Tikhon Mikhailovich Aleksenko-Serbin

Born July 29 (Aug. 10), 1869, in Romny, Poltava Province; died Feb. 3, 1941, in Moscow. Soviet metallurgist. Graduated from the Khar’kov Technological Institute in 1897.

From 1898 Aleksenko-Serbin worked as an engineer and did experimental work in production. He proposed and directed the construction of several large enterprises in Moscow. One of the founders of the rare metals industry in the USSR, he was chief of the research bureau on rare metals of the Scientific and Technological Society of the Supreme Council of the National Economy (1922–23). Aleksenko-Serbin set up the tungsten laboratory at the cable plant (now called the Elektroprovod Plant) in 1923 and was chief of the laboratory of extra-hard alloys (metal ceramics) of the Central Technological and Machine-building Scientific Research Institute (TsNIITMAShA) during 1930–41. His chief works deal with the powder metallurgy of refractory metals and the technology of cable, electric bulb, rolling, and drawing production. He taught at higher educational institutions in Moscow from 1922 and was a professor from 1930.