APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
chemistry of steelmaking, refining (including basic oxygen and direct reduction), continuous casting, the statistical analysis of metallurgical processes, and quality control. Extensive studies of foundry technology, including solidification studies, elimination of casting defects, and molding sand practice, have been conducted. Ferrous physical metallurgical work has included the development of high silicon electrical purpose steels and means to produce them, the investigation of stainless steels for high-temperature service, the study of the transformation kinetics in high-strength, low-alloy steels, the development of nickel-base, high-temperature alloys for aircraft gas turbine applications, and the study of thermal mechanical treatment to improve the strength properties of structure alloys. On the latter subject, the Czechoslovaks apparently have not reported the notable improvements in strength claimed by the Soviets.
Extensive research has been done on metalworking and processing. Recent work has included the effect of deformation rate on the hot rolling and forging of steel products and on the extrusion of steels and nonferrous alloys. Extensive welding research has been carried out at the Welding Research Institute in Bratislava. This facility is one of the premier welding research establishments in the world, and it compares very favorably with the Paton Institute in the U.S.S.R. Research activities have included the development or investigation of various welding processes, the development of electrodes and fluxes for welding, welding metallurgy and weldability, and the surfacing of large components. This institute is quite active in the study of electroslag welding, a development studied initially here rather than at the Paton Institute. Considerable research on the welding and fracture mechanics of gas line pipe is currently underway at the Welding Institute. The facility has also conducted extensive studies on the creep, fatigue, and brittle facture of weldments and base metals.
A significant amount of research on the corrosion of low-alloy steels, stainless steels, and aluminum alloys is undertaken. Past research has involved the study of pitting and stress corrosion cracking of stainless steels and the atmospheric attack and stress corrosion cracking of low-alloy steels. Liquid metal corrosion studies have also been undertaken, but the extent of the research has not been large, suggesting that the Czechoslovaks are not engaged in a strong effort to develop fast-breeder nuclear reactors.
Extensive research in nuclear metallurgy has not been observed, although the Lenin (Skoda) Steel Works has researched pressure vessel alloys and fabrication techniques for reactor vessels in pressurized water reactors. The Czechoslovaks do not have a strong independent nuclear power program, but they are cooperating with the U.S.S.R. and other CEMA members in nuclear power reactor development. Czechoslovakia is to supply some of the conventional components for the four nuclear power reactors being supplied to Czechoslovakia by the U.S.S.R. and is supplying components for other Soviet power reactors.
The research program on nonferrous metallurgy is much more limited than that in ferrous metallurgy. The bulk of the effort has been directed toward mineral benefication and the refining of aluminum and copper. Some alloy research has been done on aluminum and on magnesium, and appreciable research on titanium and its alloys was done in the past. Over the last few years, efforts in titanium have dwindled significantly.
The amount of fundamental research has continued to increase over the past 3 years, and excellent work on crystal growth, atomic structure, defect structures (dislocations and stacking faults), magnetic and electronic properties, creep, and fatigue have been conducted. Extensive research in the fundamentals of creep and the effect of dislocations on creep in various alloy systems has been conducted by J. Cadek of CSAV's Physics of Metals Institute at Brno. Similarly, excellent work on the role of dislocation movements in the three stages of fatigue has been carried out by Petr Lucas of the Institute of Metallurgy. Recently, there has been considerable emphasis in combining the results of such creep and fatigue studies to obtain an improved understanding of fatigue and creep interaction and in developing improved damage criteria, a subject upon which many millions of dollars will be spent in the coming decade in the United States. This topic is extremely important to fast-breeder reactor technology and to high-temperature petrochemical processing.
b. Physics and mathematics (S)
Research in fundamental physics appears to be somewhat stagnant in Czechoslovakia. Most of the specialists who have gained national and international reputations over the years appear to be continuing their old research activities, doing routine investigations and conducting other physics research that should be classified as applied in nature. Approximately one-half of the research in physics is being devoted to solid-state investigations. Research in the broad field of optics, which include electrooptics, spectroscopy, and interferometry, absorbs about 20% of the physics research efforts. Nuclear physics in both
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
