By the early 1950s, in the system of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukr.SSR, investigations in the field of powder metallurgy had been developing on an extensive scale . The investigations were concentrated at the Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy and Special Alloys of the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR situated in Kiev at that time.

In those years, the methods of powder metallurgy began to be used to manufacture structural elements of machines intended for operation under conditions of high temperatures. An urgent necessity arose of a thorough investigation of strength characteristics of both the material itself and the components made of it, as well as the need for comparing the characteristics of structural strength and the characteristics of materials obtained by casting and forging.

In this connection, on the initiative of I. N. Frantsevich (later on Academician of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR, Director of the Institute of Cermet and Special Alloys of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR), the services of G.S.Pisarenko, who worked at that time as a senior scientist of the Department for Dynamic Strength of the Institute of Structural Mechanics of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR, were enlisted for investigating the static and dynamic strength of materials and structural elements made by the methods of powder metallurgy. One engineer and a laboratory technician were given to assist G.S.Pisarenko. The newly organized group of strength had at their disposal two four-column setups for long-term strength testing of metallic specimens at temperatures of 850-1100 K. Thus, a beginning had been made in the development of investigations into strength of materials and structures at the Laboratory of Cermet and Special Alloys, which later on separated from the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR.

On the basis of the above Laboratory, there was founded the Institute of Cermet and Special Alloys, which was renamed into the Institute for Problems of Material Science of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR in 1964.

In spite of the limited opportunities, the investigations of the problems of strength at the Laboratory of Cermet and Special Alloys were progressing rapidly. The results of investigations featured originality and were finding ever-widening application in industry.

The dynamic progress in the investigations of high-temperature strength and vibrations was promoted by the involvement of gifted young specialists - graduates from the Kiev Polytechnical Institute, who are currently the kernel of the highly skilled scientific personnel of the Institute for Problems of Strength of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The staff of the Department and later on of the Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR was replenished with highly skilled scientific personnel by qualifying candidates of science (Ph.D) via postgraduate courses and competition both at the Department of Strength and at the Chair of Strength of Materials of the Kiev Polytechnical Institute headed by G.S.Pisarenko since 1952.

Thus, by the moment of the foundation of the Institute for Problems of Strength of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR, approximately 25 candidates of science and 2 doctors of scince had been trained. At the end of 1966, a total of 185 persons worked at the Section of Strength and 19 persons did their postgraduate studies.

Almost all the theses (including those of research students of the Chair of Strength of Materials of the Kiev Polytechnical Institute) were prepared at the Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR and the experimental setups thus created (which were generally unique) formed the main experimental basis of the future Institute for Problems of Strength of the Ac.Sci.of the Ukr.SSR.

The main lines of research at the Department and later on Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR during the period preceding the foundation on its basis of the specialized Institute for Problems of Strength were as follows:

- strength of ceramic materials under various modes of loading at high (up to 3300 К) temperatures;

- strength and hardness of refractory materials in vacuum

at temperatures up to 2300 К;

- cyclic strength and damping properties of materials,

used in turbine manufacture;

- strength of heat-protective materials used in

space engineering.

The choice of the above areas of research at that time was dictated by the necessity of solving specific problems of strength arising in building of the facilities of modern engineering such as nuclear power units, new types of flying vehicles, steam and gas turbines, special equipment, etc. In the creation of the facilities of this kind, the materials used therein were subjected to the action of high and low temperatures, radiation fields, vacuum, corrosion, nonstationary thermal and mechanical loads, including cyclic and long-term ones, etc. For this reason, new classes of materials were used, whose physical and mechanical properties and fracture criteria, which take into account real conditions of their operation, had neither been studied nor developed. All this called for further considerable advance in the investigations in this scientific area.

The research team formed within the Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR, which was known in the 1960s by its works in the field of high-temperature strength, could offer solutions to the above urgent problems, but its potentialities in the framework of the Section could not be fully realized. On the initiative of G.S.Pisarenko, the head of the Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science, which was supported by both M.V.Keldysh, President of the Ac.Sci. of the USSR, and B.E.Paton, President of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR, in July 1966, the Council of Ministers of the Ukr.SSR adopted a resolution to establish the Institute for Problems of Strength on the basis of the Section of Strength of the Institute for Problems of Material Science within the system of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukr.SSR.

In accordance with the decision of the Presidium of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR of September 14, 1966, the Section of Strength was removed from the Institute for Problems of Material Science and on its basis the Institute for Problems of Strength of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR was established. The Institute was headed by G.S.Pisarenko, Academician of the Ac.Sci.of the Ukr.SSR. V.T. Troshchenko was appointed Deputy Director in science, and R.I. Kuriat - Academic Secretary of the Institute.

Originally, the Institute was affiliated to the Department of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Cybernetics, and since 1983 it has become a part of the Department of Mechanics of the National Ac.Sci. of Ukraine.

The Institute for Problems of Strength of the Ac.Sci. of the Ukr.SSR was set a task to perform theoretical and experimental investigations aimed at determining strength criteria and load-carrying capacity of materials and structural elements and at increasing their strength as applied to advanced branches of engineering taking into account design and manufacturing factors, stress-state type, and actual conditions of mechanical and thermal loading in a wide range of temperatures.

At the time of the foundation of the Institute, the following scientific departments were functioning therein, namely:

- department for strength at high temperatures (Head of Department - V.N.Rudenko);

- department for strength at low temperatures (Head of Department - N.V.Novikov);

- department for creep and long-term strength (since 4.01.1968 Head of Department - V.I.Kovpak);

- department for basic physics of strength (sinсe 16.10.1968 Head of Department - A.Ya.Krasowsky);

- department for load-carrying capacity of structures (Head of Department - I.A.Kozlov);

- department for strength of materials and structures under impulse and vibration loads (Head of Department - G.S.Pisarenko);

- department for strength of structures in thermal fields and gas flows (Head of Department - G.N.Tretiachenko);

- department for strength of nonmetallic and cermet materials (Head of Department - G.V.Isakhanov);

- department for fatigue and thermal fatigue of materials (Head of Department - V.T.Troshchenko);

- department for sonic and ultrasonic methods of strength investigations (Head of Department - V.A.Kuzmenko);

In 1971-2003, the structure of scientific departments of the Institute uderwent some changes due to the necessity of developing priority lines of research. A number of scientific departments were broken up, new departments were organized, research areas for the departments organized previously were refined.

Since 1988 V.T.Troshchenko, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine, is at the head of the Institute. Professor G.S.Pisarenko, Academician of the NAS of Ukraine, the founder of the Institute, was an Honorary Director of the Institute from 1988 to 2001.

In recognition of the prominent role of the outstanding scientist in the field of strength, the founder and first Director of the Institute Academician of the NAS of Ukraine, Professor G.S.Pisarenko in the foundation and development of the Institute and of his personal contribution to the progress of the home science, the Institute for Problems of Strength was named after G.S.Pisarenko by the decree of the Presidium of the NAS of Ukraine No. 248 of 23.10.2002.

Deputy Directors in science of the Institute were V.T.Troshchenko (1966-1988), N.V.Novikov (1968-1972), V.V.Matveev (1977- 1988) and during the period from 1988 to 1999 - V.A.Strizhalo (1988-1999), V.A.Borysenko(1988-1999),from 1999 to 2012 – V.V. Kharchenko, from 1999 to 2015 – P.P. Lepikhin. R.I Kuriat was the academic secretary of the Institute as from the founding of the Institute to 2013. At present, A.P. Zinkovski and O.V. Drozdov are the deputy directors in science of the Institute; V.I. Skrypchenko is the academic secretary.