The eighties and nineties


The Order of the October Revolution
  • New technological processes and equipment in the field of metallurgy of high melting point alloys were developed and commercialized (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1981).
  • A technology for production of die forgings from 1960 alloy was developed and put into serial production of high-speed and energy saving gas centrifugal units (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1982).
  • Long-life aluminum alloys of enhanced purity - D16ch., 1163, V93p.ch. and V95p.ch., which are the basis of Tu-154, Tu-204, IL?76, IL-86 and other airframes were created. In 1982, VIAM was awarded the Order of the October Revolution for development and supply of new materials for aircraft engineering.
  • A technology for production of titanium open- and die forged parts using recrystallization processes was created (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1984).

A badge of laureate of the Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR
  • A technology for electroslag remelting of high-strength steels in industrial units was developed (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1984).
  • The principles for creation and alloying of heat-resistant alloys with protective coatings were developed (Lenin prize, 1984).
  • High heat-resistant alloys and technologies of their manufacturing were developed for the 4th generation GTE discs (USSR State Prize, 1985).
  • Ion-plasma MAP-1-type units were designed, heat-resistant protective coatings for GTE and other engineering equipment were developed and put into serial production (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1986)..
  • Technological processes and equipment for heat treatment of special steels were created (USSR state prize, 1986).
  • The methods to prevent steel failure caused by hydrogen were developed (USSR State Prize, 1986).
  • Technological processes for manufacturing semi-finished products from magnesium alloys for military equipment were created (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1986).
  • Technology and equipment for casting of blades with regulated equiaxial structure and for directional crystallization of cooled single-crystal blades for the 4th generation engines and gas-turbine units were developed (USSR State Prize 1987).

Heat protection of “Buran” space shuttle»
  • Quartz fibers were developed, heat-resistant and thermo-barrier materials based on these fibers were created (USSR State Prize, 1987).
  • A range of unique materials (fibers, heat protective materials, adhesives, carbon-carbon materials, structural carbon fiber plastics, paint-and-lacquer coatings, reaction-hardened coatings, felts) as well as technologies for assembling and repair of heat protection components and non-destructive test methods assisting creation of “Buran” space shuttle were developed.

Buran space shuttle
  • Heat protective system based on glass reinforced resin for rocket engineering equipment was developed (USSR State Prize, 1987)..
  • Highly efficient welding methods for magnesium, aluminum and titanium alloys were developed and put into practice (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1988).
  • High-strength aramid fibers and composite materials based on these fibers were created (USSR State Prize, 1988).
  • A new class of high-strength carbon-free high-deformable maraging steels capable to operate in a wide range of temperatures (from –253 up to +400 °C) to be used for critical load-bearing parts of airplanes and SFRE was developed (USSR State Prize, 1989).
  • Materials and repair technology for GTE blades were developed (Prize of the Council of the Ministry of the USSR, 1990).
  • A complex resource saving technology for making high-alloy steels and heat-resistant alloys was developed and implemented (Prize of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, 1991).

A badge of laureate of the RSFSR Prize
  • A series of polymer medium for quenching of aluminum alloy sheets was developed (RSFSR Prize, 1991).

In 1994, VIAM received the status of the State research center of the Russian Federation (Decree No. 247 of the RF Government dated 29.03.1994). This status was confirmed by Decrees and Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation::

  • No. 880 dated 4.06.1997;
  • No. 159-r dated 29.01.2000;
  • No. 218-r dated 20.02.2002 ;
  • No. 1769-r dated 31.12.2004;
  • No. 40-r dated 17.01.2007;
  • No. 252-r dated 28.02.2009;
  • No. 221-r. dated 15.02.2011
  • A strategy for designing smart and adaptable polymer composite materials was offered and implemented.
  • For the first time ever in the world practice a forward-swept wing made of adaptable carbon plastic was designed.

In a period from 1996 to 1998 due to a sharp decrease in state financing, the institute was in a hard economic position and went through bankruptcy proceedings. The scope of contract orders was about 15 mln. roubles whereas total utility bills amounted to 40 mln. roubles. The institute’s total debt was near 80 mln. roubles. The institute’s employees did not receive their salaries for six months. A financial recovery plan was developed in order to allow the institute to operate in new conditions:

  •  one authorized signature for financial documents was introduced;
  •  the institute was restructured – all intermediary firms that had worked at VIAM were closed down; 
  •  the staff was reduced by dismissing employees who were only on the books of the institute;
  •  measures aimed at saving utility payments, electricity and water consumption were introduced;
  •  workshops for material production were set up and preferred foreign customer orientation was introduced.

 The institute’s team supported this plan developed by the top management. The institute was saved and prepared for operation in market economy conditions. The results were not long in arriving. The first money was earned: for manufacturing 30000 insulators for public transport in the city of Moscow as well as 5 million US dollars under a contract with China. Within the shortest possible period of time all debts were paid off including salary debts.

 A new series of structural carbon fiber reinforced plastics was developed and implemented in rocket engineering equipment (Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation, 1998).

A technology and equipment for high -gradient casting of single-crystal blades with transpiration (penetrating) cooling and protection of gas-turbine engine blades from high-temperature gas corrosion were developed; high heat-resistant alloys with an increased content of rhenium were developed as well.

Highly efficient technological casting processes for new aluminum alloys to obtain integral cast and welded structures were developed (Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation, 1999). 

Workable high-strength heat-resistant aluminum alloys were developed (VAL10, VAL12, VAL14, VAL8) and technological processes for manufacturing shaped castings from these alloys for the aviation industry were created (Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation, 1999).