Arthur B. Metzner

University of Delaware

April 13, 1927 – May 4, 2006

Chemical Engineer

Awarded Bingham Medal 1977

Dr. Arthur “Art” Metzner was a Canadian chemical engineer and rheologist. He grew up in Canada and received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta in 1948. He then received his Sc.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1951. Metzner worked for two years at Colgate-Palmolive before returning to academia after receiving a position at the University of Delaware in 1953. He worked there until his retirement in 1996, receiving Professor Emeritus status in 1993. Metzner was also the chair of the Chemical Engineering Department from 1970-1978.

Metzner’s early research was focused on generalizing the traditional pipeline friction factors and Reynolds numbers used in fluid mechanics in order to account for non-Newtonian behavior. As he progressed in his career, his research concerns shifted to research in the measurement of normal stresses and the development of constitutive equations for the extra stress in polymeric materials such as the White-Metzner model. During this time period, modern rheological measurements and instrumentation were just beginning to develop. Metzner was one of the pioneers in the development of rheology as a significant stand-alone field and he served as the sole Editor of the Journal of Rheology for many years. He was awarded not only the Bingham Medal, but also the Distinguished Service Award of The Society of Rheology, because his “influence on rheology, as rheology as actually used in a practical setting, has been enormous, in both magnitude and direction” (Rheology Bulletin 1977).

Sources

In Memoriam Arthur B. Metzner. UDaily. University of Delaware. Go to link.

Denn, Morton M.; Ramamurthy, A.V.; Russell, T.W. Fraser. Arthur B. Metzner. Physics Today 2006, 59(9), 76. Go to link.

Rheology Bulletin Aug 1977, 46(2). Also, Box 6, Folder 28. Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740.

Photo Credit

AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives.