Fedor Grechnikov: 'еvery extra kilogram of cargo launched into space costs a lot of money ...'

IV International Scientific and Technical Conference “Metal Physics. Mechanics of Materials and Deformation Processes” (“Metaldeform-2015”) is taking place in Samara State Aerospace University from September 14 to September 17. The conference is conducted every five years, and for two decades it has become a significant event in the life of the world scientific community.  Both theoretical aspects and practical application of new scientific developments are being discussed in Samara.
 

Recent developments of SSAU scientists-metallurgists, which were unveiled at the conference “Metaldeform 2015” can now bring millions of dollars in additional revenue to the engineers of Russian spacecraft - confirmed Fedor Vasilyevich Grechnikov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the First Deputy Chairman of Samara Scientific Centre of RAS, Head of SSAU Department of Metal Forming.
 

- How did the idea to conduct an international conference on metal physics and plastic deformation process in Samara appear?
 

- Our first conference in 1999, in fact, was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of SSAU Department of Metal Forming. Since then, its conduction once in five years has become a tradition. Also nearly four sections are traditionally formed at the conference. The first one is metal physics and plastic deformation processes. Any metal consists of crystals. And control of crystals physics in receiving of all types of semi-finished products - sheets, tapes, profiles is a very important task. Depending on crystallographic orientation of the structure, we can obtain good plastic and strength properties of the material, but they can be completely opposite. The simplest example of anisotropy of materials properties is a car tow rope. If you stretch it lengthwise, it will pull a car. And if you stretch it broadwise - you can stretch a tow rope by your hands, because in this direction it almost has no strength. Therefore metal physics as the main direction of the Department of Metal Forming is traditionally presented widely at this conference.
 

The second section is materials science and nanotechnology. There's also a new stream - receiving materials by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS process). This is a very exciting technology for production of new materials, especially metal matrix composites.
 

The third section is progressive and high-energy processes of metal forming. One of the highlights of this theme is magnetic pulse technology of metal treatment being developed by us. For example, influencing the melt by pulsed magnetic fields we can receive the alloy with the characteristics better by one third than the one received using the conventional method. This technology has boundless opportunities also in terms of giving products a defined shape. Currently our laboratory works within the framework of a contractual relationship with iron and steel companies from the USA.
 

The fourth section is materials quality assurance. This is also a very important topic.
 

- Who among Russian and foreign scientists took part in the conference?
 

- Program committee of the conference is formed under the chairmanship of Professor Yevgeniy Vladimirovich Shakhmatov, SSAU Rector. Co-chairmen are: from Russia- Academician Yevgeniy Kablov, Director General of All-Russian Research Institute of Aviation Materials, from abroad - Professor Rudolf Kawalla, Director of the Institute of Metal Forming of the Technical University “Freiberg Mining Academy” (Germany). As it turned out, Rudolf, just like me, is interested in control process of crystallographic orientation of the structure. So now we are creating a joint laboratory with him “Aerospace Materials and Technologies”. Moreover, at the suggestion of our German colleague, after the conference, we will immediately begin to prepare conduction of the international congress “Production and Thermomechanical Processing of Light Alloys" in 2017 in Samara, at the premises of SSAU with the involvement of the leading Western and Russian metallurgical and engineering companies. In addition to SSAU, the organizers of this congress are the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISA) and TU “Freiberg Mining Academy”. Professor Kawalla and I have already made an action plan for the congress organization. We are actively developing contacts in the east direction with Taiwan, Japan and Korea as well.
 

- And what's the progress of collaboration with the All-Russian Institute of Aviation Materials (AIAM)?
 

- In collaboration with AIAM we set about creating of metal polymer composites. For example, based on the aluminium and lithium tape, which is now is the most low-weight and tough aluminium alloy in the world. But, simultaneously, it is one of the most difficult to roll. Our task is to make the rolling technology of such tape with a given crystallographic orientation of the structure.  In its turn AIAM is developing a manufacturing technology of organic plastics and gluing the entire structure into a single “sandwich”.
 

- What does the participation in this conference give?
 

- New ideas and new scientific developments.  Each participant becomes “richer” for 3-4 ideas by exchanging concepts at such a conference. And some of them may become the basis for a new scientific research in the future.
 

In addition, the major part of materials from this conference will be published in Europe, in specialized edition of Key Engineering Materials, which is published in Switzerland. This will be another step in increasing the authority of Samara State Aerospace University at the international level.
 

- What can you say about the economic impact of scientific developments in the field of materials production and processing? 
 

The examples are around us. It would seem, aluminium can for beverage is not a rocket. But it turned out that to make an appropriate aluminium sheet for it was much more difficult task than to make steel for “Soyuz” from a technological point of view. At the turn of the century our metallurgists have tried rolling in many ways, but none of them showed satisfactory results. Therefore in the late 1990s - early 2000s Russia had to buy rolled aluminium abroad in large quantities for the production of food cans. At the same time foreign steel companies refused to give us their manufacturing technologies. 
 

The “secret” of the rolling actually consisted of a special crystal orientation of the metal. We have uncovered it and created our own Russian technology of food rolled aluminium manufacturing, which is now used by almost all domestic bottling plants, and which is exported to various countries of East and West. The State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of science, which our development team has been awarded in 2004 for development and implementation of this technology, indicates the rate of the economic effect on a national scale in this connection.

Why were we able to make this tape thereafter? Because previously the works close to the subject have been conducted at the Department for 30 years. A lot of candidate's and doctoral theses were defended on the topic of anisotropy of materials properties. But only in 2000, when our metallurgists have realized that they can’t make any can with existing technologies, there was a real order on the subject.
 

Currently the most important order for us is the creation of technologies for the rolled aluminium production - lithium alloys and certain products thereof (sheets, tapes, tubes, profiles) for a new class of carrier rockets. I have already mentioned that these alloys with their properties are considered to be the most promising for use in the aerospace industry. Applying them even at the existing engines with the same fuel amount, we can increase a carrier rocket payload by 100, 200, 500 kg. And the customers are ready to pay a lot of money for the launching of every extra kilogram.
 

Photo: expert.ru