The PATON family

Paton Eugene Oskarovich

An outstanding Ukrainian scientist in the field of welding processes and bridge construction, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1929). Honored Scientist of the USSR (1940). Founder and first head of the Institute of Electric Welding of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Є.О. Paton was born on March 5, 1870, in Nice, France, devoted almost all of his mature life to the formation and development of welding, has more than 93 works in the field of welding, made a fundamental contribution to the development of Ukraine as an industrial state.

In 1941-1943, the “father” of welding conducted research on the technology of welding special steels, the physical basis of burning arc under the flux, weldability of metals, creates a new class of welded structures, manages the creation of welded pipes, ships, machines for various purposes. He is the author and project manager of more than 100 welded bridges. Among them is one of the largest in the world – a welded bridge across the Dnieper in Kiev.

WELDING IS A
FUTURE

Oscar Petrovich Paton, 1900

...I want you to be a serious person, to be needed by someone other than yourself and your parents.

О.P. Paton

... I know that gives the greatest joy. This is the ability to set yourself a small but independent goal and persistently seek to achieve it. Knowing what you want to achieve in life is a great happiness. My choice was made firmly: I will build bridges.

E.О. Paton

High school student Eugene Paton, Breslau 1886

I INHERITED FROM MY FATHER:

EDUCATION

In 1890, E.O. Paton entered the Saxon Royal University of Technology in Dresden, Germany

1894. I started working at the department of Dresden Polytechnic Institute and quickly got used to my new position at the institute. Participation in the design of a large railway station (in Dresden) opened an invaluable opportunity from the very first independent steps to check in practice, life, consolidate the knowledge gained on the student bench. At the largest bridge-building plant in Gutehofnungschütte in Stekradesne in January 1895, I was entrusted with the working design of the road bridge and other design work on the bridges.

E.О. Paton

The main building of the former Saxon Royal University of Technology in Dresden. Early twentieth century.

In 1895 he entered the Institute of Railway Engineers in St. Petersburg

Institute of Railway Engineers. St. Petersburg, 1895

Farewell, Germany, you have nothing to keep me, my place is in Russia. In August 1895, I went to St. Petersburg to become a student again for a year ... In eight months I had to prepare for exams in 12 subjects and complete 5 major graduation projects. In one year, the work was done, which normally takes two or three years. I started with the bridge project - the most responsible of all diploma projects, especially since I have already designed bridges in Germany.

Є.О. Paton

In 1906 he became dean of the engineering department of KPI

Kyiv Polytechnic Institute offered me the newly created Department of Bridges...

Lectures, designing bridges, compiling textbooks ... Years passed for me in this ...

The creation of the Kyiv Pedestrian Bridge at the end of Petrivska Alley, a bridge well known to all Kyivites, brought me a lot of creative joy. The continuation of Petrivska Alley was hindered by the rest of the slope on the mountainous bank of the Dnieper, which had not yet slipped. Initially, a project was put forward to pass this land through the tunnel. This decision seemed to me uninteresting, boring. This beautiful corner of Kiev could be decorated with a light, beautiful bridge. It would look extremely attractive against the backdrop of the boundless Dnieper farther and beautiful Kiev parks. I suggested making a deep excavation on the slope and covering it with a light footbridge with sickle-shaped openwork trusses. This opinion was liked and approved.

Є.О. Paton

Є.О. Paton – Dean of the Engineering Department of KPI, 1906

The park bridge in Kyiv was built in 1912 according to the project of E.O. Paton

Electric welding

From the end of the 1920s a new period of E.O. Paton - work in the field of welding technology, welding production. In 1929, he organized an electric welding laboratory in the VUAN system at the Department of Engineering Structures, and to promote the introduction of electric welding in industrial production.

On February 2, 1933, the Presidium of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences decided to organize the Institute of Electric Welding, and on January 1, 1934, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR issued a resolution establishing the world's first specialized center for scientific and engineering work in the field of welding. Eugene Oskarovich Paton was the permanent director of the Institute of Electric Welding until August 1953.

The main direction of the Institute's staff in the first years of its existence was the study of the strength of welded joints and the search for rational forms of welded structures. These issues were extremely important at the beginning of the development of welding. Studies of welded joints and structures conducted at the Institute of Electric Welding E.O. Paton and his staff allowed to create a scientific basis for the design, calculation and manufacture of welded structures.

Є.О. Paton with a group of researchers from the Department of Welding Technology, 1940

In 1939–1940, I already saw this important problem, I saw and believed that it would completely determine the entire content of our scientific work in the future. This is automatic submerged arc welding.
… In automatic submerged arc welding, I saw the realization of all the goals that I and my employees set for themselves, starting work on mechanization of welding. We persistently went to them through all the searches, mistakes and failures. These goals were: high productivity and quality of seams, the release of welders from hard manual labor.

High-speed submerged arc welding has not only gained general recognition, but has also become the main technological process in armor shops. Tens of thousands of combat vehicles came out of the shops with seams welded under the flux. By the end of the war, there were no hand-made seams on the tank hulls. Production of tanks for the front has increased several times. At the end of the war, their number exceeded 55,000.

Є.О. Paton

At the end of 1941 there were only three auto-welding plants in the country's factories, at the end of 1942 there were already 40 of them, at the end of 1943 - 80, in March 1944 - 99, in December 1944 - 133! At this time, the Institute worked at 52 plants.

«Tanks go to the front»

Universal welding machine TC17 for welding butt and corner joints

Є.О. Paton and developer of the welding tractor TS17 V.Ye. Paton is the son of Yevhen Oskarovych

Automatic welding heads of a design of EEZ of them. Є.О. Paton

On June 9, 1947, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution "On expanding the use of automatic submerged arc welding in industry." The institute was entrusted with scientific and organizational support of all welding works in the country. To discuss this government resolution in October 1947, the All-Union Conference on Automatic Welding was held in Kyiv, at which E.O. Paton with the report "Prospects for further development of automatic welding in the USSR."

Science goes into production

In 1948 he studied in a laboratory car in Ukraine.

For the introduction of new technologies and equipment in the welding industry and the establishment of professional training of welders E.O. Paton created a laboratory car at the Institute of Electric Welding. Thanks to this innovative idea, the specialists of the Institute were able to quickly bring new knowledge to enterprises in the most remote corners of the country.

Laboratory car

M.S. Khrushchev and Ye.O. Paton: business discussion (late 1940)

Farewell, Germany, you have nothing to keep me, my place is in Russia. In August Based on the conclusion of Academician E.O. Paton, based on scientific and practical data, in the case of the use of automatic submerged arc welding in bridge construction will save metal by an average of 20% and labor over 2 million man-hours… In addition, it reduces the need for rolling, increases corrosion resistance of structures, frees transport from unnecessary transportation of metal.

From the note of MS Khrushchev to the Central Committee of the CPSU

In 1941, the construction of the world's first all-welded bridge began!

Є.О. Paton with his son Boris on the Dnieper cliffs

 

Automatic welding of a butt seam of a wall

On November 5, 1953, the grand opening of the bridge named after E.O. Paton

Running structures of the bridge during construction

The main volume of welding of the main beams was performed by automatic and semi-automatic machines developed in the EEZ. The technological process of assembling and welding of the main beams was performed by the flow method; 97% of all seams were welded by automatic and semi-automatic machines.

On August 12, 1953, the life of EO Paton ended. Almost all his life until his death at the age of 83 he worked in Ukraine and loved it very much.

I look at our talented youth with hope. Most of his comrades still have a relatively short experience of scientific activity, but they have learned to work collectively, amicably, cohesively, not to experience and critically evaluate their successes, to keep a close connection with life and production. This allows me to hope that the електро Institute of Electric Welding created by us will continue to cope with its great tasks…

E.О. Paton

LIFELONG WORK

Boris Paton
(1918-2020)

Paton Boris

Ukrainian scientist in the field of welding processes, metallurgy and metal technology, Doctor of Technical Sciences (1952); President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1962-2020), twice Hero of Socialist Labor, the first to be awarded the Hero of Ukraine award.

Director of the Eugene Paton Institute of Electric Welding of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (since 1953); General Director of the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Technical Complex “EA Paton Institute of Electric Welding” (since 1986); President of the International Association of Academies of Sciences (since 1993); member of the Council for Science and Science and Technology Policy under the President of Ukraine (since March 1996); Chairman of the Committee on the State Prize of Ukraine in the Field of Science and Technology (since December 1996); member of the State Commission for Reform, Development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations, armaments and military equipment (since March 2003); First Deputy Chairman of the National Council for Sustainable Development of Ukraine (since May 2003).

I find pleasure in teaching others to work, in training a whole generation of young welder scientists. This is a really good change, and they are successfully moving our common cause forward. Among them are my sons.

E.О. Paton

Academician EO Paton with his sons Vladimir and Boris in the design department of the institute

Biography

In 1941 B.E. Paton graduated from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute with a degree in electrical engineering.

Boris had to defend his diploma on the first day of the war. Given the situation, the graduates were allowed to defend all at once. On the way to the Polytechnic Institute, near the current Victory Square, Boris came under attack by German planes.

"We were young and reckless: I could not find anything better than to hide from the bombs in the entrance of the nearest house. As if it was raining. Fortunately for me, the bomb did not hit that house. Here in these circumstances, I graduated from the institute i got direction in Leningrad, on behalf Zhdanov sudnobudivnyy plant - where I held pre-diploma practice, well known enterprise, also liked me Leninhrad "

B.E. Paton

But the war changed his destination: he was redirected to Gorky, to the Krasnoye Sormovo plant, where he worked until February 1942.year. At that time, at his father’s request, he was transferred to the Electric Welding Institute, which was evacuated from Kyiv and was then based in Nizhny Tagil. They lived where they worked: on the territory of a tank factory. Research work was performed directly in the shops. And in an unprecedentedly short time, it led to outstanding results. Modes, methods, techniques and technology were developed, which provided high speeds and excellent welding quality. The complexity and pioneering nature of these studies is convincingly evidenced by the fact that Hitler’s Germany never managed to use automatic welding of tank armor, and in the United States it appeared only in 1944.years. From day to day, from month to month, the “Paton seam” reliably connected the “legendary T-34” and other combat vehicles into a monolithic whole. He was indeed stronger than the armor itself, and even under direct fire he continued to hold the armor plates mutilated by fire. It was a scientific feat of the institute and its leaders.

Academician EA Paton with his sons Vladimir and Boris in the design department of the institute, 1950

In 1952 Borys Yevhenovych headed the Institute of Electric Welding

It was difficult at first. After all, at that time his knowledge, experience, authority were inferior to his father's. It is one thing to be the father's deputy and quite another to run the institute himself. But there is a saying: "Not holy pots sculpt.".

B.E. Paton

At the age of 35, Borys Yevhenovych Paton became the director of the Institute of Electric Welding and remained in this position until 2021.

In 1969, B.Ye. for the first time in the world tested welding technologies on the Soyuz 6 spacecraft

The practical implementation of many ideas in the field of astronautics is impossible without the widespread use of welding metals directly in space as one of the most promising and universal technological processes of joining materials.

E.О. Paton

In the laboratory of space technologies of the EO Paton Institute of Electric Welding. From left to right: BE Paton, VV Stesin, YI Drabovich, OA Zagrebelny. 1967

S.E. Savitska conducts experiments on cutting, welding, soldering and coating in open space outside the station “Salyut-7”. 1984

 
Paton undertook to develop a device that allows welding in space in conditions of weightlessness and vacuum in the 60s of last century. The researcher faced a number of tasks and difficulties that had to be overcome. In particular, the conditions in space are significantly different from those on Earth, so during welding you need to overcome the deep vacuum, weightlessness, temperature difference, radiation, electric and magnetic fields of the Earth and other planets.
 
After extensive research and experiments, Paton came to the conclusion that the most promising for use in space are electron beam welding, low pressure compression arc welding and melting, as well as butt welding.
 
The Vulcan was the first to go into Earth orbit. With its help, the welding process was carried out for the first time on a spacecraft. It worked on the basis of automatic electron beam welding processes, compressed low pressure arc and melts.
 
In outer space, the first welding took place in 1984 , when Paton’s “Universal Hand Tool” was used. It was with his help that astronauts were able not only to cut metal in a vacuum, but also to weld it with different types of seams.
In 1975, B.E. Paton was offered to head the USSR Academy of Sciences

On the eve of May 1, 1975, Volodymyr Vasyliovych Shcherbytsky called me and said: "Suslov called me to appoint you president of the Union Academy." I say, “No. Vladimir Vasilyevich, I will not go there. " “How can you not go! But this is Moscow, the Central Committee of the CPSU. Especially since Brezhnev wants that too. ” I replied that I did not aspire to Moscow. Here I have an institute, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences ...

B.E. Paton

Boris Paton was against the construction of the 3rd and 4th reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant due to its proximity to Kyiv. However, after the accident, the Academy of Sciences joined in its liquidation.

"This is an unacceptable place to build a nuclear power plant." This conclusion with the corresponding argumentation (proximity of the station to Kyiv, to the rivers Pripyat and Dnieper, the water of which is used by 70% of the population of Ukraine, etc.) was signed by BE Paton and sent to the leadership of Ukraine. It is absolutely clear that this act of BE Paton is an act of a man of great personal courage and high civic principles.

Academician V.G. Baryakhtar

The working day of the President of the Academy in May and throughout the summer began early in the morning and ended late at night. Determination of scientifically substantiated priority measures and recommendations to eliminate the consequences of the reactor explosion required acquaintance with the situation directly at the accident site, close ties with the Government Commission of the USSR, Kyiv City Commission, involvement of many institutes of the Academy, ability to choose the best course of action, coordination many participants in the work. The President has taken over the main part of these complex and responsible affairs. Working daily, including Saturdays and Sundays, he determined the main activities of the Academy, held final meetings of the operational commission of the Presidium, made final decisions on the measures proposed by the commission and sought their implementation.

B.М. Malinowski

In November 1998, Borys Paton was the first to receive the title of Hero of Ukraine

He did not make a career. He works. This is the natural state of his soul. It is difficult to determine the main motive: "curiosity of the scientist", "need for activity" or "benefit to society". Probably all three take place.

М.М. Amosov

Meeting of Academician BE Paton with ATO fighter - welder OO Chalapchiy. 2016

In such guys as O.O. Chalapchiy, there is an irresistible force of Ukraine.

B.E. Paton

Remember: we were not born to stand still. Do not let the active voltage weaken. Appreciate each day and hour. Even ancient thinkers realized that it is man, human life – the measure of everything. Your own life is no exception …

B.E. PAton

On August 19, 2020, at the age of 102, Borys Yevhenovych Paton passed away. An outstanding figure, an entire era in science. And not only Ukrainian, but also world.

I repeat: youth is everything. There will be no youth, there will be no scientific schools, and scientific schools are what science is based on.

B.E. Paton

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