Person
Blackwood, Robert Rutherford (1906 - 1982)
KtB FTS
- Born
- 3 June 1906
South Yarra, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 21 August 1982
Brighton, Victoria, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer, Industrialist and University Chancellor
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 (Kt) - 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 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
Colleague
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, volume 17: 1981 - 1990 A-K, Diane Langmore, ed. (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', Journal 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
Digital resources
Joanne Evans; Ken McInnes
Created: 24 August 2000, Last modified: 27 April 2023
- Foundation Supporter - Royal Society of Victoria