William Hume-Rothery
Encyclopedia
William Hume-Rothery OBE
(1899–1968) was a British
metallurgist who studied the constitution of alloys.
, Surrey
but spent his youth in Cheltenham and was educated at Cheltenham College
. In 1917 he was made totally deaf by a virus infection. Nevertheless, he entered Magdalen College, Oxford
and obtained a first class Honours degree in chemistry. He also attended the Royal School of Mines
and was awarded a PhD. During World War II
, he supervised numerous government contracts for work on aluminum and magnesium alloys.
After the war he returned to Oxford "to carry on research in intermetallic compounds and problems on the borderland of metallography and chemistry" and remained there for the rest of his working life. In 1938 he was appointed lecturer in metallurgical chemistry. In his research, he concluded that the microstructure of an alloy depends on the sizes of the component atoms, as well as the valency electron concentration, and electrochemical differences. He founded the Department of Metallurgy at the University of Oxford
in the 1950s, and was a fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
He retired in 1966 and died in 1968. He had married Elizabeth Fea in 1931; they had a daughter Jennifer in 1934.
The William Hume-Rothery Award has since 1974 been awarded annually by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1899–1968) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
metallurgist who studied the constitution of alloys.
Career
Hume-Rothery was born the son of lawyer Joseph Hume-Rothery in Worcester ParkWorcester Park
Worcester Park is a suburb of London, England covering both the extreme north west of the London Borough of Sutton in Greater London , part of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey and The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The area is south west of Charing Cross...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
but spent his youth in Cheltenham and was educated at Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
. In 1917 he was made totally deaf by a virus infection. Nevertheless, he entered Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
and obtained a first class Honours degree in chemistry. He also attended the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
and was awarded a PhD. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he supervised numerous government contracts for work on aluminum and magnesium alloys.
After the war he returned to Oxford "to carry on research in intermetallic compounds and problems on the borderland of metallography and chemistry" and remained there for the rest of his working life. In 1938 he was appointed lecturer in metallurgical chemistry. In his research, he concluded that the microstructure of an alloy depends on the sizes of the component atoms, as well as the valency electron concentration, and electrochemical differences. He founded the Department of Metallurgy at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in the 1950s, and was a fellow of St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
He retired in 1966 and died in 1968. He had married Elizabeth Fea in 1931; they had a daughter Jennifer in 1934.
The William Hume-Rothery Award has since 1974 been awarded annually by the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.
Honours and Awards
- He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in May, 1937
- He was awarded the Francis J. Clamer Medal in 1949.
External links
Golden Years at OxfordSee also
- Hume-Rothery rulesHume-Rothery rulesThe Hume-Rothery rules, named after William Hume-Rothery, are a set of basic rules describing the conditions under which an element could dissolve in a metal, forming a solid solution...
- Phase transformations in solids