Kordonsky Khaim (Chaim) Borisovich (1919, Tula – 1999) — mathematician and scholar in the field of probability theory and statistics, educator.
Kordonsky’s family moved to Leningrad, where in 1941 he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Leningrad University. He fought in the People’s Militia, studied at the Leningrad Air Force Academy, and served in the Air Force on the Northern Front. He was decorated with several orders and medals.
After the war, he entered the postgraduate program in mathematics at the Leningrad Air Force Academy. In 1951, he defended his Candidate of Sciences dissertation in applied probability theory and statistics; in 1968, he earned his Doctor of Technical Sciences degree.
From 1951, Kordonsky worked at the Riga Civil Aviation Engineering Institute as lecturer, associate professor, professor (from 1969), and head of the Department of Aircraft Manufacturing and Repair Technology.
In 1965, he was appointed chief scientific supervisor of the project to create Aeroflot’s centralized computerized flight scheduling system. Aeroflot operated according to this computer-generated schedule from 1971 until the dissolution of the USSR.
In 1993, Kordonsky emigrated to the United States with his family. He was recognized as one of the leading experts in the country in the field of fatigue strength of aircraft structures. His work was connected with the development and implementation of statistical quality control methods in mechanical engineering, as well as solving problems of aircraft reliability.
He founded a scientific school devoted to aviation reliability and flight safety. His research addressed statistical problems arising from civil aviation needs, such as leader aircraft operations (with advanced flight hours), prediction of failures based on aircraft inspection data, determination and extension of engine and airframe service life, and analysis of fatigue damage. He also developed methods for choosing optimal time scales for reliability calculations.
His research results were published in leading scientific journals in the United States and further developed by his students. He authored seven books and more than 150 scientific publications in the fields of reliability theory, statistical quality control, and applications of probability theory and statistics to problems of mechanical fatigue and reliability.
He was awarded the title of Honored Scientist and Engineer of the Latvian SSR (1969) and became a Laureate of the State Prize of Latvia (1985).
Selected works:
Applications of Probability Theory in Engineering (Приложения теории вероятностей в инженерном деле). Moscow–Leningrad, 1963.
Models of Failure (Модели отказов). Moscow, 1966 (co-author).
Models of Failure. Springer-Verlag, 1969.
Probabilistic Analysis of Wear Processes (Вероятностный анализ процессов изнашивания). Moscow, 1967.
Tolerances and Fits: A Textbook (Допуски и посадки: учебное пособие). Riga, 1970 (co-author).
Theory of Probability and Its Applications, 1970, Vol. 15, pp. 128–132 (with A. Artamanovsky).
Fundamentals of Statistical Analysis of Data on Aircraft Malfunctions and Failures (Основы статистического анализа данных о неисправностях и отказах авиационной техники). Riga, 1974 (co-author).
Theory of Probability and Its Applications, 1976, Vol. 1, pp. 203–209 (with P. Rozenblit).
Aircraft Repair (Ремонт летательных аппаратов). Moscow, 1977 (co-author).
Methodological Guidelines for Laboratory Work in the Course “Metrology ” (Методические указания к лабораторным работам по курсу «Метрология») Riga, 1987 (co-author).