Carbon in the steel structure can be in a solid solution based on α- and γ-iron (at the position of interstitial elements), on dislocations (in the form of Cottrell and Maxwell atmospheres), on interphase (carbide/matrix) and intraphase (grain boundaries, packets and crystals of packet and lamellar martensite) boundaries, in carbide phase particles. The amount of carbon in solid solutions based on α- and γ-iron is usually estimated by the relative change in the crystal lattice parameter of these phases. The amount of carbon in carbide particles is estimated based on the chemical composition of the carbide, the type of crystal lattice and the volume fraction of carbide phase particles in steel. For cementite (assuming a stoichiometric composition), a similar calculation is performed in the work. Estimation of the amount of carbon located on defects (dislocations and interfaces) is the most difficult moment and is practically not amenable to direct experimental determination. The situation is resolved by using indirect methods, such as internal friction and micro X-ray spectral analysis, and theoretical assessments are also made. The most complete analysis of carbon redistribution in unalloyed steels depending on the tempering temperature is carried out in the work, in the case of alloyed steels (quenching and low-temperature tempering conditions) – in the works.

The production of raw pellets on a disc pelletizer using forced nucleation technology includes the formation of nuclei in a shape close to a cube in the idle zone of the disc using the spraying method and the creation of a pellet shell by pelletizing them in the working zone of the pelletizer in the rolling mode. This technology has been experimentally tested in laboratory conditions and makes it possible to produce pellets with differentiated porosity distribution across their cross-section and to organize the process of pellet mass formation at a higher rate.

World production of iron ore pellets currently exceeds 500 million tons per year, which is more than a quarter of the world's output of agglomerated raw materials for ferrous metallurgy. The main producers of pellets for ferrous metallurgy are the USA, Germany, Japan, China, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine and some other countries.

The development of new materials and the use of innovative restoration technologies that significantly increase the wear resistance of products are urgent tasks of mechanical engineering. Methods are being developed and special materials for surfacing are being manufactured. The most widely used surfacing wires for abrasive-wearing products are low-carbon, low-alloy, austenitic high-manganese type C, and high-speed steels type F according to the MIS classification. Widely used are surfacing carbide alloys of type P, which are composite materials and consist of reinforcing particles of tungsten carbides and a matrix. They are distinguished by the highest wear resistance under abrasive wear. A characteristic feature of the wear process of such alloys is the gradual wear of individual elements of the composition. In this case, the so-called shadow effect is observed, when more wear-resistant reinforcing particles take on the main load from destructive forces, thereby protecting the alloy matrix from wear. Thus, with equal wear resistance of the matrix, the performance of composite alloys is determined by their chemical composition, concentration, wear resistance and strength of reinforcing particles. However, the wear resistance of the matrix can also be a determining indicator when working under abrasive wear conditions.

Alloys of the Ni-Co and Ni-Co-Cr systems are widely used in modern technology. One of the harmful impurities in these alloys is oxygen, which is present in the metal both in dissolved form and in the form of non-metallic inclusions. The presence of oxygen leads to a decrease in the physical and mechanical properties of the alloys. In the production of Ni-Co and Ni-Co-Cr alloys, aluminum is often used as a deoxidizer. For the practice of producing such alloys, the study of the effect of aluminum on the solubility of oxygen in these alloys is of considerable interest.

Hypereutectoid steels, potentially possessing increased hardness and wear resistance under contact loading, are usually used in a heat-hardened condition (quenching and tempering) to ensure the required strength. Such heat treatment does not allow realizing the maximum hardness of the working surface of parts and is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in their service life. The solution to this problem, especially relevant for massive products such as rolling rolls, is possible using heat hardening of the working surfaces, for example, plasma hardening. In this case, the physicochemical state and properties of the material in the internal layers of the product do not change, ensuring the specified structural strength. Surface hardening of such products allows increasing their wear resistance and service life due to a favorable combination of high hardness of the surface working layer with a sufficiently strong core, the structure and properties of which are formed at previous stages of production.

Construction and repair of buildings and structures using the method of sprayed concrete (gunning) have long been known. This method is characterized by efficiency, low budget and is the most reasonable and attractive for fast construction and repair. Gunned concrete as a concreting material is a concrete mixture that is supplied to the place of work through a material pipeline and applied by spraying under high pressure, which ensures the compaction of the mixture.

One of the methods for obtaining reliable information about geomechanical processes in a rock mass during underground mining of coal seams of complex structure are mine experiments. However, their implementation is associated with high material and labor costs, therefore mathematical and physical modeling is widely used in scientific research practice. Numerical methods are widely used to study the stress-strain state of a rock mass, namely, the finite element method, the implementation of which is carried out using a set of computer programs.

Currently, one of the rapidly developing areas of robotics is the development of walking mechanisms and robots. Such work was started by Leonardo da Vinci: in the period 1495-1497 he designed and built a mechanical horse, which could perform walking movements by means of mechanical gears installed inside its frame. Further important results in this direction were obtained by P.L. Chebyshev, in 1850 he developed a plantigrade machine. Later, in 1893, L.A. Ragg developed a mechanical horse, in which pedals were used as drives so that the rider could control the horse while sitting in the saddle. The movement of the pedals was transmitted through levers and gears to the horse's legs, which performed plantigrade movements. This development was patented in the USA.

At present, it is important to reduce the consumption of fuel, heat and electric energy by using them more fully and rationally in all areas of activity. The solution to the issues of using secondary energy resources (SER) is one of the main priorities of scientific and technical research in the development and implementation of modern energy-saving technologies.

Aluminium ligatures with strontium have found wide application in foundry production for modifying the structure of cast aluminium-silicon alloys (silumins). The advantages of strontium as a modifier over sodium are the preservation of the modification effect over a long period of time and after multiple remeltings, whereas alloys modified with sodium retain the modified structure for 30–40 min.

Assessing the role of higher education requires searching for qualitatively new parameters in the characteristics of its educational space, including those establishing the compliance of the educational technologies used with the challenges of innovative, technological and social development of the regions and Russia as a whole. It is obvious that the effectiveness of the educational model of the university lies in increasing the level of training of a graduate who is able to successfully perform professional tasks in the context of socio-economic and political transformations.

On December 17, 2017, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Ferrous Metallurgy of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Siberian Industrial University” Irina Dmitrievna Rozhikhina celebrated her anniversary.