Established in 1934.
Its principal lines of research activities are:
- integrated investigations into the nature of welding, brazing, surfacing, spraying and allied processes; development of novel high-efficiency technologies, equipment and materials on their basis;
- studies of the strength and performance of welded structures, development of principles of their design, improvement of their reliability, fatigue and residual life;
- automation and mechanization of welding processes and related technologies;
- development of advanced technologies and equipment for electrometallurgy production of super-high-grade alloys, composite materials and produce.
The most significant achievements of the Institute are:
- integrated studies of welding processes and allied technologies relying on arc discharge, electron- and laser-beam, and combined heat sources (laser +arc, plasma MIG);
- R&D works in all major areas of pressure welding flash-butt, resistance, spot, friction and diffusion welding;
- scientific fundamentals and technologies of protective and strengthening coatings, using arc, electroslag, plasma, induction surfacing; explosion strengthening, electron beam and laser strengthening; plasma-arc, detonation, thermal and electron beam deposition;
- many years of R&D work in welding, coating and brazing in space; technologies and hardware for space structures, successfully tested and used in space vehicles;
- development of materials, equipment and technologies for welding steels of various classes; alloys based on aluminium, copper, titanium and other metals, composite materials, plastics;
- development of state-of-the-art technologies for electrometallurgy, high-grade alloys and composite materials in particular, relying on novel power sources;
- development of cutting-edge technologies and materials for heavy-duty structures: off-shore drilling platforms, cryogenic systems, structures exposed to Arctic and East Siberia conditions. Flux-cored wire has been produced for underwater welding, for depositing heat-proof, wear-resistant and other coatings with special properties;
- development of unique and all-purpose machines for flash-butt welding of rails, pipes, parts of various typesizes, aerospace industry products;
- development of the technology for pulsed-arc welding and high-power electron-beam welding of plate materials with closing of girth joints;
- development of unique technologies and instruments for welding live tissues and vessels; they are now used in surgeries on humans;
- systems for diagnostics of welded joint quality and structure condition by acoustic-emission, holography, ultrasonic, X-ray, magnetic, dye-penetrant and eddy-current testing.