PROVISIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT THE ABRASIVES INDUSTRY IN THE USSR

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CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4
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S
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47
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November 9, 2016
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March 8, 1999
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6
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March 25, 1955
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IR
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NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS Iease.t999,/P9JQ? ;_:. CIA - ~~79-01093AQQQ8Q010Q006-4 R SIONA INTELLIGENCE REPORT THE ABRASIVES INDUSTRY IN THE USSR CIA/RR PR-103 :25 March 1955 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY C I:~I E OF.. RESEARCH _AND_. REPORTS NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS _.~_rQ4lclQrKf JAI "0 CHANGE IN CLAS., Q DECLASSIFIED CLASS CHANGED TO: T S NgXT FIEViE D T ~ -DATE: REVIEWER: 006914 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 WARNING This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the espionage laws, Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans- mission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. Approved For'"" Release l 7b' 7702 : CIA--RDP7 - 01 CIA-RDP79-01093AO00800100006-4 Approved For Release 19V6,141FIDENTIAL NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS PROVISIONAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT THE ABRASIVES INDUSTRY IN THE USSR CIA/RR PR-103 (ORR Project 34.231 The data and conclusions contained in this report do not necessarily represent the final position of ORR and should be regarded as provisional only and subject to revision. Comments and data which may be available to the user are solicited. NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP 1093A000800100006-4 DENTl CONFI CONTENTS Page Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ?- A. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . B. History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 C. Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1. General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. Comparison of Soviet and US Technology . . . . . . 4 3. Convertibility to Wartime Economy .. . . . . . . . 4 D. Organizational and Administrative Structure II, Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 A. Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. Crude Abrasives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. Abrasive Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3. Use of Abrasive Grain Produced in the USSR by Class of Product . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . 8 4. Estimated Value of Abrasive Grain Production . . 10 5. Geographic Distribution of Production . . . . . . . 12 B. Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 C. Inventories and Stockpiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 III. Demand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A. Use Pattern . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 B. Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 C. Substitutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 IV. Future Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 A. Existing Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 B. Projected Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 - iii - CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 CONFI NTIAL Page V. Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 A. For Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 l.. Raw Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2. Fuel and Power . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . 20 3. Capital Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 4. Manpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 B. For Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 VI. Intentions and Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 A. Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 B. Vulnerabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Appendixes Appendix A. Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Appendix B. Gaps in Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Appendix C. Source References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 1. Estimated Total Production of Crude Abrasives in the USSR, 1940 and 1946-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2. Estimated Total Production of Abrasive Grain in the USSR, 1940 and 1946-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Estimated Value of Total Production of Abrasive Grain in the USSR, 1949-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4. Geographic Production of Abrasive Grain in the USSR, 1953 . 13 CIAL ppr6ved-Foe-RdTease 1999/09/0 Approved For Release 1999L0UK.Ivt ,1 r~t-01093A000800100006-4 5. Estimated Imports of Abrasive Grain into the USSR by Country of Origin, 19+6-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 6. Estimated Manpower Requirements for the Abrasives Industry in the USSR, 19+6-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 7. Estimated Requirements for Abrasive Grain in the USSR, 19+6-56 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Illustrations Following Page Technology for the Production of Abrasives (Chart) . . 4 Estimated Production of Abrasives in the USSR by Inside Economic Region, 195+ (Map) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover C F DE TIAL Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 CONFIDENTIAL CIA/RR PR-10- (ORR Project 34.231) - - - - - - THE ABRASIVES INDUSTRY IN THE USSR* Summary The USSR will be self-sufficient in the production of abrasives by the end of 1955. The present emphasis on the development of the Soviet abrasives industry has enabled the Russians to overcome shortages prev- alent in the economy before 1952 and to export small amounts of abra- sives and abrasive products to Communist China. Total production of crude artificial abrasives in the USSR is esti- mated to be 133,500 tons* in 1954, or approximatgly 61 percent as much as the average annual postwar production in the US and Canada.*** Cur- rently the Soviet rate of production appears to be in line with its growing economy. The abrasives industry is only a small part of the gross national product but an industry upon which all other production is dependent. Without abrasives, modern mass production of interchangeable parts and moving mechanisms would be impossible. Metal-fabricating in- dustries are therefore the major consumers of finished abrasive products. The industry is patterned after that of the US and uses the same or similar techniques of manufacture. The production of crude abra- sives is confined mainly to two products, aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. In the USSR the crude abrasives industry centers about four plants. These plants supply the required abrasive grain to some 12 to 14 plants engaged in manufacturing finished products (such as bonded and coated products, grinding powders, and refractories). The inputs to the Soviet abrasives industry are relatively small. The industry is not even a major consumer of most of the raw materials needed, such as electrical energy, bauxite or alumina, petroleum coke, and silica sand. These all are found in sufficient quantities in the * The estimates and conclusions contained in this report represent the best judgment of ORR as of 15 October 1954. Tonnages throughout this report are given in metric tons. *** The US and Canadian crude abrasives industries are so interwoven that figures published are for the combined production of both countries. CONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T USSR to provide for the present and anticipated levels of production of this industry. Electrical energy, the most critical requirement for crude abrasives production, is available in the vicinity of the crude- producing plants. The total electrical requirement of the crude abra- sives industry is estimated to be less than 5 percent of the total elec- tricity produced in the areas in which the crude-producing plants are located. The manpower requirements for the industry are small. On-the-job training of new workers is considered adequate except for a small group of skilled technicians and engineers. In 1954, fewer than 20,000 workers were estimated to be required for the entire industry, or less than 0.2 percent of the industrial labor force in the USSR. The basic conclusions of this report are (1) that the Russians have achieved since 1930 an abrasives industry capable of producing more than present domestic requirements and (2) that there are no shortages of inputs which would prevent further expansion to meet civilian or war needs. I. Introduction. A. General. The abrasives industry is an important component of the war- making capability of any nation because mass production of modern arms and machines of defense is impossible without an adequate supply of high-quality abrasive products. The industry is characterized by a relatively small number of producing units and a dependence upon a stable supply of electric power. Its direct contribution to the gross national product is insignificant in spite of its essentiality in modern industry. The production process has three major steps: (1) the high- temperature chemical process, which produces crude abrasives; (2) the pulverization and grading process, which produces abrasive grain in standard sizes; and (3) the manufacturing process, in which bonded, coated, and other abrasive products are made from the grain. S-E-C-R-E-T pproved ForReTease 1999/09/0 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T This report is limited to that part of the abrasives industry of the USSR producing artificial abrasives -- aluminum oxide and sil- icon carbide -- and natural abrasives -- emery and corundum. Indus- trial diamonds or other natural abrasives such as garnet and flint are not evaluated in this report. B. History. The first abrasives plant in the USSR was the Il'ich Abrasives Plant, built in Leningrad in 1930. The Il'ich Abrasives Plant, which has facilities for producing both aluminum oxide and silicon carbide, was followed in 2 years by the construction of the Chelyabinsk Abra- sives Plant, which has facilities for producing only aluminum oxide. The Zaporozh'ye Carborundum Plant, dedicated exclusively to the manu- facture of silicon carbide, began production in 1939, and the Tashkent Carborundum Plant, with facilities for both silicon carbide and aluminum oxide, began production in 1942. /* In addition to these 4 main plants, which produce crude abra- sives, crush and sort the grain, and manufacture some finished products, some 12 to 14 other plants J produce finished abrasive products, such as grinding wheels, stones, coated papers and cloths, grinding grain, and refractory products. Before World War II a central scientific laboratory for abra- sives and polishing materials, known as the All-Union Scientific Re- search Laboratory for Abrasives and Grinding, was established in Leningrad near the Il'ich Abrasives Plant. / C. Technology. 1. General. The basic operation in the production of artificial abra- sives is the high-temperature chemical process during which a batch of raw materials is heated electrically until it fuses to form a crystalline structure possessing excellent abrasive properties.** * For serially numbered source references, see Appendix C. For a diagram illustrating the processes of manufacturing abra- sive products, see the chart following p. L. Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T The two industrially important abrasives formed in this way are aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. Regular aluminum oxide is formed from bauxite, coke, and iron :filings in an arc-type furnace at an average rate of 3,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity per ton of aluminum oxide formed. A somewhat better grade, white aluminum oxide, using alumina instead of bauxite in its manufacture, requires approx- imately 1,800 kwh of electricity per ton of white aluminum oxide formed. Silicon carbide is formed from sand and coke in a resistance- type furnace at an average rate of 8,500 kwh of electricity per ton of silicon carbide formed. In either operation, a block of crude abrasives weighing several tons is formed. This is crushed and pulverized and the grain accurately graded from coarse to fine. Bonded abrasive products such as wheels and stones are manufactured by mixing grain with suitable bonding materials and then pressing the mix into shapes which are set by firing. Coated products are made by distributing the grain over a surface of cloth or paper to which an appropriate adhesive has been applied. 2. Comparison of Soviet and US Technology. The abrasives industry of the USSR is modeled after that of the US, and though methods are comparable, it is believed that Soviet finished products are somewhat inferior to US finished products. For example, a few Soviet abrasive wheels analyzed by a US manufacturer in- dicated some bonding deficiencies. J Some Soviet arc-type furnaces used for aluminum oxide are, however, larger than those used in this country. The average US furnace will produce approximately 5-ton blocks of crude abrasives. J The Russians are reported to be using furnaces with approximately 13,500-kilowatt capacity, J which produce an aluminum oxide block weighing 25 to 30 tons. J 3. Convertibility to Wartime Economy. The abrasives industry requires no changeover in equip- ment and methods to convert from a peacetime to a wartime economy. The same products are essential to both economies, although a wartime S-E-C-R-E-T ` Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SYNTHETIC PRODUCTION OF ABRASIVES REGULAR ALUMINUM OXIDE CALCINED BAUXITE IRON BORINGS Electric Power rllllllh REGULAR ALUMINUM OXIDE *Calcined bauxite ----- 1.225 tons Iron borings --------- 0.062 ton Metallurgical coke ---- 0.052ton per ton of finished Carbon electrodes ---- 31 pounds i regular aluminum oxide Electrical energy ----- 3000 kwh *One ton of dry bouxite equals approximately 0.63 ton of calcined bauxite. MAGNETIC SEPARATOR GRADING SCREENS STORAGE TANKS WHITE ALUMINUM OXIDE Alumina -------------- 1.02 tons finished Graphite electrodes ____9 p white e aluminum Peuoxide Electrical energy ------ 1800 kwh SILICON CARBIDE Sand --------------- 1.650 tons Coke___ 1.300 tons per ton of finished Sawdust Of used)____ 0.055 ton silicon carbide Electrical energy ______8500 kwh REFRACTORIES BONDED PRODUCTS COATED PRODUCTS Furnace linings Grinding wheels Abrasive cloth Laboratory ware Segments Abrasive paper Resistors Stones Abrasive discs OTHER PRODUCTS Polishing powders Lapping paste Buffing compounds Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 GRADING SCREENS STORAGE TANKS STORAGE TANKS Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T economy requires substantially increased rates of production. Since the industry is operating at near-capacity levels, increased production would have to be met by expansion of facilities. There is no technological reason why expansion should be limited. In the short run, there may be some internal dislocations caused by an expansion, but given time for programming, a substantial expansion should be possible. D. Organizational and Administrative Structure. Before March 1953 the abrasives plants of the USSR were under the Main Administration of Abrasives in the Ministry of the Machine- Tool Industry, with A.I. Kostousov as the Minister. The Director of the Main Administration of Abrasives was P.P. Tubanov, as of September 19+8, and presumably Tubanov was still Director of the Main Administration of Abrasives in 1952, when he coauthored an article on abrasives. In March 1953 the Ministry of Machine-Tool Industry and several other ministries were combined to form the Ministry of Machine Building. Kostousov was a Deputy Minister in this Ministry. J When the new government was announced on 27 April 1954, the Ministry of Machine Building was split into several new ministries, one of which was the Ministry of Machine-Tool Industry, with Kostousov as the Minister. J The USSR has gone back to the same ministerial setup which existed before the merger of 1953, including the same minister. Al- though the abrasives industry has not been located in the new setup, the assumption is that the prior relationship, in substance, exists. The organization and administrative structure of the industry follow the normal Soviet pattern. II. Supply. A. Production. 1. Crude Abrasives. Estimates of the production of the four plants in the USSR producing crude artificial abrasives are shown in Table l.* Production Table 1 follows on p. 6. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Lr\ O Lf\ H ON N- H 0 88 0 U-\ 8 8 8 U'N 00 e 0 0 Ln u 0 Lfl\ NN G 00 0 $ 8 0 0 ~ Ln ~ 0? 0 0 08 0 aw\ f Approved or Release Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093AO00800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T of aluminum oxide was 37,000 tons in 1946 and 100,000 tons in 1954, approximately 2.7 times as great. Production of silicon carbide was 7,000 tons in 1946 and 33,500 tons in 1954, approximately 4.8 times as great. The production of both aluminum oxide and silicon carbide is expected to increase approximately 20 percent by 1956. The pro- duction of artificial abrasives in 1954 was a ratio of approximately 25 percent silicon carbide to 75 percent aluminum oxide. 10 In the US and Canada,* average production of aluminum oxide was 153,800 tons for the period 1946-53,* and average annual production of silicon carbide was 66,000 tons for the same period.. Thus the USSR in 1953 produced approximately 60 percent as much aluminum oxide as was produced in the US and Canada in an average postwar year and 46 percent as much silicon carbide, or for the arti- ficial abrasives industry as a whole, approximately 56 percent. The USSR recognizes the importance of artificial abra- sives, and production of natural abrasives expressed as equivalents of artificial crude abrasives is expected to decline from approxi- mately 21 percent of total crude production in 1946 to approximately 4 percent of total crude production in 1956. The estimates of annual production shown in Table 1 are based in part on plant studies. These data have been evaluated in terms of over-all production increases reported from time to time and the announced plan of industrial growth, modified by estimates of fabricated metal production. 11 Figures for the production of natural abrasive ore shown in Table 1 are approximations based on Shimkin studies 12 and the US Bureau of Mines estimates. Natural abrasives as defined in this report are declining as an important material in the over- all Soviet abrasives industry, since (a) corundum deposits are be- coming exhausted 13 and (b) emery is less desirable in the manu- facture of grinding wheels because of the variation in the ore and inferior cutting qualities. The inconsistency makes it difficult to control the quality of wheels on a production basis and to * The US and Canadian crude abrasives industries are interwoven, and combined production totals are reported. -X The average of the postwar years was used, since it appears that the level of production has not changed substantially, but the totals for individual years show fluctuations that would not be representative. - 7 - Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T maintain the standardization required in the manufacture of modern wheels to meet the increasing demand by the growing machine-building industries for better grinding, polishing, and finishing of machine parts. 14 Since there is considerably more loss in conversion of natural abrasive ore to grain than in conversion. of artificial crude abrasives, an equivalent to the artificial crude has been calculated. This calculated equivalent is used in obtaining any figure for total crude production. 2. Abrasive Grain. The estimated annual production of abrasive grain in the USSR is given in Table 2.* Before the crude abrasives can be used to make abrasive products, the blocks must be crushed into grain. The relationships pointed out in the last section, however, are maintained. Grain production can be estimated by the use of US anal- ogy because grain production is equal to crude production minus manu- facturing losses. These losses in the US average 20 percent for artificial grain and 50 percent for natural grain. 3. Use of Abrasive Grain Produced in the USSR by Class of Product. In the US, approximately 67 percent of all abrasive grain produced** is used for the manufacture of bonded products -- largely grinding wheels -- and 13 percent for the manufacture of coated prod- ucts and grinding powders. The remaining 20 percent is used for non- abrasive applications, such as refractories and resistors. The grain for nonabrasive applications is primarily silicon carbide, and only a small percentage of aluminum oxide grain is used for these purposes. The USSR apparently places a somewhat greater emphasis on bonded products than does the US. About 75 percent of all abrasive grain is being used for the production of bonded products, 12 percent for the production of coated products and grinding powders, and the remaining 13 percent for nonabrasive uses. * Table 2 follows on p. 9. Produced in the US and Canada. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 o ?H O\ v H 0 rn H _zt U'\ ON ON co a\ H r'I 0 H 888 8 Lf'\ UN n n n 'O Nu\ m rn m co r-I 888 81 I R n n 00 N H 8?8 8 N- N U,\ Lr\ \1O N O\ 888 r-I On UN 'O N co 888 8 Lr\ Mn I W Lr\ O\ Lf\ H N- 80 8 O'N -:I- N- 000 8. 888 ~H~ 8~8 8 8 \9 ON G\ m Lf\ 8888 UN Ln L!\ U, u\ ON N -~ rd H U] U cd h, Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T In the US it takes approximately 1.1 tons of abrasive grain to make 1 ton of finished bonded products. L6/ Since Soviet technology is similar, it is reasonable to use the same conversion factor for the USSR. Therefore, an estimated 63,000 tons of bonded products were produced in the USSR in 1953. 4. Estimated Value of Abrasive Grain Production. The estimated value of abrasive grain, produced in the USSR during 1954 in constant 1949 ruble prices is 61.5 million rubles of aluminum oxide grain, 36.5 million rubles of silicon carbide grain, and 3 million rubles of natural corundum and emery grain, or a total of 98 million rubles of abrasive grain. (See Table 3.*) The prices used for 1949 appeared in a Russian Export-Import Dictionary 17 and are, therefore, presumably wholesale prices. Evidence indicates that the price of aluminum oxide grain had not changed much on the average from 1942 to 1949, but that silicon carbide grain had increased in price considerably in 1949 over the aver- age 1942-46 prices. Although there is no evidence of the direction prices moved since 1949, it is felt that less error will be introduced by using constant 1949 prices than might occur if Soviet prices were adjusted on the basis of price movements in the US, Norway, or some other country producing artificial abrasives. A document L8/ with 1952 information indicates that for aluminum oxide the 1949 price is approximately cor- rect in the latter period. The price selected for natural corundum and emery is subject to considerable error because the average price varies greatly depending on the percentage of corundum to the percentage of emery included, and no Soviet price for either of these products is available. The value of natural abrasives produced, however, is only a small percent of the value of artificial abrasives produced and is declining in importance. Even a considerable error in the price of natural abrasives would have little effect on the value of total abra- sives produced. * Table 3 follows on p. 11. S.-E-C -R-E-T pprovea i-or Keiease Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 \ID -H r4 H ~-4 ON EQ o 5 a, a, ? -a0) 0 cd 04 U-N O\ CO ON 888 8 L-- O's m ON r-, I 00 S 000 0 000 0 000 0 Lr\ cc 888 S H1 U) cd CH 0 H L cir\ O 0 0 Al M O l I .' n cal O w ~ N c n til WI H -r U O1 0 0 0 0 U\ 0 u1 cn I M t N ;;;;:; 0 a O ~; r-1, 0 , +- a) a) O 1 4a GAD tti ~+ CO N NO H O O ? r-I P Q! ~i AI rd 0 rl U 9 rd a) Pa Fi ? r~ 0 (1) P4 4-1 r-I S7 O , cC3 C" 1I 00( D B U~U~~ r>~.a U N P Q) U O ? F ho .,i bf1 a t cd rl H O -P a) 0 mrd cd \te bDE- - 4-1 E-4 F-i Fi O q)) a) t U .~ a) O U Pa -P C G 4i 0 ~> CH -H (D r1 U) El U to ai o P f ~l P-1 ~N x a ?~$4~8~ H rzl 1-1 4-1 0 P4 r1 Lr\ Q) pp WI cUi 1 44 ?~, P U O P O P to l O\~ d 4 ~ N u1 O r-I H td IH O cd P U P A 0 bD -H Oi U U U U cd O G'O ;J 4:1 cd-P O 0 - rd r 'd 0 0 U) (L) aa)) 0 a) (L) P4 U ~i td ? a) -H g N A 0 U ;1 id Ur] l U N 3 Cad U I.3 U) O U) .c1 a) U) P [q H g3 ~O O cd 10 rd cd dd H U ? P U ra H 1.0 A ED bO ` d OJ ? 5 U cd ~ 0 ;N CH Ra O O CH 0 d 4H rd H P, rd :x rd V r-I U ct3 -I P U) CO +' 0 4 r 0 I 1 rr "1 11 cd c 9b A ' td U 0 az U a c 0 0 4-) 0 0 te ) ~~a1 UU) U) ?rl a) fin 4 ) SV i g { ~{~ - 1 cd -F- cd cd . r1 rl U U5 Q 0 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T 5. Geographic Distribution of Production. The production of crude, abrasives and. abrasive grain is concentrated in four plants located near plentiful sources of electric power. These plants are also on the periphery of the area containing the largest part of Soviet economic activity. In general, the finished products plants are located near the crude- and grain-producing plants. Three or four exceptions point to the influence of consuming areas on the location of finished products plants. The notable exceptions are the Moscow and Shuya plants located in Region VII,* which is probably the largest consuming region in the USSR, and the Khaikhta plant in Region XI. Khaikhta is located on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, approx- imately halfway between the supply of abrasive grain in Chelyabinsk and Tashkent and the shipyards, aircraft plants, and developing indus- tries of the eastern section of the USSR. See Table 4** and the mapXXX - for further details of geographic location of production. B. Imports. During World War II the USSR imported a considerable amount of abrasives from the West, especially from the US. Imports from the US during 1943-45 amounted to 5 or 6 million dollars of crude abrasives, abrasive grain, and finished products annually. 21/ US exports to the USSR declined rapidly after 1945 and ceased in 19 8. Norway also ex- ported small quantities of silicon carbide to the USSR from 1947 to 1949. After World War II the USSR turned to the European Satellites for abrasives. Apparently the stocks of abrasives on hand in East Germany were seized and sent to the USSR as reparations. In 1946, East Germany shipped approximately 2,200 tons of silicon carbide and 660 tons of grinding wheels to the 'USSR as reparations payments. 22 Since the East German silicon carbide plants were dismantled and shipped to the USSR after the war, 23 the assumption is that this was shipped from stock and did not indicate current production. It is assumed that available East German stocks of aluminum oxide were also shipped to the USSR in 1946. This amount is estimated to be 3,000 tons for 1946. * The term region throughout this report refers to the economic regions define- and numbered on CIA Map 12048.1, 9-51 (First Revision, 7-52), USSR: Economic Regions. Table 4 follows on p. 13. # Inside back cover. - 12 - S-E-C =R-E-T pproved For Release 11, 11111,~Jjj 1,1 g, 111~ 11'. Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 E--i1 aI 0I WI zn v H ? ~ 'n v } ti ~ } -,f 0 H ^+ H~-I H i H U Id N N q W a U N {~ ~a sz 1 y 0 rl +> ?.~ L4 0 row"da) J v py aJ q Oyy 3 1.1 ~ .+,ii 0p 0p q f~i W 17 cl tai H ,aU O W a U m ?,U}~1 yamy,, R I Rai ~rf oyv~, Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T Imports of abrasives by the USSR from East Germany were calculated by estimating total production in East Germany and assuming that a certain percentage was shipped to the USSR. Reports for the years immediately after the war indicated that this percentage was very high, and most re- ports indicated that about 70 percent was going to the USSR. 24 Later reports indicate that the percentage going to the USSR declined some,- what. L5/ It is estimated that by 1954 the Russians will become nearly self-sufficient in the production of abrasives.* This, together with the indication that East Germany is now attempting to export abrasives to West Germany, 26 leads to the conclusion that the Soviet demand for Satellite abrasives is declining. Soviet imports from East Germany, which amounted to an estimated 7,300 tons of abrasive grain in 1950, are expected to decline to 1,900 tons in 1956. Czechoslovakia has recently been reported to be shipping abra- sive products to countries other than the USSR. 27 However, about 25 percent of the abrasives production of Czechoslovakia went to the USSR in 1948. 28 Czechoslovak statistics show exports of 687 tons of grinding wheels to the USSR in 1948. 2 / In 1950, Czechoslovakia was exporting about 25.percent of its total production of abrasives. 202 Thus 2,600 tons of grinding wheels are estimated to be imported by the USSR from Czechoslovakia in 1953. The other East European countries do not meet domestic require- ments. Both Hungary 31/ and Rumania 32 are reported to be planning new production capacity and are not now exporting significant quantities of abrasives to the USSR. Table 5** summarizes the estimated imports of abrasives into the USSR during 1946-56. C. Inventories and Stockpiles. The estimated amount of abrasive grain available for stock- piling or export in the USSR. in 1954 was 4,700 tons. For other years, the estimated amounts are as follows: 1952, 900 tons; 1953, 3,700 tons; 1955, 5,700 tons; and 1956, 8,300 tons. The amount of abrasives used by the USSR was determined by multiplying the estimated number of grind- ing machines in the USSR by the estimated amount of abrasives used * See Table 7, p. 31, below, for estimates of Soviet requirements. ** Table 5 follows on p. 15, S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09102 79-01093A000 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 N NI Ln N o rj AAA 11 M 93 H a H 0 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T annually per grinding machine. The use rate per machine was based on a 1937 article by a Soviet abrasives expert 39 and brought up to date by analogy with US requirements. It was assumed that 20 percent of the ma- chine tools in the USSR are grinding machines. 40 The number of machine tools in the USSR was taken from a CIA estimate. III. Demand. A. Use Pattern. Abrasive products are used in almost all industries, especially the machine-building and metalworking industries. Therefore, the geographic location of the manufacturing industry in the USSR is a geographic breakdown of the use pattern for the abrasives industry. This is in contrast to the relative concentration of production in a few areas. The principal abrasive-consuming industries are the transporta- tion equipment, metalworking equipment, and metallurgical industries. These three industries are estimated to consume approximately two-thirds of the abrasives in the USSR. The remaining one-third is widely dis- tributed among various industries, including the ballbearing, ordnance, machine-building (excluding metalworking equipment), woodworking, leather, and optical industries. B. Exports. Recent reports indicate that the USSR is exporting a very small proportion of its annual abrasives production. 41 These reports are of offers of abrasive grains, which are purported to have come from the USSR, and of shipment of finished products to Satellite countries. The offers of grain were made by East-West traders to non-Soviet Bloc countries. Although the USSR is reported to be exporting abrasives to Communist China, Chinese imports are apparently coming mostly from the East European countries -- East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. 42 C. Substitutes. In general, there are no good substitutes for artificial abra- sives. In some specialized applications, however, there are possibil- - 16 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T ities of substitution, which will reduce the need for abrasive mate- rials. Recent developments of electrolytic methods of grinding and metal removal by the USSR indicate that the Russians have developed means of machining hard metals which were heretofore difficult to machine and the machining of which previously required many types of grinding wheels and other abrasives. L3/ Electrolytic methods of grinding, when applied to the cutting tool industry, will eliminate at least 50 percent of the need now found for special types of grinding wheels and diamond-impregnated wheels. 44 There are various combinations of electrolytic processes of machining and grinding that permit the application of this new method of machining to a variety of uses in metal removal operations which will eliminate the need for an abrasive material. The USSR is now apparently beyond the experimental stage in the use of these methods. Commercial models of anode mechanical grinders and electric spark apparatus for machining metals are re- ported to be in series production. 45 Until detailed studies of the extent of possible use and the number of machines of this nature pro- duced can be made, no estimate of the amount of abrasive materials saved is possible. Once a number of these machines are in operation, requirements for abrasives will be reduced. Silicon carbide can be substituted to a certain extent for operations normally using diamond-impregnated wheels. This substitu- tion, however, is somewhat limited. IV. Future Expansion. A. Existing Capacity. The present production of abrasives in the USSR is believed to be near capacity level. Some of the most important abrasives plants in the USSR are reported to be competing to outproduce each other, ful- filling or exceeding their norms to win high honors in the All-Union Socialist competition. 46 These factors, together with a continuing increase in the production of abrasives, indicate operations at near- capacity level. Recent reports 47 indicate that improvement of equipment is being made to increase capacity. - 17 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T B. Projected Expansion. The Fifth Five Year Plan (1951-55), while saying nothing specif- ically on abrasives, specifies "that the capacity of existing enter- prises must be increased by reconstruction, installation of new equip- ment,, mechanization of production, and improved technology to increase production." L8/ There have been no reports indicating construction of new abra- sives plants. Production increases of crude and grain products through reconstruction of furnaces 49 and technological advancements in furnace capacity are being accomplished. 50 Dissemination of knowledge among workers in abrasives plants to increase their capabilities and output is under way. 51 Mechanization and installation of new equipment has increased the production of grinding wheels and coated products immensely, reduced man-hour requirements, and produced a better quality product. 52 V. Inputs. A. For Production. 1. Raw Materials. The requirements of the abrasives industry are relatively small. The industry is probably not even a major consumer of bauxite or alumina, petroleum coke, and silica sand, the major raw materials of the industry. a. Crude Abrasives. The crude abrasives industry requires, on the average, the following inputs for each ton of crude produced: Regular aluminum oxide 53 Electrical energy 3,000 kwh Calcined bauxite* 1.225 tons Iron borings 0.062: ton Metallurgical coke 0.052 ton Carbon electrodes 35 pounds * One ton of dry bauxite equals approximately 0.63 ton of calcined bauxite. - 18 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA--RDP79-0109 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T White aluminum oxide Electrical energy Alumina Graphite electrodes Regular silicon carbide Electrical energy Petroleum coke or pitch coke Silica sand Sawdust Electrodes 1,800 kwh 1.02 tons 10 pounds 8,500 kwh 1.3 tons 1.65 tons 0.055 ton Negligible (electrodes last 2 or 3 years) The USSR will produce approximately 1 million tons of bauxite in 1956, as compared with 800,000 tons in 1953 (dry basis but not calcined). 5)+/ In addition, approximately 900,000 tons of baux- ite and 120,000 tons of alumina are imported from Hungary annually. 55/ On this basis, there is sufficient bauxite and alumina available to the USSR to produce the amounts of aluminum oxide estimated. 56 There are apparently large resources of silica sand in the USSR and the European Satellites for manufacturing silicon carbide. 57 Petroleum coke, a byproduct of the petroleum industry, also appears to be in sufficient supply. 58 b. Finished Products. The finished products -- bonded and coated products -- require the addition of numerous raw materials in relatively small amounts. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of the weight of finished bonded products consists of bonding agents and centers made from lead, tin, natural rubber, cryolite, shellac, resins, kaolin, and felspar. The coated products require hide glue, paper made of manila rope, cloth, and the like. Although some of these items are necessary in the produc- tion of the finished products, the total amounts are not very large. Since each type of product does not require each of these inputs, the amounts required will depend upon the product mix produced. Including rejections and losses in manufacture, approximately 1.1 tons of grain are required per ton of grinding wheels. 59 - 19 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-?C-R-E-T When manufactured into coated products, a ton of abra- sive grain will produce approximately 100 reams or rolls of aluminum oxide and 110 reams or rolls of silicon carbide. Fifty-one yards of cloth and 8.2 pounds of glue are required per ream or roll (9-inch by 11-inch sheet or 27-inch roll). The crude abrasives industry requires extraordinary amounts of electrical energy in relation to the amount of product. Soviet plants, however, are located in areas where the power is available. Using esti- mated production for 1954, the following energy requirements were calculated: Plant Electrical Energy Requirements (Million Kilowatt-Hours) Source and Capacity of Power Stations LO/ Million Kilowatt-Hours) Il'ich, Leningrad 170 Leningrad Network 4,200 Chelyabinsk 190 City of Chelyabinsk 2,900 Zaporozh' ye 100 City of Zaporozh'ye 2,500 to 3,000 Tashkent 100 Uzbek Power System 2,700 The above estimates of power output are for 1952 or earliery while the abrasive requirements are based on estimated 1954 production. Therefore, because additional power capacity has been installed since 1952, the crude abrasives production requirements for electrical energy are very probably a smaller percentage of the regional output than is indicated. Considerable electricity and fuel are also required for the production of finished products. The fuel to heat the kilns may be gas, oil, coal, or electricity. In a plant where the kilns are fired by coal, oil, or gas, approximately 800 kwh per ton of bonded products is required. Electrically heated kilns require almost 1,500 kwh per ton. For coated products approximately 22 kwh per ream or roll is required. Refractories require approximately the same electrical inputs as bonded products. Conversion from one fuel to another co4}ld be made without too much difficulty by alterations of the kilns. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved or Release 9 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T 3. Capital Equipment. Standard buildings and industrial machinery are adaptable. in most instances to the production of abrasives. The crude furnaces, the crushing machinery, the wheel-curing kilns, temperature and humidity control devices, and other equipment are standard throughout the industry. The equipment used in this industry has a long service life. The equip- ment in a Czechoslovak plant was estimated to be possibly 50.years old. 61 The industry thus operates with few or no replacements for long periods of time. In grading the grain, the practice of the US industry is to use silk screens manufactured in Switzerland, France, or West Germany. In US practice these screens are estimated to last long enough to grade 20 to 100 tons. The coarser grains are now graded with metal screens, which last longer. The very fine grains (240 grit and finer) require water classification or mechanical methods. The USSR is presumably using these same methods and is also reported to be experimenting with centrif- ugal separators for grading. 62 The jaws and the rollers of the crushing equipment require replacement from time to time. Although this equipment should not be difficult to duplicate, it is vital in maintaining the efficiency of production. 4. Manpower. The manpower requirements, especially of the crude abrasives industry, are small. Because of the low total requirements for skilled personnel, manpower for the industry is not a problem. On-the-job train- ing of new workers is considered adequate. 63 A group of skilled tech- nicians and engineers, however, is required. By US standards, it is estimated that the abrasives industry employs 1 employee for every 11 tons of crude abrasives produced. This, however, includes the manufacture of artificial crude abrasives, the processing of abrasive grains, and the production of finished abrasive products. About 10 percent of the total employees are engaged in the manufacture of crude abrasives. 64 S-E-C -R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R -E -T Table 6 shows the estimated manpower requirements for the industry. These estimates are calculated by US analogy with the assump- tion that the Soviet workers are only two-thirds as efficient as US workers. Table 6 Estimated Manpower Requirements for the Abrasives Industry in the USSR a 1946-56 Number of Employees Required to Manufacture Year Crude Abrasives Produced (Tons) US Standards Soviet Standards Crude Abrasives Finished Products b 1946 56,300 5,100 7,600 800 6, 800 1947 66,500 6,00o 9,000 goo 8, loo 1948 77,600 7,100 lo,6oo 1,100 9,500 1949 88,200 8,000 12,000 1,200 10,800 1950 99,500 9,000 13,500 1,400 12,100 1951 108,500 9,900 14,8oo 1,500 13,300 1952 118,200 10,700 16,ooo 1,600 14,400 1953 128,goo 11,700 17,600 1,800 15,800 1954 140,500 12,800 19,200 1,900 17,300 1955 153,100 13,900 20,800 2,100 18., 700 1956 166,900 15,200 22,.800 2,300 20,500 a. Assuming that a Soviet worker is two-thirds as efficient as?a US worker. b. Figures may not total because of rounding. There. is considerable heavy work in both the primary and secondary industry for which male workers are desirable. Female workers, however, are used extensively in the secondary industry. In the US, approximately 75 percent male and 25 percent female workers are employed. 65 Reports indicate that the USSR is using approximately 60 to 70 percent female workers. j6j S-E-C -R-E -T pproved For ReTeas Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T B. For Expansion. Although proportionately more inputs would be necessary for ex- pansion than are needed for continued production on the same level, the abrasives industry takes such a small percentage of the total supply of these inputs that an expansion as projected by this report is apparently feasible. VI. Intentions and Vulnerabilities. A. Intentions. The abrasives industry is an indicator of changes in economic and military activity. Changes in amount and type of production cause a change in the demand for and consequently the production of abrasives. A change to consumer goods will cause a small increase in demand for abrasives for the tooling period and then a decline. A change to war materiel will, on the other hand, be characterized by a substantial in- crease in demand for and therefore production of abrasives. At present the USSR is giving considerable attention to the abrasives industry. The industry shows a continuous growth pattern since it was started in the 1930's. Largely because of the rapid ex- pansion of industry in general, the USSR has been deficient in abrasives until the last 2 or 3 years. Thus, until quite recently, the buildup in the production of abrasives was necessary to meet the demands of the ex- panding Soviet economy. Present indications are that the growth of the abrasives industry is to continue in the foreseeable future. B. Vulnerabilities. The abrasives industry is not vulnerable to economic pressures. A very rapid expansion to meet military requirements might cause short- term internal dislocations. Although the crude abrasives plants currently consume less than 5 percent of the total electric power produced in the regions in which the plants are located, electric power is an absolute necessity for producing crude abrasives. Aluminum oxide, the most important abrasive for grinding steel, requires bauxite for continued production. Hungary is an important source of bauxite. 67 Silicon carbide, the other artificial abrasive produced in quantity, is dependent upon petroleum or pitch coke. The bulk of this material at present is reported to be coming from Rumania. 68 - 23 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-?E-C--R-E-T The production of crude abrasives is concentrated in four plants. Since aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are not both produced in all plants, the concentration is somewhat greater, only three plants produc- ing each product. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release -01 "MPIT Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 1 S-E-C-R-E-T APPENDIX A METHODOLOGY 1. Production. Estimates of total production were derived from references to the producing plants in the abrasives industry, to the percentage change in the industry as a whole between specified periods, and to the develop- ment of an artificial abrasives industry. (1) Artificial Crude Abrasives. The production of crude abrasives was arrived at by establishing a prewar estimate from plant studies and an estimate of the natural abrasives output for the year 1940. / In the Chelyabinsk Abrasives Plant, production was 9,000 tons in 1939 and about 10,000 tons at the beginning of the war (19+1). 70 Assuming a straight-line inter- polation, Chelyabinsk in 1940 was producing approximately 9,500 tons. A 1931 publication 71/ reports that the I1'ich Abrasives Plant has an annual capacity of 9,600 tons of aluminum oxide and 1,700 tons of silicon carbide. It is assumed that in 19+0 this plant pro- duced at this capacity. The first section of the Zaporozh'ye Carborundum Plant started production in 1939. L An early report 73/ indicated that this plant would have at least a 3,000-ton silicon carbide capacity for a 5-month operational period. A German report in June 19+1 74 estimated silicon carbide production at this plant.to be 3,600 tons annually. Therefore it is estimated that in 19+0 the output of this plant was 3,500 tons. One report 75 predicted that the 1939 silicon carbide production would be 3.5 times the 1938 silicon carbide produc- tion, which was estimated to be 1,500 tons. This would mean that in 1939 the Russians expected at least 5,200 tons of silicon carbide, the major difference in production to be taken up by the.Zaporozh'ye plant. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T The total Soviet artificial crude abrasives production for 1940 is therefore estimated to have been 24,300 tons. This estimate appears likely because the Soviet plan for production of artificial abra- sives in 1939 was for 35,456 tons. 76 This same source stated that in the first quarter of 1939, fulfillment was approximately 65 percent of this plan. Assuming that this ratio continued through the four quarters (usually the Russians accelerate their production in the fourth quarter)., they would have produced a total of approximately 23,000 tons. One ref- erence 77 stated that in 1937 in the USSR the capacity for manufacturing grinding grains was 23,000 tons, or approximately 29,000 tons of crude. (2) Natural Abrasives. The estimate for natural abrasives for 1940 was calculated as follows: one source 78 stated that the output of natural abrasives for 1937 was reported to be 14,173 tons of corundum and 15,101 tons of emery. Since this is a mined product, it indicates a recovery of refined product (natural ore) of approximately 50 percent, or for the above pro- duction approximately 14,600 tons. In order to convert the natural ore to an equivalent value of that of artificial abrasives the following equivalent values were applied: 1.25 tons of artificial crude is equiv- alent to 1 ton of grain, and 2 tons of natural ore is equivalent to 1 ton of grain, Thus 1.25 divided by 2 equals 0.625. A unit weight of natural ore (refined) is equivalent to 0.625 unit weight of artificial crude in the manufacture of abrasive grain.* Therefore 14,600 tons of natural ore would be equivalent to 9,100 tons of crude for 1937. The production of natural abrasives in 1940 is assumed to have continued at an average annual increase of 13 percent, or 13,200 tons crude equivalent. It is felt that at this time the production of natural abrasives continued to increase commensurate to the growth of the national economy 79 (a) to supplement the greater demand made by the steady growth of the metal fabricating industries and (b) to help offset the deficits of artificial abrasives due to production diffi- culties encountered by the rapidly expanding abrasives industry. * :Due to the variable quality of the natural ore in hardness and structure, it is generally accepted by the abrasives industry and the US Bureau of Mines that natural abrasives have a work value of only 50 percent of the work value of artificial abrasives. -26- S-E-C-R-E -T Approved For Re ease 1999 0 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R-E-T Reports of construction and restoration of abrasives plants per- mitted a 1946 estimate. A report LO/ told of a 50-percent production increase over the prewar level, yielding an estimate of'56,000 tons for 1946. (1) 1946. (a) Artificial Abrasives. Restored plants are assumed to have resumed production at or near a rate equivalent to the time of dismantling. In support of this reasoning, a report 81 stated that the Tashkent carborundum or abrasive tool plant produced 4,700 tons in 1947, and a published report that this plant in 1947 produced 134.6 percent more in 1947 than in 1946 places the 1946 figure at 3,500 tons. The Chelyabinsk plant, which had acquired equipment from the dismantling of the Il'ich plant and two small plants in Luga during the war, increased their production con- siderably. A calculated estimate from reports stating the number of furnaces, the size of "pig," and the time cycle of furnace runs in- dicates that the Chelyabinsk plant in 1949 was producing about 43,000 tons of aluminum oxide. A report stated that at the beginning of the war this plant was producing 10,000 tons. 12J Therefore it was esti- mated that Chelyabinsk was producing approximately 27,500 tons of aluminum oxide. (b) Natural Abrasives. The estimate for the output of natural abrasives is a residual which is reasonable, considering the declining emphasis being placed on natural abrasives. It is perfectly clear from all evidence that the Soviet emphasis is on artificial abrasives and not on natural. A diminishing supply of corundum and the unsuitability of natural abra- sives for most modern metalworking requirements have produced this trend. 83 There are some abrasive operations, however, such as polish- ing precision lenses and foundry uses, where corundum is desirable. Some emery is also used in the manufacture of coated abrasives. There- fore the estimate of natural abrasives was calculated on an arithmetical decline to an approximate 7,000 tons in 1950 and then held constant at - 27 - S-E-C-R-E -T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T this level because of the probable constant requirements to meet special needs.* In evaluating this estimate, the annual requirements of the US abrasives industry for natural abrasives were considered. The USSR would probably require a proportionate amount of US requirements. (2) 1950. Nikitin stated that production of abrasives in 1950 was to increase 2.6 times over prewar production, 84 and the estimate for 1950 was thus made by taking 2.6 times the 1940 estimate. The total planned output for 1950 was therefore 97,500 tons. At least one plant fulfilled the gross plan by 105 percent, 85 and reports stating that other crude abrasives plants were being converted to high-speed smelting 86 lead to the assumption that an average estimate of a 102-percent plan fulfill- ment for the industry in 1950, or a production of 99,500 tons, was likely. The total of 99,500 tons was allocated to the individual producing plants on the basis of information obtained from various sources. These allocations indicate that approximatd1y 75 percent of the artificial crude was aluminum oxide and 25 percent silicon carbide. These figures agree with a goal announced earlier. 87 The estimates for the years 1947-49 were obtained by a straight-line interpolation with the exception of the calculated esti- mates for Chelyabinsk and Tashkent. (3) 1951-56. For the best estimate of production subsequent to 1950, production was estimated to increase 9 percent per year. The 1955 index of production for fabricated metal products (1950 = 100) is estimated to be 154. The average increase therefore would be approximately 9 percent per year. Another estimate is based on reports of percentage increases of production of finished products which stated that 1951 production was 13 percent over 1950 and that 1952 production was 28 percent over 1950. 89 A report stated that 1953 production of finished products was 50 percent * The range of error is plus 50 and minus 25 percent. Approve or a ease Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R-E -T over 1950.90 The above percentages were applied to the estimate of 1950 production of crude in the USSR plus the estimated imports of grain (converted to crude equivalents). Then for each year the estimated annual imports were subtracted from the results of the above calcula- tions to give estimates of production in the USSR. The estimates for 195+ and beyond were calculated on an assumed 9-percent annual increase over the 1953 estimate. The totals calculated in the above manner were distributed as follows: the best estimate of natural abrasives was subtracted from the total, giving the estimate for artificial crude. The artificial crude was distributed on the basis of 75 percent aluminum oxide and 25 percent silicon carbide. 2. Requirements. The estimate of total abrasive grain required was made as follows: an article in Stanki i instrument 91 said that in 1937 the Soviet abra- sives requirements totaled 27,000 tons for 27,000 grinding machines. Their stated goal was to reduce the requirements to 0.5 ton per grinding machine by 1942) by improving quality and utilization. It is assumed that the USSR has improved the quality of production and the efficiency of use since the 1930's. This assumption is supported by the following factors: (a) Soviet periodicals and press frequently mention improved quality of abrasives and new techniques of grinding. 92 (b) Analysis of Soviet wheels indicates that construction and grain are comparable to US wheels but that they had an incomplete bond develop- ment. 93 (c) Various reports have indicated that imports have been declin- ing in recent years. (d) Recent reports have indicated some small amounts of exports. (e) The estimate of requirements based on the number of grinding machines and the assumption of grain required per grinding machine,to- gether with estimates of production, indicate that the USSR is now self- sufficient in abrasives production. -29- S-E-C -R-E -T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E -C -R-E -T On this assumption, a requirement of 1,000 pounds of grain per grind- ing machine was-assumed for 1946. Since about 75 percent of all abra- sive grain goes into grinding wheels and 1.1 tons of grain are necessary to make a ton of wheels, the assumption is that 680 pounds of grinding wheels were used per grinding machine in the USSR in 1946. The total 1,000 pounds of grain per grinding machine is broken down as 750 pounds into wheels (680 pounds of wheels) and 250 pounds into coated abrasives, grinding grains, refractories, and the like. In the US an average of approximately 500 pounds of grinding wheels per grinding machine was required in 1952. An analysis of Soviet grind- ing wheels showed, that although the wheels tested showed construction and grain comparable to US wheels, they had an incomplete bond develop- ment and thus would wear faster. On this basis the USSR is assumed to require 20 percent more wheels, or 600 pounds of grinding wheels, per machine. This is equivalent to 660 pounds of grain, for wheels, or 880 pounds of grain total. Periods between 1946 and 1952 were determined by interpolation. For 1953-56 it is assumed that total grain require- ments will decline another 20 pounds to 860 pounds per machine. Twenty percent of the Soviet machine tool park 94 consists of grind- ing machines. The 20-percent figure is the approximate breakdown in the US and agrees with the Soviet goal. 95 Table 7* is a summary of the estimates of grain requirements. * Table 7 follows on p. 31. S-E-C2-E-T pproved For Rdlease 1999/09/62 : - - 93A0008 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T Table 7 Estimated Requirements for Abrasive Grain in the USSR 1946-56 Requirement s Abrasive Grain Per Total Year Grinding Wheels (Pounds) Grain for Wheels (Pounds) Grinding Machine (Pounds) Grinding Machines (Units) Grain (Metric Tons) 1946 68o 750 1,000 131i-,000 60,900 1947 670 735 980 157,000 69,900 1948 655 720 960 182,000 79,400 1949 64o 705 940 209,000 89,300 1950 625 690 920 225,000 94,100 1951 615 675 goo 241,000 98,600 1952 600 66o 880 257,000 102,800 1953 585 645 860 274,000 107,100 1954 585 645 860 291,000 113,800 1955 585 645 860 309,000 120,800 1956 585 645 860 328,000 128,200 S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T APPENDIX B GAPS IN INTELLIGENCE Current information on the Soviet abrasives industry is limited to fragmentary reports from Soviet newspapers, periodicals,. and radio broadcasts, Detailed information on types of products and quantities manufactured, sources of raw materials, distribution of finished prod- ucts, number of furnaces, and number of employees, especially for .the four plants which produce crude abrasives -- the Chelyabinsk Abrasives Plant, the Iltich (Leningrad) Abrasives Plant, the Zaporozh'ye Carborundum Plant, and the Tashkent Carborundum Plant -- is needed. Further information on representative sizes and types of grinding wheels is necessary. Estimates of Soviet requirements are affected by the quality of wheels. Detailed information on types of plants and amounts of production, number of employees, size of plants, and sources of abrasive grain is needed. Further information is needed for firm estimates of breakdowns of total production into types of products and geographical distribution patterns. Information on exports is practically nonexistent, and information on imports is very fragmentary. Further collection from the Satellites may fill this gap. There is no information available on the Soviet distribution of finished products. Current information on abrasives prices in the USSR is lacking. - 33 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R-E -T APPENDIX.C SOURCE REFERENCES This report is based largely on official Soviet information, such as periodicals, newspapers, books, and radio broadcasts, supplemented by information reports collected by the intelligence community. From the information collected from the above sources, estimates of produc- tion, distribution, and the like were made by use of conversion factors determined from information collected from official US publications, US abrasive industry representatives, and the US Bureau of Mines. Thirty-five percent of the sources are official Soviet information sources; 30 percent are intelligence reports with evaluations ranging from A-1 to F-6; and the remaining 35 percent are references to US practice. Most of these reports are believed to be fairly reliable, and the over-all evaluation of the sources is estimated to be B-2. Evaluations, following the classification entry and designated "Eval.," have the following significance: Doc. - Documentary A - Completely reliable B - Usually reliable C - Fairly reliable D - Not usually reliable E - Not reliable F - Cannot be judged 1 - Confirmed by other sources 2 - Probably true 3 - Possibly true 1. - Doubtful 5 -.Probably false 6 _ Cannot be judged "Documentary" refers to original documents of foreign governments and organizations; copies or translations of such documents by a staff officer; or information extracted from such documents by a staff officer, all of which may carry the field evaluation "Documentary." Evaluations not otherwise designated are those appearing on the cited document; those designated "RR" are by the author of this report. .S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T No "RR" evaluation is given when the author agrees with the evaluation on the cited document. 1. Stanki i instrument, No. 11, 1947- U. Eval. RR A-2. 2. 25X11. 5. 6. 7. 8. STATSPEC 9. 10. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937, pp. 1-4. U. Eval. RR A-2. 11. CIA ORR Computed Indices of Gross National Product by Sector for the USSR, 1938, 1948, mid-1956, Based on ORR contribu- tions to Project 10.116, 1 Apr 1954. S. 12. D.B. Shimkin, Minerals -a Key to Soviet Power, Cambridge, 1953, p. 288. U. Eva1.?RR -2. D.B. Shimkin, The Mineral Self-Sufficiency of the Soviet Union, Cambridge, 1949, Vol. I, pp. 7d-d2. U. Eval. RR B-2. 13. Shimkin, 1949, op. cit. Shimkin, 1953, op. cit. 14. Stanki i instrument, No. 11, 1947. U. Eval. RR A-2. 25X1A15. 16. is 17. B.T. Icolpakov, Export-Import Dictionary, Vol. I., Moscow Vneshtor izdat 1952, . 29. U. Eval. RR A-2. 25X1 A 18. 19. 25X1 A 20. 21. 22. CIA FDD, Report U-4867, 20 Oct 1953? 25X1 A 23 . -36- S-E-C-R-E-T Approved or Release 25X1A Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Next 1 Page(s) In Document Exempt Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R-E-T 25X1A 25X1A 54+. CIA RR PR-91, Material Balance Analysis of Soviet Bloc 55. 25X1 C Economic Capabilities to Support Specified War Activities beginning in Mid-1955, Nov 1954. S. 56. Kirkpatrick and Montague, op. cit. 57? 25X1 A 58. 59. 25X1C60. 25XX A 25X1 C 62. IA/RR , lilgt Tension Transmission Network of the Urals Area, 19 Jan 1953. S. 63. Students Committee Report, SR 49-20, op. cit. 64. Ibid. 65. Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Census of Manufactures: 1947. U. Eval. RR A-2. 25X1 A 66. 25X1 A 67. 68. Ibid. 25X1C 69. 70. Die Chemische Industrie, Vol. 67, 25 Jan 191+4, p. 10. U. Eval. RR 2. 71. V avangarde tekhniki, 1931. U. Eval. RR 2. 72. American Russian Chamber of Commerce Bulletin, Jul 1939, G. Ippolitov, Chief Engineer of the Main Administration of the Abrasives Industry, "Development of the Abrasives Industry in the USSR," translated from Mashinostroyeniye, 17 Apr 1939- U. Eval. RR B-2. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937, pp. 1-4. U. Eval. RR A-2. 25X1 A 74. - 39 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C -R-E-T 75. American Russian Chamber of Commerce Bulletin, Jul 1939, op. cit. 76. Ibid. 77. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937, pp. 1-4. U. Eval. RR A-2. 78. Shimkin, 1953, op. cit. 79. N. Voznesensky's report delivered at the 18th All-Union Conference of the CPSU, 18 Feb 1941. U. Eval. RR 2. 80. Stanki i instrument, No. 11, 1947. U. Eval. RR A-2. 25X1A81. 82. Die emisc e inaustrie, o . Eval. RR 2. 83. Stanki i instrument, No. 11, 1947- U. Eval. RR A-2. 84. P.V. Nikitin, Mashinostroyen:iye SSSR v poslevoyennoy stalinskoy 25X1A 85. 86 . STATSPEC pyatiletke (Machine-Building Industry of the USSR in the Postwar Stalin Five Year Plan). Moscow. 1949. D. 11. U. Eval. RR 2. CIA FDD Summar No. 11, 8 Sep 1953. C. Eval. RR B-2. 25X1A Pravda vostoka, 16 Jan 1948. U. Eval. RR 2. 87. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937, pp. 1-4. U. Eval. RR A-2. 88. CIA ORR contribution to NIE-11-4-54, "Computed Indexes of Gross National Product by Sector for the USSR, 1938, 1948, mid-1956," Soviet Capabilities and Probable Soviet Courses of Action through Mid-1956, 30 Apr. 1954. S. 89. CIA FDD, Report U-4995, 9 Nov 1953, translation of "Soviet Abra- sives Industry in 1951-52," Stanki i instrument, Dec 1952. C. Eval. RR 2. 90. CIA FDD, Summary. No. 179, 11 Aug 1954. C. Eval. RR 2. 91. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937. U. Eval. RR A-2. 92. CIA FDD, Report U-4995, 9 Nov 1953, G.M. Ippolitov and P.P. Tubanov "Soviet Abrasives Industry in 1951-1952," translated from Stanki i instrument, Moscow, Dec 1952, pp. 6-8. C. Eval. RR 2. 25X1A 93. 40 - S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 19., 1 - 093A0 0800 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 S-E-C-R-E-T 94. CIA/RR 47, The Machine Tool Industry of the USSR, 22 Nov 1954. Sj, US OFFICIALS ONLY. 95. Stanki i instrument, Vol. 8, No. 22, 1937. U. Eval. RR A-2. S-E-C-R-E-T Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 .7N ~'~y s ~ -Ga ~ oy ' fr N LU ;L- LU F `t? ._ LU C . y a D d '~ N \ ~ry 4 y l?~' O 7 3 O ~ - V \\ p I 6 ~ \ 5 ~I ? o y 1 V d _ l ` CL) s N 0 a II , ~ ~~ Q C o Winn 4 1 and ? L ~_ E I CE 0 ob tt~ ? d -=p o x tl f a.~ a) O > N / l 6 ''fit, - LLI V O1 m ~'~ I e S Am j t C p ? S f III vi o Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4 Approved: For ReI #54BE91 "-DP79-01093AO00800100006-4 NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS, NOT. RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS ONFIDENTIAL Approved For Release 1999/09/02 : CIA-RDP79-01093A000800100006-4