KARPENKO PHYSICO-MECHANICAL INSTITUTE OF THE NATIONAL ADADEMY OF SCIENCES OF UKRAINE

(a brief information)

    Karpenko Physico-Mechanical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was founded in 1951. Today it is a well known scientific and research center in the field of fracture mechanics and strength of materials, physicochemical processes of corrosion, nondestructive testing of materials and technical diagnostics of structures and environments both in Ukraine and in the world. Involving actively into the researches the leading scientists of Lviv academic and other institutions, scientists of Lviv Polytechnic National University and Lviv I. Franko National University it carries out analysis in the following directions:

• deformation and fracture of materials under the effect of mechanical loading and temperatures, hydrogenating and corrosion-aggressive environments;

• strength and durability of engineering structures, the theory and technological processes of metal protection against corrosion and corrosion-mechanical fracture;

• theory, methods, technical means of diagnostics of the properties of materials and environments;

    A significant contribution to the formation and development of the Institute was done by H.M. Savin, G.V.Karpenko, M.M. Shumylovskyi, K.B. Karandieiev, M.Ya. Leonov, Ya. S. Pidsryhach, V. M.Mykhailovskyi, H.H.Maksymovych, O. M. Romaniv, Yu. I. Babei, B. I. Blazhkevych, L. Ya. Miziuk, S. Ya. Yarema. At present the fundamental and applied researches into the main scientific problems are organized and performed by V. V. Panasyuk, Z. T. Nazarchuk, V. I. Pokhmurskyy, M. P. Savruk, I. M. Dmytrakh, V. M. Fedirko, V. V. Koshovyy, L. I. Muravskyy, V. V. Fedorov, I. M. Yavorskyy, P.M. Sopruniuk and other. Scientific schools on deformed solid fracture, physico-chemical mechanics of materials, physicometry and instrument engineering were formed in the Institute. In 1980 the Institute was named after Academician G. V. Karpenko for honoring his scientific merits.

    The scientists of the Institute have created the theory of adsorption and hydrogen fatigue of steels as well as the theory of limiting equilibrium of deformed solids with crack-like defects that formed the basis of a new direction in mechanics of materials, developed a new scientific method – physico-chemical fracture mechanics and strength of materials, worked out new methods of local strengthening treatment of welds and surface strengthening of machine parts; designed new devices and systems for exploration of space objects.

    The mathematical theory of wave diffraction, theory of signals and electric circles has been substantially developed in the Institute. Scientists of the Institute proposed new methods of image processing, signals extraction and transformation, improvement of their resistance to obstacles in geophysical and space researches. Investigation results of the Institute were published in 250 monographs. We must mention here first of all the 10-volume fundamental book «Fracture Mechanics and Strength of Materials».

    Scientists of the Institute contributed greatly to the solution of large-scale scientific-technical problems, namely:

• development and certification of high-strength and corrosion-resistant metallic materials for ship building and power engineering industries, development of structures and technologies for production of drilling-bit tools for mining industry, creation and organization of production of the equipment for survey and evaluation of deposits, certification of structural materials for space technique that gets in contact with hydrogen-containing environments;

• development and manufacture of equipment for space vehicles control;

• organizing production of domestic heat- and corrosion protected pipes for municipal engineering of Ukraine, development of effective non-destructive methods and means for reliable operation of aviation technique;

• design of devices for diagnostics of the state of underground communications and realization of injection technologies for restoration of damaged building constructions.

    Scientific and technical developments of the Institute were awarded two State prizes of the USSR in the field of science and technology, three prizes of the USSR Ministry, seven State prizes of Ukraine in the field of science and technology, seventeen prizes of NASU named after prominent scientists.

    Since 1965 the Institute publishes the scientific-technical journal «Physicochemical Mechanics of Materials» which is one of the leading journals on the problems of physicochemical mechanics of brittle fracture, service environment influence on material strength, theory, methods and technologies of metals protection against corrosion. The Journal is translated into English under the title «Materials Science» by «Springer» Publishing House.

    The Institute publishes also the interbranch collection of papers «Information Extraction and Processing» – an authoritative journal in the field of theory of interaction of physical fields with heterogeneous environments; information technologies and measuring systems.

The unique hydrogen research center «Proton» works in the Institute. Properties of materials in hydrogen under overcritical pressures and temperatures are studied in this center. The Institute possesses also a decameter radio-telescope which is a part of the general academic interferometric system URAN – the national property of Ukraine.

    Since 1992 Physico-Mechanical Institute NASU is a member of the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS) and since 1993 – of the International Congress on Fracture (ICF). The Institute is also a member of the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC) and International Union of Radio Science (URSI).

    Institute’s staff that includes today 35 Doctors of Sciences and over 100 Candidates of Sciences became the scientific and manpower basis of Ya. Pidstryhach Institute for Applied Problems of Mechanics and Mathematics. State scientific and research center of information infrasructure, Lviv Center for Space Researches of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and National Space Agency of Ukraine. Institute of Automatics and Electrometry of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk.

    The Ukrainian Society on Fracture Mechanics (USFM) is functioning at the Institute. One of its primary tasks is holding the international conferences «Fracture Mechanics of Materials and Structural Integrity». The Institute together with USFM organized the 8th International Conference on Fracture (ICF), held in Kyiv in 1993. In 2009 the Institute organized the 4th International Conference «Fracture Mechanics of Materials and Structural Integrity». Since 1992 the Institute holds the International conferences on corrosion and corrosion protection every two years.

    The Institute is the developer of advanced technologies in the field of physicochemical fracture mechanics and materials strength, metal corrosion and metal corrosion protection, non-destructive testing and diagnostics of the properties of materials, environments and constructions.

    Non-destructive testing and technical diagnostics is one of the most wide spread modern approaches to prevention of structure failure. The Institute’s competitive developments in this field allow performing a wide range of analysis on assessing the residual life time of long-term operation objects.

    The Institute develops new technologies, methods, tools of technical diagnostics of structural elements of long-term operation industrial objects with application of eddy-current, magnetic, ultrasonic, acoustic-emission and vibration flaw detection methods.

    Institute’s researchers perform checking of the responsible equipment of power generating, building, oil- and gas- transport branches of industry with the aim of their timely protection against failure. Scientists of the institute use special equipment to carry out the repair works and the preventive control in especially complex conditions.

    Specific feature of these technologies and methods is the account of the effect of real operation conditions (aggressive and dangerous environments, high and low pressures, temperatures, effect of hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide, liquid metals under such conditions, etc) on their strength and durability in order to predict service ability and life time of structures.

    Technologies and devices developed in the Institute allow to renew very expensive equipment by means of electric-arc spraying and also to extend structure service life by application of corrosion- and wear-resistant titanium, oxide-ceramic, nanocrystalline coatings. Developments are done for different types of materials. Modern technological processes of surface protection against corrosion by applying specially developed paint coatings with preliminary hydro-abrasive cleaning of the surface have been worked out too.

    Unique injection technologies have been developed in the Institute for healing crack-like defects in concrete, iron-concrete and brick structures using the liquid polyurethane compositions in order to restore their carrying ability. Within the frame of the corresponding innovation projects the moving diagnostic-restoring laboratories have been developed. They can effectively be used in complex conditions for renewal of city underground engineering structures, architecture objects, bridges, dams etc.

    The Institute cooperates actively with well-known Ukrainian and foreign institutions, takes part in large-scale technological projects and goal-oriented programs. The Institute maintains close contacts with Airplane Design Bureau «Antonov», in particular, regarding the development and introduction into production and operation of a new method for estimation of durability of airplanes («AN» series) long-bearing structural elements. In the last 8 years the «Antonov» Design Bureau and enterprises that employ the aviation technique use successfully the eddy-current flaw detectors developed in the Institute. These detectors are also included into the technical regulations.

    The Institute cooperates with enterprises of the company «Naftogaz» Ukraine and also with a number of Ukrainian HPP and NPP. Within the frames of this cooperation it performs expert evaluation of residual operation life time, monitoring and restoration works of the responsible units and details – pipelines, valves, rotors, cooling systems etc.

    Combination of fundamental and applied researches in the field of materials science, fracture mechanics and strength of materials, corrosion and technical diagnostics with a wide use of information technologies ensures the Institute’s advanced positions in the Ukrainian and world science on this problem.