Blackwood, Robert Rutherford (1906 - 1982)

Summary

Sir Robert Blackwood was Chancellor of Monash University 1961-1968 and Chairman of Dunlop Australia Ltd 1972-1979. He was President of the Royal Society of Victoria 1973-1974. He is commemorated by the Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University.

His research into the strength of electric arc welding between 1928 and 1932, that gained him a Master of Civil Engineering, contributed significantly to the adoption of electric arc welding in Australia, and to the development of the first Australian Standards for Welding in Steel Frames Buildings.

Details

Chronology

1925

Career event - Student Member (StudIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1927

Education - Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (BEE), University of Melbourne

1928

Award - John Melvin Memorial Research Scholarship, University of Melbourne

1928 - 1932

Career position - Testing Officer, Engineering School, University of Melbourne

1929

Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne

1930

Award - Stawell Research Scholarship in Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne

1930 - 1933

Career position - Lecturer in Agricultural Engineering, University of Melbourne

1932

Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1932

Education - Master of Civil Engineering (MCE), University of Melbourne

1933 - 1936

Career position - Research engineer, Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd, Melbourne

1934

Award - Electrical Association Premium, Institution of Engineers Australia [Awarded 1940]

1937 - 1946

Career position - Technical manager, Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd, Melbourne

1947 - 1948

Career position - Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne

1948

Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia

1948 - 1966

Career position - General manager, Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd, Melbourne

1958 - 1961

Career position - Chairman, Interim Council, Monash University

June 1961

Award - Knight Bachelor (Imperial) [KtB] - In recognition of service to the Melbourne University.

1964

Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering. Institution of Engineers Australia

1964 - 1978

Career position - Trustee, National Museum of Victoria

1966

Life event - Retired, from Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd.

1968

Career position - Wrote Monash University : the first ten years

1968

Career event - Fellow (FIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Members were designated Fellows on this date.]

1971

Award - Honorary doctorate, Doctor of laws (LLD), Monash University

1971

Award - Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash University - opened and named in his honour.

1972

Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne

1973 - 1974

Career position - President, Royal Society of Victoria

1975 - 1982

Award - Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTS)

Related entries

Published resources

Books

• Blackwood, Robert, Sir, Monash University : the first ten years (Melbourne: Hampden Hall, 1968), 262 pp. Details

Book Sections

• Rae, I. D., 'Blackwood, Sir Robert Rutherford (1906-1982)' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 17 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2007). http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/blackwood-sir-robert-rutherford-12219. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Prizes of The Institution [The Institution of Engineers' Prize; Electrical Association Prize 1933, 1934]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 12 (1940), 314-315. Awarded Electrical Association Premium 1934, for his paper 'The Effect of Welding Variables on the Physical Properties of Electric Arc Weld Metals' Journal of the Institution of Engineers Australia v.6, no.11, p.421-. Details
• 'Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal: 1964 Award [Sir Robert Rutherford Blackwood, MCE BEE MIEAust]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 36 (1964), N95. Details
• 'Monash's founding chancellor dies [Highway one]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 54 (19) (1982), 10. Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Strength of Electric Arc Welds in Structural Mild Steel - I.', Commonwealth Engineer (1930). Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'Some Research Problems in Electric Arc Welding', Jounrnal of Australian Welding Institute (1931), 82-85. Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Strength of Electric Arc Welds in Structural Mild Steel - II', Journal of Australian Welding Institute (1932). Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Strength of Fillet Welds Under Oblique Loads', Journal of Australian Welding Institute (1933). Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'Some Fatigue Tests on Electric Arc Weld Metals', Journal of Australian Welding Institute (1933). Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Effect of Welding Variables on the Physical Properties of Electric Arc Weld Metals', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 6 (11) (1934), 421-. Awarded Electrical Association Premium 1934 [Presented in 1940]. Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Effect of Welding Variables on the Physical Properties of Electric Arc Weld Metals [Discussion]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1935), 61-. Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Relation between the Physical Properties of Weld Metals', Journal of Australian Welding Institute (1935). Details
• Blackwood, R. R., 'The Effect of Welding Variables on the Physical Properties of Electric Arc Weld Metals [Discussion]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 8 (1936), 14-. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Twenty-first Annual Report [1940]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 13 (1941), 33-51. 'Prizes - Electrical Association Premium (1934 award), to Mr R R Blackwood, MCE BE AMIEAust, Melbourne Division, for his paper entitled "The Effect of Welding Variables on the Physical Properties of Electric Arc Weld Metals", which was published in Volume 6 of The Journal', p.37. Details

Newspaper Articles

• 'From University to Dunlop Rubber: Robert Rutherford Blackwood, M.C.E., B.E.E., A.M.I.E.Aust', Smith's Weekly (1947), 15, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234633959. Details

Reports

• Institution of Engineers Australia, Forty-fifth Annual Report [1964] (1965), 14 pp. 'Prizes - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal (1964 Award), to Sir Robert Rutherford Blackwood, MCE BEE MIEAust', p.3. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7342140. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/91261462. Details
• Sir Robert Rutherford Blackwood (3 July 1906 - 21 August 1982), Monash University, 2011, http://monash.edu.au/mapa/venues/rbch/blackwood.html. Details
• 'Blackwood, Robert (1906-1982)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-458693. Details

Theses

• Blackwood, Robert Rutherford, 'Research work on the Strength of Electric Arc Welds in Structural Mild Steel', M.C.E. thesis, University of Melbourne, 1932, http://cat.lib.unimelb.edu.au:80/record=b1884448~S30. Details