Boris Foursenko
Laboratory Technician
University of Toronto
Department of Earth Sciences
22 Russell St., Toronto
Ontario, Canada M5S 3B1
Tel.: 416 978 2975
Fax.: 416 978 3938
Room B167, High Pressure Lab, Phone: 416-946-4052
e-mail: foursenko@es.utoronto.ca
Dr. Boris Foursenko
(Ph.D. in Geology, Novosibirsk University, Russia, 1973)
I work in labs where behavior of the Earth materials at high pressures and high temperatures is studied. This includes designing, constructing and repairing various experimental devices, such as piston-cylinder, multi-anvil, diamond-anvil cell, cold-sealed vessels, hydrothermal autoclaves as well as numerous supporting laboratory equipment.
Because almost every experiment is unique and different one has to prepare it individually, which often includes machining of the whole inner cell (“stuffing”). For this reason, our machine shop is equipped with a lathe, boring mill, chain saw. Work that is beyond the scope of our equipment is arranged at the Chemistry or Physics machine shops.
Having a broad experience and machining facilities I am quite often involved in service, repair and maintenance of various laboratory equipment for both research and teaching as well as in installation and initial setup of new equipment.

Piston-cylinder

High-pressure vessel and tungsten carbide piston

Press-forms for salt sleeves
Multi-anvil

Malti-anvil
Tungsten carbide cubes – anvils between steel wedges ready for experime

Powder XRD of the high-pressure form of Ba-Ir-oxide (Joint Project with the U of T Department of Physics)
Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell – HDAC

Hydrothermal Diamond Anvil Cell (HDAC) under microscope with the temperature control unit and computer
Dissolution of an alkaline silicate glass in water at increasing Temperature and Pressure.
Diameter of the hole in the Iridium gasket is 1.00 mm.

Run 11-02

Run 11-03

Run 11-05

Run 11-06
Cold-sealed vessels.
Induction furnace.
Machining Equipment