VIAM’s history is a story of birth and establishment of a new science – aviation materials science, a history of establishment and development of raw material resource enterprises within the industry. Basing on fundamental and applied researches the institute developed and mastered new materials meeting strict requirements in terms of durability, service life and reliability allowing the USSR and then Russia to take and retain leading positions in the global aerospace society.
Construction of one of VIAM’s buildings
By Order No. 435 of the Ministry of Heavy Industry of the USSR dated June 28, 1932 VIAM along with development and commercialization of aviation materials had to determine application suitability of materials with recommendations for protection systems against corrosion and external climatic factors and provide aviation technology designers with mandatory standards for aviation materials and regulatory documentation for their production technologies and application in structures.
Eight scientific departments were set up in the course of VIAM establishment:
- general metal research department,
- ferrous metal department,
- nonferrous metal department,
- aircraft timber department,
- chemical-engineering department,
- chemical-analytical department,
- resource base department,
- experimental metallurgy department.
These departments comprised 33 laboratories.
