming, electrometallurgy, and friction welding. The institute's work covers welding of virtually all metals and alloys as well as ceramics in thicknesses varying from submicron to tens of centimeters. In addition to research in the welding processes, the institute also develops welding equipment, manufactures pilot plants, and develops welding consumables. These efforts are carried out in special centers at other locations.

The institute's scientists and engineers work cooperatively with many institutions internationally, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), ABS, and the American Welding Society. Their experience includes military, space, and civil structures such as bridges and offshore structures, as well as temperature extremes and high radiation applications. The institute maintains a close relationship with industry, assisting in the development of new materials and surface treatments.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

The Paton Electric Welding Institute is involved in several research and development projects, including:

1. Research in electric (arc, resistance, electron beam, magnetic pulse, etc.) welding of metals, metal-based composites (principally aluminum matrix), and ceramics.
2. Large scale explosive forming.
3. Vacuum brazing of dissimilar materials, such as titanium to steel.
4. Plasma coating processes to improve corrosion and erosion resistance of metals and ceramics, with special processes to control thicknesses to a micron or less.
5. Advanced nondestructive testing techniques. The team was shown some color contour maps of components containing welds that were described as being produced through holography.
6. A special titanium department where engineers weld thicknesses that are 400 mm and thicker. There were many applications in the chemical industries, but the institute is now seeing increased use in offshore platforms and piping. Paton achieves yield strengths up to 800 MPa. The team had heard elsewhere that Paton was involved with welding processes for submarine hulls, but the institute's representatives did not discuss this beyond stating that their work in aviation and space had been applied to underwater projects.
7. Electroslag casting operations for manufacturing difficult-to-fabricate alloys and metals of great purity.
8. Use of both field and shop techniques in welding and manufacturing joints for offshore platforms, for thicknesses from 1 mm to 50 mm.

Information on the previous activities was obtained through discussions with Professor Konstantin Yushchenko and a 30-minute promotional film in English. Dr. Yuri Gretskii led the team in demonstrations and detailed discussion of the underwater welding and cutting research. A diver demonstrated manual arc welding in a water tank at shallow depths and automatic welding in a pressure chamber at a simulated depth of 200 m (this was gas-free welding using flux core wire). Paton claims that this welding meets Class A standards under the U.S. D3.6 standard. American divers typically produce only Class B welds. There were many 180o bend samples in the lab; those that the team inspected showed good ductility and no visible inclusions. The team also examined a feed device to weld wire during wet welding; the institute commented that it was working on reducing its weight.

Dr. Gretskii discussed the problem of J-laying pipelines in deep water, and indicated that although they were working on a flash butt weld process for this application, there were many problems to be solved.

SUMMARY

The underwater welding was the only area that the team explored in detail. The team would have preferred more data on welding titanium, but did not have time to pursue this (Paton was the last stop on the Ukrainian tour). The Paton Institute appears to have developed excellent techniques for mild steel and low alloys for manual and automatic underwater welds (ship, platform, and pipeline repair).

REFERENCES

General brochure; illustrated. 1990.