Foundation

Evgen Paton

HISTORY OUTLINE

Paton school emerged and formed at the turn of the 1920s–1930s under direct supervision of outstanding scientist and engineer Evgen Paton – a wellknown theoretical and practical expert on bridge construction. The engineer’s feel and experience enabled him to understand that further development of bridges and other metal structures is impossible if based on riveting only. Welding should become an alternative to riveting. However, welding was used at that time without due scientific and technological verification, which sometimes led to failure of critical structures.

Evgen Paton understood the need for indepth studies of the theoretical and applied fundamentals of welding, their introduction into production based on reliable scientific principles. He established the public Electric Welding Laboratory and the public Electric Welding Committee. And in 1934 the academic Electric Welding Institute (EWI) was founded within the All Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. The Institute had acquired a status of a unified organization composed of research and experimental production units, a design bureau and several workshops. That was the first time in the world a specialized center for scientific and engineering work in the field of welding which, unlike classical academic institutions, was not limited to conducting purely fundamental research, but from the very beginning was focused on a comprehensive solution of societal challenges of the national economy – from an indepth theoretical search to introduction of scientific and technical results in production.

A convincing evidence of the correct institutional policy and farsightedness of the institutional management was successful application at the beginning the war of 1941–1945, of the «Paton» method of automatic submergedarc welding of the armor of T34 tank – a tank, which was generally recognized as the best medium tank of WWII. The postwar triumph of Evgen Paton’s creative plans was construction of an allwelded bridge across the Dnieper River in Kyiv. Opened in 1953, it is still in operation and bears the name of its designer. Evgen Paton died in 1953, and Academician Borys Paton, his son and pupil, faithful follower of the best traditions of his father, became the head of the Institute. An outstanding talent of a scientist, engineer and organizer of scientific and technical activities, great energy and efficiency, a strong character and ability to bring the matter to a successful conclusion, fundamental and comprehensive knowledge, ability to foresee promising trends and ways of development of science and technology, have made Borys Paton an acknowledged by the world leader in the field of science. It was demonstrated in 1962, when Borys Paton was elected the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and later – the President of the International Association of Academies of Sciences and member of many foreign academies and scientific societies.

It is very important that initiation and promotion of formation of new «growth points» is constant phenomenon in the heart of the Paton School. In the course of time, new directions of research emerged and have been further developed; groups of highly qualified scientists and engineers were composed and progressed into affiliated enterprises. At the same time, all of them remain Patonovites and retain the main «generic» attributes, confirming that the Paton School is a living organism that continues to develop actively.

A specific feature of the Paton school is its focus on resolving urgent national economic challenges, orientation to targeted fundamental research of an interdisciplinary nature and thus creation of a powerful theoretical basis for practical developments. A clear formulation of the ultimate goals and objectives, an integrated approach to their solution guarantee the timely development and organization of production of new materials and equipment, regulatory and author’s support for the implementation of results. The found solutions are constantly improved, and fundamentally new organizational forms of the combination of science and production are used with the purpose of intensification of introduction of scientific and technical achievements, both in Ukraine and in the world scientific and technical space.

The convincing successes of the Paton school, ideas of purposeoriented fundamental research, focused on practical solution of urgent problems of society, had a huge impact on the activities of other institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.