An outstanding scientist in the field of welding, metallurgy and metals technology, an organizer of science, state and public figure. The President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (since 1962) and International Association of Academies of Sciences (since 1993), the chairman of E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute of the National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine (since 1953). The academician of NAS Ukraine (1958) and the foreign member of several other Academies of Sciences in a number of countries. The laureate of the Lenin (1957) and Stalin (State) Prizes (1950), the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology (2004), Honoured Worker of Science and Technology of the Ukrainian SSR (1968), Hero of Socialist Labour, twice (1969, 1978), Hero of Ukraine (1998).
He was born on November 27, 1918 in Kiev in the family of E.O. Paton, the founder of the national metal welding school. In 1941, Borys Paton graduated from the Kyiv Industrial Institute (now the National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”). 1941-1942, he was assigned to electrotechnical laboratory of the plant “Krasnoe Sormovo” in Gorky (now Nizhniy Novgorod) and worked there as an engineer. Since 1942, his activity connected with Electric Welding Institute, which was evacuated from Kyiv to Nizhny Tagil. Here he actively participated in development and implementation under extreme conditions in wartime of a legendary technological innovation – automatic armor welding of tank T-34, the best medium tank of World War II. After the return of the Institute in Kyiv, Borys Yevhenovych defended in 1945 his thesis entitled “Analysis of the welding heads and methods of their supply under the flux welding” for a candidate of technical sciences degree, and in 1952 – his doctoral thesis “Investigation of burning stability conditions of the welding arc and its regulation”. From 1953, he became the Director of Electric Welding Institute, which grew up into a powerful scientific and technical complex. It consists of Scientific Research Institute, design, engineering and experimental departments, 3 pilot plants, and innovative organizations, scientific, engineering and certifying centers.
Under the direction of Borys Paton and for his personal participation, deep investigation in the Institute were held and great results in developing of advanced technologies of permanent connection and processing of metals and non-metals in different conditions and environments were obtained. They include welding and surfacing under flux, welding in protective gases by solid and cored wire, electroslag welding, butt fusion welding, thermal spraying, ray technologies and other processes.
Fundamental researches of B.E. Paton and his students about the interaction of welding heat sources with the melted metal laid the basis for creating a new field of metallurgy – special electrometallurgy. Thanks to it, the casting of particularly pure special steels and alloys, ferrous metals, and obtaining of unique composite materials became possible. The prospects for creation of new structural and functional materials of XXI century were opened.
Borys Yevhenovych made a great contribution to the creation of new types of welded constructions, industrial methods of trunk pipelines welding, large-sized tanks for oil storage, covers of blast furnaces, high-rise tower structures.
Academician Paton was the first one, who started and developed the investigation with the use of welding processes in space technology, performed by the astronauts during orbital flights of ships and in the open space. He is an acknowledged leader in this field.
In the last decade, in the circle of scientific interests of Paton-scientist came the problem of original medical technologies research and development of unique samples of medical equipment and instruments. Under his direction, employees of the Institute and medical scientists created a new way of connecting (welding) the soft tissues of humans and animals, that is widely used now in surgical practice.
Source of information – Ukrainian publishing portal
