80 years in the service of metallurgical science

Abstract

Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy (IFM) was created on December 9, 1939 to meet scientific challenges of domestic steel industry development. The concept of its creation was based on the idea of application of scientific developments of the Institute for modernization of metallurgical plants of the country. The scientific themes of the IFM covered the basic stages and most important items of ferrous metallurgy and was in demand by metallurgical plants. Apart from meeting the important practical challenges of increasing the defensibility and recovering the metallurgical potential, expanding the raw materials base, perfection of existing technological processes, fundamental studies were being accomplished, scientific schools were being created. Academicians Z.I. Nekrasos and V.I. Bol’shakov prepared remarkable pleiad of scientists – BF-men, academician A.P. Chekmarev created a unique school of rolling specialists, a corresponding member of the Academy of sciences of Ukraine S.N. Kozhevnikov created an outstanding school of theoretical engineering, a corresponding members of the Academy of sciences of Ukraine K.P. Bunin and Yu.N. Taran make the foundation of the theoretical engineering school. The creator of the rolled products thermal treatment from the roller heat technology academician K.F. Starodubov founded the scientific school of heat-treaters. Representatives of those scientific schools are still working today at the front positions of metallurgical science and production. Many studies and developments of the IFM found a wide application in the world steel industry. The scientists of IFM for first time in the world practice justified the advantages of large blast furnaces, elaborated the technology of BF smelting with application of progressive programs of burden charging, alternative sources of energy, in particular, pulverized-coal fuel, injection of natural gas and blast enriched by oxygen. A very effective process of desulphurization of hot metal by granulated magnesium outside the blast furnace was elaborated and mastered. In addition, resource-saving technological processes of deep refining of steel in ladle were elaborated, as well as the process of continuous rolling of welded in a butt joint billets at bar mills, energy-saving technology of thermal strengthening of rolled products by usage of rolling warming heat. The technologies were widely realized in the world and domestic steel industries. International cooperation takes an important place in the scientific activity of IFM, not only promoting further development of the research, but also facilitating the scientific and technical progress in metallurgy.