AWARDEE OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES PRIZE

ZHANG PEILIN

Abstract

Prof. Zhang Peilin, a specialist on physical metallurgy and nuclear materials, was  born in Pinding, Shanxi Province in 1917.  He studied in Tangshan Engineering College,  Jiaotung University during 1936-1937, and graduated in 1940 from Northwest  Engineering College.  Then he had worked four years in Yunnan Iron & Steel Works as  an assistant engineer.
He won a Sino-British Boxer Indemnity Fund Scholarship in 1944 and was a  post-graduate student in metallurgy in Sheffield University during 1945-1949.  His  research work was on cold working of steel and he obtained his Ph.D degree in the  spring of 1949.  He was also awarded a Brunton Medal (and premium) for Metallurgical  Research.  Then, he had stayed at the University doing research on the behavior of  hydrogen in iron and steel before he came back to China in the spring of 1951.
After his returning, he joined The Chinese Academy of Sciences and was  appointed to a Research Fellow. He participated in founding of the Institute of Metal Research in Shenyang, and he had worked in the Institute doing research on physical metallurgy and on problems of direct interest to industry. In 1958 he was asked to change his field of research and in 1960 the Institute organized two laboratories devoted to nuclear materials, and he led one of them. In 1959 he was appointed to Deputy  Director of the Institute.
In the spring of 1963, Prof.  Zhang was transferred to the Second Ministry of  Machinery as Research Fellow and Metallurgical Chief Engineer*, continuing work on  nuclear materials, but on definite projects and with strict schedules.  In the past 35  years, he has contributed a great deal for the progress of science and technology of  nuclear materials and fuel elements in China. He had participated in the following tasks of research and development, and all of which were completed successfully under his technological directions:(1) uranium and plutonium metallurgy and the fabrication  of weaponery parts (1960's), (2) metallic fuel elements for production reactors (1960's,1970's),  (3) fuel assemblies for submarine nuclear power reactors (1960's-1970's), (4) tubular fuel  assemblies for high flux engineering reactor (1970's), and (5) fuel assemblies for Chinshan  300MW PWR reactor (1980's).
He was elected to Member of The Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980.  He had  served as President of the Chinese Nuclear Material Society of the CNS for the 1 st and  2nd sessions.  In 1985, he was awarded a special grade prize of the National Defense Sci.  & Tech.  Achievement Prize, and a grade 2 National Prize of Discovery.
*Subsequently as: Chief engineer of the Bureau of Nuclear Fuels, MNI;
Member of the standing committee of Sci.& Tech.Commission,MNI;
Senior consultant of Sci.& Tech.Commission, CNNC.