Chapman, Robert William (1866 - 1942)

Summary

Sir Robert Chapman was the first Professor of Engineering at the University of Adelaide from 1907. He was then Professor of Mathematics and Mechanics 1910-1919, and in 1920 returned to the chair of engineering, a position he held until his retirement in 1937.

He published two major textbooks: "The Elements of Astronomy for Surveyors" (London, 1919) and "Reinforced Concrete" (Adelaide, 1924) and many other scientific and technical papers. He is commemorated by the Institution of Engineers Australia R.W. Chapman medal and by a prize awarded by the University of Adelaide.

His distinguished contribution to engineering, surveying and education was recognised when he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1927; was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal in 1927 and the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1928; was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1937; and was awarded Honorary Member of the Institution of Engineers Australia (HonMIEAust) in 1942.

Details

Chronology

1876

Life event - Moved to Melbourne

1886

Education - Bachelor of Arts (BA), University of Melbourne

1888 -

Career event - Original [founding] member, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1888

Education - Master of Arts (MA), University of Melbourne

1888

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

1888 - 1889

Career position - Contractor, railway construction work

1889 - 1900

Career position - Assistant lecturer in mathematics and physics, University of Adelaide

c. 1900 -

Career position - Teacher in mathematics, South Australian School of Mines and Industries

1901

Career event - Member (MAusIME), Australasian Institute of Mining Engineers

1901 - 1907

Career position - Lecturer in engineering, University of Adelaide

1902 -

Award - Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society, London (FRAS)

1902

Career position - President, Section A (Astronomy, Mathematics and Physics), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1907 - 1910

Career position - Professor of Engineering, University of Adelaide

1907 - 1942

Career event - Fellow, Royal Society of South Australia

1909

Career position - President, Section H (Engineering and Architecture), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1910 - 1919

Career position - Professor of Mathematics and Mechanics, University of Adelaide

1913 - 1919

Career event - Foundation Member, South Australian Institute of Engineers

1914 - 1922

Career position - Member of Council, Royal Society of South Australia

1917 - 1929

Career position - President, South Australian Institute of Surveyors

1918 - 1919

Career position - President, South Australian Institute of Engineers

1919

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

1919

Career event - Published book: "The Elements of Astronomy for Surveyors" [republished and revised in more than 8 edition]

1920

Career position - Chairman, Adelaide Division, Institution of Engineers, Australia

1920

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

1920 - 1921

Career position - President, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

1920 - 1937

Career position - Professor of Engineering, University of Adelaide

1920 - 1937

Career position - Professor of Engineering, University of Adelaide

1921 -

Career position - Foundation Councillor (Engineering), Australian National Research Council

1921 - 1922

Career position - President, Institution of Engineers, Australia

1924

Career event - Published book: "Reinforced Concrete"

1927

Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) - President - SA Astronomical Society

1927

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

1928

Career position - President, Section H (Engineering and Architecture), Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science

1928

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

1937 -

Career position - Emeritus Professor, University of Adelaide

1937

Career event - Fellow, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)

1937

Life event - Retired

1937

Award - Knight Bachelor (Kt) - Professor of Engineering at Adelaide University

1939 - 1942

Career position - President of Council, South Australian School of Mines and Industries

1942

Award - Honorary Member (HonMIEAust), Institution of Engineers, Australia - For Engineering education, development of engineering school of University of Adelaide, Councillor (1920-1927) and President (1922)

Related entries

Archival resources

Astronomical Society of South Australia

• Robert William Chapman - Records, 1907 - 1940; Astronomical Society of South Australia. Details

Barr Smith Library, Special Collections, The University of Adelaide

• Robert William Chapman - Records, 1907 - 1942; Barr Smith Library, Special Collections, The University of Adelaide. Details

Institute of Surveyors, Australia - South Australian Division

• Robert William Chapman - Records, 1907 - 1940; Institute of Surveyors, Australia - South Australian Division. Details

Published resources

Books

• Chapman, R. W., The elements of astronomy for surveyors (London: Charles Griffin & Company, 1919), x, 251 pp. Details
• Chapman, R. W., Reinforced concrete (Adelaide: The Builder Publishing Co, 1924), 71 pp. Details
• Cumming, D. A.; Moxham, G. C., They built South Australia : engineers, technicians, manufacturers, contractors and their work (Adelaide: D.A. Cumming and G.C Moxham, 1986), 241 pp. pp.38-40. Details

Book Sections

• Bridgland, R. J., 'Chapman, Sir Robert William (1866-1942), engineer' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 7: 1891 - 1939 A-Ch, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1979), pp. 613-615. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A070623b.htm. Details

Journals

• Chapman, R. W., ed., 'South Australian Institute of Engineers: Biennial proceedings 1916 - 1917', 1917, 195 pp, https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/zper/i14966505/zperi14966505_1916-1917.pdf. Editor. Details

Journal Articles

• 'Abstracts of proceedings of Divisions, 1920.', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1 (1920), 151-161, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.633491999041294. '"Tides and Tidal Energy," an address by Professor R.W. Chapman, M.A., B.C.E.', p.151. Details
• 'The Late Sir Robert Chapman, Kt.Bach.', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 14 (1942), 101-3. Details
• 'First members of institution [Diamond Jubilee feature article]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 51 (20) (1979), 69. 'Registered member number 10'. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'Tables for the setting-out of transition curves of all lengths', South Australian Institute of Engineers: Biennial proceedings 1916 - 1917 (1917), 151-166, https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/zper/i14966505/zperi14966505_1916-1917.pdf. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'The lightest beams of Australian hardwoods to carry various loads', Commonwealth Engineer, 5 (9) (1918), 260. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'The hardening of steel by overstrain', Commonwealth Engineer, 9 (3) (1921), 74. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'New form of extensometer', Quarterly Bulletin, Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2 (8) (1925), 23-26. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'New machine for experiments in torsion', Quarterly Bulletin, Institution of Engineers, Australia, 2 (5) (1925), 21-23. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'Eccentric footings of columns', Quarterly Bulletin, Institution of Engineers, Australia, 4 (1927), 50-. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'The effect of moisture on concrete', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 3 (1931), 40-. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'Principle of least work', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 5 (1933), 237-. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'Maxwell's reciprocal theorem', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1935), 33-. Details
• Chapman, R. W., 'The growth of the use of the scientific method in structural design', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 10 (1938), 165-. Details
• Chapman, R. W.; Cockburn, R. F., 'The shrinkage of mortars made from Australian Portland Cement', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 6 (1934), 37-. Details
• Chapman, R. W.; Olsen, P. E., 'The effect of the addition of finely ground inert material to concrete', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 11 (1939), 263-. Details
• Chapman, R.W., 'The past work of the Royal Society outside the domain of Natural Science.', Transactions and proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia, 60 (1936), xxv-xxx, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41566089. Details
• Chapman, Robert William, 'Concrete footings for columns', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 2 (1921), 147-153, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.633678328753876. Details
• Chapman, Robert William, 'Presidential address', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 3 (1922), lxiii-lxxix, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.632951642874806. Details
• Chapman, Robert William, 'The strength of rectangular concrete slabs', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 8 (1927), 255-282, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.264732551060392. Details
• Chapman, Robert William; Gibb, Claude Dixon, 'The stresses in the floors of elevated cylindrical tanks', Transactions of the Institution of Engineers Australia, 4 (1923), 33-54, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.632374020765802. Details
• Grant, Kerr and Gartrell, H. W., 'Obituary: Robert William Chapman, 1866-1942', Australian Journal of Science, 5 (1) (1942), 35-36. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Ninth Annual General Meeting [March 1929] and Ninth Annual Report [1928]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 1 (1929), 197-201. 'Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - The 1928 award of the Medal was made to Professor R W Chapman, CMG, Member, Adelaide', p.199. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Twenty-second Annual Report [1941]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 14 (1942), 35-41. 'Honorary Membership of the Institution, awarded to Sir Robert William Chapman, KtBach, CMG MA BCE, Emeritus Professor of Engineering, University of Adelaide', p.39. Details
• Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Twenty-third Annual Report [1942]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 15 (1943), 35-51. 'Honorary Membership - Sir Robert William Chapman, KtBach CMG MA BCE, Emeritus Professor of Engineering of the University of Adelaide. Died 27th February 1942', p.37-38. Details

Newspaper Articles

• 'Honours List [Coronation Awards - South Australia]', Sydney Morning Herald (1937), 12, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17367049. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q7351076. Details
• VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/71205460. Details
• 'Chapman, R W (1866-1942)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-579939. Details

Resource Sections

• 'Chapman, Robert William', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P000932p.htm. Details

See also

• Dew, John M., Mining people - a century : Highlights of the first hundred years of the AusIMM 1893-1993 (Parkville, Victoria: Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 1993), 550 pp. pp.33, 74, 378, 460. Details